But it’s not just the oldies among us that are affected; millennials are frequently hit with these ‘senior moments’ too. Perhaps there’s an argument for mandatory name-tagging for everyone? Alternatively, there are a number of simple tactics that can help ward off this most socially awkward of conditions. Here is a selection of the best ones to try:

1. Concentrate

Most name blanks are created at the initial meet and great stage when people tend to be distracted by all the other thoughts running through their mind. By listening and fully engaging you stand a much better chance of recalling specifics such as names.

2. Repeat

Having registered the name, the trick is to consolidate it with as much repetition and reaffirmation as possible. Asking your new acquaintance to spell it out in full will help lodge it firmly within your temporal lobe. Warning: this may make you look odd if their name is John Smith. But you could try “John with an ‘h’?”

3.Write it down

For those with a visual rather than aural learning style it’s helpful to write down the name at the earliest convenience. You might even look to carry around a note-pad for this very purpose, though this could also make you look like an undercover detective on a bad day.

4. Name association

Similar to the popular word association drinking game but with more names and less drink, this tactic involves creating links and patterns between the person’s name and those of celebrities or people you know. Always keep your workings to yourself to avoid causing offence.

5. Address it head on

If after all this your new connection still remains nameless, your best bet is to meet the situation head on and own up to your forgetfulness. Do this early while your forgetfulness is still easily brushed aside. Waiting until the office Christmas Party could make things awkward, especially if Secret Santa is involved.

With several potential tricks up your sleeve, compensating your name-blanking tendencies is easier than it seems. Don’t start reaching for the nametags just yet.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Reviewing your CV is something you should do every so often, thinking critically about what should be included and what is better left behind.

Here are our tip 8 CV errors to avoid this year:

1. The words “CV”

Avoid planting “CV” or “Curriculum Vitae” at the top of the page – at this stage, anyone reading it will have a clear idea of what it is they’re looking at. Include your name at the top instead.

2. Photos and personal information

Unless you’re an actor or model, there’s no need to include a photo of yourself. The same goes for personal information (other than your basic contact details).

3. Personal aims and objectives

Employers today don’t particularly care what you want – it’s all about their needs. If you do decide to reference what you’re looking for, make sure that it’s an exact match for what they want.

4. Jargon and buzzwords

Recruiters appreciate plain speaking, so there’s no need to litter the page with industry jargon, especially if it’s not relevant to the sector you’re hoping to work in. The same goes for “best-in-class”, “synergy” and all those other generic buzzwords – they’re not going to impress anyone.

5. Everyday hobbies

The fact you enjoy “reading, gardening and socialising” isn’t exactly going to make a recruiter swoon. The interests section can really make you stand out, but to do so it needs to add another dimension to who you are. This is a chance to show your passion, the diversity of your interests and skills. If you can’t think of anything besides going to the cinema consider skipping this section altogether.

6. Political affiliations

Avoid references to memberships or affiliations with polarising (or arguably any) political groups, unless these are specifically relevant to the job.

7. Fluff

Unless you’re going for a role as an artist or graphic designer it’s best to keep the frills – infographics, wacky fonts, fancy headers and footers etc. – to a minimum.

As eye-catching as they are, they’re also likely to distract from the real “meat” on your CV and may also confuse the applicant-tracking systems that many employers now use. Stick to a simple, modern font like Arial.

8. “References upon request.”

It’s clear you will provide references (otherwise you wouldn’t apply for the job), so either include the names and roles of your references or de-clutter your CV and remove it.

When it comes to your CV there’s one overarching rule to keep in mind: don’t include information that doesn’t directly pertain to landing the job. Less is always more – so before sending your CV out into the big wide world do a double take to make sure everything on there is relevant to the person who’ll be reading it.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Huffington Post; National Centre for Biotechnical Information

Composite Graphic Credit: Flatart / Freepik

What this example demonstrates is the power – and danger – of negative thinking. Research into negative thoughts has shown how they lead us to dissociate from the outside world and turn our focus to one thing only: the thing that is making us feel angry, scared or bad about ourselves. As a result, we stagnate.

Positive thoughts have the opposite effect, opening our minds to see a whole range of possibilities and therefore welcoming new ideas and perceptions. Barbara Fredrickson, a professor at the University of North Carolina and researcher of positive emotions, believes thinking positively can even have long-term benefits. In her ‘broaden and build’ theory she describes how the broadening of our sense of what is possible generated by positive thoughts can lead us to develop new skills and so progress in life.

For some of us, looking at things from the bright side is something that comes easily; others find it harder. That doesn’t mean all hope is lost, though: thinking positively is something that you can train yourself to do.

First of all, you’ll need to start making a conscious effort to not give in to negative thoughts. Recognise when you start dwelling on the bleaker side of things and put a stop to it by asking yourself what you could do to make the situation better. Then start setting actionable goals for yourself – reaching them will empower you.

The next step is to foster positive thoughts. Easier said than done? Not necessarily. While positive thinking creates positive emotions, this process also works the other way around. This means that doing things you love, that bring you joy, can help you to think more positively. Think, for example, of a time where you engaged with something you are passionate about: perhaps you went to a concert or saw a film you really loved. Did you feel inspired afterwards? Perhaps it even led you to actively pursue a goal related to that passion?

Or you can try something new. Meditation has been proven to help cultivate positive thoughts, while a study published in the Journal of Research in Personality showed that writing about positive experiences can have the same effect.

Thinking positively means getting out of your head and looking for solutions. It’s something you may have to practise to get better at, but ultimately it can open doors that you may otherwise have walked right past.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Huffington Post; National Centre for Biotechnical Information

Composite Graphic Credit: iconicbestiary / Freepik

You need to make sure your efforts are being mirrored in the results you see, which means having a system in place to allow you to understand what’s working and what isn’t. Here are our top 10 tips for a systematic, successful search:

1. Take some time out

Start by giving yourself 24 hours off from your search to create some space in your head to start organising yourself. A small time investment now could save you hours in the long-run.

2. Create a workspace

Having cleared some space in the temporal sense, set aside a room or desk that’s clear and clutter-free. Doing this will automatically make you feel more focused.

3. Clarify your goals

Draw up a list of your main goals: what kind of position do you want, when do you want it by and what salary are you willing to accept? Then have an alternative plan in place for each of the above.

4. Have a set schedule

It’s been said that the difference between a dream and a goal is a deadline. Commit a certain period of each day to working on your applications and stick rigidly to this.

5. Sharpen your search materials

You need to be ready to roll with your application at short notice. This means maintaining an up-to-date CV and cover letter template as well as keeping your professional profile ticking over on sites such as LinkedIn.

6. Soup-up your inbox

The email account is the jobseeker’s command HQ. Sorting your emails into different categories – jobs applied to; open positions etc. – will help you stay on top of things.

7. Create a system

Alongside this, you’ll need a tracking system that lets you know where you are with each application at quick glance. It needn’t be an elaborate spreadsheet, but should have all the information you need clearly laid-out.

8. Then use it

The best data management system in the world is no use to you unless you keep it regularly updated. Make sure your version includes a ‘next step’ section to encourage you to follow up on any developments.

9. Map your networking

Monitoring your informal job enquiries is no less important. Stop trails from going cold by keeping a note of any meetings or encounters you have while setting reminders for when to follow up.

10. Review your progress

Taking stock of your search is more important now than ever. Review what’s been working well and what hasn’t. Then decide how you’re going to improve things.

