The Unethical Job Search

The Unethical Job Search A few weeks ago I got an email linking to a story about a guy who did something different to land a job.   You can read the entire story here. In short, they guy found a job he really wanted.   Instead of applying for it, he decided to: [pose] as a comparable employer and posted a comparable job opening online. He asked applicants to send a resume, cover letter and salary their requirement. He got dozens of “applications” from poor, unsuspecting job-seekers. His little ruse allowed him to gauge his competition, and to identify an appropriate salary range. With this new-found omniscience,   he applied for the job. And guess what… he got it. This rubbed me wrong, but I couldnt figure out why. Sure, I think its unethical (well there you go, the red flag).   But heres the deal while in a job search its easy to get in a position where you would do something you normally wouldnt do dont you think?   I mean, if your ethics were in-any-way shaky, and you were between a rock and a hard spot, maybe you could bend the unwritten rules just once dont you think? I finally figured out why this rubbed me wrong, no matter how desperate you are. First, its wrong. Its unethical.   You have violated a lot of peoples trust (not in you, directly, but still, trust was violated and you took advantage of unsuspecting people).   That should be reason enough. If that isnt, then heres what I came up with this week: Second, we dont need more shady ethics in our world. It destroyed Enron (I think).   I cant imagine that good ethics has helped GM get to where they are at today.   Ethics are a huge issue in our world if you are going to stoop this low to land your job, what will you do to make a sale once you got the job?   Where are the boundaries? Keep moving boundaries and Im sure to not want to hire you I cant have unethical things going on in my business can I? Would you like to work for someone who is unethical?   (IT SUCKS, trust me) Would you like to work at a company with shady ethics? Then why would you land that job with questionable ethics? I get the I have to survive thing.   Been there.   Working through it.   But lowering your standards should not be acceptable. Think this is a black-and-white subject?   Read the comments its polarized unethical behavior is applauded by some and frowned upon by others. Where do you stand? The Unethical Job Search A few weeks ago I got an email linking to a story about a guy who did something different to land a job.   You can read the entire story here. In short, they guy found a job he really wanted.   Instead of applying for it, he decided to: [pose] as a comparable employer and posted a comparable job opening online. He asked applicants to send a resume, cover letter and salary their requirement. He got dozens of “applications” from poor, unsuspecting job-seekers. His little ruse allowed him to gauge his competition, and to identify an appropriate salary range. With this new-found omniscience,   he applied for the job. And guess what… he got it. This rubbed me wrong, but I couldnt figure out why. Sure, I think its unethical (well there you go, the red flag).   But heres the deal while in a job search its easy to get in a position where you would do something you normally wouldnt do dont you think?   I mean, if your ethics were in-any-way shaky, and you were between a rock and a hard spot, maybe you could bend the unwritten rules just once dont you think? I finally figured out why this rubbed me wrong, no matter how desperate you are. First, its wrong. Its unethical.   You have violated a lot of peoples trust (not in you, directly, but still, trust was violated and you took advantage of unsuspecting people).   That should be reason enough. If that isnt, then heres what I came up with this week: Second, we dont need more shady ethics in our world. It destroyed Enron (I think).   I cant imagine that good ethics has helped GM get to where they are at today.   Ethics are a huge issue in our world if you are going to stoop this low to land your job, what will you do to make a sale once you got the job?   Where are the boundaries? Keep moving boundaries and Im sure to not want to hire you I cant have unethical things going on in my business can I? Would you like to work for someone who is unethical?   (IT SUCKS, trust me) Would you like to work at a company with shady ethics? Then why would you land that job with questionable ethics? I get the I have to survive thing.   Been there.   Working through it.   But lowering your standards should not be acceptable. Think this is a black-and-white subject?   Read the comments its polarized unethical behavior is applauded by some and frowned upon by others. Where do you stand?

