How to use a sabbatical to fuel your career change

How to use a sabbatical to fuel your career change How to use a sabbatical to fuel your career change ONLINE CAREER CHANGE MASTERCLASS: MINDSET CHANGE SERIES How to use a sabbatical to fuel your career change Lyndall FarleyFounder of Beyond a Break Shiobhaun WattCareer Coach and Moderator Join us for an interactive discussion on how to design, plan and take a purposeful sabbatical that propels your career shift forward. Video and Summary PDF €25Access Now As seen in: This Masterclass is for you if you… Feel drained of energy at work and are open to taking time away Are longing for a break but aren’t sure what a sabbatical is and how it could help your career change Have no idea how to arrange extended leave from work Are worried about the financial practicalities of taking time off work Want to plan a break that’s meaningful, and gives you momentum for your career change on your return You’ll leave with… An understanding of what a sabbatical is and the different types of extended breaks you could take Learnings on how a career break could help you recharge your energy, get clarity and act as a springboard to your career change The starting point for you to design a sabbatical that is purposeful and helps you restore your body and mind Ways to present your leave request to your employer, with compelling reasons benefitting both sides Insights on the practicalities of costing your sabbatical, to reduce your expenses and make your assets work whilst you are away You’ll be in conversation with… Lyndall Farley Founder of Beyond a Break Lyndall Farley launched Beyond a Break after returning from her 10th sabbatical to help people leverage the power of a sabbatical to reignite their life. During her 10+ years working for a global consulting firm specialising in Organisational Change Management, she saw many people around her dissatisfied at work and burning out. After training as a coach, she began guiding people on the sabbatical journey. She helps people navigate their dream sabbatical, then make changes toward their best life when they return. Shiobhaun Watt Career Coach and Moderator Shiobhaun is a coach, specialising in career change, redundancy and returning to work after career breaks. She’s passionate about coaching to ensure individuals can be the best they can be. Shiobhaun is accredited with the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development to MCIPD status.Shehas a background in human resources, having previously workedfor Barclays Bank and BAE Systems for over 15 years in various roles, including talent development and senior HR management. Get access to the Masterclass now ONLINE CAREER CHANGE MASTERCLASS: MINDSET CHANGE SERIES How to use a sabbatical to fuel your career change Video and Summary PDF€25Access Now Questions? FAQ After Questions How long is the Masterclass? One hour. What’s the format of the Masterclass? For approximately the first half of the event, you’ll hear from one or more experts or practitioners who will be sharing their insights on the subject of the Masterclass. The second part will be an interactive QA session, where our panellists will be answering questions from the audience. What equipment will I need to take part? You'll need an internet-connected computer / laptop, tablet or mobile device with sound. How will I get access to the recording? As long as you have registered for the Masterclass you’ll be emailed personalised login details to access the recording. Is there an expiry date on the Masterclass? No, there's no expiry date on the recordings and summary of the Masterclass. Will I be able to watch the recording more than once? Yes, you’ll be able to watch it as many times as you like.