Job hunting can be a relatively painless business or it can be a long, hard slog. While there are usually a number of factors involved, often some simple organisation and forward planning can prove the difference.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Graduate Fog; Quint Careers; Business Insider

With Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia on the rise, ‘brain-training’ is very much in vogue among retirees and younger whippersnappers alike. As game developers have been quick to appreciate, preserving healthy cognitive function means maintaining sharpness across all the right areas, from memory and recall to problem solving and planning. There’s enough there for a bi-annual upgrade and then some.

Video games aside, there are plenty of equally as efficient but less costly ways to keep your grey matter firing on all cylinders. Here are some top tips for successful cerebral conservation:

1. Learn something new

Be it the cello, Ancient Greek or Chinese calligraphy, teaching yourself a new skill is a great way to keep the old brain cells ticking over. A recent study of retirees showed that a challenging mental activity one a week reduced the risk of dementia by 7%.

2. Get physical

Work the rest of your body while you’re at it. Research suggests that 30 minutes of exercise three times each week can reduce dementia by 40% and cognitive impairment by 60%. The secondary benefits should also be obvious.

3. Food for thought

You don’t need a PHD in nutrition to know some foods are better for the brain than others. Indulge in vegetables, nuts and fish – staples of the Mediterranean diet that promote blood-flow to the brain. Drink plenty of water and stay off the junk food!

4. Take a load off

From catching enough ‘Z’s each night to meditative techniques, giving your brain some much-needed down time is essential in reducing wear and tear. It will also help you maintain skills such as problem solving, concentration and memory. Aim for 7.5 to 8.5 hours a night for optimum brain function.

Whether happily retired or gainfully employed, whatever your age, looking after the stuff upstairs should be a top priority. The good news is that keeping your neurotransmitters nimble needn’t cost the earth and can slot fairly easily into your day-to-day lifestyle.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Forbes; NPR.com; Time

Kelly Global Workforce Index – August 2014 (230,000 people across 31 countries participated)

• 57% people agree that career development discussions are beneficial in terms of the opportunity to acquire new skills
• Only 38% had these discussions with their employer in the past year
• Only 29% are satisfied with the career development resources provided by their employer

With global employment trends changing all the time, the need to keep and develop staff should be at the top of an organisations agenda.

Whether the organisation is a school, SME, Not for Profit or Corporate, many seem frightened to invest in the career management of their staff, they think staff will be unsettled, leave, or want more than they can offer. Some work very well with their staff, helping them manage their careers and reap the reward. The reality is that staff who feel valued and invested in are more likely to stay with an organisation and be motivated to work harder.


“Managing human capital is a misnomer. Humans are ‘beings’. We want to be known and valued for who we are, and our aspirations and ambitions recognised and seen as important. It’s a missed opportunity for an employer not to attend to these needs and thereby reap the productivity gains that accrue from more motivated, loyal employees”

(Talent, Careers and Organisations, What Next? Corporate Research Forum)

The value an organisation can reap when investing in their staff:

• Staff are more settled and less distracted as they have plans for their future
• Organisations can plan their future if they know what their staff want and plan to do
  • Demographics
  • Succession planning
  • Recruitment
  • In house development of staff
• An organisation planning what will happen with regards to its staff must be more cost effective
• Fewer surprises
• Less need for interim, agency or contract staff
• Better ongoing communication between staff and employer
• Staff more likely to say if they are looking for a new role
• Organisation able to deliver a more structured handover if they know a member of staff 
is/wants to leave
• Employers who cannot afford financial rewards/bonuses, can support the development and 
career management of staff, which can be a cost-effective reward process.

The ability to manage your career and future is a life skill, if organisations don’t invest in their staff to give them these skills, how can they then pass on these skills to the people who work for them and to the next generation who they might educate and/or influence.

There are many processes for managing careers and these can be integrated into a workplace environment, below is a cycle often used to develop process that works within different organisations, depending on what is needed and required by the organisation and their staff.

Often employees find it easier to have these conversations with someone external first.

“My volunteers felt better placed to plan an effective conversation with their manager once they’d been coached, which is a win-win for the organisation”

(T Delamare, An action research study on the barriers facing women developing their careers and how they can be supported using a coaching framework. MA Dissertation, Oxford Brookes University, 2016)

“Internally focused workplace development opportunities are likely to ensure that a particular employer realises investment in development for the organisation. Yet, the worker might not have the skills transferable to other organisations. This is in contrast with the premise of the type of ‘deal’ where enhancement of employability is the key value derived from the employment relationship by the worker. Instead, they may be receiving only the development that is relevant to their current employer, without the promise of job security.”

(CIPD – Attitudes to Employability and Talent, Sept 2016)

Find somewhere to conduct your job search that is free from distractions and then do the following, roughly in this order:

1. Make yourself a realistic job hunting schedule and stick to it

A routine will stop you wasting your day and make your job search as efficient as possible.

2. Sort your CV out

Rework the format so that pertinent skills leap out at you ; create different versions for different roles; use key words often that are in the job descriptions.

3. Create a cover letter template

Convey your fit for the role and how much you want the job; make different versions with wording relevant to each role/employer.

4. Search both large and niche job boards

It’ll give you the biggest variety of job listings. Take advantage of alerts to find out about jobs as soon as they are posted.

5. Organise and professionalise

Ensure your voicemail message and email address are professional; get a list ready of references with relevant details and contact information; create folders for all your files and emails.

6. Use Social Media

Follow specific companies to find out about job openings and the culture of the company; try to track down your interviewers.

7. Check your online presence

Google yourself and check for any inappropriate or inaccurate information; remove or correct anything that would be difficult to explain in an interview.

8. Make good use of LinkedIn

Check for inconsistencies between your CV and your profile; join professional groups; ask for recommendations from your managers; check to see if you’re connected to someone in the industry or the organisations you’re applying to.

9. Prepare for your interview

Research the industry and company; find out about the type of interview you’ll be facing; be able to talk about your skills and back them up with evidence; practise answers to all types of interview questions.

There will be challenges so don’t give up, think positively and manage your own expectations.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Glassdoor; abintegro

Here are some good examples of where you could make more of an investment career-wise:

1. Build relationships. Create your own circle of influence; find a mentor. Make time to make connections, pay attention to and nurture meaningful relationships.
2. Do the career management thing: make a plan, devise some goals. Take time to review your objectives and challenge your own commitment levels daily.
3. Recognise what you are good at and get better at it. Spend time observing yourself and your colleagues in meetings or just day to day and notice what you uniquely bring. Then invest some time and money getting better at it.
4. Be prepared to take a step backwards. It may be that to move forward long term you need to forego some short term gratification. A lower salary now could mean great things in the future.
5. Get a qualification/attend a course/learn something new.
6. Build your online brand. Create a webpage to showcase your work or simply keep your social networking profiles updated and constantly be on the lookout for anything that could be perceived as negative.
7. Raise your professional profile. Spend time on a committee or board or take on a challenging new project. Find ways to gain valuable, marketable experience.
8. Ask for feedback. And learn from it.
9. Take a risk. If you don’t really have to think about risk it probably isn’t the life changing or breakout move you were looking for.
10. Make time for that which balances you: your family, your friends, your hobbies. They will offer you perspective, different experiences and a much needed escape from the world of work.

If you think about it you probably invest more time and money in your choice of holiday than you do in your career. Given that you spend two-thirds of your waking life at work and your career goes a long way to determining your quality of life, it may be worth reassessing your investment portfolio.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Forbes; HBR; LinkedIn; Investopedia

We all do. It’s the way our brains work. We look for patterns, use our previous experience and rely on what we already know works. It’s an efficient way to work…most of the time.

Sometimes however, we need to trip our brains up and remind them to look beyond the obvious patterns, outside of what we already know works and not expect one situation to turn out pretty much like the last one. If we don’t occasionally abandon our preconceptions there is a chance we may miss opportunities or changes in customer needs or market demands.

