Saturday, December 28, 2019

Should you listen to music while doing focused work Well, it depends

Should you listen to music while doing focused work Well, it dependsShould you listen to music while doing focused work Well, it dependsMost people seem to have their earphones in at work, but what are they listening to? Some people cant work and listen to music with words in it, some people listen to music so loud it bleeds out of their earbuds, and some cant listen to anything at all if they want to concentrate. There are people who swear by classical music remember the Mozart effect that found people performed better after listening to a Mozart sonata? Well, research has been unable to replicate that.In a study published in theJournal of Experimental Psychology Appliedby researchers Manuel F. Gonzalez at Baruch College and John R. Aiello at Rutgers, lab results foundmusics effects on your work depend on the type of music, the complexity of what youre working on, and the the person performing the tasks.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happi ness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreIn the lab, the researchers sought to answer the question of how music complexity and volume moderated the relationship between the preference for external stimulation and the performance of simple and complex tasks.The researchers recruited 142 undergraduate students and asked them to complete two tasks one simple, one complex. The simple task involved identifying and crossing out all of the letter As in a text. The complex task consisted. studying lists of word pairs, then attempting to recall the pairs when presented with just one word from each pair.Each task was performed while listening to one of two versions of a piece of instrumental music (there were two versions of the musical piece, one more complex), at a soft or louder volume. A control group listened to no music.What they foundMusic is good for easy tasksMusic especially loud, or complex, music can be good for simple tasks, as it causes a narrowing of focus . Because easy work lets your mind wander, a loud jolt of music brings your attention back on track.And complex work, as wellAmazingly, loud or complex music did elend hinder the performance of complex tasks. The researchers theory was that music would not be good for more difficult work, as it takes attention away from what should already be absorbing most of your attention already. Under these conditions, however, they were mostly proven wrong.It also depends on who you are and how much outside stimuli you craveResearchers found that music disrupted performing tasks depending on whether or not you were a person who wanted external stimulation meaning, are you prone to boredom? For example, a boredom-prone person one who craved external stimuli actually performed a complex task better without music. The idea was that the complex task took up all of their attention music would have been a distraction.Ultimately, the relationship between music and performance of cognitive tasks is not one-size-fits-all, writes the researchers. What works for you, your attention span, and your need for stimulation may not work for the next person. Music, in general, is not good or bad for task performance in one single way for everyone.So put those earbuds back in, if youre in the mood for listening.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Monday, December 23, 2019

How Cold Calling Fits into a Job-Search Strategy

How Cold Calling Fits into a Job-Search StrategyHow Cold Calling Fits into a Job-Search StrategyCold calling works, but only if you do it right.When it comes to selling, its tough to make a cold call especially when youre selling yourself to a potential employer. Cold calling combines the usual discomfort of making an unsolicited contact with the high anxiety of job hunting. So why even try?Because cold calling produces results but only if you can give at least as much as you get, right from the start.If you can demonstrate value and consideration for their needs and time constraints, a cold call canCommand the attention of hiring decision makersInitiate new strategic networking contactsObtain vital information from companies to support a job-search campaign.Over 70 percent of executive placements are made through networking, personal introductions and referrals. Cold calling is a very effective way of expanding your business-contacts database and getting you in touch with connecte d peers. This is not about instant results, scheduling an immediate job interview, or getting your resume read its about making connections for the long term.And in a tight market, cultivating new connections is a great a technique for accessing unadvertised jobs.After layoffs, for example, companies may be reluctant to announce they are hiring. At those moments, an inside tip is often the only way to learn about opportunities.Even if there isnt a good fit immediately, an informational call can be a way for you to get your name on the appropriate hiring managers radar screen and remain there through regular pings. Approached with courtesy, an unsolicited inquiry demonstrates your initiative and sincere interest in a particular organization, and periodic follow-up reinforces this interest and shows persistence.Here are some tactics to maximize cold-calling results and expedite an executive job search1. Offer social currency, not just job inquiries.Be prepared to provide some informat ion of value based on your own research. Often, asking for information or conducting industry research is less threatening to an employer than asking directly about openings. An immediate request of this sort puts the person youve called on the spot or may just produce a quick, We are not hiring. Goodbye. That knocks out your chances for an ongoing connection to future job leads. Try to make this a two-way, mutually gratifying exchange.2. Propose a contribution do not ask for a favor.Remember you are the one making the approach be polite and respectful. At the same time, approach cold-calling activities as an exchange among equals, not as a subordinate. You arent asking for a job, youre proposing to make a measurable contribution for your mutual success.3. Target a company, not just an industry.Choose one company your research shows can benefit from your skills and knowledge. Match your background to the companys industry, your interests to its apparent strategy, and your talents to a challenge you can identify and achieve. The closer you fit the profile of an ideal candidate, the easier it will be to sell yourself.4. Connect with the functional manager, not just HR.Initiate contact with an appropriate company representative. This means finding someone in a functional or operational role who will quickly assess your capabilities and recognize your value to the organization. Remember, a focused inquiry will yield focused results, so make sure you get to the contacts direct extension.Dont be discouraged if you dont get immediate results. Think of the time involved as an investment. Rome wasnt built in a day it takes patience to find the right person with whom you have something in common both professionally and personally.I always say, Its not what you know or whom you know, but who knows what you know This is the key to having a job find you. The more hiring decision makers who appreciate your contribution, the better the odds that you will land a new job faste r. Its up to you to promote your interest.How do you get in the door to start such a dialogue? Call at a time convenient for your contact and communicate a value-driven message showing how you can address their challenges. Youll find that cold calling isnt such a cold prospect at all but a very hot way to find a job today.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Avoid These Design Agency Self-Promotion Issues

