Are you too Busy?

Imagine this: you've been filling out applications for weeks and weeks looking for a new job - and finally you get a callback. They're excited about your application and they want to meet you tomorrow at noon!

You can barely sleep the night before, and when the time comes, you're burning with energy. You hop the bus to get there and rush in the building, only to find the elevator is broken.

But you don't let that stop you. You rush up the stairs, and by the time you make it to the top, you're completely out of breath. It's only then, when you look at the sign hanging above the receptionist, that you realize you were in the wrong building the entire time!

Now you've both late AND worn out. You might have been busy, but you didn't DO anything.
We live in a culture that empathizes hard work over everything else. Rarely do we stop to ask whether we're working hard on the right things for the right reasons.

If you feel like you're climbing  a whole building's worth of stairs in the wrong building, chances are that you're not working very effectively.

First: Take a couple of days off.

This can be a very tough decision to make, especially if you're hanging on by your fingernails. But the fact is that you need to have a clear head when you analyze your business. That's very difficult to do when you're burned out. Give yourself a little time to emotionally and physically reboot, even if it's only for a weekend. You'll be amazed at how much better you feel.

Second: Are you being a perfectionist?

Too many people try to do everything perfectly because they're afraid of being "caught" or looking bad, or they have a "personal standard" they feel they need to live up to.

Drop the idea that all your work needs to be flawless, because it will explode the amount of work you need to do. Chances are that you need volume, more traffic, more customers, and more buyers.
So start going after it!

Third: Give Yourself An Audit

Take a look at the time you used for the day - rate their activities on a scale of 1-10, with a 10 being very helpful to your business, and a 1 being something very counterproductive. What were the reasons for doing the low-rated tasks? Can you attack them and get rid of them?

Remember, your goal isn't to be busy, it's to accomplish more. Work less and spend more time thinking about how to improve your efficiency, and you'll love the results you get.

To your job search success

Fran Watson

Is Cooking Your Passion?

Cooking Is An Art

There’s more to cooking than putting food in a pot and
then eating it.

Cooking can be an art. For those who really love to
cook it becomes a real pastime for them.

They are able to come up with new variations of old
recipes and put their own special touches on them.

Preparing for a gathering can be something of a joy
for them. While some find cooking a time to be
stressed out, other engulf themselves with the task of
creating something truly special for their guests.

When preparing a meal for your loved ones it becomes
an extra special motivation to ensure their family
gets the best of what you have.

It may not be a daily occurrence when you prepare a
special gourmet dinner for your friends and family,
but, you do go to the extra effort of making sure your
family eats better than microwave quick fix dinners.

If you love to cook you will be making efforts often
to make, create, and improve the tastes that feed your
loved ones. Your gift of love is shown in the food you
prepare and that in itself is an art.

If this is you, why not consider a career as a chef?
Training is available at a local college and you can work
your way up the ladder from prep cook, to line cook,
and eventually to chef. 

In time you might even want to operate your own
catering business.

So, if cooking is your passion, why not follow your dream.

To your job search success

Fran Watson

Looking for Work? What Methods Are You Using?

Not many people realize it, but the job-hunt is one of the most studied phenomena of our time. It is amazing what we know about it.
Acquainting yourself with this research can pay rich dividends to any job-hunter, and especially if your job-hunt is running into trouble. Let me illustrate what I mean.
Most job-hunters think there are basically only three ways to go about their job-hunt: resumes, ads, and agencies. Actually, there are fourteen:

1.	Using the Internet to look for job-postings or to post one's own resume.
2.	Mailing out resumes to employers at random.
3.	Answering ads in professional or trade journals appropriate to your field.
4.	Answering local newspaper ads.
5.	Going to private employment agencies or search firms.
6.	Going to places where employers come to pick out workers, such as union hiring halls.
7.	Taking a Civil Service exam.
8.	Asking a former teacher or professor for job-leads.
9.	Going to the state/Federal employment service office.
10.	Asking family members, friends, or professionals you know for job-leads.
11.	Knocking on the door of any employer, factory, or office that interests you, whether they are known to have a vacancy or not.  )
12.	By yourself, using the phone book's Yellow Pages to identify fields that interest you, then calling employers in those fields to see if they're hiring for the kind of work you can do.
13.	In a group with other job-hunters, using the phone book's Yellow Pages as above.
14.	Doing what is called "the creative approach to job-hunting or career-change": doing homework on yourself, to figure out what your favorite and best skills are; then doing face-to-face interviewing for information only, at organizations in your field; followed up by using your personal contacts to get in to see, at each organization that has interested you, the person-who-actually-has-the-power-to-hire-you (not necessarily the human resources department).    How many of these have you tried?   To your job search success   Fran Watson

