Happy Birthday to JibberJobber.com (!!!)

Happy Birthday to JibberJobber.com (!!!) Its May 15th and that can mean only one thing here at JibberJobber headquarters: chocolate birthday cake! Quick update (at 12:40 pm MST): this is the birthday of JibberJobber.com, the program. This blog (which is something different) is still less than a year old and well have all kinds of celebrations for it next month Thats right, the first year has come and gone and we are inching our way away from being a startup. This last year has been amazing it has been stressful but the stress was so different than the stress that I had at my last job. It was full of many, many ups, a few downs and lots of relationship building. Heres a short post from my buddy Devin Thorpe (the content is from an e-mail that I sent out yesterday it has some the past years accomplishments). You might be interested in reading the JibberJobber birthday interview by Jacob Share of JobMob (and, if you have a few minutes go vote for his blog its an excellent blog) each interview is different in its own way and this one has a lot of questions that I havent been asked before. There have also been well-wishes from some of my favorite friends, and those that have had a significant impact on this journey, including CM Russel from Secrets of the Job Hunt, Dan Johnson from Get That Job!, Matthew Reinbold with Growing Software with (Vox) Pop!, David Sandusky of Your Brand Plan, Scot Herrick of Cube Rules, Krystyna Mazur of Krys of Europe (and Positive Thinking) thats all Im seeing for now (sorry if I missed someone). And, if you havent had enough, here are some cool e-mails that I got yesterday (Im not posting all of the high-five and congrats e-mails but certainly appreciate all of the support and well-wishing!): Congratulations and HAPPY BIRTHDAY. This is very exciting.to realize how that one little idea has blossomed into a system that has benefitted thousands of lives. Imagine the loss to the world if you had dismissed that little idea, like so many of us do every day, without any action. Faith leads to action. If there is no action then it never was never. Congratulations and thank you for all your hard work and for sticking to it even when you really wanted to throw in the towel. And best wishes on year #2. Lane VP Marketing Utah and from the Chief Encouragement Officer himself: As a virtual friend, I want to say this to you: No matter how easy it may seem to get to this point, what you have done in the past year is virtually impossible for 99% of the rest of Internet users. I hope you really appreciate and ENJOY what youve accomplished, thus far. Your work is a model of what the rest of us should be doing Vincent Wright Chief Encouragement Officer www.MyVirtualPowerForum.com | www.MyLinkedinPowerForum.com | Encouraging Networking Okay, this is way too much self-indulgence, even for me. Thanks to everyone thats been a cheerleader or supporter this past year you know who you are you may not know how you influenced me but Ill tell you, it was significant! Happy birthday JibberJobber! Happy Birthday to JibberJobber.com (!!!) Its May 15th and that can mean only one thing here at JibberJobber headquarters: chocolate birthday cake! Quick update (at 12:40 pm MST): this is the birthday of JibberJobber.com, the program. This blog (which is something different) is still less than a year old and well have all kinds of celebrations for it next month Thats right, the first year has come and gone and we are inching our way away from being a startup. This last year has been amazing it has been stressful but the stress was so different than the stress that I had at my last job. It was full of many, many ups, a few downs and lots of relationship building. Heres a short post from my buddy Devin Thorpe (the content is from an e-mail that I sent out yesterday it has some the past years accomplishments). You might be interested in reading the JibberJobber birthday interview by Jacob Share of JobMob (and, if you have a few minutes go vote for his blog its an excellent blog) each interview is different in its own way and this one has a lot of questions that I havent been asked before. There have also been well-wishes from some of my favorite friends, and those that have had a significant impact on this journey, including CM Russel from Secrets of the Job Hunt, Dan Johnson from Get That Job!, Matthew Reinbold with Growing Software with (Vox) Pop!, David Sandusky of Your Brand Plan, Scot Herrick of Cube Rules, Krystyna Mazur of Krys of Europe (and Positive Thinking) thats all Im