4 Ways Your Brain Is Keeping You Stuck In Your Career Change And What To Do About It

4 Ways Your Brain Is Keeping You Stuck In Your Career Change â€" And What To Do About It Expert Advice > How to break out of analysis paralysis 4 Ways Your Brain Is Keeping You Stuck In Your Career Change â€" And What To Do About It * Feeling stuck, lost and helpless in your search for fulfilling work? Unable to move forward, but not entirely sure why? Sometimes your biggest obstacles are on the inside. Natasha shares how your mind might be making your shift a struggle â€" and specific strategies to make progress faster. Throughout your life, there's one trusty sidekick that can usually be relied on to keep you going. It carries you through routine tasks, brushing your teeth while you ease into the day, auto-piloting you through busy streets of people. It helps you weigh up how to tackle that tricky conversation at work, what to do when the electricity bill comes in higher than usual one month, how to get the mosquito out of the bedroom. You rely on your mind for everything. It's always there, keeping you company, keeping you on track. So the idea that you can't always trust it is a pretty uncomfortable one. But it's also true. Our minds are incredible tools, calculating and regulating, measuring and guiding, considering and philosophising… and in order to be able to process the overwhelming amount of information constantly bearing down on us every second of every day… they take shortcuts. We take mental shortcuts â€" otherwise known as heuristics and cognitive biases â€" constantly. Much of the time, this is a positive thing. It saves us time and energy, and when the decision you're trying to make is whether to bring a coat to the restaurant or hope the good weather lasts, it's fine to make some rule-of-thumb judgements. But your career change is a bit bigger than that. And some of the cognitive biases and heuristics that your brain defaults to might actually be the very things keeping you stuck. Let's take a look at some of the biggest culprits and a few strategies to tackle them. 1. Anchoring bias Anchoring bias is the tendency to rely disproportionately on the first piece of information we learn about something, affecting how we interpret any facts we encounter later on. For example, if a pair of shoes in one store is marked as £1500 ($1850), but you see the same pair in the shop next door for £150 ($185), you're much more likely to see them as a bargain than if you had never seen the first pair. Perhaps you did a careers test in your teens at school. No matter how ridiculous the results might have appeared, they've almost certainly stuck in your mind. They may even affect what you believe you're able to be good at today. Or, if you take an interest in a new industry and someone tells you it's really hard to get into (because their sister tried ten years ago and was unsuccessful), that story will colour your feelings about that career path. It doesn't matter what information you hear next â€" it'll all be measured against the 'anchor'. In smaller decisions, this bias helps us make comparative choices quickly, without overloading our brains with information. But in more significant choices, such as your future career, it's likely to make you discard perfectly good possibilities, and narrow down your options too quickly. “For a while I was really interested in going into teaching. But then I spoke to a number of teachers who told me their salaries, and I couldn't help but compare it to what I was earning in my marketing job. “Somehow it didn't matter that I was crying in the toilets every day on that salary, or that I'd be able to live perfectly comfortably on a teacher's income. I just wasn't able to disconnect my decision-making from the number I was currently earning.” â€" Lottie, Launch Pad Alumnus How to avoid anchoring 1. Gather information from multiple sources. Aim to gather a wide range of facts, experiences and opinions before making your mind up about something, and take the time to analyse what you learn with the anchoring bias in mind. If you're holding informational interviews with people in an industry, try to have multiple conversations rather than just one, and weigh up the accounts equally. The first accountant you speak to may be scathing about the industry, but the fact that she'd been having a bad week shouldn't make you skeptical of the excitement and passion in the eyes of the second person you interviewed. If you're running a Shift Project in an area you're interested in, try things out several times, and give your experiences a chance to distil. You might have felt like you were a useless artist at your first life-drawing class, but that doesn't mean that after a few sessions you won't start to notice a capacity for sketching that you didn't know you had. 2. Create your own anchor. Lottie's story shows how powerful an anchor can be â€" especially a financial one. But you don't have to use the anchor you're given. In the case of salary, laying out your financial situation and actively choosing a number as your 'non-negotiable' (based on logic rather than circumstance) can be a constructive way forward. Or, if you were raised in a household where status and respect were touted as the yardstick against which to measure a career, acknowledge that fact and choose a different metric to be your new yardstick (or anchor). Joy, for example, or social impact. 2. Availability heuristic If you've ever gone swimming in the ocean and been suddenly overwhelmed by a fear that there might be a shark nearby, this is the availability heuristic at play. Statistically, you're more likely to be killed by a mosquito than by a shark. But the terror you feel in the ocean is probably far greater than the minor irritation of hearing the whine of a mosquito in your bedroom after the lights go out. That's because when we make decisions, we tend to base them on what we remember. And what we remember is influenced by a huge range of things: expectations, beliefs, emotions, and frequency of exposure. Media coverage of shark attacks is far greater than of malaria and other mosquito-borne diseases. The information is more widely available, and, because there's shock-factor involved, more easily recalled, so you're more likely to overestimate the risk. The availability heuristic simply refers to this specific mental shortcut: what comes to mind the easiest â€" what's most available â€" is true. Or, to say it very simply: “What I see is all there is”. When you think about the options that are available to you for your next career, chances are the list is fairly short: the careers you hear a lot about, minus the ones you think you're not qualified for. Your perception of what's possible for your future is defined by what's most easily called to mind. This is why often it can feel like there's no way forward. Rather than thinking: “There are hundreds of thousands of careers out there. I might not know them all, but that means all I have to do is discover a few more â€" there's got to be plenty I could do”, your brain says to itself: “I can only think of 28 careers right now, and I'm not qualified for any of them. I'm doomed.” The availability bias can also, as in the shark / mosquito example, distort our perceptions of risk, so we end up worrying about the wrong things. We might remember someone in our office who quit their job and invested all their savings to