For example, what’s your first answer to this question?

Johnny’s mother had three children. The first child was named April. The second child was named May. What was the third child’s name?

Most people will reply June. Be honest. Did you? Of course if you re-read the question you’ll realise the answer is Johnny. But how many times do you make assumptions (that fit a known pattern) like this at work?

Try these three:

1. Before Mt. Everest was discovered, what was the highest mountain in the world?
2. How much dirt is there in a hole that measures two feet by three feet by four feet?
3. If you were running a race and you passed the person in 2nd place, what place would you be in now?

You know by now that these are trick questions so it’s unlikely you assumed the first answer you thought of was correct i.e. K2, 24 cubic metres, 1st place, for example. That’s the first step in realising that what your brain expects to see may not, in fact, be the right answer.

Think about the words that are used: ‘before Mount Everest was DISCOVERED’; ‘How much dirt in the HOLE?’ The third one may require you to actual visualise yourself overtaking the person in SECOND place.

You may face questions like these at an interview because the hiring manager wants to see if you can think calmly, logically and perhaps differently from other people. They may want to see if you will take the time to read the question a little more carefully and think long enough before blurting out the first answer that comes into your head.

There are loads of these questions online to try and even if you’re not going for an interview, it’s good to tease your brain occasionally and get it to look at things differently. These questions are designed to challenge your critical thinking abilities, and to test specific skills like creativity and logic. The more you practise, the better equipped you will be to deal with and find solutions for tricky questions and situations that might come up at work.

P.S. The answers are Mount Everest – it was still there before it was discovered; None – because it’s a hole – and 2nd place – you’re still behind the person in first.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Forbes; The Muse

Kelly Global Workforce Index – August 2014 (230,000 people across 31 countries participated)

• 57% people agree that career development discussions are beneficial in terms of the opportunity to acquire new skills
• Only 38% had these discussions with their employer in the past year
• Only 29% are satisfied with the career development resources provided by their employer

With global employment trends changing all the time, the need to keep and develop staff should be at the top of an organisations agenda.

Whether the organisation is a school, SME, Not for Profit or Corporate, many seem frightened to invest in the career management of their staff, they think staff will be unsettled, leave, or want more than they can offer. Some work very well with their staff, helping them manage their careers and reap the reward. The reality is that staff who feel valued and invested in are more likely to stay with an organisation and be motivated to work harder.


“Managing human capital is a misnomer. Humans are ‘beings’. We want to be known and valued for who we are, and our aspirations and ambitions recognised and seen as important. It’s a missed opportunity for an employer not to attend to these needs and thereby reap the productivity gains that accrue from more motivated, loyal employees”

The value an organisation can reap when investing in their staff:

Staff are more settled and less distracted as they have plans for their future

• Organisations can plan their future if they know what their staff want and plan to do
• Demographics
• Succession planning
• Recruitment
• In house development of staff
• An organisation planning what will happen with regards to its staff must be more cost effective
• Fewer surprises
• Less need for interim, agency or contract staff
• Better ongoing communication between staff and employer
• Staff more likely to say if they are looking for a new role
• Organisation able to deliver a more structured handover if they know a member of staff 
is/wants to leave
• Employers who cannot afford financial rewards/bonuses, can support the development and 
career management of staff, which can be a cost-effective reward process.

The ability to manage your career and future is a life skill, if organisations don’t invest in their staff to give them these skills, how can they then pass on these skills to the people who work for them and to the next generation who they might educate and/or influence.

There are many processes for managing careers and these can be integrated into a workplace environment, below is a cycle often used to develop process that works within different organisations, depending on what is needed and required by the organisation and their staff.

Often employees find it easier to have these conversations with someone external first.

“My volunteers felt better placed to plan an effective conversation with their manager once they’d been coached, which is a win-win for the organisation”

“Internally focused workplace development opportunities are likely to ensure that a particular employer realises investment in development for the organisation. Yet, the worker might not have the skills transferable to other organisations. This is in contrast with the premise of the type of ‘deal’ where enhancement of employability is the key value derived from the employment relationship by the worker. Instead, they may be receiving only the development that is relevant to their current employer, without the promise of job security.”

Not surprisingly, there is a strong technology bias to the list, with 19 out of the 25 competencies listed carrying a clear tech focus. The upper-end of the list, in particular, is dominated by cutting-edge technical disciplines including cloud computing, software development and online security.

The more traditional skills of previous years have been bumped down to make room: marketing campaign management, SEO/SEM, and channel marketing were in high demand among employers going into 2016; however, most have since fallen out of the top 10.

Without further ado, the top 10 skills (according to LinkedIn) are as follows:

1. Cloud and Distributed Computing
2. Statistical Analysis and Data Mining
3. Web Architecture and Development Framework
4. Middleware and Integration Software
5. User Interface Design
6. Network and Information Security
7. Mobile Development
8. Data Presentation
9. SEO/SEM Marketing
10. Storage Systems and Management

You could be forgiven for assuming the skills listed above are reserved for those from an IT or computer science background, but, nowadays, technological proficiency is now a key requirement across most industries and roles.

For example, analysis by PayScale, suggests that HR workers familiar with Workday software can expect an additional 10% in their pay packet each month.

The good news for those coming from a non-technical background (eg your typical arts or humanities graduate) is that achieving a good level of proficiency in these areas is not as far-fetched as it might seem.

LinkedIn now offers its own learning portal, with 5,000 different course options on offer, catering to the whole spectrum of technology users, from digital novices to IT specialists. This platform is just one of a growing selection technical courses that today’s job seekers can avail of, either online or offline.

To be sure, regardless of how and where you ply your trade, the need for technically-proficient workers is only going to grow and grow over the coming years. For those willing to broaden their skill set, a blend of technological and business-friendly competencies – such as critical thinking, problem-solving and communication – can prove a potent, career-boosting combination. If you’re stuck for a new year’s resolution to focus your efforts on, you could do a lot worse than invest in a spot of upskilling.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: We Forum; Business Insider; Time; Laser Fiche

Your interviewer is likely to be looking for evidence of the innate qualities and softer skills that play a big part in determining whether you’re the right person for the job. These are some of the key character traits your potential employer really wants to see:

1. Motivation

Most employers are looking to do more than just fill a spot on the pay roll. What interviewers arguably value above all else is a genuine desire to work for their organisation and to share in their long-term vision and goals.

Demonstrate this by showing you really understand the company and what differentiates it from its competitors. Being inquisitive and asking questions is an effective way of showing interest and engagement.

2. Communication

A CV can be doctored, professional experience spun or plumped up, but people skills are hard to fake in a face-to-face environment. How you go about building a rapport with your prospective employer offers them vital clues as to how you’ll interact with colleagues and clients. Little things – like smiling, making eye contact – can certainly help spark the connection you need.

Remember to talk about your experience of working in a team: when you’ve recognised you need other people and that collaboration has engendered great things. Businesses only succeed with good teams.

3. Problem solving

This is more than being good at the odd puzzle it’s about an innate desire and ability to go the extra mile, really look at the issues and a drive to find solutions. It’s your opportunity to demonstrate resourcefulness, enthusiasm, dynamism, agility and innovative thinking.

Go to the interview with examples of your problem solving skills, but more than that – get excited about sinking your teeth into something and finding a solution for all concerned. Employers love a problem solver.

4. Inspiration

Hiring managers are hoping to come across that one, unique candidate who will inspire them and demand to be hired on the spot. When selling yourself as the perfect candidate how you deliver your story becomes just as important as what you are saying. Originality and authenticity are key qualities so avoid focusing on generic skills and attributes that your competitors might have. Keep it concise and hone in on your ‘unique’ experiences and achievements, showcasing them at the beginning of your delivery.