seeing for now (sorry if I missed someone). And, if you havent had enough, here are some cool e-mails that I got yesterday (Im not posting all of the high-five and congrats e-mails but certainly appreciate all of the support and well-wishing!): Congratulations and HAPPY BIRTHDAY. This is very exciting.to realize how that one little idea has blossomed into a system that has benefitted thousands of lives. Imagine the loss to the world if you had dismissed that little idea, like so many of us do every day, without any action. Faith leads to action. If there is no action then it never was never. Congratulations and thank you for all your hard work and for sticking to it even when you really wanted to throw in the towel. And best wishes on year #2. Lane VP Marketing Utah and from the Chief Encouragement Officer himself: As a virtual friend, I want to say this to you: No matter how easy it may seem to get to this point, what you have done in the past year is virtually impossible for 99% of the rest of Internet users. I hope you really appreciate and ENJOY what youve accomplished, thus far. Your work is a model of what the rest of us should be doing Vincent Wright Chief Encouragement Officer www.MyVirtualPowerForum.com | www.MyLinkedinPowerForum.com | Encouraging Networking Okay, this is way too much self-indulgence, even for me. Thanks to everyone thats been a cheerleader or supporter this past year you know who you are you may not know how you influenced me but Ill tell you, it was significant! Happy birthday JibberJobber! Happy Birthday to JibberJobber.com (!!!) Its May 15th and that can mean only one thing here at JibberJobber headquarters: chocolate birthday cake! Quick update (at 12:40 pm MST): this is the birthday of JibberJobber.com, the program. This blog (which is something different) is still less than a year old and well have all kinds of celebrations for it next month Thats right, the first year has come and gone and we are inching our way away from being a startup. This last year has been amazing it has been stressful but the stress was so different than the stress that I had at my last job. It was full of many, many ups, a few downs and lots of relationship building. Heres a short post from my buddy Devin Thorpe (the content is from an e-mail that I sent out yesterday it has some the past years accomplishments). You might be interested in reading the JibberJobber birthday interview by Jacob Share of JobMob (and, if you have a few minutes go vote for his blog its an excellent blog) each interview is different in its own way and this one has a lot of questions that I havent been asked before. There have also been well-wishes from some of my favorite friends, and those that have had a significant impact on this journey, including CM Russel from Secrets of the Job Hunt, Dan Johnson from Get That Job!, Matthew Reinbold with Growing Software with (Vox) Pop!, David Sandusky of Your Brand Plan, Scot Herrick of Cube Rules, Krystyna Mazur of Krys of Europe (and Positive Thinking) thats all Im seeing for now (sorry if I missed someone). And, if you havent had enough, here are some cool e-mails that I got yesterday (Im not posting all of the high-five and congrats e-mails but certainly appreciate all of the support and well-wishing!): Congratulations and HAPPY BIRTHDAY. This is very exciting.to realize how that one little idea has blossomed into a system that has benefitted thousands of lives. Imagine the loss to the world if you had dismissed that little idea, like so many of us do every day, without any action. Faith leads to action. If there is no action then it never was never. Congratulations and thank you for all your hard work and for sticking to it even when you really wanted to throw in the towel. And best wishes on year #2. Lane VP Marketing Utah and from the Chief Encouragement Officer himself: As a virtual friend, I want to say this to you: No matter how easy it may seem to get to this point, what you have done in the past year is virtually impossible for 99% of the rest of Internet users. I hope you really appreciate and ENJOY what youve accomplished, thus far. Your work is a model of what the rest of us should be doing Vincent Wright Chief Encouragement Officer www.MyVirtualPowerForum.com | www.MyLinkedinPowerForum.com | Encouraging Networking Okay, this is way too much self-indulgence, even for me. Thanks to everyone thats been a cheerleader or supporter this past year you know who you are you may not know how you influenced me but Ill tell you, it was significant! Happy birthday JibberJobber!