Love and Money in the Interview

Love and Money in the Interview “What salary are you looking for?” Everyone hates the question.   Everyone. Talking about salary is awkward for most jobseekers, and for good reason.   If you mention a figure that’s too low, you leave money on the table if you get the offer   â€" and that’s the best case scenario. You’re also in danger of being overlooked for the position because you aren’t qualified.   After all, salary offers are based on two things:   the value of the position to the company, and the perceived value of your experience and skills. The key to getting a better salary offer is to prove you’re a good match for the job  and to have the company fall in love with you before they talk about an offer. I use the term “fall in love” advisedly.   We’ve all experienced “falling in love” with a product or service; we’re willing, even happy, to pay more for it. (IPad, anyone?)   You don’t bargain, especially if what you love is in short supply.   You always grab the last pair of shoes in your size or the last chocolate croissant.   How to make the company fall in love with you is your challenge.   This post is about how to avoid talking price until they do. First, you must set your bottom line.   You do some research and decide what you’re worth in the market (here’s a guide to research in a previous post.) Whatever your bottom line is, you must mentally prepare yourself to walk away if the offer does not meet it.   If you can’t do that, then don’t worry about what the offer is- you won’t be in a position to negotiate it anyway. Take the market research (location, education and experience factored in) and integrate it into your personal range.   Let’s say your bottom line for this job is $40,000.   The market research indicates that the range for the position could be from $35,000 to $50,000. There are a couple of ways to speak about that if the recruiter brings up salary. “Based on my research, this job could pay anywhere between $40,000 and $55,000 for someone at my level of experience.   Will this job fall within that range?” Another tactic is to ask the recruiter about the range first. No matter what she / he says, say something to the effect of: “That sounds reasonable, based on what I know now about the job. I’m sure if I’m a good match for you, we can work it out.” Then go back to helping them fall in love with you. If the offer comes and it’s not what you expected, you have nothing to lose by asking to negotiate.   This moment â€" the moment between their decision to hire you and yours to accept â€" is the most leverage you’ll have with the decision maker.   A simple and friendly approach is best: “Gee â€" I was hoping for a little more than this, based on my experience.   What can we do to get closer to my figure?”   The worst case scenario is that they can’t make a move.   If the offer is below your bottom line, you should decline gracefully. It’s hard to do, but it’s even harder to do your best when you’re starting out resentful and feeling underappreciated. And it may be a long time before you make up the difference between your offer and what you wanted. The economy is improving, although its moving much more slowly than any of us would like to see.   Despite that, people are getting offers every day. You’ll be more comfortable negotiating when you know that other, maybe better, offers will be coming along eventually.   Work on making the company fall in love, and the money will come.

3 Time Management Tools to Organise Your Job Hunt

3 Time Management Tools to Organise Your Job Hunt Being on-time, fast  and persistent is vital  to an effective job hunt. Staying organised may be the way you stand out and  beat the  competition for your dream job. Do you have a set routine planned with your days dedicated to your job search? To make job hunting easier, we strongly recommend using time management tools to keep you focused and completing  important tasks in the correct order. It  will also be reassuring to be aware  that  youre  making  significant progress.  Be sure to  refer back to this checklist everyday! Wed love to hear how you keep  focused with your job search. Do you use any tools to stay  organised? Here are three vital time management applications  we recommend to optimise your job hunt: 1. Fantastical Fantastical is a quick and easy way of managing your calendar and reminders. With one click, you can open up Fantastical and see your schedule for the week or month. Fantastical also allows you to set reminders that you can attach to specific dates or leave as a simple checklist. Alarms can also be set to remind you of specific events. Also, Fantastical is brilliant  on iOS platforms, which automatically syncs with the Mac desktop application. Whilst Fantastical isnt free, its perhaps the best calendar app available on Apple devices  due to its versatility and stylish interface. Staying  organised with an effective calendar application is essential to productivity and remaining  focused. What calendar app do you use on your smartphone or computer? Let us know in the comments. 2. Trello Trello is a fantastic task management web tool, especially with users collectively working on a specific task.  Trello is simple to use with a lot of flexibility. Tasks you create in Trello are displayed in small cards, and then sorted in columns that you can customise. These columns display the progression of each task, from ideas to done. Everything is automatically synced to the cloud, so all users and devices are continually up-to-date on the latest project developments. You can write ideas, concepts or tasks to  be completed  onto  Trello cards. Cards also allow comments, photos, videos and PDFs to be attached, and you can include particular  users to work on specific tasks. A useful notification sidebar  indicates the latest actions made by all users. Keeping track of a collaborative projects progress is easier than ever with Trello. Checklists can also be added to cards  to ensure each smaller task is completed thats part of a bigger piece of work.  Boards can be customised to cater to anyones requirements, and you can even change the background image! Theres also a Trello app for smartphones, allowing you to manage your Trello whilst your away from the computer.  Have you tried Trello? Let us know in the comments! 3. Todoist Todoist places a strong emphasis on design. Simplicity is the main draw  of this task management application.  Its easy to keep everything in order with Todoists minimalist approach  and flexibility. Todoist claims to offer more features than any other to-do list meaning more customisation, organise tasks and optimise productivity. You can  add tasks by email and access tasks on iCalendar. Todoist also features sub-tasks, labels and the ability to colour coordinate content. You can also chat real-time to others when collaborating on projects. While Todoist is free to use, it also offers a  premium subscription thats  $28 ( £18) a year that gives you more abilities, such as notifications (either by  time or location), automatic backups, and the ability to add notes or file attachments.  There are a few lacking features, such as Apple Handoff support between iOS devices and Macs, but this feature  may  appear at some stage. With time management applications and tools, I advise trying  each tool to discover which one you prefer and stick with it for at least a month. Each user has different requirements from a task-management tool, so explore whats available  and find out which one suits your needs. For example, my requirements are based on it having multi platform support, ease of use and stylish simplicity. All three of these apps are perfect for my requirements. Staying organised with a job hunt is easier when using any one of these three apps. Do you use any of the applications mentioned? How do you stay on top of your tasks? Let us know in the comments! Image: Shutterstock