Of course, each role is different, but that doesn’t mean that some approaches and techniques aren’t better than others. A few staple building blocks from which to build your interview strategy can be a great place to start.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Fortune; LinkedIn

Vector image designed by Freepik

The trick is to establish a strong sense of what you have to offer without being boastful and making grand, empty claims. The way to achieve your goal of impressing employers and making them want to meet you is to back up your claims with hard evidence. Don’t just say you are good at something; provide examples to show you are.

Therefore, the most effective CVs are those that have a strong Skills evidence. Past experience and application of skills is a good indicator for employers of your potential abilities and actions. This focuses attention on what you can do, have done and are likely to do.

It is a good idea to back up your claim that you possess excellent skills in, for example, communication by giving specific examples of the particular form of communication you have used, where (context) and why (for what purpose and for whom). Try to start each bulleted point with a verb to emphasise real life experience. Follow with an example from work, study or extra-curricular activities. For example:

Skills

Communication

• Presented reports to tutorial group of 20 about research findings in Economics
• Wrote articles for university magazine about mountain-walking club activities
• Liaised with customers of various backgrounds at Tesco’s Supermarket as part-time cashier for 3 years

Teamwork

• Co-operatively planned work schedules with four staff at JJB Sports
• Negotiated with colleagues regarding task allocation for major projects at university
• Played an active role in attaining customer service goals at Tesco’s

What skills do you have?

If you are really not sure, as opposed to being modest, perhaps you could ask friends, family and colleagues or speak to a careers coach . A personal skills audit might suggest the following. Note sub-sections of the major skill areas and use them as a guide to the bullet points you could include.

Communication

• Presenting information and ideas in written form
• Editing
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Explaining
• Active listening and asking clarifying questions
• Expressing ideas, feelings and opinions
• Speaking fluently and accurately
• Foreign language competence
• Persuading and influencing
• Negotiating
• Non-verbal communication

Flexibility

• Attitude to new tasks
• Readiness to change
• Enthusiasm
• Ability to transfer skills
• Commitment to ongoing improvement
• Desire to learn new skills
• Acceptance of constructive criticism

Teamwork

• Ability to work co-operatively
• Delegating skills
• Constructive confrontation and resolution
• Empathising
• Recognising and valuing difference

Resilience

• Coping with uncertainty
• Dealing with difficult people
• Ability to work under pressure
• Ability to set and achieve goals

Assertiveness

• Decision making Problem solving
• Independence
• Leadership
• Level of ambition
• Inclination to initiate ideas and plans

Entrepreneurship

• Self-promotion
• Ability to create opportunities
• Networking skills
• Customer focus Business acumen

Some of these sub-headings could be major skills themselves, such as Negotiating and Leadership. Some elements may fit under more than one skill. You will have to make choices about how best to use your material. Be guided by the Key Selection Criteria for specific jobs as your aim is to show how your skills fit with the employer’s needs.

When describing your skills, it is possible to ‘value-add’ by making reference to aspects of your experience and your personal qualities, interests and values. This can provide a lot of information about you in a very brief and concise way. For example, ‘Wrote articles for magazines about mountain-walking club activities’ informs readers about your interest, skill and success in writing as well as your active, healthy and sociable lifestyle. These are highly valued traits in the workplace and they have been communicated efficiently and effectively.

Here are some DOs and DON’Ts to be aware of in forming your answer:

DO

Understand what they’re looking for

Whatever the specifics of your answer, it needs to align with what the employer is hoping to gain in advertising for the position. Research the organisation, their recent activity and where they’re headed. For example, if the firm has recently gained a new client or entered a new market, you could refer to recent projects where you’ve helped break new ground.

Show your passion

Above all else, a recruiter or hiring manager is looking for genuine enthusiasm for the position and for the organisation itself. Try to work a little of your personal ‘story’ into your response; a typical answer might read: “I’ve always been ambitious and curious and I wanted my first full-time position to be with a firm at the forefront of harnessing new technologies, like cloud computing.”

Talk about your goals

Accompanying this should be a logical argument about what you hope to achieve with the organisation over the coming years. You want to demonstrate that you’ve thought clearly about your decision to apply and how it fits into your long-term aspirations – e.g. “I’m looking to add emerging market experience to my CV and I’d be excited to help the company expand in this region.”

DON’T

Give generic answers

Be careful not to rely on stock answers you may have heard others give, which can be a common pitfall, particularly when reaching out to a number of employers in the same field. Try to express specific qualities about the firm rather than relying on buzzwords like ‘dynamic’ or ‘market-leading’.

Focus on the wrong areas

While the compensation, holiday allowance and other perks you may receive will naturally be at the back of your mind, allowing these concerns to take centre stage could undermine how you feel (or what the recruiter thinks you feel) about the role.

Offer irrelevant information

Likewise, talking about skills or interests that bear little relevance to the job may also detract from your hiring chances and may imply you haven’t spent sufficient time investigating the role or employer. A classic case might be talking about a university research project you worked on in isolation when teamwork is critical to the role.

To summarise, your response to this age-old inquiry should be an opportunity to showcase what you understand about a job position and how it relates to your skills and passions. So long as your interest in the role is genuine, with a little thought and time investment there’s no reason you can’t make this question work to your advantage.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Abintegro.com

Working on your body language prior to an interview, client meeting or any other stressful public event can have considerable benefits. Just acting more relaxed and confident can trick your mind into following suit. Here are some techniques for getting your body onside for when it matters.

Plan Your Entrance

30 seconds is reportedly how long it takes for some hiring managers to make up their mind, so how you greet your interviewer is crucial. A strong handshake goes without saying, while smiling and maintaining eye contact also helps to display confidence. Practice your entrance in the mirror (preferably when no one is watching…).

Develop Your Eye Contact

If you don’t make eye contact people don’t trust you, but for many of us it’s a struggle, particularly when we’re nervous. Also if you are deliberately trying to hold eye contact with anybody it can make you feel incredibly self conscious and more likely to start looking at the ceiling. So practice when you’re out with friends by choosing a point on the centre of their face to look at, round about the bridge of their nose. It’ll help you to relax and become less self conscious; they will never know and you’ll find yourself making eye contact effortlessly.

Aim For a Relaxed Approach

Crossing your arms, sitting too far back or forward and averting your gaze can mean you come across as defensive, arrogant or disinterested – unlikely to be what you are going for! So along with your new-found eye contact skills, use some relaxation techniques such as controlled breathing just before the interview to help keep your nerves in check. And remember to sit up, keep your posture open and smile. It will make you feel more ‘in the zone’ and happier.

Stay Focused

Feeling nervous or self conscious can lead to involuntary movements – shaking your foot, rubbing your neck or rocking back in your chair – which can undermine the composed image your are trying to portray. Becoming aware of your body language in group situations should give you an idea of the kind of things to watch out for. Find an alternative action, such as taking a deep breath and adjusting your posture when you catch yourself making one of these unwanted movements.

Hopefully, a little pre-planning and preparation can take much of the stress out of the big day. With your body language in check, all that’s left is for you to wow your interviewer into believing you’re the right person for the job. Piece of cake, right?

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: LinkedIn.com; CareerBuilder.com

It’s a small world, or is it? For all the talk of globalisation and the homogenisation of cultures, we still have our own, unique ways of working and conversing with each other.

Language barriers aside, communication styles and social hierarchies can differ greatly between cultures and regions. As organisations expand and remote working becomes common practice, these are just some of the many challenges facing managers overseeing teams comprising multiple nationalities and backgrounds.

