How To Protect Your Self-Worth During Job Searches

How To Protect Your Self-Worth During Job Searches

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Prolonged job hunting can take a physical and emotional toll. When faced with rejection after rejection, it is understandable that people may feel hopeless and upset. Many people feel that their job is an important part of their self-worth. They may have allowed themselves to be defined by their profession. Losing a job may mean a crisis of identity and a gradual erosion of self-worth.

Rather than letting the negative emotions take over during a long and arduous search process, change your perspective and look at the bright side of searching for a new job. When you have a positive attitude, you’ll be able to take advantage of all the opportunities coming your way.

It’s important to have the right mindset while searching for a new job. These tips will help you land the new job of your dreams while keeping your self-worth intact.

Create a Personal Brand

A job hunt is a great time to update your profile on networking websites such as LinkedIn. It’s smart to create a complete brand for yourself using your LinkedIn and social media accounts, as well as in your resume. Take the time to think about what makes you unique as an employee. What do you bring to the table that no one else does? 

Make sure that all information available to the public on your social media accounts, from photos to status updates and the groups you belong to, are all appropriate in a professional environment. You may feel that your social media accounts are private, but most people have a significant amount of information that is visible to the public. Take the time to search for yourself on Google. You may be surprised at what shows up.

On your résumé, skip listing your personal objectives. Begin instead with a list of your skills and accomplishments.  While it has become more acceptable for résumés to take up more than one page, make sure that you are only including relevant information. Be sure that all of your information is accurate and completely proofread.

Make Sure You Retain Structure

When employees are out of work, it’s all too easy to fall into the trap of Netflix binging and sleeping until noon. Treat job hunting as its own “job.” Get up on time and spend time doing concrete tasks that will help you get a job. Attend networking events and call companies for informational interviews. These informal sit-downs will give you an idea of what these companies are looking for and may give you a foot in the door where hiring interviews are concerned.

You may need a break from job-hunting from time to time, and that’s fine. Take a day for yourself and do all of the things you’ve been too busy to accomplish. You can then approach your job hunt fully refreshed and able to show yourself in your best light. If you want some concrete steps to take, sign up for this course to help you with your job search.

Take Advantage of Professional Connections

If you are job-hunting while you are still employed, use your networking connections to their best advantage. If you are a valued employee, your current employer may give you incentives to stay in your current position. Sometimes these offers are good enough to keep you in your current position, and sometimes they are not worth the trouble.

Attend networking events and social functions as much as you can. Get to know the staff at the company you would like to work for.

Contact the Company Offline

While employers are largely focused on accepting résumés online, it’s wise to supplement this contact with offline methods. Call the hiring manager and thank them for taking the time to look at your application. Find any possible connections at the new company and get in touch with them.

Remember That Your Job Is Only Part of your Identity

This tip can be difficult, but it’s important to remember that you are worthy as a person, not only because of your professional accomplishments. It’s hard to keep getting rejected from job opportunities, especially if you have been out of work for a long time and you are suffering financially. Stay in touch with your friends and family and let them remind you that you are more than your job.

The Consequences of Ongoing Job Searches

While job searching holds the potential to be damaging to your self-esteem, consider the positive aspects of the experience. You have the opportunity to start over in a new job, letting go of the preconceptions and defined roles from your previous workplace. The doors of life have swung wide open once again, and all you need to do is find the new path that works for you. When you maintain a positive attitude, it will shine through in your interviews and actually increase the likelihood that you’ll be hired. Your prospective employers will see a productive, helpful person and a good hiring prospect.

 

Is negative self-talk getting in your way? You know that you can’t be successful with low self-esteem. Let’s fix that! Take the Self-Esteem Challenge today.

If you want to grow professionally, executive coaching is the way to go. Sear Coaching boosts leaders to the next level. So what are you waiting for? Get started today!

 

Don’t Let Your of Fear Being Unoriginal Stop You From Taking That First Step

Don’t Let Your of Fear Being Unoriginal Stop You From Taking That First Step

When you are starting a new business, it can seem overwhelming to try and do everything at once. You need to develop your product, hire new employees, get your product out there, start fulfilling client orders, and the list goes on and on. Everywhere you turn, people are telling you that you need to be different, you need to stand out, and you may be afraid that you don’t know how to do this at first. Don’t let that fear keep you from starting. Here are a few things you can do to help get your feet under you.