start their own business and failed, becoming an office laughing stock and causing tensions in their family. The fact that this is the only person we know who tried to start a business â€" and who failed in such a dramatic way â€" makes us enormously overestimate the risk of starting a business. We don't walk down the street looking at all the shops, or flip through the local small business directory, and think: “Somebody started that business, and that one, and that one…” The only story that sticks in our head is the disaster, and that's what dictates our next steps. How to avoid the availability heuristic 1. Keep your mind in Discovery mode Part of the issue with the availability heuristic is that it makes us assume that the edges of our experience are the edges of reality. So, find ways to remind yourself constantly of how little you know, and set yourself the mission to discover new and surprising things wherever possible. Expanding your fishbowl not only gives you access to new and interesting information â€" it makes the exciting experience of discovery the most easily recalled, which turns the availability heuristic against itself. 2. Seek out hard data wherever possible The availability heuristic is a cognitive shortcut â€" a psychological way of balancing speed and accuracy. So the best way to counteract it is… to count. What ARE the facts about shark deaths in your area? How many businesses DID successfully start up last year? Who started them? How can you talk to them to find out: what did the successful ones do differently from those who failed? It might feel dull and time-consuming, but hard facts are the only things that will give you the reality of a situation, over and above your brain's predisposition to short-cut. 3. Confirmation bias Of all the cognitive biases, this is likely to be the one you're most familiar with. Confirmation bias is our tendency to seek out, notice, and remember information that confirms our current reality or prior beliefs. C. James Goodwin gives a great example of confirmation bias in his book Research in Psychology: Methods and Design: “Persons believing in extrasensory perception (ESP) will keep close track of instances when they were 'thinking about Mom, and then the phone rang and it was her!' Yet they ignore the far more numerous times when (a) they were thinking about Mom and she didn't call and (b) they weren't thinking about Mom and she did call.” If you're afraid that changing career will be a disaster, then stories and ideas that make career change sound risky and doomed to fail won't just seem more believable â€" you're actually more likely to notice them in the world around you. Examples of people making successful shifts will skim right under your radar. Or you'll read them and pass them off as flukes, forgetting them much faster than the examples of people who tried and failed to find fulfilling work. If you're holding informational interviews â€" designed to help you challenge your assumptions and find out the truth about a career path â€" the very questions you ask are likely to be ones that seek out evidence to confirm your pre-existing beliefs. This means that no matter how much you want to believe a career change is possible, or wish things were different than they are (or at least, how you think they are), you're unconsciously gathering evidence that keeps you in a 'stuck' mindset. How to avoid confirmation bias 1. Try listing out your strongest beliefs and fears about your shift on paper (keeping in mind that some of these won't even seem like beliefs â€" they might seem like 'facts') Then, actively look for ways to challenge what you think you see. Seek out information from a range of sources, and gather the data you would need if you were going into a debate to support the opposite view. Then compare it with the information you used to support your original decision. 2. Discuss your thoughts with others. Talk about your beliefs and ideas with a wide range of people, and in every case, do your best to take on their viewpoint, even if only for a short period of time. Surrounding yourself with a diverse support team can help you avoid the 'echo chamber' of your own opinions, and keep you in a more humble and objective state of mind. 4. The Sunk Cost Fallacy How many years have you invested in your career to date? How much effort have you put into it? Does making a shift feel like you'd be making all of that time and energy a waste? This is the 'sunk cost fallacy' at work â€" the tendency to keep doing something that doesn't make sense anymore, simply because of how much you've already invested in it. “Every time I thought about leaving the law, I thought about the money my parents had paid to help me get my degree, and the years of training I'd put in, and I felt sick. Yes, I was unhappy, and no, I couldn't imagine spending the rest of my life as a lawyer, but I couldn't imagine throwing away all that money and time either.” â€" Anne-Marie, Launch Pad Alumnus But you can't get those years back, and what that time and energy has actually proven is that no matter how much you try, or how long you stick it out, it doesn't help. By continuing down a path you know isn't the right one, all you'll achieve is more wasted effort. How to counteract sunk costs 1. Start from where you are. The past is gone â€" it's over, and while you can't get it back, you have the fruits of your labour in the present moment. So without thinking about your situation in terms of hours invested or effort expended, lay out what you're working with right now. What skills do you have? What have you learned you're energised by, and what do you now know drains you? What resources do you have to draw on? Who do you have around you to help? 2. Keep the big picture in mind Imagine â€" or draw â€" a timeline of your life, from your birth to the end. Then, look at the amount of time you're likely to have left. How do you want to feel in those days and months and years? Zooming out to the 'big picture' of your life can put a lot into perspective. 3. Celebrate mistakes If part of the sunk costs bias is based in an unwillingness to 'fail' or look bad in front of other people, changing your relationship with mistakes can make a huge difference. Practise becoming proud of admitting your mis-steps. Instead of hiding your mistakes, actively talk about them with others, and share what you've learned from them. What a relief that you won't make that mistake again! How brave you were to even try in the first place! It'll feel uncomfortable at first, but becoming someone who's willing to openly get things wrong will reduce your fear of being seen as a failure â€" and you may find it actually wins you more respect in the eyes of others. Cognitive biases and heuristics are a natural function of your mind â€" you can never eradicate them completely. Gut-feel and instinct can also be powerful tools that keep you safe in risky situations; they're not something to ignore all the time. But they're also ancient circuitry designed to protect you from high-risk, immediate dangers â€" so they're not always appropriate for longer-term, less sabre-toothed-tiger-style problems. By being aware of some of the shortcuts and misjudgements that you're likely to fall prey to, you can start to counterbalance them in proactive ways. Which of these biases might be keeping you stuck in your career change right now? Let me know in the comments below.

