Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Making a Good Decision with Limited Information

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Making a Good Decision with Limited Information Leaders do not always have the luxury of time when making a critical business decision, yet research shows that quick decisions are often remarkably solid despite time pressures. Here are six strategies for coming to the best conclusion in a non-ideal situation. Strategy 1: Define Your Result Consider why you must make a prompt decision now. What is the most pressing problem, and what do you need to have happen as a result of the decision? If everything worked out the way you hope, what would be the outcome? Don’t get too caught up in a detailed list of pros and cons, because inevitably, some listed won’t be as important as others. Recognize that every option will likely have a downside as there is rarely a 100 percent perfect decision. You simply have to do the best you can with the data you have available at the time. Strategy 2: Look Both Short and Long-Term Envision how your decision will play out immediately, and how it will play out down the road. Understand your organization’s short and long-term goals and evaluate your decision in relation to both of those. Suzy Welch’s10-10-10 methodis one way to employ this strategy: think about the implications of your decision 10 minutes from now, 10 months from now, and 10 years from now! Strategy 3: Reduce Your Risk with a Trial If you are uncertain about the best path forward, can you test the impact of a particular decision on a small scale? For instance, can you implement a new process in a single department, or company-wide for only one month? Trials give you an out if a decision isn’t working, and also provide opportunities to modify your approach based on feedback. Strategy 4: Talk to People Who Have Been There Seek out those (either inside or outside your company) who have been in a similar situation and probe them about their learnings. You might also ask the opinions of those who will be directly affected by the decision, and those who are truly impartial. The more perspectives you can get, the better informed your decision will be. However, in order to protect yourself from analysis paralysis, don’t leave your inquiry open-ended. Instead, commit to a concrete decision after collecting points of view for a specified period of time. For more strategies, head over to the QuickBase Fast Track blog.

Great Moments in Networking

Great Moments in Networking I’ve written before about mistakes people make when networking, so it’s only fair that I also write about people who get it right.   One of the best things you can do when asking for help in your job search (or any venture) is to reconnect with the person who helped you. Recently, someone I connected got it right, and I hope that jobseekers can benefit. Malcolm Gladwell, in his groundbreaking book The Tipping Point, calls some people “Connectors.”   These people tend to meet and connect to more people than the average person, and they seem to take pleasure in connecting others as well.   Connectors are the people who make networking work.     Every connection you make as a jobseeker gets you one step closer to your next employer, so these connecting meetings are important. Recently, I connected a friend (we’ll call him Phil) with another friend who was in a position to offer him advice and support for a new project.   I volunteered the contact information for my friend; it was a spontaneous offer that took me exactly ten seconds to execute: cut and paste an email address into a message for Phil.   Phil thanked me at the time (a few weeks ago) for the courtesy. What Phil did recently shows that he understands the power of connections.   Phil had already thanked me in passing for following through on my offer of help.   Last week, he spent an hour with my contact, and she was very helpful.     Happy ending.   On his way back to the office after the breakfast meeting, Phil took a few seconds of his own to leave me a voice message, where he took the time to thank me again for connecting him, tell me how useful it had been to his project, and mention how much he admired and enjoyed meeting my contact.   Phil demonstrated his understanding of connections in many ways; it wasn’t the ten seconds to forward an email address that I was offering  it was the ten years I’d invested in building a relationship with my contact.   If Phil had been late for the meeting, not had a project that was worth her time, or had in some other way not reflected well on my professional judgment, he could have damaged my reputation â€" and relationship â€" with my connection.   That’s a big responsibility. Phil also understands that Connectors derive their enjoyment from knowing that their connections have made a difference.   By telling me about results of the meeting, he let me know that I was helpful.   That positive feedback makes me more likely to help other people in the future.   It’s also nice to know that my contact came through for him; after all, I also staked my reputation on her willingness and ability to help him. Finally, a note on why Phil’s message demonstrates real savvy in networking.   It meets the three requirements of great feedback: It was spontaneous (he called when he was still enthusiastic about it and the energy around the project was high) It was soon (he took the time to call right after the meeting; delaying thanks makes it less meaningful for both the sender and receiver) It was specific (he told me what happened and what he liked about my contact)  Have you been connected lately?   How did you follow up?