Learning from the Competition

One of the first ways to devise a business idea is to learn from your competition. While you definitely shouldn’t steal everything from your competitors, it is a good idea to know what they are up to. Find out what they are offering, the prices they are charging, and also how they market their product or service. By finding out these things, you will be in position to learn about your competition and what makes them successful. As a result, you will be more likely to make your idea and business successful as well. You can take their successes and improve on them, and you can avoid their failures.

Using Ideas from Competition

This idea is a little trickier. You never want to copy a competitor exactly, since this edges into intellectual property and legal issues. Instead, you can look at some of the things that they are doing and see how you can add that to your business model. If customers really like something that someone else is doing, you can probably benefit from this too. While these ideas may not be original for you, they can still allow you to apply these concepts for your business. By using ideas from the competition, you can apply some of them to your business.

Other Ways to Take the First Step

Whenever you start a business, it will be important to research properly, design a campaign, and avoid stealing anything. When looking to use proper research, it will be important to find out more about a particular product or service that is currently offered on the market. It will be important to find out about the price range, features and how it is designed. It will also be important to find out about its demand as well. After researching the product and service you plan to provide, it will then be necessary to design a marketing campaign. You will want to use methods such as internet advertising, search engine optimization and also social media. Lastly, you will want to start a business and take that first step by not stealing anything. Some companies will have copyrights, patents, and trademarks on what they sell. It is important not to take those ideas and elements and use them without proper authorization.

Conclusion

Running a business and taking that first step can be quite overwhelming. It can be even more difficult if you are looking to start one with an idea that is not original. While this may be a bit overwhelming, there are ways to make it easier. Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed by expectations and things that you think you need to do. Just take it one step at a time, and eventually, you will achieve what you set out to do.

If you want some extra help with your business, check out our executive coaching programs!

References:

Pay Attention to Your Competitor’s Web Designs

10 Tips on How to Research Your Competition

Avoiding Infringement Problems

What You Should Know About Moving Your Career Out Of Country

What You Should Know About Moving Your Career Out Of Country

A Bold Career Move

Relocating your career out of the country can be an excellent way to take advantage of opportunities you would otherwise not have. Not only are there exciting new work possibilities, but the chance to travel the world and learn about other cultures. However, before jumping right into an international move, there are many things to consider:

1. Research Your Destination and Job

This step is paramount in making the decision to move your career. You need to learn about who your new boss and coworkers are going to be and if they are compatible with your style. You must also make sure your destination of choice is a good fit in terms of culture, language, climate, and safety. The last thing that some people would want would be to start working at their dream job and figure out six months later that where they now live has a 7-month rainy season. RESEARCH!  If you don’t know where to start, and you want a job with a relocation package, try these listings from Jooble!

2. Visa Challenges

Other governments usually require a passport and a work visa to make a living in their country. Sometimes an employer will apply for a work visa for you, but this is something you must ask about fairly early on in the job interview process. If you need to apply for your own visa, log on to the most relevant government website and start the application process after your job is secure. Don’t rely on someone else to do this for you.

3. How Will You Handle New and Old Property?

Workers who temporarily move out of the country for work may choose to rent their property and home. Not only can you return to it after the job ends, but renting your property can add some extra income while you are away. Consider hiring a property manager to handle landlord responsibilities if you are not able to. Check to see if you can list your place on Airbnb or VRBO.

Don’t forget about thinking about where you will rest your head once you reach your destination. Research the area around your new job; the neighborhood, safety, and comfort. You may need to get in contact with a property manager or realtor fairly early on depending on if you want to rent or buy a place to live.

4. Costs of Moving

Immigration processes can be difficult and costly if you want to take your personal belongings and furniture. Don’t forget to think about things like shipping charges and moving expenses. If it is more financially reasonable, you may want to purchase new furniture when you arrive. Check to see if your employer will cover your moving expenses before you make a final decision. 

5. Relocating Your Family

Some people who only immigrate temporarily choose to leave their families behind and visit them periodically. Decide if this is financially and emotionally viable or if it would be better to take your family with you. If you bring your family, you must consider their new placement as well, like where children will go to school or daycare. Your new employer may have resources to help you with these decisions. Got pets? Make sure to find out what the rules on bringing animals into the country you are moving to. 

Carefully consider each of these options before making the move to another country. Once you have your ducks in a row, you can enjoy the full range of your new opportunities and have a truly fulfilling career.