12 Candidate Warning Signs For Interviewers

12 Candidate Warning Signs For Interviewers Can you really assess a candidate’s suitability fully from just a few conversations? How can you figure out their working style, their office compatibility  and  aptitude when you’ve only met them once or twice? Candidates aren’t the enemy, and we want them to be on their best behaviour. But when they’re trying to fit the role’s specifications, and persuade you of the same thing, it’s easy to miss some key warning signs early on. Its not to say  that everyone who could be marked with a red flag is lying it may just be nerves, or who they are. You have to be aware though that they could be  hiding something or acting dishonestly. Use this rough guide to help you spot potential bad eggs: 1. A poorly written CV Bad spelling and grammar in a job application, CV or covering letter could suggest a few things: English is not their first language (not always important, but for some roles this could be a deal breaker), the candidate lacks attention to detail, or they have a tendency to rush tasks, and not check them over. 2. Avoiding eye contact If your interviewee is avoiding eye contact, they may well be nervous, and feeling awkward in such a formal setting. However, they could also be hiding something, or they might lack the confidence that the job at hand requires. 3. Are they lying by omission? No home address could suggest they are relying on this job to move closer to the area (which might delay start dates). No degree grade, or other missing qualification details, could suggest that the candidate is holding something back. But remember, it could be harmless; they might have a poor grade, and expect this will instantly put a recruiter off before they get the chance to see the compensating experience they also have. Just bear in mind that if it’s missing, it’s probably for a reason. An unexplained career gap is definitely worth probing â€" what were they doing, and why did they not explain so on their CV? To spot these, make sure you’re carefully working through their career timeline, month by month. 4. Erratic career path If their career history seems inconsistent in terms of the industries and locations, ask for more details â€" there might be a good reason. But this should flag up warning signs for recruiters, as it might indicate the candidate  becomes bored easily, struggles to fit into a working environment, or was unsure (and still could be) of what they want to do, and where. 5. Inability to back up claims If your candidate is unable to provide evidence alongside their claims, they either haven’t prepared well, don’t deal with pressure that effectively, or they’ve over-inflated their skills and experience. 6. Overconfidence Talking too much, bragging and acting too confident  could suggest that they are hiding something, compensating for something, or it’s just their personality. If you’re put off by the arrogance, then they probably won’t fit in with the company culture, let alone work well in a team. 7. Unprofessionally dressed It’s an obvious one, but if they haven’t made an effort to dress well, they probably aren’t that interested in the role. Perhaps they just haven’t had any previous interview experience (why?), or didn’t bother doing their research into interview etiquette. Maybe mention their apparel if you can, and see how they react â€" this could be telling for their motivations, and ability to handle feedback. Either way, it’s not a good sign. 8. No questions of their own If a candidate doesn’t offer questions of their own, this could mean a few things: They didn’t prepare very well, they’re not interested, they’re not a good communicator, they lack ambition, or they don’t want to admit ignorance by asking obvious questions. 9. Negativity If your applicant spends the interview criticising their previous employers rather than focussing on what these experiences taught them, this could be a warning sign. Too much negativity this early on suggests a complainer in the workplace â€" not a great team player or asset to the office. 10. They’re not a good listener Answering poorly, asking repetitive or obvious questions, or just seeming a bit lost during your conversations are clear signs of a bad listener. They might just be nervous, or just not great at listening by nature, but worse, they could be indifferent about the role, or lack respect for others’ time and efforts. Pull them up on it if you can; if they then become defensive or rude, you’ve found your bad egg. 11. They cancel Maybe we at the Graduate Recruitment Bureau are pessimists because we mainly deal with fresh graduates and students. But in our experience, the most dramatic accidents always tend to happen the day or night before a candidate’s interview. Weird, huh? It’s up to you to work out whether their excuses are genuine, but often, these last minute cancellations are dishonest. 12. They’re late Now this one is both an indicator that the person isn’t great with time management, but could also be a severely unfortunate situation. Yes, the candidate should be completely and fully prepared for their interview, and have the journey completely nailed down, but things do happen. Listen to their reasoning, and go from there. Remember, these points should be taken with a pinch of salt, as not everything is as it seems. Yet these warning signs are just that; a reminder to be cautious in moving forward. If you have any more tips for spotting dishonesty during the hiring process, let us know.

Coachology Finally, the men place high value on personal life. Get on the bandwagon

Coachology Finally, the men place high value on personal life. Get on the bandwagon The biggest difference between the workplace today and the workplace twenty years ago is where the friction is. It used to be that the frontier of workplace change was feminism. Today it is time. Women pushed for equal opportunity, equal pay, equal respect at home. Men pushed to hold their ground, hold their sense of self, hold their vision of what work is like. It was men against women. Baby boomers like Sylvia Hewlett and Leslie Bennetts cannot stop fighting this fight, and the media helps them. But these are old, outdated baby boomer tropes. Today men and women have shared goals: More time for family and friends, and more respect for personal growth at work for everyone, not just the high-ranking or the hardest-working. We are at a shift. The majority of men under thirty say they are willing to give up pay and power to spend time with kids, according to Phyllis Moen, sociologist at University of Minnesota. My favorite story about this shift is about the publishing of the book, The Two Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers and Fathers are Going Broke. My agent represented that book. She tells me that it was initially geared toward women, and men were outraged that people would call the infringement of work on home life a womens issue. So at the last minute, they shifted the target of the book to include men. If Generation Y has made its mark as entrepreneurs, Generation X has made its mark by valuing family. Both men and women in this generation are scaling back work to take care of family. And were doing it at precisely the time in life when baby boomers were inventing the word Yuppie and Latchkey Kid. Generation X and Y are valuing time in a new way: we are trading money for time. Baby boomers assumed they would get a lot of money and then buy time at the end their retirement. We want time now, and were willing to give up a lot to get it. These are hard decisions to make, though. And theres huge structural pushback in the workplace. The same way that women had to figure out how to change the workplace to accommodate them twenty years ago, men and women today have to figure out how to restructure the workplace to accommodate their personal time. Women get guidance all the time for how to make the decisions, but the discussion is more muted for men. The way that I usually contribute to that male half of the discussion is through my husband, who has given up a lot to take care of our kids and cant really figure how to get back on track. But today I also want to add David Bohl to the discussion. He is a career coach who specializes in helping people create well-balanced, fulfilled lives and lifestyles. He focuses on the topics youd expect productivity, aligning values and setting priorities. I liked him immediately when we started emailing because he is living the life he talks about in his coaching that is, he adjusted his work to accommodate his personal life, and is always thinking about how to make this lifestyle work better. Its a hard shift, especially for men, so I appreciate that hes already done it, and now he is helping others make the shift in the American dream from focusing on money to focusing on time. If you want to work with David for 90 minutes, for free. Send an email to me about why you think hed be a good fit for you. The deadline is Sunday, May 20.