Is There A Class For Writing A Resume?

Is There A Class For Writing A Resume?Is there a class for writing a resume? One might think that you would be able to write a resume on your own. However, the reality is that to write a resume effectively, it must be submitted through a professional service.Students at AbTech, a regional trade school, must submit their resumes and transcripts through the AbTech resume service. They can choose which AbTech-approved services they want to use, or they can even tailor their resume around the curriculum of the AbTech. All the service needs is basic information about the applicant, including their date of birth, address, contact information, and academic details.All of the programs AbTech students attend are designed to prepare students for the workplace. The resume service is designed to help students get through the first three stages of the college admissions process. Students are able to easily customize their resumes according to their needs, as well as the information AbTech provide s.After students have submitted their resumes and transcripts through the AbTech resume service, they will then be sent out to a number of job searches. In order to receive the best placement results, applicants should use the service on a regular basis. This is in part to improve their resume's performance but also to improve their chances of getting interviews. These are both key steps towards a successful college career.By using AbTech's resume service, students can improve their chances of getting into top programs. Job interviews will certainly help, but more importantly, they will prepare students for the rigors of college life. The AbTech job search and its subsequent placement services give students the chance to learn valuable new skills, such as networking, presentation skills, research and writing. It can all lead to success in the workplace. Students who attend AbTech also get the opportunity to learn the business side of their education. The service can help them in man y ways, not only during the job hunt. These include assisting them with setting up contracts, developing their budget, creating budgets, setting up budgets for the semester, and the negotiating and working together with professors and other staff members.During the job search, students also receive financial aid. Students get financial aid by placing jobs on the AbTech resume service website. The results for these jobs help the students to get some real-world experience and gain knowledge about job interviewing. For those who do not currently have an office in a college, this is a great place to begin a career.Students are able to also apply for scholarships by placing their resumes on the AbTech resume service website. Some scholarships even have specific criteria that are required before receiving the scholarship. If you want to go further and apply for an AbTech scholarship, then that is also available to you.

