Careers 0> 12 Ways to be a Confident Public Speaker

by Sandra Schrift

Jobs Indonesia,  Careers,  Indonesia Vacancy

Speak from your heart. If you believe in what you say, than others need to hear it. All confident speakers fall in the P2 (passion plus persistence). Be sure your speech contains your most fundamental beliefs and comes from authenticity.

1. Prepare, prepare, prepare!

2. Practice in front of a full-length mirror, for small groups. Join Toastmasters. www.toastmasters.org

3. Be positive. “I am a good speaker/trainer.”

4. Expect to be nervous. [deep breathe, exercise by walking, stretch, visualize your success, meditate] Make anxiety your ally. Increase your energy; heighten your awareness.

5. Focus on your audience. [It is NOT about you. You are there to help your audience]

6. Simplify. Use your time wisely and keep your presentation clear and simple so that your audience can understand what you are saying.

7. Connect with your audience. Look people in the eye, one at a time, as you speak to them. The audience wants you to succeed.

8. Act confident. Smile. Hold your chin up. Stick your chest out. When you do this, you will feel confident. Remember, YOU are the authority on the subject and they want to hear what you have to say.

9. Use humor wherever possible.

10. Offer the right message mix (inform, persuade, entertain, interact)

11. Establish credibility by the use of facts, statistics, and stories.

12. Learn from your mistakes. Making mistakes is part of your learning process. Scott Adams, creator of Dilbert, said, “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”

Careers : Top Ten Ways to Improve Your Communication Skills

by Dorene Lehavi

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

1) Listen without judgment. The key to good communication is listening well. Save your judging for later after you have heard and understood what was said.

 

2) Listen with the willingness to be swayed to the other person's opinion. No obligation to actually being swayed, but stay open to the option.

 

3) Listen without thinking about what you will say next. Take time before you respond.

 

4) Do not be invested in being right. Being right is not the point. If you must be right, you are not able to listen nor communicate because you have set up a barrier already. If you are always right that means the other person is always wrong. That cannot be true.

 

5) If your mind wanders, ask for repetition. We all are subject to distraction. Try to stay focused.

 

6) In all cases repeat back what you heard and ask if it is correct.

 

7) Listen to yourself. Find quiet moments and pay attention to what you are hearing from yourself. Does your body tighten up about certain issues. Body language is not something to read only in other people.

 

8) Say it honestly, but with consideration for the listener's feelings. Be polite, respectful and sincere.

 

9) Understand and acknowledge that most things are not black or white, but somewhere in a gray area. Get comfortable with gray.

 

10) Have integrity and build trust. Don't say what you don't mean. Don't promise what you won't or can't fulfill. Follow through with any committments you make.

 

Good listening skills take practice. Specific coaching may be necessary if you find you have communication issues with your boss, colleagues, subordinates, partners or personal relationships.

Indonesia Vacancy => 5 Interviewing Tips To Get That Job

By Marie Roker

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Anyone who is a jobseeker knows that looking for a new job or careers is a job in itself. Once you have completed the laborious task of writing your resume and submitting it to various companies, you now have to pass the screen test to get the job. Interviews are the gateway to landing your ideal job. These five tips will help you get own your way to making that job yours.

1. Be Confident

Your first impression is your only impression.

Nothing is worse than a limp handshake, slumped shoulders, poor eye contact or poor communication skills. A potential employer can tell immediately if you are the man or woman for this job by your body language. Although aggressiveness is a turn-off, being passive gives the indication that you are not sure of yourself or your qualifications. Keep eye contact when answering questions or when the interviewer is speaking directly to you. Smile occasionally to show your interest and enthusiasm. Keeping a steady gaze on the interviewer can be disturbing to an interviewer. Look away occasionally. Lean forward to show that you are interested in what the interviewer is saying. Speak in a concise and clear voice. If you have problems annunciating certain words, don’t try to use them on an interview. If this is difficult for you, practice with a mirror and pay attention to your facial expressions. Other interview killers: Slouching in a chair, Crossing your arms, Playing with your hair or jewelry, Leaning back in chair

 

2. Act As If

You are what you believe.

Act as if you had the job. What would you do if you had this position? How would you act? How would a person in this position act and speak? What are your responsibilities in this position? What is a typical day like for you in this job? Change your attitude towards yourself and your strengths. If you start thinking that you won’t get the job, you will do small unnoticeable things to sabotage your chances. Great free resource: www.confidenceworld.com.

 

3. Know The Company

Know the business.

I once sat on a couple of interviews where the interviewees did not do any research on the company. This sends a message that you are looking for any job, not this specific job. Once you’re interview is scheduled, get on the net and start finding out everything you can about the company. A good place to start is www.hoovers.com, which gives you industry information, top competitors, names of CEO, etc. If you’d like to know what current or former employees have to say about the company, try www.wetfeet.com. Beware of disgruntled postings. Call the company headquarters and ask for the marketing department to get specific information. Weave your research into the interview by stating. I read an article in the Wall Street Journal, which mentioned that your company is thinking about XYZ. This lets the interviewer know that you have taken the time to know more about the company. You can ask questions about something you read, but don’t challenge them or you’ll come across as a know-it-all.

4. Be Prepared

Know what to say.

Most interviewers ask the same standard questions about your strengths, weaknesses, former employers, work history. If you are being interviewed by several people, this might be a good cop, bad cop situation. Pay attention to who is playing bad cop, they are looking for signs of weakness and dishonesty. To be well prepared, before the interview, write out all your accomplishments, both personal and professional. List your strengths and weaknesses. Be honest, it’s easier to remember the truth than it is a lie. Extra Tip: Write out situations in which you have demonstrated: leadership skills, determination, stress management, creativity, and flexibility. Be prepared to answer the question: Why do you want this job? If you’re not sure, reevaluate your decision. If you arrive a few minutes early, review what you wrote in the waiting room before the interview.

   

5. Ask For The Job

You get what you ask for.

The most important step in the interviewing process is one most people miss. ASK FOR THE JOB! Most interviewers are waiting for that closure. If you have done everything exceptionally well during the interviewing process, but have not asked for the job, you’ve just wasted an interview. Asking for the job shows the potential employer that you are assertive, confident and right for the job. It might feel uncomfortable, but this is your only chance to ask for something you really want. Make sure your voice is firm and you make eye contact. Think of it as your closing argument, you’ve got to win over the jury. You should also ask the interviewer if he or she thinks you are right for the job. Even if they tell you something unpleasant, think of it as a lesson learned. However, do yourself a favor and ask for the job. You deserve it!

Tips to get a job fast

By Bill

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Pinpoint your ideal position and what it will take to land it. Know your skills, pay needs and learn about the employer.

Just started looking for a job? Mark your calendar for January, because that should be just about when you will start your new gig.