How to add transferable skills to your CV

How to add transferable skills to your CV Writing a CV when you haven’t got very much to put on it yet feels quite demotivating, especially if you’re just one of hundreds of applicants. Guest blogger Andrew Fennel from StandOut CV suggests that, if your application is looking blank at the moment, you can add much more detail by incorporating your transferable skills. You don’t need an ambitious employment history or loads of work placements under your belt, you just need to be able to identify which of your skills are most valuable to a recruiter or hiring manager. Finding your transferable skills If a skill is transferable, you can apply it to different scenarios and job roles. This can include problem-solving, using initiative, time management, budget planning and more. Casual part-time jobs, volunteering, temporary contract work, freelancing and university projects can teach transferable skills which are very valuable to employers. Even if 6 months behind a bar didn’t feel like it was teaching you very much, it’s surprising how many transferable skills you’ll have picked up while pulling pints and serving customers. Re-read the job description Employers and recruiters want to find the best person for the role. Whatever skills and qualities they’re looking for should be clearly listed in the original job ad. Read the role in detail and highlight every required or desirable skill you can demonstrate you have. If the job ad isn’t quite detailed enough, you might have to read between the lines. If they want someone who will “take ownership of projects”, they want to know you’re comfortable taking control. If the environment is “fast-paced”, they want to see evidence of working well under pressure. Look back at successes challenges Think about previous part-time jobs or work experience placements (it doesn’t matter if they were paid or unpaid!). There will have been moments where you felt stretched, challenged or received a pat on the back for something. Mention the most relevant under each previous job role or work experience placement.   These moments are often the most interesting to an employer because they demonstrate how you can adapt and use your past experience. It doesn’t have to be anything huge, like receiving an award or a big bonus, it just needs to show your potential and development. Don’t forget your academic experience Your university degree will teach a lot of transferable skills, from working in a team to communication. If you’re applying to graduate roles, the employer will expect a lot of your most recent experience to come from your degree course, whether it was scientific, practical, or a humanities discipline. List the most important skills underneath your CV profile in the top third of the page the first place a reader looks. This list should be relevant to the job you’re applying for, so you might need to edit the skills section depending on the role you apply for. Transferable skills = job interviews Getting that first job after university is tough. The secret to success is a carefully written CV. If you can demonstrate your transferable skills, you’ll be more likely to make the cut in competitive industries.

Dont Pave the Cow Paths - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Dont Pave the Cow Paths - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career One of my favorite lines from a book I read many years ago is about cows. Well, not literally about cows, but uses a metaphor about a  perception of cows. The perception is that cows will do the same thing over and over again because well … they will. They’ll follow the same trail to the pasture day in and day out. They’ll go through the same routine over and over. And they’ll get the same results day after day too. Just like many of us will do too. And  just like the companies  we work for will do too. It’s too easy to  revert back to what we know. So  we repeat the things that we think work over and over, again and again. Partially because we know (or think we know) what works and also partially because we may not feel empowered to do something different. The line from the book suggests that we take a risk and step outside our comfort zones…and Not Pave the Cow Paths. Ask the Question When you are thinking through a problem or trying to understand a process take a moment to step back and ask the question.  â€œAre we just paving the cow paths?” or some variation of this question. The crux of asking the question is to get to the base level elements of what’s going on and asking if we are just doing the same thing over and over again…and getting the same old results. If the answer is yes…you just might be paving the cow paths. Why ask the question? The second part of asking the question is…What if we did something different? What if we didn’t just streamline (aka pave) the existing processes (aka the cow paths)? Could asking this question enhance your career? Could considering  the implications of the existing processes improve your leadership skills? Could evaluating a better way do things make you a better manager? I think the answer to each of these questions is yes. Whether interviewing or already established in a career it’s never too late to ask the question…“How can we make sure we’re not just paving the cow paths?” Of course, in an interview cycle you’ll want to frame the question with softer borders. Perhaps just asking how things are done today…so that you can evaluate what might be rapid improvement cycle. If you are already established in your career have you ever wanted to streamline a process or to improve (or eliminate) a task? Asking the question may be the way to find out if that is possible. Momentum is going to be one of the biggest impediments. Because it’s too easy to revert back to what we know…or what we think we know works. Take a chance and ask the question. Be prepared to push back against the momentum from those that want to the keep the processes the same. Be prepared to take action so that you…Dont Pave the Cow Paths. If you want to read the book…which I can  highly recommend check out  Sacred Cows Make the Best Burgers by Robert Kriegel. Author: Jeff   is a veteran in the Enterprise Content Management industry. Over the past 20 years he has worked with customers and partners to design, develop and deploy solutions around the world. Jeff is currently the Director of Strategic Alliances at Winshuttle. He has worked for Microsoft, FileNet (IBM), K2, Captaris, Open Text, Kofax and Kodak. He speaks and blogs about ECM and the Intersection between Social, Mobile and Cloud Computing.