Why You Should Celebrate Your Oddness

Why You Should Celebrate Your Oddness All of us have something about us that would be considered an oddness out in the vastness of average humanity.   Whatever average is.   I’m tall, but there is a long list of other things used to categorize, pigeon hole, or otherwise classify us as human beings.   You could be short, freckled, large, gay, or any other of us who stand out as more on the edges than in the middle of the “normal curve.”     If you’re not rich and famous and able to capitalize on the attention, let’s face it, it sucks.   Until you look at it in a new way. Oddness vs. Normal Humans have an almost neurotic tendency to want to classify things.   I suppose it’s their need to find order in an otherwise not-so-orderly world.   But it has led to habitually scanning our surroundings for anything out of the ordinary.   Other than average.  Odd.   So the quick result is either you’re “normal” or you’re something else.   If you’re in the latter category, that’s often the kind of attention you don’t want.   I cannot count the number of times I wished I was shorter so the attention would GO AWAY.   What’s forgotten is that there is no line of demarcation between the two, but rather a huge area of gradation from one extreme to   the other.   But hey, I never said I wanted to be short, I want to be normal.   Average.  Until I changed my perspective. What’s Going On Here? Unless you believe that we, as humans, were all molded from a ball of mud last week, you have to acknowledge the reality of evolution as part of the world we live in.   From beginnings we only vaguely understand, nature has experimented and toyed with the process of our development, patiently observing results and tweaking the process.   And here we are, in all our variety.   And very different from our roots.   Along the way, there were experiments that proved less than ideal.   Those characteristics faded or disappeared.   Other, all of which are represented in humanity today, have so far passed the test.   How do I know?   Because all of us “odd ones” are here.   Simple, huh? Stops on the Journey Since it’s clear that we, human beings, are still in process of getting to some distant destination, it’s equally clear that one of two things is true about those of us who are, in whatever way, the  odd ones. If we’re the basis of what in the future will be the norm, then we’re the pioneers.   The early adopters, if you will, of what everyone else doesn’t know yet is going to be very cool.   The trendsetters.   (Insert slightly catty grin here.) If we’re found by nature to be possessing characteristics that are not the most effective for this existence, then we are not only unique and soon to be rare or extinct, we have offered up ourselves for the benefit of continual human adaptation.   You’re welcome, humanity, you’re welcome! Time For Re-Frame So, take a look in the mirror.   Imagine whichever truth you choose.   Realize that we are all a part of the great human experiment.   And start to appreciate your role,  your oddness, and yourself, in a whole new way! Collage Photo Credit:  Hernan Gonzalez Spice Photo Credit: Laszlo Ilyes