Avoid These Design Agency Self-Promotion IssuesAvoid These Design Agency Self-Promotion IssuesSelf-promotion is perhaps one of the trickiest projects any advertising, marketing or entwurf agency can undertake. It seems odd to outsiders that this would even be an issue. After all, when youre the client, surely you can do whatever you want, right? Well, sadly perception is much more idealistic than reality. Here then are the reasons why self-promotion is so tough, and a few basic guidelines you can follow to ensure this task is both a fun and creative one and elend a monkey on your back. Landmines of Self-Promotion, and How to Navigate Them. There are a lot of issues associated with self-promotion. The top six often hamstring even the biggest and best advertising and design agencies The Project Isnt Taken SeriouslyIt is by far the biggest problem with self-promotion projects. Someone (or a committee) within the agency decides that its time to do some self-promotion work. An account manager has a quick chat with someone from the senior team in the coffee room. They then drop in on a creative team and mention in passing that some self-promotion ideas would be good. And then everyone just hopes that it will all appear like magic, being exactly what everyone in the agency wants to see, and done with little fuss or effort. It is all wishful thinking. If the job isnt taken seriously, the work wont be seriously good. It wont even be mediocre. And eventually, it will have to be redone, perhaps several times. If the agency is serious about self-promotion work, treat it in the same way that you would treat a paying clients project. The Job Always Takes The Back SeatAnother big problem with self-promotion work is that it is always going to be the job thats put on the back burner because paying jobs always take precedence. Now, thats all well and good, but the reason you get those paying jobs is often through work thats done on the backs of the agencys staff. Its fine t o put it off when big jobs hit, like pitches, but if the job is scheduled and in the traffic system, give it the respect it deserves. Theres No CreativeBriefIt cannot be stressed enough - every job needs a creative brief, there are no excuses for bypassing it. Often the cry is one of but everyone knows who we are or its self-promotion, we can do whatever we want. Well, no. There should always be a strategy, a goal, a set of guidelines, some firm direction, and a deadline. Without a brief, you are putting up a big, red flag that says this project doesnt really matter and youll be right. You cant build anything without a foundation. No Budget Has Been Assigned It can be the cause of some major headaches. The creative will ask whats the budget, and the account team will say there isnt one, do what you like. Of course, that all comes crashing down when the ideas are presented, and a senior mann an ihrer seite announces that the budget for the job is two nickels and a bag of rice. Attain a budget from the people who control the money. The ask for a little more, just in case. Now give your parameters to the creative team, and always be prepared to go back to the table with an option that will be over-budget but will make a huge splash. Theres No Media PlanIt is something that needs to be hammered out between everyone in the agency, including the creatives, the account team, the production department, traffic, and media buying. What is the purpose of the self-promotion? Is it going to be a guerrilla stunt, an online video, a print piece, posters, PR, or something else? No doubt the creative department will have ideas, but some basic parameters should be in place, and the respective departments should be ready to act. There Are Too Many ClientsOne of the biggest complaints of any agency is that there are too many opinions ruining the creative work. Ironically, this also happens within the agency as well. People are human, they all want to be heard, and they all believ e their opinions are valid. For the sanity of everyone involved, and to save time, put one person in charge of the final decision, and leave it that way. It will more than likely be someone on the senior management team or the Creative Director. Letting the owner or partner chime in at the last second will create havoc. How to Side-Step Self-Promotion Altogether Aside from addressing all of those problems above, there is another way to do self-promotion, without actually setting aside any time to do a campaign. The answer lies in the work your agency does on a daily basis Do Great WorkKiller creative work is its own promotion campaign. If your agency is constantly putting out huge ideas that bring in customers and create buzz, you wont need to do any self-promotion work. Win Recognized IndustryAwardsIsnt this the same as doing great work? No, its not. Scorsese and Spielberg did many great movies long before they ever won an Academy Award. Similarly, some Academy Award winners h ave had long careers based on one good movie they did 20 years ago. If you win awards, you have clout. Clout brings in clients. Keep Your Clients HappyHappy clients make a thriving agency. That doesnt mean your agency should do everything the client asks. No, it should provide the client with everything his or her business needs, and when the client is successful, everyone is. And that will lead to more billings. Let Word Of Mouth SpreadSome businesses will not advertise in the usual places. Some wont even have a website (although these days, thats verging on suicidal). However, there is a certain cachet in being spread by the good word of clients and colleagues. Dont rely on it for too long though an invisible agency is not exactly walking the walk.