5 Top LinkedIn Features for Personal Brands - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

5 Top LinkedIn Features for Personal Brands - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Since 2003 LinkedIn has been building an effective career networking tool online for connecting with the right people.  The first step towards building your personal brand is have a presence there. The second step is to tap into all that it has to offer. Having the knowledge about what is available will help you create a more effective experience. So what are you missing on LinkedIn? There are several key areas that should not be overlooked. It’s time to get your personal brand’s profile up to speed! 5 ways to get the most out of LinkedIn Here are several ways you can take your personal brand to the next level and get noticed by taking into account these key features. • Fix that headline Many profiles on LinkedIn approach their headline as a job title or even leave it out altogether. Put your headline to work for you with a title that entices your visitors and makes them want to find out more about your personal brand. • Create more connections with groups LinkedIn provides a great way to connect with others, but the real value is found in joining active groups in your niche. Your personal brand can belong to as many as 50 different groups, any of which can have over a thousand members. Through active engagement you are exposing yourself to influencers and potential employers or leads. •  Include video and images Like other social networks LinkedIn profiles are enhanced when they include multimedia, which is simple to add to your summary. What a great way to make your personal brand stand out and project a message visually. These will also attract more visitors and network requests. • Make endorsements more meaningful You may have noticed other professionals endorsing your personal brand’s skills. While this is an important element to building your network, create a lasting impression by leaving endorsements for others when they have demonstrated a skill or accomplishment. Weed out the endorsements on your profile that don’t pertain to your niche, and showcase the top skills that best reflect your brand. • Get noticed with a great headshot Before anyone reads through your LinkedIn profile they are looking for who is behind the title. Not only does this need to add a credible persona, but should also accurately reflect your personal brand. These LinkedIn features are a powerful way to successfully strengthen your personal brand and create more opportunities for job offers and leads for business.

How a Resume Needs an Objective Statement

How a Resume Needs an Objective Statement'Does a resume need an objective?' This is the question I often ask when interviewing for jobs. It is true that many resumes I receive lack an 'objective' statement. However, having an objective statement can make a huge difference in how an employer evaluates your resume.As you might imagine, the first question I ask when interviewing candidates on this topic is: 'How do you go about defining your objective?' In some cases, I get the same response with a variation of, 'Well, I just write what I believe.' But I know what they mean when they say 'I just write what I believe.' They are not being honest.Because the resume is a basic statement of purpose, I don't believe it is necessary to use a more elaborate or complicated statement of objective. It is not necessary to include a detailed list of qualifications, accomplishments, or any other information that does not directly relate to the position in which the applicant will be employed. If an a pplicant wants to include that information, they should list it in the 'junk file' or come up with their own list.With so many different jobs and so many different responsibilities, the job description is the most important part of the resume. The 'job description' is the content of the back of the resume. The job description, in my opinion, should contain the information necessary to be read by the hiring manager to determine if the position would be an appropriate fit for the person.If someone has been working as a telemarketer for six months, but they want to be employed in a certain position where the hours are flexible, then the resume is not going to work. A job description will contain the details of the job and it should direct the reader to apply for the position. This is the point where an objective statement will provide the information needed to create the job description.Resumes are very short and concise. They need to provide the hiring manager only the necessary infor mation to determine if the person applying is a suitable candidate for the job. The recruiter has spent time looking at hundreds of resumes already, so a brief and concise statement of purpose is a great place to start.Is it possible to know how a resume needs an objective? The answer is yes. There are many software programs that will be able to review the resume and provide recommendations as to whether the resume is a good match for the job.If you are seeking employment and are still looking for the perfect 'how a resume needs an objective' question, please contact a recruiter today. Remember, there is no easier way to get a job than by using our service.

