Ditch Gut Decisions in Favour of Data-Based Hiring

Ditch Gut Decisions in Favour of Data-Based Hiring “Your instincts may have gotten you this far, but it’s solid data that can take your business to the next level if used correctly.” Mike Michalowicz, CEO of Provendus Group Watching every organisation around you change their decision-making from a foundation in natural leadership instinct, to a data-based formula is difficult. It’s even more difficult to make this change yourself when you’re so accustomed to the great decisions you’ve made based on the enlightened business knowledge you’ve gained over the years. But with the increasingly technology-centered world, are your gut instincts enough to be considered enlightened in the data-savvy business domain? Transitioning from gut-based to data-based decisions can be an alarming change, but it’s one that, if done right, can help your business go from 0 to 60 in 30 seconds flat. No Guts, No Glory You’ve grounded your decisions so far primarily on instinct, and they’ve been great choices for your organisation. With that, it’s hard to justify spending the money or the time integrating a new data aggregator. You’re not alone in your hesitation. When company leadership in the UK was asked about how they make major decisions, they ranked data and analytics as the third most important factor (23%). This is behind their own intuition (41%) and the experience of others (31%). Embrace Inner Numbers The idea that your CEOs instinct may be wrong is disheartening, we understand that. But there are just too many tech-outlets to thoughtfully ascertain the best business decisions purely on your gut. Your company already uses a plethora of number and data sets that you may not even realise are relevant. The ATS, CRM and your accounting department uses data in order to sift and filter the candidate pool in order to find the best-fit talent. Does that sound familiar? These platforms gather the numbers (CVs) and sort them to give you a data set for the best hiring decision. Technology is changing the way we look at HR, and that new look is becoming more and more data-centered. Don’t Forego Instinct Now that we’ve told you to base your decisions on data, listen to this don’t rely solely on the data. You’re a skilled leader and you’ve spent years watching your company grow from the ground up. Don’t simply discount your gut instincts as “outdated,” they are valid. You do, however need to augment your decisions and findings with data in such a way to hone your instincts creating educated decisions. Mike Michalowicz, CEO of Provendus Group, said: “Whether you’re deciding to hire or fire an employee, or whether you’re weighing the risk of expanding your product line, basing your decisions on what’s been proven to work is your best bet.” How can you find what’s been proven to work? You find it through data analysis after your platform of choice has gathered all of the information you need in order to decide and combine it with your seasoned gut instinct. Transitioning from gut-based to data-based decisions has many company senior leaders hesitating on the benefits versus costs of the change. Although you can survive on the decisions purely based in instinct, chances are (with rising business and talent competition) your company will eventually be left lacking. However, if you combine the success of your gut intuition with the high potential of data-integrated choices, your company will speed to the forefront of talent and business objectives. You’ve made the gut decision to go with big data aggregation… let the data solidify your business choices. [Image Credit: Shutterstock]