No joke. The U.S. Department of Labor reports it takes the average American about four months to find a job. January is four months away.
 

So what if you could slash months from that search and be sitting thankful around Thanksgiving with a new job?

You already have some positive job search karma on your side.
Unemployment is low — 4.7 percent. And companies nationwide are hiring at an active pace, with 28 percent of employers saying they will add workers to their payrolls through December, according to the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. In Indianapolis, 33 percent say they will hire more.
 

Of course, unemployment rates and hiring are out of your control, but there are some things you can do. Take note of these five tips to quickly get the job you want.

Dedicate yourself.
The average job seeker spends fewer than 15 hours a week looking for a job and in the end gets two job interviews, says Michael Farr, author of “The Very Quick Job Search.”

If you are serious about finding the right job, you have to be willing to invest the time. If you don’t have a job now, make your career search a 40-hour-a-week assignment. If you do, spend nights and weekends doing the research. The more openings you find, the more resumes you send, the more interviews you will get.
 

“The bottom line is that people who spend more time on their job search will usually get jobs faster,” Farr says.

 

Get real about pay.
“A lot of times, people think they will get a 30, 40, 50 percent raise in salary just because they are changing jobs,” says Gary Daugenti, president of JustSTAFF, an executive search firm in Los Altos, Calif.

If you’re making $30,000 now and think you can get a new job paying $50,000, plan on your job search lasting a few years, he says.

Know the going rate for the position you’re considering, and see if it’s one you could live with. Don’t expect the employer to think you’re so great that he will plump the pay just for you.
 

One of the quickest ways to get weeded out of the interview process is to ask for a salary that’s too high.

Search familiar territory.
 

Target your industry. If you are in the pharmaceutical sales industry, don’t go for a job with a company making auto parts. That drastic change won’t appeal to employers, who are looking for familiarity.

“They’re looking for your experience,” says Daugenti. “They’re looking for your contacts.”
 

That doesn’t mean you have to move to the same position at a different company. For example, if you are an accountant sick of accounting and want to go into sales, look for a company that sells accounting software.
Your expertise in the industry gives you a leg up.

Know yourself.
 

People have to understand what they do well.
“Know your strengths, and how they can be applied to the corporate environment,” says Jeff Hawn, managing partner at Princeton One Search in Columbus, Ohio.

Someone who doesn’t enjoy public speaking shouldn’t go into sales. Someone who is great with numbers and can do Excel spreadsheets in her sleep should look at finance or controller jobs.
 

Mesh your skills and preferences with an open job, and say it loud and clear in the cover letter. When you get the interview, your enthusiasm for the job will naturally show through.

Know the company.
 

Forty-seven percent of executives say having little or no knowledge of the company is the most common mistake job seekers make, according to Accountemps.

Before you go on an interview, search the company’s Web site and find out a few facts about what’s going on. Are mergers pending? A community cause the company is tied to? You don’t need to rattle off details at the interview, but it helps to sound knowledgeable when asked, “What do you know about our company?”

First steps towards building an effective work environment

By valeska.wordpress.com

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Companies normally turn to team building, training, arguments, and many more techniques in attempt to resolve internal conflict.

However, people make decisions based on judgment. How will this benefit me? Am I wasting my time? Why am I being sucked into doing someone else’s job?

There are many principles as to how decisions are made and what motivates people. However, by having a clear understanding of how the business process is supposed to flow within an organization greatly diminishes staff placing the responsibility on someone else.

You may find your team frustrated and complaining. You may experience an increase in project delays. Sometimes upper management feels they need to dictate to colleagues “how things should be,” but this management syle only creates barriers from receiving honest insight from your colleagues and increases defensiveness. Creating a system that allows colleagues to pose “solutions” with their team will instill a behavior that allows them to continuously strive to find the best ways to work together.

Business Rule Tip!

a) If you have an intranet system or an internal blog, create a folder where everyone is allowed to contribute “solutions.” Anytime someone has a complaint or wants to criticize how things are done, they should pose a “solution” to proactively show an alternative way to deal with the issue. Encourage your team to provide useful suggestions on ways to improve “our” company efficiencies and an overall smoother operation. Important to explain how each suggestion must have a purpose, focus and clear communication as to the “why” and “what” you are trying to accomplish. This will increase “buy in” and prevent staff from taking these new suggestions personally. Please note: It is very important for senior managers to review these suggestions on a bi-weekly or monthly basis to enforce policies. If months pass before decisions are made, suggestions will decrease, while frustration increases.

Analyzing said suggestions from your colleagues will help to reveal “real problems”, and most likely reasonable solutions to those problems.

I have a question for you: how many times does upper management make decisions without asking those who are involved in the day-to-day activities?

Fixes made without asking those who are involved will negatively affect other processes further down the project cycle.

Business Rule Tip!

a) It is important to understand how each process affects another function within the work environment. Learning “Process Mapping” will help you to see how one activity affects another and reveal where there are areas of opportunity for process improvement. By demonstrating to your team how each activity supports the other, colleagues will begin to understand how each player contributes to the team as a whole.

The work environment is a GROUP effort. By cultivating this change in thinking amongst your players, they will better understand how their strengths benefit others. By creating a supportive network, colleagues will understand who to go to for help. By maximizing each other’s strengths, the synergy amongst all will allow the company to propel forward.

Business Rule Tip!

a) Build Trust. By creating an environment where each individual understands they are all part of a team and helping one another professionally, trust occurs. Reach out to others when asked for guidance. Practice good communication. When conflict occurs, teams who have trust tend to quickly overcome conflicts in order to move on with business goals.

b) Compassion, Respect, and Patience breeds response. Relating to each other’s unique qualities and job positions during high levels of stress will create quicker turn around on your business goals. An interesting article that reinforces this methodology is called: The Power of Nice.

Leadership and Elusive Happiness

By Daniel Crosby

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

In his seminal work 'Good to Great', Jim Collins found that two things were necessary for truly great (Level 5 in Collins' vernacular) leaders: humility and a highly focused strength of will. Perhaps Collins' greatest contribution to leadership literature is having shot down the sexy, if fallacious, idea of leaders as larger-than-life and ostentatious. So, why is it that after such paradigm-shifting discoveries we are still so mired in mediocrity in terms of our corporate and political (both parties!!!) leadership? I think one of the biggest and most overlooked answers to this question lies in the way we pursue leadership.

To illustrate this point, consider the times in your life that you've been the happiest. Ever notice how elusive happiness is when you try to pursuit it? Well it turns out you have something in common with a famous utilitarian philosopher (your Mom must be so proud)! John Stuart Mill said, "Those are only happy who have their minds fixed on some object other than happiness. Aiming thus at something else, they find happiness along the way." Part of happiness is the effortlessness and lightness of being that accompanies it. So, when we try and try to be happy, we are necessarily running afoul of one of its fundamental features. Something very similar can be said of trying to be a leader.