How to Upload Your Resume on LinkedIn (And Vice Versa)

How to Upload Your Resume on LinkedIn (And Vice Versa) LinkedIn has quickly become one of the most popular platforms to find work.Whether you are a seasoned LinkedIn user, or just starting to make your account, figuring out how to upload your resume on LinkedIn can be tough.That’s where we come in.In this article we go into great detail on the following:Should you upload your resume on LinkedIn? Where and how to add your resume on LinkedIn. How to upload your resume for LinkedIn job applications. Things to consider before upload your resume on LinkedIn. How to add your LinkedIn to your resume. *Bonus*: LinkedIn tips most job seekers don't know.Feel free to jump around from section to section by clicking on the links above.Should You Upload Your Resume on LinkedIn?Despite some differing opinions, the answer is ... yes.Some might argue that adding a resume on LinkedIn defeats the purpose of a LinkedIn profile.However, that’s not necessarily true.Your LinkedIn profile and resume are two different marketing materials helpful for any job search.A LinkedIn profile should show more detailed information such as ...Volunteer experience Recommendations Work experience dating back more than 15 yearsYour resume, by contrast, should not include volunteer experience, recommendations, or work experience dating back more than 15 years.While a LinkedIn profile is an excellent resource for networking, we are nowhere near a time where LinkedIn profiles will replace the resume.Below, we will walk you through exactly how to upload your resume on LinkedIn, as well as some additional tips to be successful in your job search.Where and How to Add Your Resume on LinkedInLinkedIn provides a few key locations to upload your resume. We will focus on the two mostpopular options.1. Upload Your Resume Below Your Profile Summary1. Here is an image of a LinkedIn profile with a resume attached below the profile summary.2. To add your resume to your LinkedIn profile, you will first click on the pencil icon (see picture above).Once you click the p encil icon, you will look forthe section labeled “Media.”Next, click the “Upload” button.Finally, select the resume from your computer that you would like to upload, and then click “Save.”That’s it!You have successfully added your resume to your LinkedIn profile.2. Add Your Resume as a Link in Your SummaryAnother good way to add your resume to LinkedIn in a slightly more subtle fashion is to include a link to your resume within your LinkedIn profile.A great place to add the link is at the bottom of your summary section.The best way to turn your resume into a hyperlink is to upload it to Google Drive, whichis free and easy to use.Making your resume viewable from a private link has many advantages.For example, if you are networking on LinkedIn, it’s not always possible to attach a resume to your message. Sometimes attachments are not accepted.By including a link to your resume, you easily get it in the right hands.Here’s how to upload your resume to Google Drive:1. G o to the Google Drive website here: https://www.google.com/drive/2. Create a Gmail account or log in with your existing one.3. Click on the “New” button on the top left of the screen.4. Then select “File upload.”5. Select the resume file that you want to turn into a link.6. Once the file has been added to Google Drive, you will receive a notification on the bottom right of your screen that your upload is completed.7. Click on the resume that you just uploaded onto Google Drive.This willopen the document.8. Click on the threebubbles on the top right of the resume. Then click “Share.”9. Click “Get shareable link” ... and don't worry, you're almost done.10. Finally, make sure the settings say “Anyone with the link can view” and simply click “Copy link” to have your very own custom link to your resume.We know that was a bit of a process, but we think it’s worth taking the time.Now that you have the link, let’s head back over to your LinkedIn profile.As mentio ned previously, agreat place to include your resume link is at the bottom of your LinkedIn summary section.Quick Tip: If you don’t like the way the Google link appears (lengthy and with lots of random numbers and letters), you can use a link shortener.Copy and paste your resume link into Bitly.com(free to use without signing up), and you'll have a new, shorter link that you can add to your LinkedIn profile.How to Upload Your Resume for LinkedIn Job ApplicationsIn addition to adding your resume on your LinkedIn profile, you will also want to upload your resume for LinkedIn job applications.You can do this manually for every single job to which you apply ... but why would you want to when you can work smarter, not harder, and do it once?When you are applying to a job through LinkedIn, you will get a pop-up that looks like this:Instead of clicking on the “Upload” button under the “Resume (optional)” section, click on “Application Settings.”From there, click on the “Uplo ad” button under the “Default Resume” section.Then upload your resume.Now, when you go back to apply to the job, your default resume will automatically be added.LinkedIn will automatically add your default resume to every job application, saving you bundles of time when applying to jobs.If for some reason you decide not to use that version of your resume, you can easily delete the resume and add a new one.Before Uploading Your Resume on LinkedInWhile uploading a resume on LinkedIn is not a bad idea, there are some things you should consider before uploading your resume on LinkedIn.Privacy: Do you have your address, email, and phone number on your resume? If so, is that something you want publicly visible? Confidentiality: Will adding your resume to your LinkedIn make your current employer think you are looking for a new job? Consistency: Does any of the content on your resume contradictwhat is on your LinkedIn? Make sure they both have the same dates, job titles, etc.All in al l, uploading your resume to LinkedIn is not a problemas long as you consider the above scenarios.How to Add Your LinkedIn to Your ResumeMany people have been asking how to add a LinkedIn profile to a resume.There are two main ways to do this with very little effort.But first, you will need to make sure you have a Word Doc version of your resume so that you can make minor edits.Option 1: Add a link next to your contact information.Simply open up your resume in a Word document and add your personalLinkedIn profile link.To find your LinkedIn profile link, first log onto LinkedIn.Once you are on the Home page, click on your face on the left side of the page.Now you are on your personal profile page.The link at the top of the page is your personal link (see mine below).Just highlight the link. Then copy and paste it onto your resume.If you prefer, you can also choose to type it out manually.Option 2: Add a LinkedIn icon and hyperlink it to your LinkedIn profile.You can download this Link edIn icon to use on your resume below.Download LinkedIn IconOnce you download the icon, you simply drag and drop it onto your resume.Right-click the icon on your resume. Thenselect “Hyperlink.”Lastly, copy and paste your personal LinkedIn profile link (we explained how to find this earlier)and click “OK”.Congrats! If you followed the steps above, you successfully added your LinkedIn profile to your resume.*Bonus*: LinkedIn TipMost Job Seekers Don’t KnowDid you know that LinkedIn recently updated its “Career interests” section?If you go to your LinkedIn profile and scroll below your summary section (above your “Experience” section), you will find “Career interests.”Since I am happily employed, you can see this section is turned “Off” for me.However, if you are job searching, it may be a good idea to turn it “On.”To do this and more, click on the “Career interests” section.Once you are in this section of your profile, go ahead and flip the switch “O n” to let recruiters know you are on the market.Next, make sure all your information is up-to-date:1. Add a compact and compelling “Note to recruiters on LinkedIn.”2. Update your job search status.3. Add job titles you are considering.4. Select your location preferences.5. Add your distance-from-home preference.6. Choose the types of jobs you are open to.This will allow you to appear in recruiter search results.It can help increase the number of interviews you receiveand provide some insight into the kind of opportunities you are looking for.Additional LinkedIn Resources All in all, LinkedIn is a great tool to showcase your resume, professional skills, and job search preferences.If you are on the market for a new career opportunity, we highly recommend taking full advantage of LinkedIn.While the primary focus of this article was to help upload your resume on LinkedIn, we invite you to review more of our career advice related to LinkedIn.10 Best LinkedIn Profile Writing Service s in America19 Essential LinkedIn Profile Tips for Job SeekersHow to Ask for a Recommendation on LinkedInHow to Customize Your LinkedIn URL8 Experts Share Tips for Using LinkedIn to Find a Job