Vacation for Job Seekers?

Your job search is like a full-time job. In fact, I’m sure many job seekers would argue that their job search takes up more time than a full-time job would.

 

That being said, a vacation is almost certainly one of the farthest things from your mind while you’re searching for a new job. For some, it’s because of financial reasons. For others, sparing even one day to recharge seems out of the question.

 

What do you think: Should job seekers take a vacation?

Read more here 

 

To your successful job search

 

Fran Watson

Multi tasking

Is it possible to be an effective multi-tasker?   Watch this video and see if you agree...

http://youtu.be/yr8W8ejX6To

Fran Watson
Career Counsellor/Coach
www.franwatson.ca/bio.html

Procrastination

Procrastinate:   to be slow or late about doing something that should be done : to delay doing something until a later time because you do not want to do it, because you are lazy, etc.

It seems that I have been procrastinating about keeping up my blogs.  Instead of getting up and enjoying the day and getting started on all my tasks, I have been lying in bed, falling back to sleep and then getting up and rushing around and not accomplishing half of what I planned.

Has this ever happened to you?  Do you find yourself putting off things you should be doing in your job search?  Getting that resume updated?  Spending time searching the job sites (www.indeed.com, www.monster.ca, www.charityvillage.com )?  Sending out your resumes?  Looking for the "hidden" jobs in your area? 

Do you think that coffee with friends or cleaning your house is a better use of your time?  Think again.  If you are job searching, you should be spending the same amount of time searching as you want to be working.  If you want a full-time job, then you should be spending a full day on your job search activities - checking the local paper (or online version), checking the job search sites, looking up information on companies you might like to work for, crafting a resume tailored to the specific job (no, there is no "one size fits all" resume), and practicing your interview skills.

For more tips click here

Happy job searching...

Good luck!

Fran Watson

P.S.  For some interview questions, click here

Communication Skills Vital to Your Job Search

A recent study conducted by Stanford Research Institute, Harvard University and the Carnegie Foundation discovered that “85% of the reason people get a job, keep that job, and move ahead in that job has to do with their people skills and people knowledge. Only 15% is the result of a technical skill.”

How are your communication skills?  Do you know how to confidently handle yourself in an interview situation or do you become tongue-tied?  Are you able to make small talk at the company office party, or do you stand in a corner with a drink in your hand hoping no one comes over?  Can you confidently approach someone you don't know and begin a conversation? 

If not, then you might want to check out a local Toastmasters Club where you can begin to develop your communication skills.  In addition to developing confidence in communication, you will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, another skill needed for employment.

Want to find out more about Toastmasters?  Click here 

I have been a member of Toastmasters since 2002 and I continue to learn and grow as a speaker and a leader.  Why not give it a try?  You have nothing to lose and a lot to gain!

To your successful job search

Fran Watson

P.S.  For more help with your job search, click here

Power Posing and More

Today I attended a workshop presented by Julie Blais-Comeau where I learned about Power Posing and the difference it can make in presenting yourself for an interview.  She also covered handshakes. 

How is your handshake?
Do you know how many times you should shake? 
Do you hang on until the other person lets go? 
Do you squeeze a little too hard or too soft? 
Ask me, I can give you the answer now.

Times are tough for those of you who are job searching, so you need to make yourself stand out in some way - in a good way, not a bad way.  Appearance can make your first impression a good one.  Do you know what you should be wearing to an interview?

Leave your questions below and I will answer.

Looking forward to talking with you soon.

Fran

For more information click here