I, like Jim Collins, think that humility is a necessary attribute of a deep leader. That said, when we take the mantle of leadership upon us in the "how-can-I-lead-these-little-people" sort of way, we've already failed! Those who aspire to leadership, who view themselves as leaders in the traditional sense, and who buy leadership books (and read blog posts on leadership - GOTCHA!) because they are somehow elevated, have violated one of the fundamental tenets of deep leadership before even truly beginning the journey. And as any sailor can attest, going on a journey that begins with a miscalculation can land you way off course.

Time Management Tips For Professionals

By Ashton P. Dixon

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

There is no easy route in perfecting time management. Although the idea of managing time may sound easy, many people are still finding it difficult to follow.

If you are one of those people who find it hard to follow time management, then here are some tips that you can follow.

1. See the BIGGER Picture

Time is a constant and abundant resource that people can't purchase or sell. It is a resource that can be shared with or can be shared from someone else.

And one effective way of managing it is by visualizing a bigger and clearer picture of your goal. Prioritize more the activities that would put you closer to your objective, and prioritize less those that won't. Carefully assess the tasks that need prioritization in order to accomplish activities that are closely related to your goal.

Many successful people today practice different time management forms and techniques, but if there's one thing these business minded people share in common. It's the vision of how they want to spend their business time.

2. AUDITING Time Management (For Professionals)

Ideally speaking, everything that a person should list and follow should be actively valuable towards their desired goal.

To make your auditing faster, the following are sub-breakdowns that many professionals spend their time on. Personal goals may differ, but the general idea of breaking goals down remains the same.

• People and Managing. Managing people can be sub-categorized in to three different areas namely;

1. Managing time across
2. Managing time up

3. Managing time down

If you're currently working as a leader or as a manager in a company, understand that the best way to spend most of your time is by directly supervising your team or co-workers below you.

This is also an effective strategy of teaching your employees while working your personal professional goal at the same time. Cultivating time-leverage upward not only benefits the team and the company, but it can also benefit you by moving closer to your goal.

3. CHARTS for Time Management

Presently, there are lots of these tips that are scattered all over the internet. The approach may vary sometimes, but believe that the basic idea is still there.

One common tip most time management tips share is in building a chart. Building charts are effective in reminding important plans ahead. Creating charts are also helpful in simplifying time management audits, as well as in pitching the whole picture of your goal.

Building a Chart:

a. Start building your chart by writing down the days and weeks in a month. Across its columns on top, write down your major tasks and goals that needs prioritization.

b. After you complete this activity, record the amount of time you spent under each category. This way you can easily monitor your progress and accomplishments in one day.

c. Try to stick to the plan as much as possible.

d. Avoid over doing it by stuffing to much work in one day.

Stress Management - Simple Living For Stressful Times

By Ilenya Marrin

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

If you have not felt stressed by the current economic downturn, take a bow and teach the rest of us how you have maintained your peace.

Seven Tips for Simple Living NowIf you do feel stressed by national and world events that impact your livelihood, retirement, home and day to day quality of life, here are seven tips for Simple Living to help get you through these tough times.

1. Evaluate what is most important in your life -- your loving, laughing and caring with family and friends, your learning and flexibility, your spiritual foundation, or your dollars and material possessions? What are your core values? Focus on those things that bring you lasting joy. The stress of striving to hang onto the material level might just vanish, leaving you feeling lighter and freer.

2. Let go to become free. If income is limited right now, decide what you can do without in order to keep basic needs for shelter, food, clothing, heat and transportation handled. Instead of focusing on your sacrifices, make this into a game of freeing yourself from your old patterns of greed and wanting instant gratification. Your positive attitude will keep stress at bay.

3. Get creative about how to fill your time with fun, productive activities. What can you make from what you already have? What can you give to assist others -- your time? your expertise? unneeded belongings? Have you been meaning to reorganize the garage or basement? Now is your chance. Getting involved with others or with physical activity will help to reduce stress and keep your energy moving forward in a positive way.

4. Look for little ways to simplify your lifestyle. For some of you, this will mean taking time to cook from scratch more often, or mending furniture and repairing appliances and cars instead of buying new. For others it will mean trading services and goods with neighbors and friends. You don't have to solve every problem with a credit card. You'll feel good about yourself and lower stress at the same time.

5. Back to Basics -- There's an old Yankee saying, "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." Are there some small ways you can put this truism to work in your life? Even "silly" little things like using up the last sliver of soap are satisfying within this framework. When you know you are making the best possible use of what you have, you can relax and savor your personal peace.

6. Change your attitude. If you've been filled with doom and gloom, look around and discover how the economic crisis is making people behave more kindly toward one another. Find at least three good things per day that are taking place because of the shift in values forced by the economy. Reframing your outlook to include the positive will automatically help reduce your stress levels.

7. Set a few personal goals related to how you want to thrive, not merely survive, with a simpler lifestyle. Do you want to save a nest egg? Have you always wanted to plant a vegetable garden? Do you long to go back to school? Create a plan and take small steps to achieve your goals. With your simpler lifestyle (not rushing to keep up with the Joneses) you'll have time for reflection, planning and reaching your objectives. As you move step by step toward your goal, the satisfaction of a job well-done should easily outweigh old stress patterns in your life.

Put these seven tips to work in your life and you'll be overcoming stress with positive focus and positive action, and enjoying a simpler and more fulfilling lifestyle to boot.

Why Are People So Stressed?

By Lorraine Arams

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

People, it is said, are more stressed than ever. Why?
They have every convenience money can buy and beyond. The internet is connecting the world, cell phones allow communication any time, anywhere. At home a machine performs the main process - the dishwasher washes the dishes - no need to manually wash and dry dishes; the clothes washer and dryer washes and dries clothes - there's no need to hang laundry on a clothes line any longer; the car transports people, sometimes multiple people, right to the door of their destination - no need to walk or ride your horse; fridges not only keep things cold, they keep things frozen, dispose cold water and ice and some even have televisions built in - no need to put ice in the ice box any longer and drain off the water from melted ice.

With all these conveniences, why are people feeling as though they can no longer cope? Despite the advancements in technology and "machines", people have not been trained in the most fundamental parts of their lives - handling finances properly, understanding time management, controlling their thoughts and living their lives on their terms.

The result is chaos. By the time they figure it all out, they've wasted a lot of time, money and energy.

What's the solution?
Learning the right things and using that knowledge consistently.
It's not easy though to find that knowledge. We have so much information at our disposal today that it is mesmerizing and, trying to find good advice, is getting more and more challenging. We have to read a lot before we can find something useful.