Should Recruiters Stop Using the Phone

Should Recruiters Stop Using the Phone I think my phone is broken…. It’s strange to think how much recruitment has changed since I first started. I remember my early days in recruitment â€" we were literally told to ‘hammer the phone’. We would make hundreds of calls per day, and at one point we even had software installed that monitored the phone lines to see how many calls we were making and how long we spent on each call.  The core belief was that the more time you spent on the phone, the harder you were working and networking. But in 2012, has the stereotypical image of the phone-monkey salesperson finally died?  I’m sure that many of you would agree with me that nowadays the call-to-hit ratio (i.e., the chances of actually speaking to the person whose number you are dialling) is very low indeed, both on the client and candidate side.  I would say that you are lucky to speak to one person out of every ten you call. So if we aren’t using the phone to make calls, what are we using it for?  Well it was recently revealed that us Brits now send more texts than make phone calls with our mobiles  and with the advent of smart phones, it’s easier to receive emails and social networking notifications than ever before. Texts, emails, tweets, InMails, Facebook updates… all of these can be accessed, read and sent by our mobiles without ever once having to make a phone call. I would certainly agree that having extra channels of communication can benefit me when I’m doing my job, but this does leave the hapless recruiter to ponder if we are facing a future where phone calls are a thing of the past. There are a number of theories why people are using the phone less today.  In this brave new digital world, have we evolved to the stage that we no longer wish to communicate with our mouths, but rather with our fingers? Have we become too scared to pick up the phone and actually speak directly to a stranger?  Or, just like that famous joke (“nobody drives in London â€" there’s too much traffic!”), is it quite simply that as volumes of sales calls have increased, people are fed up with constantly taking calls and just leave their phones to ring out? Networking will always be the way of making the most effective placements, and using the phone on a daily basis is the best way to keep in touch with those network connections; getting updates on changes in situations, discussing new opportunities, gaining leads and referrals.  I’d like to think that as someone who can type 50+ words a minute I will be ok with this movement to text-based recruitment.  However, examining this in comparison to a phone call, communicating solely by text is a false economy. In a brief 5 minute phone call with an applicant we can expect to have a conversation that, if transcribed, would average at around 750 words.  750 words of lovely recruitment goodness including leads and qualification, all in the space of time it takes to make a decent cuppa.  I could only manage to type 250 words in that time â€" only a third of the information that would be transmitted in a phone call, and it is all one-sided. I would miss out on the opportunity to listen and respond to what the applicant is saying; lose the personal touch and leave myself wide open to being misconstrued, as tone doesn’t translate well to email. I personally don’t think that there’s a magic cure that will allow recruiters to combat this shift away from actually speaking directly to people over the phone. I do believe however that using the phone less will have a detrimental effect on our billing ability. Closing a candidate is the only way to control the recruitment process, and if you don’t speak to them over the phone, you won’t be closing them effectively. Furthermore, if you don’t speak to the candidate in the first place, then you are never going to place them! I regularly hear the ‘more experienced’ (as I wouldn’t want to offend them by calling them old) guys in our office talking about the days of the ‘faxed CV’; laughing about putting labels over phone numbers and sending CVs via a wonderful new piece of technology called a ‘facsimile machine’. To many of the young guns reading this, that must sound like a time when dinosaurs roamed the earth, but this only 15 years ago, around the last time England reached the semi-finals of a major football tournament.  15 years from today, maybe I will be laughing that we used to actually speak to people over the phone. For now, if you’re serious about billing big, then the best thing you can do is get back on the phone and start speaking to people directly, to build the trust and relationship you need to close your next deal. And with that thought, I’m off to make some phone calls! Related: Are Recruiters Hiding Behind Social Media? Thanks to Andrew Fairley  for his help in researching this article.