Make Your Personal Brand Shine With Strong Communication Skills - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Make Your Personal Brand Shine With Strong Communication Skills - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Having strong communication skills is crucial.  One needs to know when it’s important to listen and when its necessary to respond.  There are many subtleties in communication that can influence others; the best communicators strengthen their personal brand using speech and silence to influence others’ opinion of them. They intuitively know “when silence is golden” and how to “read between the lines”. They have strong emotional intelligence, and choose the right words and use them at the right time. Use communication skills to get hired Successful job candidates-the ones who get hired, do two things better than anyone else: They send the “right” messages and deliver them more powerfully! Even before the candidate walks in the door, they have already sent messages about themselves  with their resumes. Once you walk in the door,  you need to be prepared to answer the key question: ”Why should they hire you?” All other messages must support, defend and compliment this main message. Most candidates don’t realize how crucial it is to develop their communication skills to succeed. Learn communication skills from great sales people Dr. Robert B. Cialdini, author of the bestseller,  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, gets more specific about how exactly to persuade and influence customers to buy without explicitly selling to them. These principles apply in asking for a recommendation, or in for an interview or a promotion. Here are two examples of tactics that you could use when trying to be persuasive. Both of these tactics involve both verbal and non-verbal communication. Make yourself likeable to your employer Customers are far more likely to say yes if they know and like the person whos selling to them. Thats why so many TV commercials use celebrity spokespeople, because consumers like and know them. The true key to being likable is to be genuinely interested in the other person. When you show sincere interest and concern for the other person, it makes you more likeable. Inquiring about the other person, celebrating her successes and taking interest in her challenges shows empathy for the other person. Being a good listener isn’t only about being quiet. It’s about hearing the other person’s perspective and reflecting on it so you can show empathy or offer help if necessary. The candidates who are considered “top talent” are ones who are keenly attuned to their hiring managers needs.  A part of their attunement comes from being a good listener.  The best employees  listen carefully to catch their bosses’ pain points. They focus their thoughts on finding solutions to challenging problems and they do it without prodding, and faster and better than others. Make yourself likeable to your employees Similarly, bosses who are most influential with their team are ones who have invested in knowing how to assist each person in the group achieve his/her goals. They use both verbal and non-verbal communication to support their employees. The best bosses make themselves more likeable to their employees by listening to their concerns. The most likeable bosses tune into their employee issues so they can help remove obstacles that impede her success. They provide  the proper tools to employees as they take an interest in them and know what support could help them achieve their goals. In the end, the bosses who are strong communicators are able to offer affirmation and guidance to their valued employees thereby building a loyalty in those they support. Become a respected authority People are more likely to buy from you (or hire and promote you) if they see you as having specialized knowledge or unique credibility.  You can demonstrate youre a respected authority by creating real value online. Posting blogs and publishing articles that help others solve problems by using your expertise is a respectful and professional way to build your personal brand. Offer your helpâ€"Become a giver Another strategy for gaining favor with a broad network of people is to follow the suggestion of Adam Grant, (Professor and best-selling author of Give and Take), who told me in a recent interview that “giving freely and with a full heart small, regular favors will build a broad network of people who respect and like you”. These people naturally become a part of your network and many will want to support you but that’s not why you should give. Winning people over and getting favors returned works best when you do favors expecting nothing in return. No one likes to feel they owe another person who’s helped them. This deprives the other person of the privilege of giving back. Strong communicators offer their help regularly in a kind way.   They don’t expect an immediate quid pro quo for every deed and they don’t make the other person feel “rich” for having done them a favor. They have some boundaries in how much they give so they don’t overtax themselves and they refu se some requests so they can give a bigger yes when they can offer help. The skillful communicator uses simple, clear language to get his point across.   He makes his words count and builds his brand by listening to others in order to truly understand their needs.  In this way, when he responds, he selects his words carefully so they say what he means. His words build a stronger connection with that person either by offering support, a solution or his friendship. This is the key to success that comes from being a truly great communicator. Becoming a great communicator doesn’t mean that the person is merely more eloquent, it means he uses language to send a powerful message that persuades the listener to share his conviction about a particular topic. This strategy helps to strengthen the bond between the listener and the communicator and in doing so could improve the other person’s opinion of you.   Your personal brand shines brightly when you show genuine concern for your audience and when you choose a message that addresses their needs in a caring and succinct way.