While a certain degree of inter-cultural understanding comes down to the life experience of the individual themselves, multicultural leadership is a skill that can be learnt and honed like any other. Here’s how to begin:

1. Know your own style…

As the manager you are the cultural bridge between all those working under you, so you need to have a clear understanding of your own leadership style before you can attempt to synthesise those of others. Are you someone who prefers a direct or indirect form of communication? Do you believe in strict hierarchies or a flat structure? These are all things you first need to have clear in your own mind.

2. …then learn those of others

The next step is to invest time in understanding the different cultural sensitivities and expectations of your team. Don’t rely on pre-conceptions. While it’s easy to assume there will be a strict Western, non-Western demarcation between employees in terms of cultural practices, often the differences are far more nuanced and will depend on the individuals themselves.

3. Find common ground…

While a ‘one size fits all’ approach is unlikely to suit all contexts, it may be useful to establish a common set of standards for communication and working together, which can help to avoid confusion and mixed messaging. This should be drawn from each of the different nationalities and cultures represented in the team so as not to alienate any one individual or group.

4. …but be willing to adapt

Flexibility will still be key, however; you can’t expect to fully homogenise a wide range of different working styles and traditions within a short space of time. Employees will need to be willing to compromise and adapt to others; while encouraging a flexible, fluid work environment will make it easier to deal with issues and challenges as they arise.

Fostering cross-cultural working is one of the more challenging demands placed on modern day managers. However, with some careful planning and forethought multicultural working needn’t be a significant barrier to success.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Harvard Business Review; LinkedIn; Internations

Sometimes it’s easier to commit to something if you understand the way it can evolve. The initial stages of team development may feel like something of a white-knuckle ride of ups and downs, but recognising those stages may help you to feel more relaxed about the more challenging times, particularly when you’re the newbie.

So here are the four stages of team development according to educational psychologist professor, Bruce Tuckman:

1. Forming

The initial “Forming” stage is when you first meet each other and you’re all rather polite, but positive, maybe excited and a little anxious about the task ahead.

2 Storming and 3. Norming

Then reality sets in and you may start to argue, with some people trying to assert their authority. This is called “Storming”. Everything may stabilise again as a hierarchy is established and accepted; the team starts socialising more and gets to know each other better. This is called “Norming.”

Just as you think you’re all settled and loving your new team some of you might start to feel stressed and overwhelmed by how much there is to do or feel uncomfortable with the approach being used so the team lapses back into a period of “Storming” again.

Gradually, though, working practices are established and through mutual respect, people being happy to ask for help and more constructive criticism being given, you all begin to develop a comfort with your tasks and a stronger commitment towards the goal. And you’re back… in the “Norming” stage.

“Storming” shakes things up a bit and prevents the complacency often associated with “Norming”, but too much “Storming” may indicate irreconcilable differences.

In most cases, however, this pattern of “Storming” instability and then “Norming” stability repeats several times as new tasks come up or new people join the team, and eventually the cycle dies out.

4. Performing

The final “Performing” stage comes when your team is supported by the structures and processes that have been set up, individuals can join or leave the team without affecting the “Performing” culture and your team’s hard work leads directly towards the shared vision of your goal.

So remember that when you hit a bumpy patch with your new team, there’s no need to worry – you’re probably just “Storming” in order to become a team that “Performs” effortlessly as a unit.

Vector Image Designed by Freepik

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Bruce Tuckman; Abintegro.com

However decades of research on achievement suggests that successful people reach their goals not simply because of who they are, but more often because of what they do.

These are some of the things you should do if you want to achieve your goals:

1. Be specific when you set your goals

Knowing exactly what you want to achieve keeps you motivated until you get there. Having a goal to ‘lose some weight’ is not nearly as helpful as ‘lose 5 pounds’ because you know exactly what you’re aiming for. Giving yourself specific actions, such as ‘be in bed by 10pm on weeknights’ to reach your goal of ‘sleep more’ is useful too. It leaves no room for doubt about what you need to do, and whether or not you’ve actually done it.

2. Seize the moment to act on your goals

How many new year’s resolutions did you break and then ‘not have time’ to go through with them? Change is never very convenient in a busy life, but studies have shown that if you plan when you’re going to take action to achieve a goal your chances of actually achieving that goal increases by about 300%! Seize the moment by deciding when and where you will take each action you want to take, in advance. Again, be as specific as possible (e.g., “If it’s Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, I’ll work out for 30 minutes before work.”)

3. Know exactly how far you have left to go

Achieving any goal also requires honest and regular monitoring of your progress, if not by others, then by you yourself. If you don’t know how well you are doing, you can’t adjust your behaviour or your strategies accordingly. Check your progress frequently — weekly, or even daily, depending on the goal.

4. Be a realistic optimist

Most goals worth achieving require time, planning, effort, and persistence so don’t underestimate how difficult it will be to reach it. Do engage in lots of positive thinking, but make sure you’re prepared for the journey ahead. By thinking ‘it’s just going to happen’ (studies have shown) you are significantly increasing your chance of failure.

5. Focus on getting better, rather than being good

Believing you have the ability to reach your goals is important, but so is believing you can get the ability. Many of us believe that our intelligence, our personality, and our physical aptitudes are fixed and that no matter what we do, we won’t improve. As a result, we focus on goals that are all about proving ourselves, rather than developing and acquiring new skills.

Fortunately, research suggest that the belief in fixed ability is completely wrong; abilities of all kinds are profoundly malleable. Embracing the fact that you can change will allow you to make better choices, and reach your fullest potential. People whose goals are about getting better, rather than being good, take difficulty in their stride, and appreciate the journey as much as the destination.

6. Be determined

Those that have a willingness to commit to long-term goals, and to persist in the face of difficulty achieve more in their lifetime than those that don’t. If you believe that you just don’t have the innate abilities that successful people do then you are wrong: effort, planning, persistence, and good strategies are what it really takes to succeed. Embracing this knowledge will help you see yourself and your goals more clearly and give you the determination you need.

You are more capable than you think of achieving your goals. It just takes preparation, perspective and a willingness to act along with a huge dollop of self-belief. So start believing.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Abintegro.com

If you are heading to an assessment centre, doing a presentation may be one of the tasks on the table, or if you’re about to start a new job – congratulations by the way – presenting is a key skill that you will probably be required to use in some capacity throughout your career. So it’s worth focussing on this rarely considered aspect of presentation skills.

The three things you should consider when thinking about the way you speak are:

• Volume
• Speed
• Pitch and tone

1. Your volume

You need to make sure you’re speaking loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear. There’s nothing more irritating for an audience than a mumbler. A microphone may do this job for you, but if you don’t have one simply ask: “can everyone hear me ok?” Look around the room and make eye contact with as many people as you can as you ask.

Do this confidently and with a smile to boost your own confidence and engage with your audience. It’s important to get the volume right at the beginning so you won’t get distracted or interrupted once your presentation is flowing and it gives you a chance to hear your own voice before you really get going.

When you want to add emphasis to a given point it’s a good idea to increase your volume slightly, while making eye contact with various people around the room.

2. Your speed

Never speak too quickly. It shows you are nervous; it will mean you are more likely to make mistakes and it is less likely the audience will understand what you are saying.

It’s always faster to other people’s ears than it is in your head – so think ‘slow’. Pause just before you’re about to make an important or complicated point and just after to give your audience time to engage with and digest what you’re saying.

3. Your pitch and tone

Avoid a monotone voice at all costs. People lose interest very quickly without a song in their ears. Varying the pitch and tone keeps people’s brains engaged.