References:

Business Insider | The 20 best places to live overseas

Mendeley | 10 things to consider when moving country for work

Freedom Law | Immigration Law

I Was Just Promoted to Manager — Now What?

I Was Just Promoted to Manager — Now What?

Alright, it is time to go to work and really embrace your new position. Being the manager of your new team is surely going to be a bit different than when you managed your local ice cream shop back in college. However, don’t get overwhelmed. You need to appear strong for your team. You are their new leader. If you are able to pull off your new position, you are going to further your career and build a team that will be able to accomplish just about anything. Here are are some tips that will help you in your new quest as an office manager.

Build leadership within your team

The key to having a team that works well together is building leadership within the team. You need to identify those in your team who are natural leaders. If they are willing to take on a leadership role, this will help you with your job. You will feel overwhelmed if you are the only person in your in your department who is a leader. Make sure that you are able to spread your responsibility out through the team.

Make sure safety is key

Your employees need to feel safe when they are coming to work. If people need to work late, onsite security is one safety measure that can give them the peace of mind they need. That onsite security usually takes the form of cameras, but it could also include keys and other passes to ensure only the correct people are entering the building. Fire safety is also something that you should go over with your office. You need to make sure that your employees know what to do during the event of an emergency. 

In addition to physical safety, your employees need to know that they are safe to be themselves at work. Make sure that you create an inclusive environment where people can be their true selves at work. It has been proven that diverse teams perform better.

Create a culture of high performance

It is hard to create high performers. However, what you can do is create a culture that rewards these high achievers. Being a leader puts you in a unique position to be able to create any type of culture for your team. If you start rewarding your employees for their high performance, you will notice a significant shift in your team’s productivity.

Make everyone feel included

It is essential that everyone on your team feel included. If you have certain employees struggling to feel like they are really part of the team, work with them to help them feel more included. There are many morale-boosting and team building activities that you can do to make sure that everyone in your office is feeling included.

These are just a few of the many different tips that can help you become a great leader. Remember, it will take time for you to become as awesome in this new position as you were in your previous roles. Be patient and give yourself the time that you need to really excel!

Resources:

A Beginner’s Guide to Working From Home and Staying Productive

A Beginner’s Guide to Working From Home and Staying Productive

Working from home sounds like a dream. You’re in the comfort of your own home. There’s no boss or anyone else breathing down your back. You can set your hours, and come and go as you please. You’ll need the motivation to work alone, but it’s possible. From freelance writing gigs to setting up a home-based travel business, the internet provides you with a range of opportunities for working from home. The career shift might be a little bit intimidating, but there are plenty of online resources that can help you make the leap if you’re determined to do so.

Work from Home Jobs

Thanks to technology, there are plenty of work-from-home opportunities. Graphic designers, website designers, and writers often work from home. Clerical jobs such as data entry and word processing are usually done from home as well. Some businesses even allow employees to telecommute a few days a week.

Getting Connected

You’ll need to install reliable home internet. It’s practically impossible to work from home without an internet connection. Most correspondence takes place via email, Skype and Facetime meetings are the norm, and every business needs a website. Internet downtime means wasted time and money. Make sure to install reliable home internet as soon as possible. Aside from that, you’re going to want to get connected your team, if you have one.

The Home Office

You can practically use any room for work, depending on the job. And the lack of a home office shouldn’t deter you from working from home. But having said that, it’s true that an office is still important. It provides the privacy you need and allows you to organize. You can connect these to the internet and have some other cable replacements and fixture replacement done as well. The IRS might even give you the home office deduction.

The equipment you need depends on your business. A writer would want things such as a computer and printer. Perhaps a dictionary, additional reference books, and writing utensils. Just make sure your home office is a space for work and nothing else. That will help when it’s time to file taxes.

Productivity

Staying productive is the hardest thing about working from home. There’s nothing to stop you from playing on the internet, watching that daytime talk show, or zoning out. Plus, you might have family members who think working at home means vacation. Set daily and weekly goals to stay motivated. Give yourself a little treat when you achieve your goals. As for family, you need to set boundaries. Explain that you’re working a real job, and can’t be disturbed doing work hours.

Shifting Gears

You’ll have to adjust to being your own boss. There are no co-workers, no one to joke around with, and no cubicle buddy. But you’ll learn that professionalism is still required. Just remember that you’re at work, even when it’s in your home.

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