Writing Tools For Resume: Tools That Can Make Your Resume Look Professional

Writing Tools For Resume: Tools That Can Make Your Resume Look ProfessionalThe application of writing tools for resume is essential if you are in need of professional help. In the world of business, there are thousands of professionals who find themselves as part of a team or an executive team. In these situations, they have to deal with an ever increasing amount of paperwork, and they want to be able to handle it well.There are a number of resourceful ways to do this. Some will employ the use of a stapler, others will use a stapler and a staple gun, and still others will use paper clips. It would be ideal to use a stapler and staple gun when it comes to paperwork, but then you run the risk of injuring yourself or someone else if you have any lumps in your skin, hands, or fingers.So then you can use paper clips, but are you going to have too many? Would it be better to use a stapler and staples or to simply use paper clips and staples? Both of these options offer the benefit of being able to get the job done fast, but how about the risk of breaking them?One option is to utilize an electric tool. This way, you can ensure that you have professional results, and they will last longer. The advantage of using a tool is that you can get the job done quickly, and you don't have to worry about getting hurt.Another tool that works much the same way is to utilize heat. Even if you don't heat up the item in question, you can get very close by heating it up with the use of a stove-top microwave. Of course, this can get expensive very quickly, and most people don't have the time to use such an expensive tool.Also, you may have to make minor changes to a person's resume. Perhaps the resume should be changed to eliminate certain points or you may wish to remove that individual's skills that could work against them, such as bad credit. There are a number of solutions available for this type of work. You can even consider making your own as it may seem like a simple task, but i t can be difficult if you don't understand what you are doing.All of these options are great resources to employ when it comes to writing tools for resume. They are all simple and effective, but neither is perfect. In other words, if you want a great tool for this task, they won't be, but there is an alternative solution that can be used to ensure the best results.Resume letter services are created by software that has been specifically designed to handle resumes as well as letter templates. There are a number of good-quality companies that use the most recent technology to provide clients with outstanding writing services. Their technology is updated regularly to ensure that the scripts are easy to read and use, and to ensure that you get the greatest benefit from their services.

How to Develop Your Leadership Potential CareerMetis.com

How to Develop Your Leadership Potential â€" CareerMetis.com It’s one of the most common job-related questions you’ll get asked: ‘When have you demonstrated leadership?’.But unlike what you might first assume, leadership comes in many forms. You don’t have to have a whole team reporting to you to be a good leader, and in fact, working on a project alone demonstrates some of the necessary traits like taking initiative, effective time management, and ongoing assessment of your output.evalLeadership potential is one of the most valuable traits for a long and progressive career.Some people are natural-born leaders. They’re assertive, can make decisions, and work well with just about anyone.But leadership is also a skill that can be learned or strengthened over time, with adult learning courses and practice.You may have come across managers or bosses, or even colleagues with varying leadership styles throughout your career. There are those that love rigid deadlines, daily reporting and finding efficiencies wherever possible, but there a re also those that focus on team wellbeing, inspiring each individual to work at their pace and to their own best potential.Through assessing your own strengths and weaknesses, and reflecting on how your team best performs, you’ll be able to develop a leadership style that is entirely you own, considering the following topics.1) Outline Your Morals and Underlying VisionWhatever approach you take, do it with conviction.Take the time to consider what you want to achieve and why, and let this simple truth be the foundation for your style of leading. It may help to write down a list of adjectives or values that are most important to you.evalStart with the company values if you’re stuck, and highlight which of those really resonate with you. This simple exercise will help you get through any tough decisions and will help you assess whether you’re succeeding in what you set out to do.And finally, don’t hesitate to be transparent with the team you’re working with and discuss how your approach will look. It will give them a heads up if things are going to be vastly different, and an insight into how you want them to perform.If recruiting a new team, asking job-related interview questions that hinge on values will help you to find candidates that align with your approach.2) Planning, Organisation and Goal SettingOne of the areas of contention will no doubt be your approach to planning, organization and goal setting. Are you a tech-head who loves to use a series of software and apps to help you squeeze the most productivity out of every waking minute?evalMaybe you appreciate a more fluid and adaptable approach, embracing regular team catch-ups to shift goals according to everyone’s workload.Whatever your preference, when leading a team you have to consider each individual’s capability as well.In order to reach goals with your employees, you must treat each other with respect, and in order to do that, you need to be able to understand them.To know what they ’re going through, what’s really on their minds and what they think of your collective goals. Modern workplaces have begun to favor this type of teamwork, as you’re able to discover a broad range of pathways to success.So take the time to learn about how things are down, listen to any problems or points of weakness, and find solutions that work for everyone.Furthermore, an important thing to remember is that you probably will ‘fail’ at some point, but it is how you deal with that failure that determines who you are as a leader. What to do, how you’ll resolve the error and things you’ll change going forward.Perhaps a deadline slipped awayâ€"then you need to reassess your team performance and workload. Perhaps a client wasn’t happyâ€"had you accurately identified the objectives at the start of the project?It’s all a learning experience. Being a skilled leader comes from making mistakes.3) Communication StyleWith new leadership, employees want to know what they can ex pect. Set out a plan for one on one meetings, or larger team WIPs, on a weekly basis to check in and see how everyone is doing.evalRemember, it’s as much about allowing the employee to voice their concerns, make suggestions, and ultimately help to improve the team.An important step many leaders neglect is to step out of your preferred communication channel to facilitate ongoing ease. Are you an emailer? Or would you prefer someone to pop their head into your office?Make sure that everyone knows how they can best contact you to have a chat, but also be open to their best ways of contacting you.In stressful times, your employees will recognize the effort you put out to help rectify whatever troubling them.There will no doubt be conflict at some point or friction between team members, so confirming that your door is open now will help you resolve any issues down the track.eval4) Training and DevelopmentThe best leaders look to the future. No matter how great your team or your organiz ation is performing, there’s always room for improvement.Perhaps you’ve noticed that one team member, in particular, is falling behind with a new tool, or you’ve heard about a new strategy that could benefit your entire team.Ensuring your team has access to training, such as adult learning or online diplomas, is the foundation for satisfied, fulfilled employees who have faith in you as a leader.Key Takeaways:Being a leader is all about your own personal development. Someone may be born with leadership qualities, but they are not born leaders.You must learn and train yourself through experience, and understand that failures are opportunities to unite and prove yourself to your team.Make sure to outline your vision, set goals with your team, develop and facilitate ease of communication and provide opportunities for your team members to grow as individuals.Show the team you care, and they’ll pay back the favor.