How do you know when it's the right knowledge?

Because it fits with your life. Let's say you have problems with your finances. You find someone who teaches you how to budget and track your budget - it should be simple to do and the only challenge left for you is to consistently use the budget and tracking to keep on top of your finances so that you don't get into runaway debt.

That's the hard part - consistently using the knowledge we acquire.

1. Next time you're feeling "over the top stress" - stop - just stop everything you're doing, thinking, feeling - go into numb. In that calm space, think, "What's causing this feeling of overwhelm?" .
2. Write the reasons down in one column and in the next write down what you can do about it.
3. Pick one.
4. Do it.
5. Did it solve the problem? If so, you're done. If not pick another solution and try that one. Soon you'll find what you need. Repeat for all the other problems you wrote down.
6. Apply the solution consistently. Put it in your calendar. For instance, if you found the right budgeting and finance tracking tool which fits, then make sure you schedule regular maintenance of that system whether it be daily or weekly. And do it each day or each week for the rest of your life - voila! you have your finances under control!

People don't want to believe it can be that simple so they try to find complex solutions or never settle on anything. If you find anything that is complex, break it down into smaller parts and solve the smaller parts - yes, it is that simple. If this approach isn't working for you, then you must ask yourself whether or not you really want your problem solved or has the problem given you something precious eg something to complain about, a conversation reference, something to make you feel bad about yourself or a reason to wallow in self-pity?

How to Stop Panic Attack and Anxiety Permanently

By Chris Soin

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Panic attacks caused by anxiety problems are one of the most dreadful situations that can ever happen to you while you are on the road. Especially if you are all alone, you will never know if you can make it to your destination safely. But instead of wondering about that horrifying thought, just think of ways on how to stop panic attack and anxiety permanently.

The panic-causing anxiety disorder is normally treated through oral medications and psychotherapy. But while Science can help you with this problem, you should also do your part. You should also help yourself to permanently get rid of panic attacks and anxiety by taking these measures.

Know the cause: Knowing the causes means understanding the psychological barriers. Ask yourself about the things that you are worrying about. Reflect on what causes the fear, particularly the irrational ones. Or if a certain traumatic incident has caused the anxiety, ponder only over the realistic repercussions of the situation on you. By doing this, you are able to understand your condition better and recovery is just easy for you.

Be in the moment: Any kind of thought that goes through your head can dominate you. These thoughts can prompt you to act in a certain way. For instance, if you are thinking about a future office meeting with the company executives, even if it is still weeks away, you can already worry about it in the present. Therefore, one of the ways on how to stop panic attack and anxiety permanently is by being in the present. By focusing on what currently surrounds you, you are able to eliminate worry and panic all in all. So if you are watching a good movie, just focus on the scenes instead of letting your thoughts travel to somewhere else.

Change your outlook in life: Life is all about perspectives. Your perspectives will either build you or destroy you. And to stop panic attacks and anxiety problems, try to change your outlook in life for the better. This will help you eradicate all irrational fears that you may have so that you can manage anxious feelings better. What's more is that a positive outlook can bring you to where you want to be. Not only do you achieve healing but you succeed in life as well.

Love yourself: Fears are what stop you from growing as an individual. These are the same fears that can stimulate panic attacks. But when you value yourself that you crave for growth, you make efforts to fight these fears off. You replace them with the thought of your dreams and aspirations. And as you continue your battle against the panic-causing irrational fears, you should give yourself a pat on the back for every achievement that you make. Affirm yourself every once in a while so that you may be reminded that these fears will never come true if you don't want them to.

These tips on how to stop panic attack and anxiety permanently can help you on the road to recovery. So value yourself and follow these tips on how to stop panic attack and anxiety that you may achieve total healing.

Easy Strategies For Goal Setting

By Slawek Polinski

  

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Goal Setting Basics
Here we go, another article on goal setting. You may have heard some of these tips before:

• Be very clear on your goals.
• Write them down.
• Break those goals into smaller goals or action steps.
• Take immediate action.

Now this is just a basic outline on setting and achieving goals which can definitely be broken down into greater detail. Many people know what needs to be done to successfully accomplish their goals and yet many people fall short on their goals.

Why?

1. They aren't doing the basics.
2. Many people know what they should do and either aren't doing it consistently or not at all.

The above steps I have outlined are, as I stated, "the basics" in goal setting and to be effective in achieving goals you must do the basics...consistently and daily.

Here's an example:
All great athletes and ball players know in order to have the best chance in performing flawlessly they must be solid in their basics. If they are not it will open the door to errors and defeat. Just having knowledge of the basics is not good enough to succeed. They must be practiced daily and consistently to have the best chance of victory.

The same applies to setting goals. Just knowing what to do is not enough, the basics of goal setting must be practiced to be successful. For many years I couldn't see the benefit in writing my goals down. "I don't have to write them down because I have a good memory," I thought. Today it does not surprise me why my past goals were seldom accomplished.
Goal Setting Review
So lets review:

• First be very clear and precise about your goal. Saying you want to be happy or successful is vague and needs to be defined. If success, then what does success mean to you? Is it a new job or business? Well then state what kind of job or business you want and by when. The clearer you are on your desired outcome, the better the odds are in your favor.
• IMPORTANT - Write them down! There have been studies done which prove what you write down you remember with greater clarity. Don't make the same mistake I made years ago by thinking you'll just remember it because you won't. You see there is an event called life that distracts us so unless it is written down, it is easily forgotten. Once you write them down keep them somewhere where you can regularly see and review them and don't just file them away. Have you ever gone grocery shopping and forgotten your shopping list at home? Chances are you did not buy everything you needed and that is why you need to see you goal list regularly.
• Break them down into smaller goals or action steps. What are the necessary steps you must now take to move you closer to your desired outcome or goal? By breaking your goals down into smaller steps the original goal will not feel out of reach and you will gain self-confidence as you complete each step.
• Take action! If you want to acquire success in your life and reach the goals you set for yourself, take immediate action. That means now, not later and not tomorrow.

Tip:
The the first thing I do everyday when I sit down at my desk, is to write my daily action steps on post-it notes which I stick to the bottom of my computer monitor. I spend much of my time during the day writing, creating speeches and programs as well as updating my blog so these daily goals are in front of me a good portion of the day. As I complete a task I pull it down and throw it out. This routine has increased my productivity by a considerable amount. Find a place in your home or office where your goals or action steps can be in clear view for you to see. This will help keep life's distractions from keeping you from your goals.

Slawek Polinski is a motivational and personal development speaker inspiring audiences to overcome their obstacles, challenges and limiting beliefs. Slawek motivates people to achieve, purpose, direction an passion in their lives and to reach for heights that were in the past out of reach.