6 signs of burnout and how to avoid them - Debut

6 signs of burnout and how to avoid them - Debut This article was written by a member of the Debut Student Publisher Network. Burnout is no joke. Debut writer Christine lays out the signs of burnout you need to be watching out for: Essays, societies, deadlines regardless of whether youre a student preparing for exams or a graduate desperately job-searching, burning out is a real possibility. Sometimes, burnout can feel inevitable, but knowing how you get to it is a great way to make sure you never do. Heres a few pointers on the symptoms and how to get yourself back on the self-care track. 1. Energy  levels Take a look at how your energy levels are during the average day. Say youre usually super efficient, but now your movements are sloth-like. Perhaps youre generally pretty relaxed, but nowadays youre all jittery and nervous. A massive change in your energy levels is an easy way to tell youre rushing towards burning out. How to avoid this: get some rest! With the most recent iOS, the default Clock app has a Bedtime function that can help track your sleep cycle and get it back on track. Try to get to bed at the same time every day if you can. 2. Appetite and cravings Listen. I love food. As in, I really,  really love food. On the cusp of my personal path to burnout, I found myself either eating too much or nothing at all from day to day. Checking yourself and how and when you eat is super important. How to avoid this: meal plan! Have a look at preparing food in advance so you can take control of when, how, and what you eat. Theres a great subreddit, /r/MealPrepSunday, that can help inspire. Alternatively, plan meals with other people. You cant skip dinner if youre cooking it with a flatmate. 3. Reliance on vices Weve all felt that bizarre mixture of anxiety and calm when were faced with far too much to do. Instead of a) taking a healthy break or b) getting on with the work, its easy to take the third option en route to a flame out by  running straight to your vices. Be it alcohol or smoking or anything that makes you forget your responsibilities, know that the relief it grants you is only temporary. The work to do hasnt just disappeared. How to avoid this: Reward, dont procrastinate. Obviously, I am not condoning these vices, but if you absolutely must indulge in them, use them as incentives as opposed to escapes. If youve had a long day, by all means indulge in a glass of wine or two. 4. Silence and/or humour If youre struggling with juggling all the events in your life, its easy to avoid the truth. Some people stay silent and shoulder their burdens by themselves. Others use humour to deflect attention Haha, yeah, Im  so busy, Im basically crying inside but its  totally fine  and I am also  totally fine! from their inability to cope. How to avoid this: Honestly, just talk to someone. It may feel embarrassing or shameful to admit that you cant quite stay in control of your life, but you never know if that person can help. And at the very least, venting can help you sort through all the things you have to do. 5. Seriously skewed priorities At the height of my personal burnout, I found myself forgoing grocery shopping and slowly replacing real meals with an assortment of instant noodles from the local Asian grocery store. This definitely wasnt the best decision. How to avoid this:  Physically write a list of what youre prioritising and what youre avoiding or ignoring. Youd be surprised how jarring it can be when you realise you havent been doing something important, even essential. 6. Mood shifts You might find yourself snapping suddenly at something minor. Maybe the bus is five minutes late, and you find yourself sobbing at the bus stop. Or perhaps a friend bails on you and you feel absolutely nothing. Your mood is one of the best ways to keep track of how close you are to burning out. How to avoid this: Watch how you react to things. Take a deep breath and count to five. Try to keep track of whether your emotional reaction is appropriate to your situation. Hopefully, some of these tips will help. Its easy to get caught up in how busy you are. Just remember to take a few minutes and breathe. Youll be just fine. Download the Debut app and get Talent-Spotted by amazing graduate employers! Connect with Debut on Facebook and Twitter

10 Differences Between the Job Search of Today and of Yesterday - CareerEnlightenment.com

6) Employers Only Care About What They WantIn years past, a resume or job application was focused on what the job seeker wanted. This is not true any more. Now an application, resume or cover letter must speak to what value the seeker can bring to the organization. How can you bring value to the company and how soon can the company realize that value.7) Don’t Mind the GapLarge gaps in your resume are not as important as they used to be. Not only do employers today realize than millions of great and wonderful people got laid off, they also appreciate it when candidates showed initiative and tried to start their own thing.8. Nouns are the New CurrencyScreening software and LinkedIn talent searches have introduced an unexpected element to the way a resume should be written. Because these tools rely on nouns or keywords to deliver search results to recruiters, the resumes with the right combination of nouns often win.If you want to succeed in today’s job search, make a commitment to learn how to research keywords and how to use them appropriately on the page.9) Everyone Has a Personal Brand, Yes, Everyone10 years ago, not many people even knew what a personal brand was, let alone was having one really that accessable. These days, even if you don’t know what it is, you still have one. And because recruiters and hiring managers are just looking for red flags, inconsistencies in your image or messaging will prevent you from passing screening. Even if you never touched a computer in your life, you have a personal brand as well as an online reputation. So you have to decide, will you be in control of your image or will someone else? See chapter X on personal branding.10) Typing isn’t a Skill AnymoreBeing able to type used to be a skill people would highlight on their resume. Now, you have to know how to type just to have a resume. What really matters is well you’ve prepared yourself for the application. You have access to more information about a company then generations past. As a result, expectations for preparedness are much higher. To really shine, focus on customizing each resume and cover letter. It’s better to send off a few very targeted applications then it is to spray and pray.Special thanks to the following people for their valuable insights for this post:Sean Harry, Career Coach and author of Careers 2.0Vicky Lind, Career Counselor and Marketing CoachJT ODonnell, founder of Careerealism.com and career coach