5Â Steps to Improving Engagement in Meetings

5  Steps to Improving Engagement in Meetings The interview for that new job you’re hoping to get. The coffee date with your personal hero, and hopefully, future mentor. The make-or-break sales demo with that perfect-fit client. The last-ditch attempt to mend a broken partnership.  When everyone in the room understands what’s at stake, engagement in meetings like these is automatic. We don’t worry about engagement in these situations. Instead, we focus on success. When you are clear about why your group needs to meet and what you want to accomplish together, engagement is natural. Sadly, many meetings lack this clarity. The good news: every meeting can be as focused, compelling, and engaging as the high-stakes meetings listed above when you follow these five steps: Define what you want people to contribute. Get clear about what you want to help each person actively do or say during the meeting. Engagement involves more than simply paying attention; active engagement results in observable behavior. It helps to visualize the meeting in advance and think through everyone invited. Picture in your mind what each person will do in your best-case scenario. That’s the engagement you want. Tip: if you picture someone just listening quietly, they probably don’t belong at your meeting. Of the 16 types of meetings businesses run, only two (Training and Broadcasts) expect a passive audience. The rest of our business meetings are not spectator sports; only active players belong in the game. Ask for engagement. Do you want written feedback? Verbal input in a go-around? A show of hands? Get specific and provide examples. This seems obvious, and that’s actually the problem. To the person leading the meeting, it’s obvious how things should play out because they thought about it in advance. Meeting leaders frequently forget to fill everyone else in, though. They don’t give people advance notice about how to prepare for the meeting, and don’t ask clear questions during the meeting, then get frustrated when no one participates. Remember, you must explicitly ask for engagement to get engagement. Make space for people to engage. Make sure you have enough meeting time for engagement. For example, to get feedback from 10 people with each speaking for just 2 minutes, you need 20 minutes. Many leaders prefer meetings with 5 or fewer people precisely because it’s far easier to make sure everyone has a chance to contribute in a small group. We can’t keep all meetings tiny, though. With more people involved, you have three options: Make the meeting longer so everyone has time to speak. Break out some facilitation skills. There are great ways to engage large groups, all of which require advance planning and some know-how to pull off. Accept that you’re going to basically ignore some of the people in the meeting. This last option is the default choice in most corporations. It’s also a lousy way to treat people Acknowledge contributions. At the very least, people who make a contribution to the meeting deserve thanks. For many individuals, speaking up in a group means taking a personal risk. Some people are shy, and some environments are hostile. Whether the risk arises from internal or external factors, it still takes courage and effort to overcome. When this contribution is then glossed over, when it’s dismissed, or when you haven’t made time for it, people learn that the risk was not worth the effort. Many high-performing teams make a point of reserving time at the end of each meeting for sharing appreciations, where individuals publicly thank one another for specific contributions. This is a fabulous way to acknowledge the value people bring, improve team relationships, and reinforce the benefits of contributing for those who might be reluctant to speak up. Use what you receive. Most importantly, make sure contributions made during the meeting impact what happens after the meeting.  With our high-stakes meetings, this is a no-brainer. Can you imagine a sales person failing to send over a contract after a successful demo? Hardly. In these cases, we know that the decisions we make in the meeting will result in action after the meeting. That shouldn’t be different for other meetings, and yet too often it is. For example, strategic planning workshops are notorious for creating a significant outcome that never gets used, and not because they fail to engage participants. It’s possible to run a fabulously engaging workshop to build out your company’s strategic plan, only to then have that plan sit on the shelf for a year. When it comes to engagement, the rule is use it or lose it. Clever facilitation tricks can’t get people engaged if they learn it doesn’t matter. When people see they made a difference, however, they’ll contribute again. Every meeting presents an opportunity for engagement and the creation of new value. For some meetings, this opportunity is obvious. For others, we have work to do. When you follow the five simple steps outlined above, you’ve got a great shot at transforming every meeting into one worth your team’s investment. This guest post was authored by Elise Keith Elise Keith is the co-founder of Lucid Meetings and the author of Where the Action Is: The Meetings That Make or Break Your Organization. For more information, please visit, www.lucidmeetings.com and connect with her on Twitter, @EliseID8.