4 Steps to Find a Job Using LinkedIn - CareerEnlightenment.com

3) GROUPS: BECOME AN EXPERTBecoming a member of a LinkedIn group is one of those smart moves which brings many benefits and no downsides. Some groups have hundreds or thousands of members and once you are a member, you automatically gain direct access to all of them either by starting new discussions or by updating your status and/or sending them messages. If you have expertise in some field, you can also start your own group. Once you are a group owner, as soon as you answer questions from members, you start being perceived as an expert and your chances of attracting employers triple in a flash.4) BE ACTIVE: CONNECT AND STUDYa) ConnectBe active. That is the main rule on LinkedIn, as in any other social network. Your everyday activity,  apart from updating your status and taking part in group discussions, should involve checking other  members profiles and making new connections. Unlike the school of thought which suggests that  you should not accept connections from people you do no t know, I strongly suggest the opposite:  get as many connections as possible. The reason? You never know who will be looking for a  candidate with your skills.b) StudyTake full advantage of that tremendously helpful tool that is the companies section on the LinkedIn  home page. Let us assume you would be interested in landing an interview for a position in a  company you would die to work for. The first thing to do is to check out which of the companys  employees are also LinkedIn members. Then, see whether they are your 2nd, 3rd or other tier  connections and work your way to them by connecting with the right members. Once you have to  shoot, shoot high and try to connect with high profile members, they could seem more difficult to  reach but they might turn out to be more rewarding in the end.Keep in mind these basic rules and launch yourself into the game: remember, if you do not play,  you cannot win.Christian Arno is the Managing Director of Lingo24, Inc. Follow Lingo24, Inc. on Twitter: @Lingo24

Chosen as Career Mastermind -

Chosen as Career Mastermind - I want to thank Dr. Randall Hansen and Dr. Kathy Hansen of Quintessential Careers for including me in their list of 15 Quintessential Careers Career Masterminds in honor of the 15th anniversary of the founding of Quintessential Careers. This is a real honor, as I have been using and recommending Quint Careers as a resource for my clients for just about that many years! I remember meeting Randall and Kathy several years ago at a conference it was a brush with career fame for me, which makes this honor even more special. Their announcement notes: As part of the 15th anniversary of the founding of Quintessential Careers, we are honoring and celebrating some of our favorite career visionaries, gurus, and experts people who truly want to help job-seekers understand and succeed in the job-search. Weve selected these 15 career experts, folks we are honoring with the title of Quintessential Careers Career Masterminds, because of their career and job-hunting know-how and their passion for sharing that knowledge with job-seekers, career-changers, and the entire career community. Its especially nice to be recognized for sharing information and resources with the career community, so thank you very much! Learn about everyone on the Quint Careers list and stay tuned for our involvement on the site in the coming months!