Spreading happiness at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Spreading happiness at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Last wednesday Project Happiness at Work had its first paying customer!! We held a seminar for 15 secretaries at nch, and judging from the feedback it was a great success. This is of course only the beginning, but it did prompt me to create a page for companies on the projects website, outlining the products we intend to market to businesses. Over the next two months wed like to find 10 companies interested in trying the workshop. The workshop is an excellent way to start spreading happiness in any workplace. It can be done in one or two days, with up to 40 participants. Afterwards the participants have all the knowledge they need to hold more workshops in the company themselves, and they also get all the necessary workshop materials. This can make the spread of happiness self-reproductive within the company. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Yes, You Can Have It All But Not If You Define All The Wrong Way - Kathy Caprino

Yes, You Can Have It All But Not If You Define ‘All’ The Wrong Way Part of Kathy Caprinos series “Accessing the Most Powerful Version of You” Over the past decade, there has been a great deal of discussion and debate over the question, “Can women have it all?” I’ve read hundreds of responses to this question, and I’ve also explored it with my coaching clients and course members, and in the media. I remember being riveted by Anne Marie Slaughter’s 2012 article in  The Atlantic  on  Why Women Still Can’t Have It All  that went hugely viral. I loved her take and for thousands of women, it offered messages that were welcomed and refreshingly honest. Slaughter later shared that her article  shifted her life in ways she never expected. After my 18 years in corporate life and not coming close to “having it all,” and then shifting to running my own coaching and training firm, I honed my take on this question, which is this: Pursuing “having it all” tends to end up in the wrong direction of what we truly want because we’ve defined it in a way that is unobtainable and unsustainable. Our “perfectionistic overfunctioning” often gets in the way of creating what we really want. What we need to do instead is focus on what matters most, and that’s not everything in the world. Instead, we want to grow our self-authority and empowerment to make the right choices that will allow us to prioritize what is meaningful and fulfilling, to attend to what will bring our lives and careers the greatest joy, satisfaction, fulfillment, meaning, and success. We want to pursue these priorities openly and honestly, and live in an authentic way where we can be true to ourselves, without shame, guilt or fear. And we want to be able to get to the end of our lives without the deep regret and remorse that comes from living someone else’s life, not our own. (Here’s more about  the top 5 regrets of the dying and how to live without regret.) To explore this question anew, I was excited to catch up with  Romi Neustadt, a former corporate lawyer then PR executive who traded in the billable hour to become a successful entrepreneur. She’s passionate about helping other women experience success on their own terms, and her first book,  Get Over Your Damn Self: The No-BS Blueprint to Building a Life-Changing Business, earned a Gold Award from the Nonfiction Authors Association. Her latest book,  You Can Have It All, Just Not at the Same Damn Time,  shares Neustadt’s insights and strategies around how to stop trying to do it all so you can finally build a life filled with what you really want. Here’s what Neustadt shares: Kathy Caprino:  You say that women aren’t achieving their dreams because they confuse  having it all  with  doing it all. What do you mean by that? Romi Neustadt:  Women are suffering from unrealistic expectationsâ€"who we’re supposed to be, how much we’re supposed to accomplish and how we’re supposed to look while we’re doing it. We’re trying to be all things to all people, and our to-do lists keep growing as we add things that we think we should do. This should-ing all over the place is making us stressed and exhausted and feeling like a failure, so we’re not getting to the things we really want to do. But the great news is there’s a fix. If we want to have it all, we have to stop  doing it all. Caprino:  You stopped doing it all and say that you now have a life filled with all you want and coach other women to do the same. What approach to success have you engaged in that eludes many other women? Neustadt:  It took me having a minor breakdown to admit that my life was running me (instead of the other way around), and I needed to fix it so I could actually fill my life with what was really important to me and enjoy my precious time on earth. So I gave myself the gift of a couple days of “me time” in a hotel room, and it turned out to be a life-changing gift. Armed with some books, my laptop and a journal, I started searching. I stumbled upon the concept of picking “one word”â€"this was long before it was popularâ€"and I loved the idea of adopting a mantra to guide me through the upcoming year. And while it was an empowering starting point, I realized declaring a word wouldn’t be enough by itself to have a transformative impact on my life. I kept reading and searching, and then it dawned on me. Throughout my entire goal-oriented life, I never once figured out what my priorities were. I thought all the goals I’d been setting all these years were priorities. It was in that hotel room that I established my “One Word Process” that I take myself through every year, along with my sales organization and readers