Friday, December 13, 2019

Should You Tell One Company Youre Accepting Another Offer

Should You Tell One Company Youre Accepting Another OfferShould You Tell One Company Youre Accepting Another OfferMake sure youll be welcome if you wind up back on their doorstep.Once youve received a job offer you plan to accept, one of your duties is to let your other prospects know, if you havent already.How much should you tell them? Read on for advice on how to handle this delicate communication.If Its Early Enough, Dont BotherSandra Lamb, a career expert and author of How to Write It, takes a number of factors into consideration when advising her clients on writing this type of letter or placing this type of phone call. Her first consideration is determined by where the job candidate is in the bewerberinterview process. If the employer hasnt yet picked finalists for the position, theres no need to advise the organization, she said.Bidding War ScenariosUnsurprisingly, informing companies youre taking an offer can result in a bidding war. As a rule, Lamb advises clients not to pa rticipate in the game, since It often leaves both organizations feeling a bit manipulated, she said.Not all career professionals agree. Jordan Rayboy, president and CEO of Rayboy Insider Search and a member of the Pinnacle Society of executive recruiters, has no qualms about counseling his data storage professional clients to negotiate the strongest possible offer if they have multiple options.You have more leverage to negotiate a stronger offer if you have multiple options, Rayboy said. I dont think theres anything unethical about trying to negotiate the best possible offer for yourself.Firm? Put It in WritingJob candidates typically call, rather than write, to let recruiters like Rayboy know theyve accepted another offer. Thats because high-stakes recruiting is based on relationship building, Rayboy said.But if a job candidate is absolutely sure about accepting an offer and nothing will change her mind, it makes sense to put it into writing, Rayboy said. Dont share details such as why youre taking the offer or why youre not taking an offer from the company youre writing to simply state that your decision is final, ask the company to please respect your decision and to please withdraw you from the interview process.If youve got everything you possibly wanted, thats the way to go, he said.If You Want to PlayJob seekers might be faced with a dilemma if they want to work for Company A, but Company B makes them an offer first. In this scenario, if you want to give Company A a gelegenheit to make a competitive offer, it makes more sense to discuss it in a phone call, Rayboy said, given you are starting a negotiation process.He suggests that candidates in this situation say something along the lines of this Ive received an offer, but youre my No. 1 choice, to alert them of your preference and educate them enough about the circumstances to make a decision.Dont reveal too much about the offer, until Company A decides to make a competitive offer. Then be prepared to d iscuss the details of what makes the other offer attractive, including salary, opportunities for growth and how well the other offer matches what youre after for example, if its customer-facing or internal.Leave on a Positive NoteHowever firm your decision to accept the offer, make sure to leave on a positive note that you are looking forward to a possible future positive relationship, Lamb said.She provided this example Craig, it was truly a wonderful experience interviewing with X Company. I particularly enjoyed meeting you and You have a terrific team, and one that offers a great opportunity. I look forward to our business paths crossing at some point in the future I wish you every success with your new product manager.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Vital Pieces of Sale Associate Resume