I Did It Anyways John Lees Story - When I Grow Up

I Did It Anyways John Lees Story - When I Grow Up This series used to be called  The Recession is Bullhonkey series, where I shared stories of those who had gotten hired and/or started their own businesses (or sometimes both!) since 2008. In 2016, though, it felt irrelevant, so Ill now be sharing these made-my-dream-career-happen-despite-challenges-and-adversity stories under the title I Did It Anyways, because by golly, they did! And Im preeeeeeeeeeetty, preeeeeeeeetty, preeeeeeeetty over-the-moon to have the one and only John Lee Dumas here to kick this series off. Hes a big deal, you guys. Read why and how he got there-  below. Every morning my alarm clock would go off, and I’d wake up tired already dreading the day ahead. I’d check my phone immediately for any emails that had come through; then, I’d get in the shower, shave, and put on a suit. Around 7am I would jump in my car and drive to the office. I felt trapped uninspired and like I was running on the treadmill of life: constantly moving, but going nowhere. I’d drive to the office every day wondering where I had gone wrong. I’d done all the right things Graduated from college Officer in the US Army Worked in Corporate Finance Yet here I was, working in Commercial Real Estate, doing the same thing I’d been doing for the past 5 years: what I thought I was supposed to do. But where was the passion I was “supposed” to be feeling? I kept myself going by thinking as long as I did what everyone else told me I was supposed to, I’d one day find success. The year was 2011, and a couple of years prior I had been introduced to podcasts by a good friend of mine. At least I had my podcasts. Stuck in the car and continuing to jump from one unsuccessful showing to the next had me consuming hours of podcast episodes every single day. I’d finally found an outlet for inspiration and motivation: podcasts interviewing and sharing stories of successful individuals who had created the exact life they wanted to be living. Through these podcasts and the stories they shared I discovered the success they were living didn’t have anything to do with them getting a job tied to their degree and then climbing the corporate ladder. Their success was a result of them creating a business based on their expertise and their passions, and then sharing that with an audience who needed it. I was hooked. I started to have a love/hate relationship with being in the car; on one hand, it was my trap, and on the other, it was my inspiration. And then it happened: I ran out of podcasts to listen to. Eeek! After two years of listening to backlogged episodes from these podcasts, I had caught up with all of them. That’s when I had my a-ha moment. Why wasn’t someone creating a daily podcast that shared the same type of inspiration as those I was listening to? Why wasn’t someone interviewing successful individuals entrepreneurs and sharing their journey to success in order to inspire others to take their own entrepreneurial leap? The day I ran out of podcasts to listen to is the day I decided to be the change I wanted to see in the world. I was going to create that podcast. My ah-ha moment came to me in June 2012, and by August of that year I had quit my job in Commercial Real Estate to focus on learning exactly how I was going to create this podcast. Was it easy to leave the firm I had moved across the country to join just one year prior when I was on track for partnership? No way. It was incredibly difficult and scary. To add to that, I felt like I was going to be letting my family and friends down leaving a perfectly “comfy job” to leap into the unknown world of entrepreneurship. But because of my financial background and healthy saving habits, at least I had a runway to help support myself. This allowed me to focus on the Zig Ziglar quote that has literally guided my journey from the very start: “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.” With fear, uncertainty, and no one to lean on for support who was going through the same thing as me, I lept. My immediate first step was to research as much as I possibly could. “Google, how do I create a podcast?” Then, once my research was off the ground, I hired a mentor who was exactly where I wanted to be: Jaime Tardy of The Eventual Millionaire. My next step? I started attending conferences in the entrepreneurial space so I could meet others who shared the same passions as me and who were also where I wanted to be. Most who I shared my idea with told me I was crazy that starting a daily podcast would never work. They said I’d get burnt out, that I wouldn’t be able to find enough people to interview, and that the few listeners I’d have would grow tired of hearing the same thing every day. I listened and then continued to FOCUS on my #1 goal: to launch a daily podcast interviewing today’s most successful and inspiring entrepreneurs in 100 days. In September 2012, I launched EOFire, the first daily podcast that interviewed successful and inspiring entrepreneurs and shared their journey. On May 14, 2013, nearly 8 month after I launched EOFire, I had 1 millions listens in over 145 countries, and I was interviewing some of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world including Seth Godin, Barbara Corcoran and Gary Vaynerchuk. (Michelles note: I had the honor to be interviewed on  EOFire you can check it out here!) What I was looking for all along inspiration, and ultimately, freedom I found by choosing my own path, not the path others wanted me to follow. Today, over 25 million downloads and a multi-million dollar business under my belt, I realize the key to living the life I wanted to live started with setting and accomplishing my #1 goal. John Lee Dumas is the founder and host of EOFire, an award winning Podcast where he interviews todays most successful Entrepreneurs 7-days a week. JLD has interviewed over 1200 Entrepreneurs and has noticed they all share one thing in common: their ability to set and accomplish goals. That’s why he launched TheFreedomJournal: set and accomplish your #1 goal in 100 days!