The 11 Basics of Goal Setting

By Leslie Fieger

Careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

"Man is a goal-seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals." -Aristotle

"Many people fail in life, not for lack of ability or brains or even courage, but simply because they have never organized their energies around a goal." -Elbert Hubbard

Millions of words have been written about goal setting. Millions of people set goals. Yet, most goals set by most people remain unfulfilled. I have distilled (from experience and education) the eleven essentials of successful goal setting here for you. Follow these and you will accomplish your goals. Fail to follow these and you probably will not. No hype. No rah-rah encouragement. No fluff. Just the simple explanation of how and why to set and ACCOMPLISH goals.

Your goals must be:

1. Original

2. Inspirational

3. Harmonious

4. Realistic

5. Idealistic

6. Specific

7. Adaptable

8. Visualized

9. Affirmed

10. Time related

11. Written down

1. Goals must be original. That does not mean that they cannot be the same or similar to the goals that others may have; it means that they must be yours, not secondhand. Many people set goals according to the hopes and expectations that they have been programmed to have by parents, teachers, society or cultural norms.

As a consequence they do not own these goals. You cannot generally have or hold what is not yours or even if you do manage to keep it, it will not have any value or meaning to you. What's the point then of having it? The real reason you set and hope to achieve goals is not just to have the thing, it is to be happy and fulfilled in the accomplishment.

Set goals that are yours; not inherited or assumed. If they are not your own original goals, even if you manage to accomplish them, it will mean very little to you. Why waste your life pursuing something that will end up as meaningless?

2. Goals must be inspirational. They must arouse your passion. This must be a consuming passion, not some whim or 'someday I'd like to' feeling. You must desire passionately to achieve what you set as a goal. It must drive you to action and you must feel fulfilled in that action because you know that it is leading to the fulfillment of your goal.

It is passion that drives you to move continuously toward your goal. It is passion that keeps you from getting distracted. It is passion that keeps you from getting discouraged. It is passion that fuels your motivation. It is passion that draws others to you to assist in your goals. It is passion that inspires you and others. It is passion that lights your way through the darkness that you will find along the way.

Get passionate about your goals or get passionate about someone else's. Life without passion is not a life; it is merely an existence.

3. Goals must be harmonious. Obviously, you cannot have conflicting goals in life or you will be conflicted. That's the easy part. Your goals, however, must also be in harmony with your core beliefs and your self-assigned purpose in life.

It is easy to understand that to having conflicting goals will raise your stress levels and frustrate you. Yet, people do that to themselves all the time.

It is not so easy to understand that you may have some deep set unconscious game plan for your life (whether from some basic spiritual urge or from some sense of undefined purpose) and the goals you set may actually be in conflict with that real, but hidden, game plan.

First, decide who you are and what you are here to do and then set your goals in alignment with that; or you, yourself, on a subconscious or super conscious level will continually be sabotaging your goals.

4. Goals must be realistic. There is not much point in setting a goal to personally live on Mars, if you are today (in 2003) over 95. The goals you set for yourself must be achievable within the framework of what is humanly possible.

But (and this is important) realistic does not mean what the majority commonly accepts as realistic. Most people did not think that it was realistic to attempt to fly a bicycle with wings and a motor attached, but two brothers named Wright did. Most people did not think it was realistic to build a personal computer for people to use in their home, but two guys named Steve did.

These 4 guys changed reality for all of us. Their goals were obviously, in retrospect, quite realistic. Don't let your imagination be hemmed in by the crowd.

5. Goals must be idealistic. In two ways--they must involve your personal ideals in the five mentioned areas of your life and they must be progressively higher or further ahead than you are at now.

If your goals are not in tune with your ideals, you will be conflicted. Most people are, in some way, in conflict with the different aspects of self: Material and Financial ($$$ & Things); Physical and Environmental (Health of body, home and world); Emotional and Relationship (Happiness, Love, Social contact); Mental and Educational (Learning, Awareness, Self-knowledge); Spiritual and Ethical (Unity, Life purpose, Values, Sacredness). This is why they are unhappy and why they do not achieve their highest potential. Set your goals in harmony with your ideals.

If your goals are not idealistic (in the sense that they are progressive), you will get bored and unsatisfied. People (those who don't understand) often wonder why those who are already extremely wealthy continue to pursue more wealth. It is because the ideal is always being extended or raised. Great achievers don't rest on their laurels. Each goal achieved is merely a stepping-stone to more and greater achievement. It is not the end in itself.

6. Goals must be specific. Goals like "I want to be rich" are not worth the paper they are printed on. Rich must be defined. $1 million in the bank might mean rich to most people but it means poor to many others. It is the same for more ethereal goals. I want to be happy means nothing. Happy must be defined just as rich must be defined. I want to be spiritually fulfilled is the same...meaningless, unless defined.

What does rich mean to you? Exactly. What does happy mean to you? Don't know exactly? Then how on earth will you ever even know if you get there? I have met a lot of people who say that they are on a spiritual path. I like to ask where that path is leading. Most can't say anything specific. It is all very nebulous. If your destination is not defined, how in heaven's name will you know if and when you get there?

7. Goals must be adaptable. One of my favorite jokes (which would offend some readers so I will not quote it here) involves a guy who had set a specific goal but when a gal came along to offer a much better fulfillment, he asked her to help him to accomplish his original one. Many people miss the better fulfillment of a goal because their focus on the one they had originally visualized is too intense and narrow to recognize the better one when it shows up.

Be sure that you are focused on the best possible fulfillment of your goal, not just on the method that you foresaw that goal fulfillment happening.

8. Goals must be visualized. If you cannot see it as real and as true and as a part of the way you live your life...it will not happen.

Many folks, when confronted with some seemingly outrageous possibility or goal, will comment, 'I'll believe it when I see it made real, not just some imaginary ideal.' The dreamers, schemers and achievers of history all had a different approach...'I see it. I believe it. It is real if it exists in my imagination.' Tiger Woods 'sees' his shots landing on the green a few feet from the cup before he takes the shot. The average golfer looks up (usually too soon) from his shot to see where it went. Guess whose shots end up where most often. Visualize the reality in your imagination and it will become real in your manifestation.

9. Goals must be affirmed. You must tell yourself all day, every day, in your constant conscious and subconscious self-talk that your goal is real and achievable. AND, you must tell others what your goal is so that they can 'buy into it' and contribute to it. If you don't believe in it enough to make it a part of your daily conversation and are not passionate enough about it to be compelled to talk about it to yourself and others, it is NOT real for you and it will NOT become real.

You will be surrounded by naysayers. Someone must speak the truth of the reality of your goal. That is your 24/7 job. Constantly affirm where you are headed and why. You'll end up not only convincing yourself but the world as well.