How to Boost Your Reading Speed

How to Boost Your Reading Speed How fast do you read?Believe me or not, you can increase this speed in time! Speed reading has become more popular as it opens wide prospects.The Guinness World Record is about 60.000 characters per minute.Ann Jones read “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in minutes.At this rate, you can master all the works of your favorite authors in a matter of weeks. In this paper, Lucy Adams, a professional from a reliable writing website, shares 7 consecutive actions that allow taking the maximum benefit from any text in the shortest time.1. Browse the Book before ReadingevalBefore you start reading, look through the entire text and try to catch the key points. After viewing, stop for a minute or two and summarize the main points. If the text seems to be interesting and useful, go to the 2nd step.If not, think about whether it’s really worth reading. Maybe, you don’t need to waste time on something that won’t bring you much good.The task of browsing is to lay an approximate route of reading using the main theses. Our memory is built in such a way that even a superficial acquaintance with the text before reading greatly simplifies the perception and understanding.If you check the key points of the chosen route before traveling by car, you will easily navigate. The same can be applied to books.2. Set the Main Goal of ReadingAfter browsing the text, you’ll get a few key messages. If you want to read the text completely, be sure to specify your primary target.To quickly understand your goal, answer 3 simple questions as fast as you can:What do you want to learn from reading?Where do you manage to use this knowledge?How much time are you ready to invest?The answer to the first question gives you an understanding of where to focus your attention while reading, the answer to the second question gives an insight into the usefulness of reading, and the answer to the third one sets you on the productive work in the allotted time.evalDifferent texts provide different goals.But it is important to have an answer because mixing reading purposes lowers the efficiency:Imagine that after reading the news in order to relax before work, you switch to the documentation, not reconfiguring yourself to understand the main, remember and apply it to the work. Very often, when reading in this mode, it’s quite difficult to concentrate. This happens due to the fact that the old relaxing mood is still in your head. It is hard to immediately return to the busy schedule after holidays, isn’t it?3. Focus Your Attention on ReadingWhen you have a goal, your task is to fully focus on reading for its implementation. The best way to make it happen is to set a task for yourself to understand the text at first reading.To do this, imagine that each sentence of the text immediately disappears or burns after your read it, and you will no longer have a chance to read it again!evalAfter reading a few dozen texts with that mindset, you’ll understand the text much better o n the first try.Here a question arises: “Is it reasonable to re-read the text if I do not understand something?” The answer is “yes, but at the right time.” If you’ve read the text to the end and do not understand some part of it, at first, you have to precisely determine the “weird moment,” and then read it once more.If you do not understand all the text Because of this, I get the result almost immediately after the reading! The main trick is to start. Once you’ve implemented a few ideas to your life, the rest will be easier to make.

Dashing Through The Winter Job Search [INFOGRAPHIC] - CareerEnlightenment.com

Baby Boomers: Learn How to Write a Resume

Baby Boomers: Learn How to Write a ResumeWhy is it that many baby boomers have difficulties and even fall through the cracks when it comes to resume writing for baby boomers? It seems that more than 30 years after entering the workforce, many Baby Boomers are unable to stay on top of their work. The problem may be that they have no idea how to write a resume for baby boomers or how to properly structure and format a resume that will get them hired quickly. When you learn to write a resume for baby boomers the odds of getting a job increase dramatically.Baby boomers started to get their first jobs right out of college. Most boomer's careers began to shift towards management or managerial positions. They became responsible for keeping up with the pace of organizational activities. As such, when applying for a job you have a few options. The first option is to go back to school, look for another job, or try to find some other way to better your career path.If you are interested in start ing over from scratch, your best option is to begin to learn about resume writing for baby boomers. A well-written resume is a critical component to getting a job. People today need to have their resumes completed professionally and formatted for optimal efficiency.How does one go about writing a good resume? The answer is simple. One must know exactly what kind of job and salary level they are looking for. They must know exactly what qualifications they have that will help them land the job.Baby boomers should begin to learn how to format their resumes for baby boomers. A properly formatted resume will have keywords that will lead to a job posting online or at a business location. When a potential employer sees an ad that uses a keyword that matches his/her criteria he/she will click the link and apply. This will get the baby boomer hired within minutes.There are many ways that can be employed to create a resume. One way is to use word processors that offer tools for the jobseeker to customize their resume. However, not all programs are created equal and one cannot assume that they will get the same results as someone who has learned how to write a resume. One must learn to evaluate the program and determine which one will lead to the best results.The Internet is also a valuable resource for those wanting to learn how to write a resume for baby boomers. With the ability to access multiple job sites and resources simultaneously, baby boomers are well equipped to research and apply for jobs using different marketing techniques. Using sites like eHow is extremely helpful for people who do not like to type. With the ability to save pages of resume format options, they can quickly review and make changes if needed.As an example, I have seen many resume formats that have been torn down after a single page of resume formatting. This tells me that people do not take the time to consider the outcome of their resume. By taking the time to carefully create their own for mat they are more likely to understand the importance of format and the keywords used. These factors can be difficult to decipher at first but by taking the time to study and plan your resume properly you will be well on your way to a great resume.