Reading from a script increases your chances of presenting in a monotone. So try to do your presentation from notes, rather than a script. If you have to read it, practice varying your pitch in an exaggerated way as if you’re reading a scary or exciting child’s story. Don’t deliver your presentation like that, however, just get used to hearing that range in your voice.

Using either genuine or rhetorical questions will help keep the flow of your speech varied, which will keep the audience engaged.

Enunciate clearly and don’t mumble into your notes.

Regardless of how nervous or self-conscious you may feel speaking in public if you can think ‘confident’ and match your body language and voice accordingly no one will ever know, and you will have an engaged and attentive audience.

Never forget how important your voice is – practice out loud, playing with volume, pitch, speed and tone, and record yourself to look for the areas in which you can improve.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Abintegro.com

This doesn’t mean there isn’t potential for confusion and dissatisfaction, however, and so excellent project management is needed. Here are our top tips for making all those disparate circadian rhythms work in unison.

1. Plan accordingly

Clear communication is one of the pillars of successful teamwork, but what happens when opportunity for regular discussion is limited? One solution is to try to have individuals or teams in separate locations work on self-contained activities. This means assigning clearly defined responsibilities prior to the project’s get-go.

2. Have a common clock

Switching between different time zones in your correspondence is a sure-fire path to confusion. Agree on a master time zone for everyone to work from (e.g. Central European Time) and stick to it. Some people still like to note their colleague’s local time alongside the master, which is fine as long as you get the time difference right. Use a reliable site like timeanddate.com to avoid slip-ups.

3. Be reasonable

5 a.m. briefings or midnight emails are likely to grate if experienced repeatedly so make sure communication and deadlines are organised on a fair and/or alternating basis. If a meeting or call needs to be at a set time each week, make sure it’s arranged for a time that’s mutually acceptable, even if that means some people having to divert from their usual routine.

4. Use it to your advantage

If managed well, dovetailing between different time zones can be an effective strategy for stretching out the workday. For example a team working on a draft or project outline in London are well placed to hand over to someone five hours behind in New York for reviewing or final touches. Again, it all rests on strong planning and organisation.

While splitting teams or organisation between time zones may feel like a challenge at times, remember there is help at hand. From DropBox, to Google Plus, Skype and various project management tools, there is technology out there designed specifically for this type of work environment, so don’t be afraid to use it.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Forbes; The Guardian; LinkedIn

Here are three simple, but top tips to help you get your negotiating head on:

1. Ask yourself whether you should be negotiating?

The first step is to identify if there is really any reason to negotiate. To understand this, research the going rate for your position, and do your homework on the company you are interviewing for. Are they profitable, are they growing, do they have high turnover or have a reputation for under paying employees? Don’t blow your credibility by asking for a rate that is simply out of line with the market.

2. Define exactly what you want

Having researched the market and understood what the market is likely to pay, you need to set yourself an ideal rate, an acceptable rate and a bottom rate that you will not go below no matter what. Knowing this in advance of any negotiation is crucial, allowing you to talk confidently when put on the spot and stand by your numbers.

3. Try to understand exactly why they want you

If you’re negotiating then it’s good news: they are likely to be offering you the job. If you can establish exactly why they are picking you, this will give you leverage to negotiate. If they think your experience is a huge asset, you have good connections (etc) then you can probably be very bullish in your negotiation strategy. If it is because they think you have the aptitude to learn, then your leverage is weaker.

Negotiation is about understanding the reality of your position and being very clear about your own requirements and boundaries. Spend time thinking before you start negotiating and you will nearly always get more of what you need.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: Business Insider; Abintegro.com

Interviews are an opportunity for both you and the employer to evaluate each other- it’s a two way process!  Through an interview you can gain valuable information which may assist you in assessing the prospective job, employer or industry.

Prepare for Interviews

• Identify your transferable skills and abilities (eg. writing and organising information, managing events, leading a group, working as a team player)
• Look at the selection criteria for the position or the job description. Make simpler headings under which you can provide examples of how your skills, abilities, qualities and experience match the employer’s requirements.
• Think about your past achievements.
  • These could be problems you have overcome, critical incidents you have been involved in, issues you have resolved, or demands you have met.
  • Consider your role in these achievements, the actions you took and the result of your involvement and what you have learnt from it.
  • These can involve study, part-time work or extra-curricular activities.
• Research the organisation – it might sound obvious, but make sure you know about the job you are applying for and about the organisation itself.
  • What internal or external influences are affecting it?
  • Is it in a state of growth or decline?
  • How is the market changing or developing?
  • How are organisations in the sector responding?
  • Keep up with current affairs, particularly local/global issues affecting the organisation. It is a good idea to listen to news programs or read good quality newspapers or relevant journals everyday in the lead up to your interview. This will impress the employer and demonstrate commitment to and interest in the organisation to which you are applying.

• Practise for the interview with family or friends – it is important to verbalise the answers to questions, not just think about them, so your explanations will run smoothly.

The Interview

Be on time – check how to get there in advance by doing a practice run. Allow time for unexpected delays. Don’t be afraid to call if you are running late.

Wear what is appropriate for the role and the company – if in doubt always opt for a suit.

Be positive; try to make others feel comfortable. Greet others with a firm handshake and a smile.

Relax. Think of the interview as a conversation, not an interrogation.

Establish a rapport with the interviewer – make eye contact and answer clearly.

Be yourself – sounding too rehearsed or like someone else is off-putting for the employer.

Listen. If you are talking too much you will probably miss cues concerning what the employer feels is important.

Reflect before answering a difficult question – if unsure ask for clarification.

Be honest – it is all too easy to get caught out by exaggerating your skills or experiences.

Show you want the job – demonstrate how your skills could contribute to the company.

Avoid negative body language (eg. frequently touching your mouth, gnawing on your lip, folding your arms, etc.)

At the end of the interview, shake hands and thank them for their time.

A study by the Institute of Psychiatry for Hewlett Packard found that constant distractions resulted in a 10-point drop in the IQ of workers. That’s twice the impact of marijuana!

According to another study of Microsoft workers it took them 10 minutes to deal with a distraction, caused by an alert, and then another 10-15 minutes to get back into their primary task. Many workers also used the alert of an incoming message as an opportunity not only to check their messages, but then to look at several other applications, which sometimes resulted in a two-hour gap before the primary task was resumed.

Sound familiar?

How often do you get to the end of the day having achieved a tiny percentage of what you set out to do because you’ve been ‘multitasking’ all day? Did you realise that the effect on your mind of these constant distractions is equivalent to missing a night’s sleep? So to top a frustrating day’s worth of unproductiveness you’re probably damaging your brain cells too.

If you recognise that maybe you’re just a bit addicted to the beep, then you can deal with it. Switch the sound off, cover your phone up or just use good old fashioned will power and finish what you’re doing before you check your messages. It’s probably just an email offering you 10% off your next airport transfer anyway.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: HBR; Microsoft; BBC

Nevertheless, there’s a growing belief that having charisma means possessing a healthy balance of external qualities – including showing an interest in other people – to complement positive internal traits, such as self-confidence. While people might disagree on the exact ingredients needed for a charismatic persona, a fairly tasty recipe might look like this:

Ingredients:

C – Confidence

This is clearly one of the most important ingredients in charisma. You need to be confident enough to communicate with people in a variety of situations and social settings. However, there’s an important difference between confidence and boastfulness or arrogance.

H – Happiness

Happiness, as we know, is contagious. Research suggests that oxytocin (also known as the love hormone) goes hand in hand with charisma: the happier you feel, the more people are likely to gravitate towards you and take on board your views.