Top 3 Resume Builders to Try in 2019 CareerMetis.com

Top 3 Resume Builders to Try in 2019 â€" CareerMetis.com Writing a resume can be difficult, but the good news is, it doesn’t have to be! There are some great tools online which can help you create a resume which stands out. It’s time to ditch the old-fashioned, traditional resume and go for something fresh and modern.In 2019, you need a resume that accurately represents you as both individual and professional, and is easy to create to save your time. A great resume can make a huge difference not only in the way you see yourself and your experience but also how the employer views you.evalHere’s a list of top 3 resume building platforms to help you stand out in 2019, their best features and prices.1) EnhancvEnhancv is an online resume building platform which helps you create a resume to be proud of. One of the best benefits of using Enhancv is that it takes care of your design and formatting, while you can focus 100% on the content of your resume.Enhancv offers three templates you can choose from. All of them are simple, visually appea ling, yet professional. It’s because too many choices can stress people out, and while you’re creating your resume, additional stress is the last thing one needs.For additional inspiration, Enhancv has a database of more than 40 resume examples from their real users from 16 industries.Unique features Enhancv offers:evalContent suggestions in your experience sectionWhen you start filling in your experience section, the platform provides relevant suggestions to your bullets, tailored for the exact position you wrote in your job title. These push you to focus on your impact and not just your responsibilities.Content analyzerUsing AI to bring the best resume advice to you, this feature analyzes your content and makes context-specific recommendations of how to improve it, just as you write in. Or you can turn this feature on when you finish your resume.Ask for feedbackevalThis feature allows you to share a link to your resume with your trusted friends or colleagues. They will be able to leave feedback on your resume without having to print it. It’s just like adding post-it notes wherever they spot a mistake or something which could be improved.Pricing:A free seven days trial: gives you access to basic features for freeBasic $4.99: gives you access to the basic features for a monthPro Monthly $19.99 Canva is a straightforward way to give your resume a visual boost, but it might not be as efficient when helping you with the content itself.Pricing:Free plan, which includes basic features and designsCanva for work $12,95 per team member per month, which provides access to all their features and visualsCanva for Enterprise, which would be a tailored price for your needs as a team/company3)VisualCVVisualCV helps you “make your next career move with confidence.” This resume builder is easy to use and offers a few unique features. Their blog provides a lot of career advice articles which help you navigate your job search.The platform offers 18 different templates which give you a lot of freedom when choosing the best one for you. When you sign up and click on “new resume/CV,” you’ll be presented with a few options, to begin with: import your old resume/CV, use one of their templates or start from scratch.Unique features VisualCV offers:Stats This feature allows you to track how many times has your resume/CV has been viewed and downloaded. This can help you understand whether the potential employer saw your resume/CV and when to follow-up with them.Master resume/CVOn VisualCV, you can create a master resume/CV which you then can merely copy for creating another resume. This allows you to create a resume/CV which is specific for the position you’re applying for.Pricing:evalFree plan, which allows you to use basic features and visual elementsPro for three months for $12, which will enable you to use all visual elements and featuresPro Monthly for $18, you won’t find this option in their pricing. Instead, you need to go to QA to see t he monthly optionAre you happy with your current resume?Go ahead and give your resume a read, you can even print it to get the feel of what goes through a hiring manager’s head when reading it. Does it seem like the kind of resume that’s going to make them say “this person seems perfect” or “nothing stands out here, put that in the ‘no’ pile”? If the second response seemed more likely, you could improve a lot by using one of these resume builders.What do you struggle the most with when writing your resume? Let me know in the comments!