Career Objective Examples For Resume - An Effective Job Search Tool

Career Objective Examples For Resume - An Effective Job Search ToolCareer objective examples for resume are an excellent tool to help with your job hunting efforts. The purpose of an objective is to get you focused on the particular job and get your job searching mindset in place. Even if you are unsure about what the job description is, it will be useful for you to get an objective that gives you some ideas as to what you will be expected to do at the job and at what level you will be competing for a job.However, it is a common mistake to start a resume that only has examples of job examples and your employer's name. Your objective should be about you as an individual. Employers look for people who have a positive self-image, have high self-confidence and are motivated by achievements and their own personal growth.Also, when deciding on what examples to use, consider the organization and who they are working with to decide what the organization's requirements are. It is good to use examples from organizations you may have worked with in the past, but make sure that the examples include things like professionalism, knowledge, skills, experience and achievements. Each of these are essential to your resume and all of them will be used in evaluating your job searching effort.Just because you wrote your resume, it does not mean that you cannot change it. Just remember to include your skills and accomplishments in your resume, just as you would use them in an interview. You can't fake anything, so use examples to show what you are good at and what you are really good at. Keep your objective in mind and think about the needs of the job opening you are applying for.In addition to using examples, you can also have specific examples of resumes with resume samples. These are actually a great idea because it gives you an idea of what kind of resume it would be to write. While they may not be realistic, you will still get some ideas. They can even help you with composing y our own cover letter for the specific company or resume samples.Once you have finished composing your sample resume, you can just move onto making sure that you include everything in your resume. Not everyone's resumes are created the same, and the key is to focus on the positives. This is a good time to include your accomplishments and interests in your resume as well.This should help you with getting a better feel for what the job will entail and you will have a clearer idea of what you will be expected to do. You will be able to easily determine what you can and cannot accomplish and this will put you in a better position to be successful when you apply for a job.