A – Assertiveness

A close friend of confidence, being assertive means being able to influence and encourage those in the same room, subtly bringing them round to your way of thinking in a way that’s non-confrontational.

R – Regard (for others)

Charismatic people are genuinely interested in what others have to say, not just the sound of their own voice. This means using your ‘active listening’ skills to really engage with your conversation partner and take on board what they’re saying.

M – (e)Motion

A high level of emotional intelligence goes hand-in-hand with charisma. You need to be aware of your own emotions (including knowing those you should be displaying and those you shouldn’t) as well as being aware of, and empathetic to those of others.

Method:

Putting all these qualities into the mixing bowl at the same time may be harder than it looks, however: too much of one ingredient and the balance tips too much towards either internal or external character traits. Like most things in life, it all comes down to self-awareness, experience…and practice. Perhaps it’s worth giving that charm school a call, after all.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: The Telegraph; Mind Tools; Skills You Need

• Give an organisation a summary of who you are?
• Talk about your skills and abilities
• Tell the employer what you can do?

The sole purpose of your CV is to get someone to contact you and invite you to have a conversation.

It is a marketing document about you.  If you were marketing a product you would understand your audience before writing your marketing material or going out to the market.   So why wouldn’t you do the same before you write your CV.

You are not writing your CV for yourself but for the organisation you are applying to, it is a document for them not you.

So where should you start?   How about with yourself, what do you have to market, what can/will you tell your audience?

Write a master CV, and then think about your audience, who are they and what they need to know about you:

• Do you match their criteria (essential and desirable)?
• What sort of person are you?
• Do you have the skills, experience and abilities to do the job?
• Do you improve and develop yourself?

Research the industry, organisation and people, find out as much as you can before your write your CV, you are then in a position to create a specific marketing document about you.

Different organisations, industries and countries may require different styles, formats and information.   If you are applying for a role in advertising or marketing perhaps you can be more innovative in your approach than if you were apply for a finance role, find out? Make sure the employer gets the information most important to them as quickly as possible when they read your CV.

Remember an employer is looking for evidence so don’t just give them a list, tell them what you have delivered and achieved and how you have done it e.g.

Developed and delivered company presentation to an audience of approx. fifty people at an industry specific conference resulting in two successful business collaborations.

In short your CV is:

• a marketing document about you
• written for the organisation you are applying
• interesting to read
• a document that shows evidence of your experience, skills and achievements
• a document that matches you to the role/organisation

 You will:

Research, research, research

• Network
• Company websites
• Business social media
• Professional associations and organisations
• The Global Resume CV Book
• Country guides e.g. Deloitte

If a presentation is a merely a mechanism to pass information from speaker to listener, it must be one of the most expensive, inefficient and unreliable ways of doing so as the above equation for its cost illustrates.

A is the number of people in the audience, L is the length of time the presentation takes, V is the cost of the venue and E is any equipment needed. P is the amount of work it takes to prepare the presentation in the first place and W refers to the work that the entire audience aren’t doing while they listen to it.

If we accept this equation, a presentation has to be so much more than a transfer mechanism to justify such a cost; it has to be outstanding and too few are.

A Rock and a Hard Place

Standing up and speaking is something we all find normal when done with family or friends, at home or in a social setting. When done from a podium in front of an audience of tens, hundreds or even thousands, it feels completely different, yet the physical mechanics and intellectual thought processes required are just the same.

As presenters, we are caught between a rock and a hard place. The rock is the unavoidable truth that an audience requires us to match, if not exceed, their expectations. The hard place is Abraham Maslow’s assertion that our safety is more important than any sense of achievement. It can often feel like a vice-like grip, and to not just survive, but thrive in it is to dance in the line of fire.

A presentation must first be created and then rehearsed before it can be delivered, and quite often people avoid or omit the rehearsal stage preferring to rewrite and edit their presentation right up until the last minute.

For this reason most finished presentations are in fact first or second readings, which look, feel and are quite different to a polished performance. In this respect, presenting and playing golf are exactly alike; the amateur practices until they get it right, and the professional practices until they cannot get it wrong.

Effective presenters don’t merely speak; they engage

To present is to stand in front of people and speak. By definition it is an unnatural place to be, it feels awkward and lends credibility to this quote by George Jessel; “The human brain starts working from the moment you are born and never stops working until you stand up and speak in public.”

The easiest and most natural way to resolve this dilemma is to remember to do something, and the key to discovering what to do is to remember that what you do and how you do it are not the same. Good nurses don’t simply nurse; they care, support and reassure. Great golfers don’t just hit a ball; they align their body and swing with the intended direction, ensure the ball impacts the ‘sweet spot’ of the club face and drive the club with precision and consistency.

Effective presenters don’t merely speak; they engage, they inspire and they persuade. In all these three examples, the technical skills are so practiced, refined and honed as to be automatic, leaving the conscious mind as free as possible to react fully to all the vagaries of the present moment like a blood clot, sudden crosswind or interruption.

“To engage and hold an audience is also a physical activity…”

Presenting is not just an intellectual pursuit. To engage and hold an audience is also a physical activity and the purpose is to invite them on an emotional journey towards your objective. Not for nothing do politicians speak of winning hearts and minds, and all three must be present and congruent to deliver a great performance.

Because the external architecture of presenting so closely resembles the activity of one person talking to another, it is hard to articulate the merits of one presentation over another, and this leaves the critical appraisal of what makes a poor performance almost purely subjective. This is so because all the essential ingredients of an outstanding presentation such as authenticity, passion, relationship and purpose are far easier to judge by their absence rather than their presence.

In conclusion, I would suggest that two undeniable truths of presenting are that it is a choice and a commitment rather than a skill, and like every great golfer, you won’t become a champion unless you practise.

Most people enjoy giving advice and being able to assist someone else. But for some people networking can seem a rather distasteful concept – something that lacks sincerity, and is using people for personal gain. However, when you think about it, we are always establishing contacts with others in our lives when we need information or advice:

e.g. ‘I want someone to flat-sit. Do you know anyone reliable?’ or ‘Can you recommend a good mechanic?’

In the world of work, most of us have or know someone who has obtained information about a job or a job itself by way of a contact; or have employed someone based on a colleague’s recommendation.  So ‘networking’ in the career sense is simply taking our social networking skills and applying them to our job search or career planning.

Networking helps you: tap into the hidden job market, that is, jobs that are not advertised; clarify your career direction by talking to people in the industry or sector in which you wish to work; and gives you the opportunity to support others.   So networking is an important skill in gathering information, gaining feedback, for referrals to other people, obtaining experience and doing the same for others.

You will need to identify what your aim is in networking. Do you want to:

• make connections with people who work in a field that interests you?
• gather information from people who will help you to determine your career path?
• establish contacts with people who maybe in a position to offer employment
• offer advice and support to others?

If you are clear about your aim/s, then the people with whom you network will also be clear about your intention.

Your closest networks will probably be your family and friends and you may feel more comfortable approaching them first. Make a list of other people who could assist you and begin approaching them e.g.:

• Professional people whose service you use (i.e. travel agent, lawyer, accountant)
• Former students from school, college or university
• Current experts in your chosen field
• Members of clubs to which you belong (i.e. sporting, community, political)
• Work colleagues
• Relevant professional associations

Keep a record of all your new contacts and the people who referred you to them. Ask permission to use their name when making contact with others. Remember that each person you speak to will usually be able to refer you to another, so your network will continue to expand.  Think about who you can refer new contacts to as well.

It is very important to prepare for the meeting with your contact. You want to make a good impression, so dress appropriately and do your preparation:

• Research the organisation that your contact works for
• Put together a portfolio of your qualifications, résumé, references etc.
• Be able to talk about your skills and experience
• Compile questions which will give you information regarding your aim/s

i.e.:

‘Can you tell me about your career to date?’

