My Confidence Is Shattered. How Do I Convince Myself That Im Good Enough To Try Something New

“My Confidence Is Shattered. How Do I Convince Myself That I’m Good Enough To Try Something New” Help from our Community “My Confidence Is Shattered. How Do I Convince Myself That I’m Good Enough To Try Something New?” * Sitting behind a desk every day was always Rachel's idea of hell. But somehow, she's found herself doing just that, in an uninspiring role that's drained her confidence and creativity. How do you find meaningful work when you're convinced you've got nothing to offer? What's your career history and current job? I've worked for the government for the past three years. Currently, I'm a project officer in the Department of Transport. How do you feel about your work? I'm paid well, and I like the fact that the department I work in is designed to help others. But I feel like I'm sleepwalking through every day. I go to my office, sit at my desk, and then I hardly speak to anybody. Even though I sit in an open-plan office, I feel very isolated. Nobody speaks much, and I hardly know the people who sit just a few metres away from me every day. There isn't very much for me to do â€" in fact, my director has apologised in the past for not giving me enough work. I spend most of my time trying to appear busy. I feel as though I'm not contributing anything that's at all meaningful, and that nobody really expects anything from me anyway. My department is supposed to actively help the local community, but I'm far removed from that. I never intended to be stuck behind a desk for eight hours a day. That has always been my idea of hell, and I'm constantly wondering how I've ended up here. Sometimes, it feels like my soul is hanging on by a tiny thread. What would you like to be doing instead? I enjoy being creative. I also love the idea of working in a lively and collaborative space, on something that could bring joy to other people, or helping to solve an environmental concern. I've had a lot of random ideas. I've thought about things like fashion or product design, ethical manufacturing, or even becoming a therapist. I'm told that people really enjoy talking to me! What's the biggest obstacle in your way? I worry that I've got absolutely nothing to offer a new career. I feel as though my awful job has killed all my passion, creativity and confidence, and that I'm not good enough at anything to make money from it. I haven't got a cohesive skill set, or a secure professional background to draw upon. This means that whenever I think about something I could do, I talk myself straight out of it. For example: what if I spent time and money on studying a new skill, and I'm either no good at it, or it isn't what I want? In an effort to be more creative, I'm currently learning how to make my own clothes, and I've started a painting course. But the sessions make me feel sad. It's nice to learn, but if I'm not talented enough to make a career from those things, then why am I doing them? I really want to fall in love with my career, but I'm terrified that my motivation for work has disappeared altogether. How can I contribute something meaningful to the world, when I can't muster any enthusiasm about what I can bring to the table? Can you help Rachel? Have you been in a similar situation, or are you in the same boat right now? How do you think Rachelcould move her shift forwards? Do you know anyone she could talk to? Share your thoughts in the comments below and click the thumbs-up button to show your support.

Are Resumes Popular Because They Are Good?

Are Resumes Popular Because They Are Good?There are many people that are enjoying the popularity of resume writing. This can be one of the best ways to get a new job or to improve your current job as you will be able to find many companies looking for someone to fill their vacancy. This can also help you in finding that perfect career that you have always wanted and can be a good way to show your talents to prospective employers. However, there are some disadvantages to this.The problem is that while there are many things that can help you get that job, there are also a lot of things that can make it impossible for you to get a job. While it is possible to get an interview without a resume, many companies will be more than happy to take your resume and see what they can do with it. These interviews will not be based on how well your resume looks, but instead on how well you speak and how much you can articulate your thoughts on the job. This is why resume writing can help you get int erviews, but only if the job you are applying for is one that is likely to pay well. If the company is hiring for a position that is for a low salary, then it will be quite difficult to get an interview.There are some companies that may allow you to take a resume and try to sell it, but usually these companies will say no. They may be willing to take the time to look over your resume, but they will be focused on what the company needs more than how your resume looks. While they may appreciate the fact that you took the time to write your resume, they may still choose someone else to fill the job instead of you.The biggest advantage to using resume writing to find a job is that if you write a resume that is full of your strengths, you can get an interview. If you get an interview you will be able to show the company that you are a qualified candidate and in turn get the job. There are many great ways to get interviews, but ifyou just include a resume filled with your weaknesses, then you will not get as many interviews as you would like.Another great way to get interviews is to specialize in certain fields. If you know how to speak very well and can communicate your ideas clearly, you can narrow down the field of applicants that you will need to interview. When you have a limited number of applicants, you will have a better chance of getting the job.One thing that many people have overlooked when looking for jobs is that they need to be working for a company for a long time before they will be promoted. This means that a new job is going to be much different than a job that has been with the company for a while. It is important to put the extra effort into making sure that you keep your job while you are looking for another one.Resume writing can be very beneficial, but it can also be very easy to abuse. There are many people that make the mistake of taking the easy way out and write a resume that does not look very professional or appropriate for the job they are applying for. You will end up giving the impression that you are looking for a job because you feel you are not being hired, and this will make it very hard to get that next job that you want.In conclusion, resume writing is a great way to get interviews and to find a job that you have always wanted. However, you need to make sure that you do everything that you can to make sure that you get interviews that are appropriate for the job you are applying for.