Vital Pieces of Sale Associate Resume So How About Sale Associate Resume? Technical writing is a great career option. Simple resume template download is mostly meant to make a fantastic first impression in the front of the interviewer. Resume builders are a really great means that might help you organize your work application. Selecting an excellent template is quite important and should youre aspiring to utilize it, you ought to use the correct one. Luckily, there are a number of writing strategies which can help you fully convey your true worth to a possible employer. By means of example, in CV, if youre requesting work in education, you can want to put your teaching experience together with the CV. Its possible for you to learn to compose a compelling objective statement for your sales associate resume by studying the aforementioned samples, which you are able to also adapt in earning your objective statements. Youre going to want fundamental accounting skills to create a change and to notice errors. Sale Associate Resume Ideas The retail business is only projected to grow, so now is the ideal time to apply Its possible to also say that youll be trying to find a different job because of honest facets. When youre preparing your resume, concentrate on the experiences which are most relevant to the job. Dont eliminate hope if youve got little to no experience for the job you truly want. Employers wish to observe how your efforts impact a businesss business. A sales representative has to be very personable, energetic, trustworthy, and results-oriented. schlussverkauf associates are employed in virtually every area, and have an excellent growth track. The Sales Associate is the very first point of contact in selling a service or product and offers key details on the value that youd be providing to a possible customer. Sample resumes for sales associate can be employed by various types of men and women who desire to submit an application for a post of sales associates. Retail Sales Associate isnt a job for the faint of heart or those that are thin-skinned. Generally speaking, Sales Associates represent the business and assist customers by assessing their requirements and helping them find the proper services or products. Retail Sales Associates play a critical role in retail establishments since they increase customer satisfaction and generate increased company revenues by helping clients purchase solutions. If this is the case, you may be an ideal candidate for a sales associate job. Make your points, outlining why you feel you are great for the sales associate role. In some cases, a sales associate resume will also have to include cold calling and client service duties also. Your sales associate resume needs to appear professional if you would like to have your credentials stick out in a crowded field. These resumes have been tailor-made for applying for the place of sales associates and in the event you decid e to use them, youre certainly going to boost your odds of finding the post of a sales associate. Its also where you are able to stick out from the rest of the applicants. Almost every applicant whos searching for a job would like to earn an expert job application due to their interview. Rumors, Deception and Sale Associate Resume There are a lot of distinct types. For example, you may have been required to speak to customers on the telephone or speak to a group of people about an item. Perhaps, but theres no reason you cannot locate the inner sales person in you and become one. An in-depth understanding of your store is crucial, too. Continue reading for tips and an instance of how to compose a summer sales associate cover letter. In order to turn in an application for a sales associate job, you will have to fill out an application form, either in person or on the internet, but its also wise to incorporate a cover letter. The last product should appear similar to the pro fessionally written resumes at the peak of the webpage. If you would like to be certain you submit the best resume, you will have to incorporate sections which are important. Thus, its best if youve got an outgoing, energetic personality. You might have sales-related skills that youre unaware of, including your capacity to persuade, build strong relationships and present solutions. You may also have to quickly develop and maintain relationships.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

The One Best Plan to Use for Tech Resume Examples Uncovered

The One Best Plan to Use for Tech Resume Examples Uncovered Finding the Best Tech Resume Examples Non-verbal communication is something which other men and women notice whether you know of your actions or not. Lots of people feel rushed to react to questions and conversations immediately, but it is preferable to pause for a minute in consideration, especially in the event the question merits it. Resume builds a very first impression in any interview and ought to be impressive and simple to read. As the interview ends, when you have not had the chance to talk about your references in a constructive fashion, ask whether the interviewer want a list. If it comes to resume preparation, TopResume is here to assist. The placement of your skills section is also a rather important matter to think about. Make certain that you have a minumum of one example for a time you demonstrated every one of the top five skills listed here. Technical Writing Many jobs that involve written commu nication ask that you explain complex things in a sense that is simple to comprehend. Your skills section stipulates a window into how much capability you are able to bring to the firm. Review their About Us page and see whether your soft abilities or attributes are aligned with the providers core values. To learn more on what it requires to be a Monitor Tech, have a look at our complete Monitor Tech Job Description. Otherwise, you might choose to publish References on request. 1 behavioral example may offer evidence for or against several unique skills. Notice how the example resumes are extremely specific when it has to do with technical skills. The Appeal of Tech Resume Examples Technical skills can be quite valuable on your resume since they can be both. They are important for a number of reasons. Technical job skills play a critical function in getting hired. Required technical skills are occasionally found on the work description. The Fundamentals of Tech Resume Examples Revealed Additional job analysis ought to be completed to recognize the qualities not noted on a work description. It is possible to find below a list of the greatest skills you may put on your resume based on the kind of job that you are applying for. For example, if you submit an application for a Chinese-English interpreting job, you need to be fluent in both languages otherwise you would not really qualify for the position. It is crucial to be aware you should only add skills that are pertinent to the position youre applying for. The Secret to Tech Resume Examples The very first point to do is to thoroughly read through each work description and to recognize the necessary technical skills. Your skills are an overview of what you could do for the prospective employer if you were offered the work at this time. Thus when writing down your job skills take some time to strategize and find out the very best approach to organize them in your resume. Some people believ e that listing outdated skills makes them look seasoned, but nonetheless, it typically makes the work seeker appear they dont understand the job and theyre not relevant. The Meaning of Tech Resume Examples Wherever you choose to place your skills on your resume, be certain to tailor your list of skills to the specific job. Due to that, IT skills are now highly transferable between industries. Some skills might be relevant while others arent. You ought to be including communication skills on your resume but it ought to be accomplished indirectly. A bulleted list will allow it to be scannable. As you proceed through the list of skills above, make a distinct list with the skills which you already possess.