10. Goals must be time related. Everything exists in space and time. If something is not defined precisely in space and time, it does not exist. A goal of someday, I'd like to be financially secure, or someday, I'd like to climb that mountain does not, and it is highly likely that it WILL NOT ever, exist as anything other than nebulous wishful thinking. You must set specific times for your goals to be made manifest OR you will be forever going towards you goals and never quite reaching them.

Almost everyone in developed countries sets the goal of retirement in financial security, but the overwhelming do NOT achieve that. Why? One of the reasons is that it is always a 'someday' goal not a 'by June 21st 2004' goal. Of course, it is also likely that these people are also not applying the other 10 rules of effective goal setting.

11. Goals must be written down. If it exists only in your head, it is only wishful thinking. This is the basic, proven by experience, truth of the matter...95% of people who have specific written goals, accomplish them; and 95% of people who have unwritten goals (specific or not) do not. If you can read that sentence and not begin immediately to write down your goals, you might as well resign yourself to the fact that you will not accomplish what you imagine you want to be, do and have in life.

7 Things You Didn't Know About Goal Setting

By Alex Work

Careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

We have all heard about SMART. SMART goals this, SMART goals that. Is that all there is to goal setting? Of course not!
Here are seven things you should be thinking about when you are setting goals:

1. Goal setting is messy. Chasing after our dreams is rarely a journey without casualties. Usually it's our pride or self-confidence that fall victim to plans that were a little ambitious. Either way, making radical changes to our lives is not a cut-and-paste process, it requires getting a little dirty sometimes. Accept that things won't go according to plan, and vow to see it through.

2. Stop doing the same thing. We have this weird habit of falling back into patterns, promises and goals that are familiar to us. Why do we do this? We're creatures of habit. If you bombed at a goal to run a marathon, don't take the same approach. Try something different until you find something that works.

3. Don't make ridiculous goals. "I am going to go to the gym every day" is a toughie. What if you get sick? If you miss a day to pneumonia does that mean you've failed? Be realistic about what you are capable of.

4. Surprises are coming your way. Nothing even goes according to plan a hundred percent of the time. If it did we wouldn't have protracted wars, famine, or deviance. If our plans fell in place every time it would be a boring place to live. Accept that things are going to go askew from time to time, and be willing to not let yourself get knocked off the proverbial horse when that first big surprise comes bouldering down at you from the top of your mountain.

5. Too much change isn't a good thing. We need time to break bad habits. It's extremely difficult to unshackle ourselves from years or decades of sloppy habits and attitudes. Don't expect a miracle change overnight. Trying to change too many things at once will water down your efforts. Focus your energies on changing one or two things at a time.

6. Don't make your goal public until you have really thought it through. Big public declarations generally only make you look silly in the long run. And this makes you less likely to strive to make big, positive changes in your life the next time around. Research your goal, get a good idea of whether it is realistic or not, and then dive into it.

7. Start Immediately. Waiting until next week, next month, New Years or whatever to start something ensures that you will never get to it. If it's so worth accomplishing, why on earth would you want to wait another day to get started? The desire to create life-lasting change should originate from your passions and motivations, not a date on the calendar.

Websume: Resumes As Websites

By Nathan Newberger

Careers , Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

As we move into the next millennium, one's approach to the job market is becoming exceedingly more sophisticated. Technologically our options are ever-evolving at a rather fast clip. To find a job today, we work with the new world of career management websites, online communities, listservs, video conference interviews, virtual offices, data mining techniques, virtual reality job simulations, and newsgroups, just to name a few. We are moving so fast, Merriam-Webster, et. Al. cannot keep up with the spontaneous combustion of new words entering our daily lives.

So with all of these new means of communication, how do we put our best virtual foot forward?

A candidate in today's marketplace cannot rely upon the traditional methods of a job search. Responding to classifieds, working with executive search firms and networking with industry associates are not the primary investigative channels that they once were. According to Gerry Crispin and Mark Mehlin, authors of the well respected directory "CareerXRoads" (a guide to the 500 best job, resume and career management sites): "?too many professionals look to find a 'yellow brick road' -- a straight and narrow path" to the ideal job. When, in essence, it is a territory with "crossroads?where both employer and candidates can meet and make a choice or two."

However, even with greater communication, the job of getting a job is still an arduous task. It requires up-to-date knowledge of the new technological process of recruitment. "Recruiters and managers prefer to scan the most candidate data in the shortest period of time," states Gerry Crispin. This is the quickest way that a firm can formulate a short list of applicants that meet their job criteria. So it behooves the job-seeker to become familiar with the "key words" that are needed to make their resumes the most "scan-specific."

But even at this point, how do candidates differentiate themselves from the competition? In other words, once in the the door, how do we move beyond just having face time with the job decision-makers?

Developing a resume web site is a means to that end. Here for the first time is an opportunity for candidates to make their professional background come to life and virtually (no pun intended)?jump off the page (or screen, as it were)! If your written page of vita data got their interest -- think about the icing on the cake -- the advertising vehicle of a website that is able to stimulate the senses of sight and sound.

A few examples follow:

• When you want to highlight a point, include a photograph or .jpg file.
• If you were ever filmed during an interview or a personal appearance, transfer that footage to an .avi file.
• Use a camcorder to conduct your own interview and paste it to your homepage.Film and interview one of your references.
• Add sound (a .wav file) to accent a hyperlink, or include background music to set a tone.
• Use clipart or graphics to reinforce a theme, an idea, an experience.

Once the creative process has begun, there are endless possibilities as to what one can do to make the work experience come alive.

However, coupled with this new and exciting opportunity to present oneself is the much needed element of self-promotion. The field of dreams analogy of "once you build it they will come" does not necessarily apply here. One has to be tenacious in the pursuit of making a resume site available to the most people. Similar to the concept of networking, the more people you meet, the greater are your odds for selling the goods.

In promoting a resume website, you can expose your electronic advertisement in some of the following ways:

• Embed your URL site into e-mail, press releases, and newsgroup communications.
• Conduct an e-mail campaign to all of your prospects.
• Send a separate e-mail communication to your networking associates.
• Connect to search engines with key words.
• Link to the resume web sites of your associates and trade organizations in your field.Advertise on career placement websites.List your site name on all of your correspondence, traditional resumes and FAX cover sheets.
• Get your references to give you testimonials so they can mention your site during reference checks.
• Present your website during the job interview.

Again the possibilities of promoting one's self is endless, but extremely important in making sure that your website receives as much traffic as possible. As a reinforcement to one's printed resume and your face-to-face interview presentation, a resume website can only enhance your chances of getting that next important job.