What to Do If You Suspect a Coworker Is Depressed

What to Do If You Suspect a Coworker Is Depressed The recent sad news that a young Apple employee was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the company’s headquarters raises an important, if troubling, question: Would you know what to do if you suspected a coworker might be dangerously depressed? Of course, if there is the threat of violence to themselves or others, calling 911 or contacting company security is the way to goâ€"you shouldn’t put yourself in danger. But before a troubled person reaches that breaking point, mental health experts say they often tip their hand, indicating in ways that seem clear in hindsight that they were wrestling with depression. The Warning Signs Many of us see our coworkers more hours in a week than we see our own family members, which means we are in a unique position to detect a shift in a colleague’s mental state. “It’s always a difficult issue, yet most coworkers can tell if something seems wrong or off in a colleague’s demeanor,” said Douglas LaBier, a business psychologist and the director of the Center for Progressive Development in Washington, D.C. Read next: Kelly, Michael, and the Art of Resolving Coworker Conflicts While saying things like they want to die, feel completely alone, or have nobody who cares about them are obvious indications of a troubled mental state, most people who struggle with depression in the workplace express their distress more subtly than that, noted Edward Yost, a human resources executive with the Society for Human Resource Management. More general feelings of being helpless or trapped, especially if expressed frequently, are more likely to be the kind of comments a coworker might express to another, he said. Two hallmarks of depression that go hand in hand are isolation and withdrawal, said Gary Namie, director of the Workplace Bullying Institute. The isolation may be self-imposed or may be a result of being shut out of workplace cliques. People who are depressed may withdraw from others and distance themselves from social interaction, Namie said, and because many people with depression are good at masking their feelings of self-negativity, a colleague may brush off a sudden disappearance from team lunches or department happy hours by blaming an increased workload or other job-related obligations. Read next: Can My Employer Ask Me to Change My Personality? For a conscientious coworker, those claims should be carefully considered, because there are two possibilities here, neither of which is great news from a mental health perspective. The first is that he or she is using work as an excuse to pull away from others. The second is that the person actually is overloaded with work all the time. “Many become depressed and demoralized not just by personal issues outside of work, but by the management culture at work,” LaBier said. Whether the reason is a conflict with the boss or other management, no opportunity for advancement, or a sense of stagnation, “Feelings of being stuck and trapped resultâ€"which will cause emotional problems,” he said. Namie added that work cultures that prize long hours at the expense of workers’ personal lives and even their sleep are especially risky for people already susceptible to depression. He added that another red flag is if a formerly on-point worker starts getting sloppy, making repeated errors, or falling behind on work. Of course, everybody has bad days and busy weeks, but mental health experts say drastic, sustained shifts in behavior are red flags. Some behavioral changes can also indicate depression, but self-destructive tendencies manifest themselves differently, Yost said. For example, if a coworker who used to spend weekly happy hours nursing a light beer starts knocking back doubles of vodka on a regular basis, or a formerly fastidious colleague starts coming to work in wrinkled clothes and unkempt hair, those are good indications that something might be awry in their life. What to Do “If you don’t have, by nature of the work, time to have a social check in with one another that has nothing to do with work, then you need to structure it in,” Namie said. Ask how the person is doing, he advised, and make it clear you’re asking about them, not this project or that deadline. If their answer brings the topic back to work, steer it back to them again. Ask what their plans are for the weekend, or how they plan to spend an upcoming holiday. (Mental health experts warn that holidays can often be especially rocky times for people suffering from depression; other “trigger” dates can be the anniversary of a divorce or loss of a loved one.) You can broach the subject any number of ways, Namie said; for instance, “You seem distractedâ€"is there anything I can do?” or “You don’t seem to be yourself,” both open the door to further conversation without prying or making an implicit judgment about their mental state. “Ask, ‘What are you doing tonight? Do you have plans?’ You’ve got to force social contact,” Namie said. “Make up an excuse for some way to engage the person.” What Not to Do If a coworker does spill the beans about struggling with an external stressor like a divorce or money problems, or internal feelings of worthlessness or despair, it’s important not to respond with a variation of “suck it up,” even if your private opinion is that they’re getting more upset than they need to over the situation. You want to avoid, “Oh, pick yourself up, you’ll be fine,” Yost said. “That can be very easily perceived as dismissing their feelings, and as a coworker you want to listen [and] lend a sympathetic ear,” he said. Read next: How Do I Explain Why I’ve Been Unemployed for Nine Months? Don’t ignore signs of trouble and assume HR will intervene. LaBier explained that, for liability reasons and fear of litigation, many corporate HR departments won’t intervene unless the person is having trouble meeting work obligations. And don’t forget that some people might be beyond your ability to help. “You’re not there to fix their problems,” Yost said. While some people just need to know that they’re not alone and that they do have friends, others might be wrestling with issues too big for you, as an untrained observer, to tackle. If you start feeling like you’re in over your head, Yost suggested researching whether or not your company has an employee assistance program (nearly 80% do, according to SHRM stats) or other mental health resources. Some people with depression feel too emotionally exhausted to take these kinds of steps to help themselves, so just doing some initial legwork on their behalf can help get them on the right track.

7 Ways To Get Noticed On LinkedIn Groups - Work It Daily

7 Ways To Get Noticed On LinkedIn Groups - Work It Daily LinkedIn is an invaluable tool in your job search. Your future employer will be there, possibly looking for someone like you. Once you’ve created your profile, you’ll want to go a little deeper and take advantage of the resources LinkedIn offers you. One of the site's most valuable resources is its LinkedIn Groups â€" and there are hundreds to choose from. You can join groups for professional associations you belong to, college or former employer alumni groups, groups that discuss skills you use on the job, groups where members have similar interests, hobbies, or expertise as you, and job search groups. Groups galore! Groups can be a great way to engage with colleagues, make new connections, discover new opportunities, and promote your brand. But, once you join a group, then what? How do you begin to get involved? This post will give you strong ideas for what to say in your groups, so that you can confidently go start a new discussion today! Read on for these valuable tips to build your brand in groups and use them to further your career. READ FULL ARTICLE ? Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!