of my blog. It’s been life-changing because it forces you to figure out what you  really  want your life to look likeâ€"and what you’re willing to do to make it happen. Caprino:  So how does your process work exactly and why do you find it so effective? Neustadt:  First, you establish three priorities that serve your one wordâ€"the things that are important and non-negotiable in your life  right now. I don’t think it’s possible to have more than three at any one time. And then you set goals that serve your prioritiesâ€"not ones that you think you  should  be going after, but what  you  want to accomplish. And our goals must align with our priorities or we feel scattered and unfulfilled, and that’s because we’re living inauthentic lives. This process offers a road map of where to focus your time, attention, and energy. And it gives you permission to let go of everything else. This enabled me to start to build a life filled with my  all. Caprino:  So once women determine what they want, how can they find or create more time for those things? Neustadt:  I suggest doing  what I call “relentlessly editing your life.” You make a list of everything you do in a week and how long you spend doing it. And then you label each activity. Mark “P” for everything that serves one or more of your priorities. Mark “G” for everything that’s helping you get closer to achieving one or more of your goals. Mark “M” for everythingâ€"and I mean everythingâ€"you think you must do. This includes going to the bathroom, personal hygiene, sleep. Mark “H” for everything you hate doing. Mark “S” for everything you think you should do. It’s in the list of things marked H and S that you find what you should be delegating or deletingâ€"which frees up your time and energy to focus on the things that serve your priorities and goals. I personally revisit this invaluable exercise once a quarter or any time that I start to feel overwhelmed or scattered. I go back to my priorities and goals and make sure every single thing I’m doing serves them. Caprino:  In my work with professional women, I’ve seen that one of the hardest parts of staying focused for women can be setting boundaries. How can they do that more effectively Neustadt:  Women need to get really good at saying “No,” and saying it often in an authentic and gracious way. “No” keeps you from committing to things you really don’t want to do. Here are a couple of examples. “No, I can’t be class mom because my plate is completely full, and I won’t be able to give it the time and attention it deserves. But thank you for thinking of me.” “No, I can’t attend the fundraiser because I’ve been running at warp speed, and Friday night will be the one night this week I get to go to bed early. I hope it’s a huge success.” It’s doable, and you get to say it without apology and without guilt.  And the more you say it, the easier it gets. Caprino:  You speak and coach a great deal around authenticity. What does authenticity mean to you and how do you make living an authentic life non-negotiable? Neustadt:  To me, authenticity is showing up as the real you in all parts of your life, every single day. Not the you that you think you’re supposed to be or who others expect you to be. When you do that, you’re able to be honest with yourself about what you really want, what your “all” is. Every woman has their own allâ€"yours likely looks different from mine. The point is to figure out what  you  want and then make it happen. And if each of us were living our truth, there would be a lot less judging each other and playing the comparison game, and a lot more supporting and inspiring each other. Caprino:  You say that fear is the core reason women aren’t living the lives they really want. Among the women you’ve met, what are their most common fears and how can they overcome them? Neustadt:  I’ve mentored tens of thousands of women, and like me, they have a lot of fears. We’re afraid of failure, afraid of success, afraid to be judged, afraid we’re not enough, and afraid we’re going to live our lives and not get to the things we really want. And all these fears can paralyze us and annihilate our focus. I coach three steps to deal with fear that I use myself nearly every day. The three steps are: #1: Acknowledge when fear is rearing its ugly head and name it. You’ve got to confront fear to move past it. #2: Ask yourself, what’s the worst that could really happen? Not a hypothetical, but what are the facts that you know to be true? Most of the time, the reality is much less dire than we imagine it to be. #3: Finally, adopt a mantra to tell yourself to declare that you’re not going to let fear win, that you’re going to act in spite of it. Try F-FEAR. For you the F might mean Fight. For me it means something saltier. This is more than a clever hashtag to use on Instagram. It’s a battle cry that says you have the power. This can be a powerful tool for our kids too. I’ve walked our kids through this process to deal with the various fears they face in their tween and teenage lives. I especially love it when they declare F-FEAR to do what scares them. I want women to understand that it is possible to have it all, if they give themselves the permission to define what their unique “all” looks like and to unapologetically let go of everything else. It’s the only way to live a fulfilled and authentic life, which is what we all deserve. For more information, visit RomiNeustadt.com and her new book,  You Can Have It All, Just Not at the Same Damn Time. For help identifying your top priorities in life and work, and to move through the fear and honor those priorities, join Kathy Caprinos  Amazing Career Project 16-week online course, and take her 6-day  Amazing Career challenge.