 

 

Jobs Available Online

By bestjobcenter com

Careers , Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

 

During the past, making an application for a job meant looking thru the classifieds in the local paper. The appearance of the Net has made numerous job sites online making it less complicated for somebody to sign up for work in another state and in even in another country.

It has made the world a smaller place with everything at one’s fingertip and simply a click away. Most job sites will need someone to create an account, fill in certain info and deposit a resume.

These sites typically ask for important info like the person’s name, age, address, contact number and social security number. Other info that’ll be requested are instructional background.

Some firms like somebody with a degree in a certain field or an approved pro to do the job or maybe an individual who has got an advanced qualification.

Work history is also another thing that must be discussed. This contains the job outline and highlights that you have experienced during your career. With the info provided, some of these sites supply a service with a fee that will match your qualifications with jobs that are available and allow you to make an application for that position.

Some even promise to make your resume stand out over other candidates giving that person more preference over others but even that may be a not a warranty that one will get the job.

One also has to say the income the person is receiving both in the present and previous jobs as this is matched with the job the individual wants and the income one wishes.

These sites offer various jobs to folk. It tends to executives and youths who need to work either for full time, part time or on a per project basis. Applying online is not just done thru job sites. Lots of corporations have internet sites that have a section on careers which one can access and check what openings are available.

One simply has to go thru the method of also giving certain info that’s asked for and uploading one’s resume. The first impression companies or headhunters look at is one’s resume.

Given that many folk apply, this often takes these folks a brief period of time to review and screen certain candidates before going to the next segment of being booked and requested an interview.

There are many jobs available in the market. It just takes a little effort on one’s part to sit in front of a P. C. and look for the right job.

Top 10 Super Job Interview Tips

By Kathi MacNaughton

Careers , Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

It’s a tough job market out there today. And getting the job you want requires more than just a killer resume. In other words, you can’t just sell yourself on paper. You’ve also got to be able to do it in person--in a face-to-face job interview.

Here are a few interview tips to help you make a great impression on the person who interviews you.

1. Market your skills and related experience in the field that you are applying for. Be sure to do it in a way that is positive, but not cocky or aggressive.

2. Research the company before your interview. It’s a great way to know where you would fit into the organization. It also lets the employer know that you really want to be a part of the company.

3. Prepare answers to common interview questions ahead of time, and practice saying them, so you aren’t stumped during the interview.

4. Dress for success, in the manner you would dress for the position you’re seeking.

5. Bring a list of your own questions with you in a folder with the company’s name on it, so that you don’t forget them. You should keep your extra resumes in there too.

6. Be a good listener and focus. Some job seekers talk too much during interviews.

7. Be prepared to describe your weaknesses as strengths. For example, saying that you are overenthusiastic about performing at your best.

8. Make eye contact with your interviewer.

9. Don’t volunteer your personal opinions to your interviewer about any subjects unless you are asked.

10. Try to establish a good rapport with your interviewer. Be casual but professional, and most importantly BE YOURSELF! Take the time to implement these interview tips before your next job hunt. It'll give you a leg up on your competition!

8 Tips for Keeping Your Staff Happy

by articlesbase com

Careers , Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

A happy staff makes for happy patients, and happy patients means more business. You will also find that employees are more productive, and you will be more likely to retain them, which will save you the time and cost of training new workers. Putting a little more time and effort into keeping everyone happy is a win-win!

1. Provide training.  When a new staff member starts, take the time to show them the ropes. Even if they've done the job before, it may be valuable for them to "shadow" someone for a day or two to learn the policies and procedures specific to your practice. But don't stop the training there. Providing employees with opportunities to grow can make them feel their career is moving forward. Check out seminars, trade shows, and other learning opportunities in your area. If you can't afford formal classes, consider having employees within the company share their knowledge with the rest of the staff. 

2. Show your appreciation.  Make a point to praise your employees at least once a day. You'll be surprised how much of a difference it makes when people feel recognized for their efforts. Bonuses, parties, and other special perks are other ways to show your appreciation. You can award the staff for referring new patients or doing well on the job.

3. Communicate with your staff.  If they don't get their information from you, they'll get it from the practice's rumor mill. Keep such speculation at bay by being open and honest about what's happening in the practice. You should also hold regular staff meetings to promote problem solving, share news, and recognize accomplishments. Make it clear year-round that you have an "open door" policy, so employees feel like they can come to you with problems or their ideas for improving things.

4. Conduct evaluations.  Twice a year is a good rule of thumb. In your feedback, be sure to point to the areas where the worker is excelling. If an employee has problem areas, be constructive in your criticism: provide advice on how to improve. It's also a good idea to let the staff evaluate you, so you can find new ways to meet their needs and help the practice run more smoothly.

5. Follow your own policies.  If you set a rule, stick to it – for yourself and others. This will help others to take you more seriously, and cut down on resentment about preferential treatment.

6. Be positive.  Don't complain about patients or other workers in front of your staff. Doing so can foster a negative environment. Need to vent? Save it for your friends and family. If you have a problem with someone's work, speak to them in private.

7. Socialize.  If you have a personal relationship with someone, it's easier to communicate with them. Throw company parties to foster this environment. They don't need to be fancy. You can even make it a potluck!

8. Be flexible.  If you respect the fact that your staff has a life outside of the office, your practice will be more likely to retain employees. It doesn't mean you have to give in to every request made by a staff member, but within reason, make compromises to ensure that they are able to comfortably balance their home and work life. Avoid asking your staff to put in long hours or overtime when possible.

How to Get Started on Your Resume: A Five-Step Primer for Established Job-seekers and Career-Changers

by Katharine Hansen, Ph.D.

Careers , Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

As an established job-seeker, you probably have a resume. Thus, getting started on the resume that will take you to the next rung in your career ladder may be a simple matter of spiffing up your existing document using guidelines in this article and many other resume resources on Quintessential Careers.

But some established job-seekers do have to start from square one. I sometimes hear from job-seekers that they have been recruited into most of their jobs or obtained them through networking and have not needed a resume. Or they have not needed one in such a long time that the resume they have is quite outdated.

Most people find the idea of creating a resume overwhelming. Even the notion of revamping an existing resume can be daunting.

This article takes you through the steps to getting started on your resume and provides a refresher if you have a resume that needs updating and polishing.

Step 1: Consider whether you really want to tackle your resume on your own

Consider hiring a professional resume writer. An investment in a professionally crafted resume can pay off big time. There's no shame in hiring a professional resume writer. You hire doctors, lawyers, financial advisers, and tax consultants when you lack the expertise in those areas, so why should resume-writing be different? Many employers and even more recruiters actually encourage the idea of professionally written resumes because hiring managers want to obtain your information in a reader-friendly form that clearly tells how you can benefit the organization.

See our article Why Hire a Professional Resume Writer?.

Step 2: Review resume samples to get ideas for wording, layout, and current resume trends.