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Developing Your Adversity Muscle

On the Job by Anita Bruzzese Developing Your Adversity Muscle At one time in your work life, youve probably tried it. A crisis arises and you do what youve been told will help: You breathe deeply, close your eyes, focus, and repeat something like I can do it.And when you open your eyes, the crisis is still there and youre no closer to a solution than when you started puffing away and sounding like the little engine that could.Why is it some people are better able to handle tough times at work? Part of the problem may be that some of us are too accustomed to whining when things go wrong. Instead of dealing with problems, we become stuck in a cycle of blaming other people or targeting others with criticism that does little to help us overcome adversity. Further, some of us deal with difficult issues by just ignoring them, becoming more distanced from our own success because we won't address the hurdles in our way.But there are several problems with these strategies, namely that they not only hurt careers, but they directly impact a company's bott om line. Organizations who have employees who cannot deal with adversity and move on are destined to be bogged down in discord and indecision.If you want to become someone who is better able to deal with adversity and find ways to turn tough times into possibilities, try:* Taking the wheel. How much control do you think you have over the problem? What can you do to impact the outcome? The more control you think you have, the better able you will be to react in a positive, productive way.* Making yourself accountable. Whether or not you caused a problem doesn't matter as much as whether you're willing to step up to the plate and try to deal with it. Making yourself a victim won't help, but taking ownership and finding a solution will develop your ability to deal with adversity -- and that's something that bosses value.* Keeping it in perspective. If you feel like you're standing in front of a runaway train when you have a conflict, you're more likely to feel the impact in all areas o f your life. It's important to keep the work adversity in control, and try not to let it impact other areas of your life.* Setting limits. Think about how long the adversity will continue, and tell yourself that it will end at some point. By looking for hope in even the toughest situations, you're saying to yourself that you're not willing to let this situation drag on forever. Such a mindset makes it easier to endure the tough times. del.icio.us

Five Feisty, Feminist, Fictional Heroines We All Wish Were Real

Five Feisty, Feminist, Fictional Heroines We All Wish Were Real National Womens History Month and International Womens Day is a day we honor real women.  But sometimes our heroines are the fictional characters of books and movies.   Here are five feminist heroines we all love. 1) Mulan While most Disney princesses were swooning over spinning wheels and pining for True Love’s First Kiss, Mulan was unsheathing her sword, defeating the Hun army, and single-handedly saving China. You don’t get much more badass than that. And she was rocking the lob look long before it was declared “the hairstyle of 2016”. Mulan isn’t just born talented, though. In what is probably the single-best movie montage of all time, we see her struggles to become a soldier, battling pain, exhaustion, bullying and even a full-out rejection from her sneering boss: “Pack up, go home, you’re through.” Mulan fails over, and over, and over again. Does she ever give up? Not once. Instead she buttresses her resolve, and smashes a challenge everyone declared impossible. She proves not only that women can beat out men at even the most “masculine” of tasks, but demonstrates the power of resilience and self-belief. 2) Hermione Granger Let’s be honest, Hermione was the real hero of Harry Potter. She identifies the Basilisk, turns back time to save Sirius, makes the polyjuice potion and organises Dumbledore’s Army, all while Harry is moping around shouting at people that his scar hurts. Hermione wears her smarts with pride, and shows that being a girl-nerd gets you far. She also don’t need no man, refusing to simper after an international sports player even when he takes a shine to her. When she’s not being smarter than literally everybody else, Hermione is crusading for justice and fairness. She’s the only person who bothers to try to free the enslaved house elves (a metaphor for the women’s suffrage movement, natch) and she refuses to be ashamed of her ‘mudblood’ race. A bookworm activist? Inspiring indeed. 3) Lisa Simpson While we’re on the subject of super-smart campaigners with kooky hair… Lisa Simpson may only be eight years old, but she’s got more sass than most people three times her age. When she’s presented with a misogynistic Malibu Stacy  doll which spouts lines such as “don’t ask me, I’m just a girl!” Lisa doesn’t just reject the ideology â€" she puts into motion a plan to produce her own line of feminist dolls designed to inspire and empower children everywhere. We should all be like Lisa; confronting the things we dislike with attempts to change it. We have more power than we know; just look at how Lisa uses her beauty pageant win to push for humanitarian causes. 4) Éowyn Come on, she takes down a freakin’ Nazgul. Enough said. Éowyn always wanted to win glory in battle, but being part of the Medieval-esq Lord of the Ring’s world, she was pretty much told to “stop thy twattling and get thee back into thy kitchen” (not an actual Tolkien quote). Éowyn doesn’t believe in letting other people limit her though, so she grabs a horse, dons some armour, and rides off to war anyway. She is promptly confronted by the terrifyingly evil Ringwraith King, who swings a huge sword at her while boasting that “no man can defeat me”. Instead of letting fear stand in her way, Éowyn throws off her helmet, swishes her golden locks, and gives the ultimate feminist war-cry: “I am no man.” The moral of the story? Just because other people have failed at something doesn’t mean you won’t succeed.  Never underestimate anyone. 5) Lisbeth Salander The girl with the dragon tattoo is crazy smart, crazy sassy, and crazy hardcore. She’s a genius with computers, mathematics and chess; smashing gender stereotypes with the same ease she hacks into a top-security system. Lisbeth is a complex and imperfect character, who displays the same contradictions and vulnerabilities we all harbour. She shows that our past might make us stronger, but it also leaves scars. True, she is also selfish and occasionally criminal. But she is a crusader against powerful, abusive, and sexist men. She beats them at their own game, torturing her rapist and swindling millions out of a corrupt billionaire. If something needs to be done, she stands up and does it, rather than relying on someone else. Beth Leslie writes careers advice for Inspiring Interns, who specialise in matching candidates to their dream  internship. Check out their  graduate jobs  listings for roles. Image credit.