Improve Meeting and Party Results with Holiday Cheer - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Improve Meeting and Party Results with Holiday Cheer - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Do you sometimes have a bit of the“bah humbug” feeling when the need arises to attend company events? Most likely, you would prefer to spend your time with family and friends. Even worse, a “gift exchange” may be a requirement. The pressure of time and money spent may put unwelcomed pressure on you. Should you be feeling this way, it becomes an excellent lesson to recognize  the same issues hold true for your prospective clientele. Time and money are two major influencers for securing any sale. Understanding this frame of mind enables  you to speak to each individuals concerns. In the case of attending parties with good cheer, it is wise to prepare for selling yourself on having a good time! Doing so will influence others to join you. Your frame of mind predicts your outcome. Adjust Your Mindset Reframe your perspective of “have to attend” to “want to attend”. Focus on: * A new friend may be found * The executive you wanted to meet could be introduced * A good time will be had! Party Preparation Salespeople normally dress in their best professional clothing to secure a sale. Similarly, wear your favorite party attire. Take one last look in the mirror to affirm you look good! Repetivitely, tell yourself that you will have a good time until you believe it will be true. This leads to entering the event on a high note. Meeting Guests Throughout the evening attempt to meet a number of guests versus monopolizing someone’s time or having yours wasted by another. This will increase your odds of becoming acquainted with those who interest you the most. Lead the conversations with questions such as, “Do you have special plans during the holiday season?” Etiquette On occasion someone is seen who appears to take control of one dish at a buffet table. It’s usually because they don’t have the confidence to meet new people. Don’t be that person. Help yourself to food and move away to allow space for someone else. If seated at tables, observe the speed of eating. Time your food consumption speed to be somewhere in the middle of  the others at your table. To eliminate any embarrassment, if you aren’t certain which glass or spoon might be yours, pause for a moment for someone else to take the lead. Saying Goodbye During the party, be certain to have a quick conversation with the host to  inquire of their holiday plans. Upon leaving the party, thank the host for a great  evening, and wish them a wonderful holiday season. Holiday Appointments On holiday appointments, thank people for their willingness to meet with you. Inquire of their holiday plans upfront prior to the business conversation. Upon leaving, wish they and their families a wonderful holiday and New Year. Follow-Up On your way home, focus on the positive highlights of either the event or meeting. Follow-up with a nice note afterward. Your next interaction with any of the people in the New Year should begin with, “How was your holiday?” Your friendly interactions will grow a strong personal brand and be likely to lead you to the Smooth Sale!

What Should Your Writing Resume Look Like?

What Should Your Writing Resume Look Like?There are a lot of questions that people ask regarding what should your writing resume look like. The first question that comes to their mind is, 'what do I write?'Your writing resume should always include your contact information. Your contact information will help in showing employers what you can do for them in the future. It will also help you in establishing relationships with others. If your employer has an interest in you, you can easily go through this with them, and help them in getting your job.But what should your writing resume look like? You can easily use the Internet to help you with this. This is because there are a lot of web sites that help people with their writing resumes. Some of these websites allow you to personalize your resume, while others allow you to download one for free.A great site to visit is EzineArticles.com. This site allows you to create a resume without even stepping out of your home. All you need to do is fill up a form and submit it. Within seconds, you will receive your resume in the mail.Another great site to visit is Ezines. com. Here, you will be able to personalize your resume by filling out some simple forms and submitting it to other employers.When you have a good writing resume, you should definitely give it to your employer for a read. You should be able to listen to your employer's thoughts on your writing. They may be impressed or they may not. If they are impressed, it will show in your resume.If you want to make your resume stand out from the rest, you should definitely take the time to get it edited. First, you should write down all of the possible mistakes that you made in your resume. Next, you should go through the resume and fix as many errors as you can. Once you have done this, you will have a much better looking resume.So if you still have a question about what should your writing resume look like, you can always check out the online samples. These samples are professionally designed and editable. As long as you have an idea of what to do, your resume will look great!