If you decide to take on your resume without professional help, looking at sample resumes will give you ideas that you may want to apply to your own document. For content, you'll want to review resumes in your own and similar professions, but resumes for other occupations can offer ideas for resume organization and layout.

By looking at samples, you'll get a sense for the sections that are typically included on a resume and how those sections are organized. You'll see how resume bullet points are worded. You'll get ideas for distinctive resume designs that will help you stand out.

You can find samples in many resume books, all over the Internet, and of course, here at Quintessential Careers. See our resume samples here.

Step 3: Prepare to craft your resume by brainstorming and gathering information.

The resume-preparation step comprises several sub-steps:

1. Determine the focus of your resume. What kind of job or jobs will you be targeting? Your resume must target your desired career goal with precision. Job-seekers tend to forget that employers review resumes extremely quickly -- often in just a few seconds. An employer taking such a quick glance should be able to immediately grasp what you want to do and have a sense of the value you can contribute to the organization. Your resume must focus on key strengths that position you to meet a specific need and target specific jobs/employers. In other words, employers give little consideration to one-size-fits-all resumes that aren't focused on a job's specific requirements.

2. Decide whether you will need multiple versions of your resume in your quest to target different types of jobs. Since specifically targeted resumes are much more effective that "general" resumes, you may need more than one resume if you are open to more than one type of job. At the very least, you'll want to tweak and customize your boilerplate resume for each job you apply for. See our Cover Letter and Resume Customization Worksheet. You may also need more than one resume format. While chronological resumes are the strong preference of most hiring decision-makers, you may be in a situation in which a chrono-functional resume would be more effective -- or you may want to experiment with both formats. Read our article What Resume Format is Best for You?

3. Identify the audience for your resume. Will it go primarily to recruiters? Directly to hiring managers? Will you use it mostly for networking and career fairs? Each audience will require small tweaks in your resume presentation. For example, you'll probably want to stick to one page for networking and career fairs. For recruiters, provide substantial information about each organization you worked for and your reporting relationships. Research the preferences of your target audience.

4. Brainstorm your accomplishments and results. Your resume must -- with a future-oriented flavor -- emphasize results, outcomes, and career-defining performance indicators. Using numbers, context, and meaningful metrics (e.g., previous years' performance, competitors, counterparts, forecasts/projections/quotas, industry trends), the resume must paint a picture of you in action -- meeting needs/challenges, solving problems, impacting the company's big picture, growing the business, enhancing revenue, and driving profits. Concrete, measurable accomplishments are the points that really help sell you to an employer -- much more so than everyday job duties. If you can achieve the important step of identifying your accomplishments, the rest will fall into place as you work through the remainder of this article. Read our article For Job-Hunting Success: Track and Leverage Your Accomplishments and use our Job-Seeker Accomplishments Worksheet to help.

5. Compile your employment data. For the experience section of your resume, you'll need the name of each employer, location (city and state), and dates of employment (starting and ending month and year). Resist the temptation to refer to employer-supplied job descriptions in composing your resume; job-description language is the antithesis of accomplishments-rich verbiage that makes a resume effective.

6. Develop a branding message that you will execute not only in your resume, but also in all your other job-search communications. Today's resume communicates a brand relevant to targeted employers. The branding expressed in your resume captures your career identity, authenticity, passion, essence, and image. "Branding is... best defined as a promise," says my partner, Randall Hansen, founder of Quintessential Careers,"... a promise of the value of the product… a promise that the product is better than all the competing products… a promise that must be delivered to be successful. Branding is the combination of tangible and intangible characteristics that make a brand unique. Branding is developing an image -- with results to match." If you have not already developed a personal brand for your job search, do so as you prepare to craft your resume. See our article Branding Your Resume and our branding resources.

Step 4: Just do it. Get words on paper.

Sometimes the best way to get started on your resume is to just start writing in a Word or text document (Notepad or WordPad, for example). Just jot down your version of the typical components of a resume (that you've seen in the samples you've reviewed) and worry about formatting, fine-tuning, and polishing later.

Also consider developing the components of your resume through our worksheets:

* Keywords Worksheet -- use this worksheet to help identify keywords for use in your resume and cover letter. These keywords will likely vary according to job/type of job you are seeking.
* Resume Components Worksheet -- a critical worksheet to help you develop every aspect of your resume. Whether you're starting your resume from scratch or just tweaking an existing document, use this worksheet to make your resume sparkle.
* Resume Professional Profile/Qualifications Summary Worksheet -- use this worksheet to help you develop bullet points for this very important resume section. You may want to tweak the section slightly for each job/type of job you apply for. (Not aware of this section of a resume? Check out: Fundamentals of a Good Chronological Resume.)
* Especially vital for career-changers is our Transferable Skills Worksheet -- use this worksheet to develop lists of skills and examples of how you've used them. Determine which skills are transferable and applicable to each job/type of job you plan to apply for, and plan how to portray those skills in your resume and cover letter.

Now, put all the components together, using the organizational and layout models you've admired in the samples you've reviewed. As you'll note in most sample, the majority of items on a resume are presented as bullet points, and most of those bullet points kick off with powerful action verbs. See a list of sample verbs here and samples of action verbs in use here.

Step 5: Edit, proofread, and polish your resume.

Edit your resume to make sure the wording is the best it can be. Cut out all unnecessary words. Ensure that each bullet point packs a punch.

Typos, misspellings, missing words, and weak grammar can kill all your good efforts in constructing your resume. Proofread, and then put your resume down for a while before proofing again. A good technique for catching errors you would not otherwise notice is to read your resume from the bottom up. Then ask friends or family to proof it for you.

How does your resume look? Is it pleasing to the eye? Is the type size and font easily readable? Can the reader's eye easily follow the resume's organization? Are the margins wide enough? These are all aspects of polishing your resume.

Polishing can also include getting the opinion of others. Enlist members of your network (especially those who share your profession) to read your resume with an eye toward answering the question, "If you were hiring for the type of job I seek, how would you respond to this resume?" You can also self-critique your resume using our Resume Critique Worksheet. Finally, consider having your resume critiqued by a professional resume writer. Resume critiques are usually quite inexpensive or even free because resume writers use them as tools to promote their resume-writing services.

Finally, consider file formats (beyond the standard Word .doc) that you may need for your resume -- such as ASCII text, HTML, or PDF. See our article Your E-Resume's File Format Aligns with its Delivery Method.

Final Thoughts
Don't forget all the other components of your job search as you craft your resume.

A resume is an important part of your job search, but it's far from the only component. Remember that you'll also need a cover letter for each job you apply for and a references sheet separate from your resume. You may want both a print and an online career portfolio. You'll also want to shore up your network and prepare for interviews.