An Introduction to the Police Officer Verbal Reasoning Test

An Introduction to the Police Officer Verbal Reasoning Test Before you become a police officer in the UK, you’ll need to pass a number of assessments and police aptitude tests. One of these is the police officer verbal reasoning test, which assesses your ability to read a piece of text and make inferences based on the information provided.The verbal reasoning test consists of 28 questions, and is 30 minutes long. All of the questions in this test are multiple choice. Moreover, the test is divided into two sections. In Section A, each question has 3 possible answers, only one of which is correct. In Section B, each question has 4 possible answers. Again, only one of these answers can be correct.The way you answer questions in Section A is quite different to how you need to response to questions in Section B. Let’s begin with how Section A works.Police Officer Verbal Reasoning Test â€" Section AIn this question, you will be given a short passage to read. It’s usually only a few sentences long, but has a lot of information packed into it. Below the text will be a series of statements, each with a box next to it. In this section, you will need to figure out whether each of the statements are true, false, or impossible to know based on the information provided:• If you think the statement is true based on the information in the passage, you must put an ‘A’ in the box.• If you think the statement is false based on the information in the passage, you must put a ‘B’ in the box.• If you believe that it is impossible to say whether the statement is true or false based on the information provided, then you must put a ‘C’ in the box.Bear in mind that the passage can be presented in a couple of ways. It might be one, solid paragraph, or the information may be split into bullet points. Take a look at the following example so you can familiarise yourself with the layout of the questions:So, you need to figure out which statements are true, false, and impossible to know based on the passage given. Make sure to r e-read the passage carefully so that you don’t miss any key details. The answers will be available at the end of this article.Police Officer Verbal Reasoning Test â€" Section BLike Section A, the questions in Section B will each be based on a passage. You will need to make in inference from this material. These passages are much longer than those in Section A, so be ready to read a larger piece of text.For this section, you will be given for potential answers for each question. You will need to tick the statement which best matches the scenario detailed in the passage. Try your hand at the following example and see how you fare:ConclusionThere aren’t any quick tricks to success in the verbal reasoning test. You simply need to practice hard at the questions, become familiar with their layout, and get used to picking out key pieces of information and using them to figure out what’s true and what’s false. If you’d like more practice andpolice verbal reasoning test examples, a s well as other police officer assessment exercises, you can check out our Police Tests Book.AnswersSection A1. False2. Impossible to say3. Impossible to say4. True5. TrueSection B1. C This entry was posted in Police, Assessment Centres, Testing. Bookmark the permalink. Jacob Senior GCSE Spanish Revision ResourcesHow2Become Successful at the IPG Awards 2017

Writing a Resume With No Education Or Job Experience

Writing a Resume With No Education Or Job ExperienceThere are plenty of steps to take when writing a resume with no education or job experience. The first step is to decide exactly what your requirements are. This should be done in a logical way, with the least amount of emotion.The first step is to decide what sort of work you're after. Then choose the sort of job that's most likely to get you to your desired goal. There are many ways to write a resume with no education or job experience. The most popular method is to either create an online resume or have a list of specific skills or characteristics that will be on your resume.However, if you really want to make a very good impression, you should write a resume with no job experience. This means that you must have no prior work experience. This isn't as difficult as it might sound.There are many ways to learn how to become a good writer. With the internet there are websites that teach you how to create a professional resume. These websites will not only help you create a resume with no job experience, but how to write and market a resume as well.Perhaps the hardest thing to do is trying to remember every single detail. A list of qualifications may also be helpful. It can be very helpful to remember that the first impression you make is important.These key points should be taken into consideration, along with your experience. If you find that your skills have grown and developed then you should still use your education, but include the fact that you've obtained additional skills.It can be difficult to write a resume without any knowledge of the subject matter, but with persistence you can create a very effective resume with no education or job experience. Writing a resume with no education or job experience is a skill that will be useful for any career you choose.