‘What is a typical day for you?’

‘What particular skills, experiences and qualifications do you think are important in order to be successful?’

‘How did you get into this particular type of work/role?’

‘What do you enjoy about your work?’

‘What are the career possibilities in this field?’

‘Where do you think the industry/sector will be in 5 years time?’

And

‘Do you know of anyone I could talk further with about…?’

Most people have limited time, so listen carefully, and make notes. If you can’t meet face-to-face, preparation still needs to be done before you make telephone or email contact.

Always follow-up contact with a thank you note and keep in touch with people who have assisted you. Networking is two-way process and you will be asked for help at some stage in your career too.

Networking is not always a quick fix, if you don’t like the thought of it, take out the word networking and think about having mutually beneficial conversations and building relationships.

When you need to sell yourself as the right person to do business with or hire, there is one question above all others on the mind of your buyer that they will answer about you, no matter how you come across. Of course, if the fit between you and the opportunity you are exploring is right, then you’ll want your buyer to realise this.

To increase your chances, it pays to know and understand that golden question, and to know how to position yourself accordingly.

So what’s the golden question?

Are YOU the sort of person who is highly likely to effectively help me get what I want whilst avoiding the (increasing) risks and costs I don’t want, in my career/personal life (or in this specific situation)?

…and how sure am I of this?

OK, here’s the break down of the question:

‘…Are YOU the Sort of Person…?’

Whatever you are selling, YOU are momentarily part of that package. It’s possible, even likely, that you are more of the package than you realise.

Everything you say or do either moves you towards or away from the sale. Whilst I don’t agree that ‘to be liked’ is a prerequisite for being able to sell (many people think it is, but I bought a house that I loved, by the beach, from someone I definitely did not like) it is true that being likable is often a desirable trait when selling.

So, your buyer has an idea of the sort of person they would like to move forwards with. Trustworthy and customer caring are two common traits they are looking for. And they will constantly assess you against their image of what that looks like.

‘…Who is Highly Likely…’

Their decision and everything you do to help them make it is all based on theory. It’s about increasing your chances. The more you can demonstrate the fit between not just the results and value you can potentially provide them, but also the personality traits that you have that matter most to them, their certainty goes up.

If you saw the Brad Pitt movie “Moneyball” about the Oakland Athletics baseball team, you’ll know what I mean about certain proven traits and behaviours being good indicators of future success.

You sell yourself when you increase your buyer’s certainty.

‘…To Effectively…’

In today’s phenomenal pace of change, buyers and hirers often realise that they don’t necessarily want the ‘best’ or the perfect person. They don’t have time to find them. They usually want someone who is good enough to do the job.

However, they do want that job done effectively! There’s a difference between someone who can deliver, and someone who can deliver effectively, so you’ll need to somehow convince them that you have what it takes to do that.

You sell yourself when you are effective.

‘…Help Me Get What I Want…’

You are exploring serving them, to deliver the value you’ve agreed upon. The important hidden twist here is that every human being wants a whole lot more than is obvious and a whole lot more than they actually tell you. We’re not robots (yet).

Making a business or employment decision might appear to be all about business, but it rarely is just about business.

In fact, I’d argue that there is always (100%) the emotional human element that creeps in to people’s decisions.

Decision makers want to strive to achieve their business objectives, for various reasons that are important to them. But they also have other desires that may swing their decision. Sometimes people ultimately want more power, praise, or just to simply look good.

You sell yourself when you can help people get not just what they say they want, but what they really want.

‘…Whilst Avoiding the (Increasing) Risks and Costs I Don’t Want…’

In selling yourself, whether you are competing against the status quo (selling the idea of changing) or competing against your direct competitors (the buyer knows they want to change, they just want to explore who is best going to help them), you are always competing against perceived risk.

And this level of risk can increase over time, or as external influences change. Buyers want someone who will avoid or reduce risk to their decision.

They don’t want their business or personal life threatened and they certainly don’t want to create new headaches and frustrations.

You sell yourself when you can demonstrate that you’ll minimise the risks that matter to them.

‘…In my Career, Personal Life (Or in This Specific Situation)?’

All three of these matter. They are connected. Even those who think you can leave your personal life at home will find that their own business and career decisions are influenced by their personal life too. And our personal lives are clearly impacted by our professional decisions. Human beings have certain needs, desires, values, worldviews, beliefs, hopes, dreams and fears.

Yeah, that’s right, when you sell yourself, you have to sell yourself in to that lot! Good luck!

This part of the question is to remind you of this fact. You are not just selling yourself into a business situation, or an isolated personal situation. You are selling yourself into a part of the buyer’s business, career and life. So treat that with great respect and act accordingly.

And How Sure Am I Of This?

The second part of this question is to remind you that your buyer will continuously notice you and your approach. And it may swing the decision either way. They are looking (and double checking) for more certainty. We know that trust is hard to gain, and easy to lose so be good.

You sell yourself when you drive this feeling they have home.

In part 2, I’ll give you a practical framework to follow to actually implement this. It will help you to develop a plan of attack to sell yourself into just about any situation you need to.

Vector designed by Freepik

This might seem like something of a utopian scenario, but with an effective, well-structured coaching programme in place, that level of communication can become embedded within the very fabric of your organisation. Establishing the right coaching climate for that programme to flourish, however, is far from straightforward and requires time, effort and involvement at all levels of the organisation. Here are three steps to help you along the way:

1. Seek top-level commitment

The first step towards a consistent coaching climate is to identify one or more senior leaders to be the flag-bearers for your approach. As well as being someone others point to as an example of a great coach and inspiration to their team, these individuals should be acting in a way that gives the right message about coaching across the organisation; they should be people who will spread the word and commit to tackling any barriers or opposition that could arise along the way.

2. Spread the skill

With the right role models in place, there need to be measures in place to allow enthusiasm and understanding of coaching to filter through the organisation. This means making training opportunities readily available across all levels while actively encouraging employees to engage with your approach. Don’t assume this will happen automatically: managers need skilling up in order to deliver effective coaching conversations to their teams who will in turn require training in order to receive their full benefit.

3. Stop and take stock

Once integrated, it’s important to revisit your coaching climate at regular intervals. Like any new policy or strategy, it requires regular attention to see what’s going well and where things could be working better. Think of it as a garden, one that requires regular watering and upkeep in order for the plants within it to grow and flourish.

When it comes to introducing a coaching climate to your organisation there really is no quick fix. Interest and engagement in coaching need to be cultured throughout the organisation along with an understanding of how to deliver and receive it. Rest assured: with the right building blocks in place, there’s every chance of success.

This content appears courtesy of Abintegro, experts in career management, transition technology & e-learning for today’s modern, mobile and technology-savvy workforce – Find out more at www.abintegro.com

Credit: www.abintegro.com

Planning needs time and careful consideration. You need to think about:

• What you can do already?
• What you would like to do next?
• What else you need to learn?

What is a Career Plan?

A series of steps that can help you towards your goal. If your goal is to get a new job, or improve the job you are in, the Plan can help you focus on your personal and professional goals and structure your thought process and identify how to get there.

Who creates the Career Plans?

You can draw up your own Career Plan or you can ask one of our coaches to help you make one.

Why are Career Plans useful?

They help you to work towards your target and stay on track. Sometimes working towards a far-off target can seem impossible. Plans can break things down into manageable pieces.

How do I create a Career Plan?

Firstly, describe your current situation and identify your skills and work goals. Secondly, set a long-term goal and maybe some short-term goals too. Lastly, work out the steps that will get you there.