Free ebook 1001 best things said about work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Free ebook 1001 best things said about work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Ernie Zelinski emailed me a copy of his free e-book 1001 best things ever said about work and I gotta say that thats quite the quote collection. It includes nuggets like: Guidelines for Bureaucrats: 1. When in charge, ponder. 2. When in trouble, delegate. 3. When in doubt, mumble. ? James H. Boren Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing. ? Thomas Edison When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President: Im beginning to believe it. ? Clarence Darrow Thank you Ernie for sending me this! I am quite the quote-hound myself, as you can see here. You can download Ernies ebook of quotes here (pdf) and you can find Ernies other books here, including his intriguingly titled book The joy of not working. 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

8 Ways to Build Your Confidence During a Job Search - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

8 Ways to Build Your Confidence During a Job Search Whether you’re currently unemployed, or it’s just that you’re not happy in your current job, many of us dream about switching professions and trying something different. When it comes to searching for a job, many people get nervous about whether they’re good enough for the role. Let’s have a look at eight ways to build your confidence and self-esteem when you’re looking for a job and make sure that you’re feeling positive and motivated. Ignore Your Inner Critic In many cases, some of the harshest and negative comments we every hear are ones that we make to ourselves. If you have low self-esteem, your inner critic can come out to play and lower your confidence levels just when you need it most, when you’re looking for employment. You need to remember that the voices in your head are not real, so try your best to ignore your inner critic. Have a Positive Mindset Maintaining a positive mindset will transform the way you think when finding work. Make sure to avoid negative thoughts that are circling around your brain, and never play down any of your past achievements. While it may feel uncomfortable to big yourself up, how you think on the inside will change your body language and so how you are seen on the outside. If you’re feeling confidence and positive you will project a positive and confident demeanour on the outside. In job interviews, you will want to walk in with a smile on your face and exuding confidence, so trying to see the best in everything you do will do more than just change your outlook for the better. Write Stuff Down Keeping note of your skills, and achievements will help when on the hunt for a job. This forces to you be clarify the nebulous ideas that you have in your head. Make sure that you list down all your qualities as well as why an employer should hire you for the position. While you should write down your flaws too, try not to get too hung up on them. Many people find keeping a journal helps them document their thoughts and emotions better. Get Some Exercise If you are currently unemployed and on the hunt for a job, sitting around the house all day on your laptop can take its toll (even if you are searching for work) on your mental state. Incorporating plenty of regular exercise into your routine will boost your self-esteem and provide you with tons of health benefits both physical and mental. Whether it’s going for a jog around the block or lifting weights, the more exercise you do, the better you will feel. Break a Bad Habit Being too self-critical and focusing on the mistakes you’ve made in the past are bad habits that can have a serious effect on your self-esteem and confidence. When applying for a new job, it’s time to break any bad habits once and for all. We are all capable of quitting bad habits, regardless of how addictive they may be. To do this effectively, you need to start by being fully open and honest with yourself and laying everything on the table. Training You need to be honest about your skills and fit for the roles that you are going for. If you have a skills gap before your interview is the time to address it. Where it’s learning to communicate more effectively, time management or assertiveness there are plenty of training providers out there who can help you out. A good example is Development Academy a new management and professional development business that provides a range of courses in Guildford and London. Have a Strong Support Network The job market can be very competitive, meaning it can be all too easy to lose momentum and get yourself in a rut. Who you surround yourself with can make a big difference and help improve your mood, so make sure that you have a strong support network around you filled with family and friends who are there to provide love, support, and reassurance. Don’t Give Up Being persistent and motivated to find work are key when looking for a new job. We all have down days, so if you keep getting declined for jobs, try not to let it get to you. It’s only natural that you will be hard on yourself if this happens, however, you need to remember that there are plenty more roles out there. There will be thousands of businesses out there who will be lucky to have you in their company, so whilst it can be hard to take rejection, you need to dust yourself off and get back out there. We all know how difficult the job market can be. With thousands of candidates in the same boat as you, it’s important that you do all that you can to stand out from the crowd to help you find the right role for you.