Can You Write a Tech Resume With No Experience?

Can You Write a Tech Resume With No Experience?Do you know what to write a tech resume with no experience for? That is the question we would like to answer. If you are interested in a career in technology, chances are, you need to have some technical skills to be able to excel in that career.That means that if you have no or very little experience, you are unlikely to get a job in a top position without at least some technical skill. However, technical skills are not the only thing you need to be able to do. And by 'only' you do not mean 'less'.You have to be creative in your job search and learn about all the things that could help you get a job as soon as you have the skill. A perfect example of this is when the person applying for a job has written his resume, but does not have any experience in computer programming. That person has obviously not done much research on how to make a resume. It may be a mistake on his part, but it is also true that there are many people who have no experience in making a resume, but they can still come up with a very good one.There are also people who have no experience in jobs in the first place. Those people have the ability to do a great job, but they cannot do it right away without experience. Experience does not always give you power, but it can give you a better chance to be hired.So here is a short list of other things that you should be prepared to include in your tech resume with no experience:* If you want to work as a computer programmer, you must have the knowledge and the confidence to actually do the job. This means that you have to know the way how computers are connected, working with computers, computer programming and operating systems in general. The knowledge in these topics is a sure sign of someone who knows what he is doing.* If you have any experience in handling computers, you must also have knowledge in handling computer viruses. In addition, you must be able to install and remove software, configure, and update systems. Being able to upgrade your PC's firmware is very important to most computer programmers.You can come up with a Tech resume with no experience. In addition, you can also improve your chances of being hired.

Government Relations Resume Writing

Government Relations Resume WritingGovernment relations resume writing is an excellent way to help your career along. This is particularly true if you plan on finding employment in government. However, it's not quite as easy as it seems to make a resume that is effective in convincing recruiters that you're ready for the job. But, it is possible to do so with some effort and good advice.First of all, you need to understand that no matter how strong your resume may be, it is very likely to fall flat if you don't get to the heart of the issue from which you are addressing it. So, the first thing you need to do when you're considering creating a good government relations resume is to identify your strengths. Do you excel at 'organizing'?Do you have good interpersonal skills? Have you been part of any teams that worked collaboratively? Are you self-motivated?You must know what you can do to help a company, whether they are an enterprise or a corporation, as well as individuals that are i n a position to hire and fire people, as well as the strength of your personality and your work ethic. If you are going to be addressing issues such as relocation and accommodation that can be sensitive, you also need to be aware of how you can handle questions about this in your resume.Next, you need to address the negative. How do you propose, you will contribute to your employer? This is an important part of your resume, especially if you are relocating or need to move to a new location.Finally, you need to pay attention to the words you use in order to ensure that you draw a direct attention to the point you are trying to make. Use keywords that will work to draw in the eyes of recruiters.Take a good example and modify it to reflect your needs. That way, it can highlight your achievements and make you stand out. Be sure to keep it professional and simple, and you will be better able to attract attention.Hopefully, by now you have learned more about resume writing. Please take a look at my resume writing tips page for additional information and techniques. Good luck!

Top 5 business maxims that need to go - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Top 5 business maxims that need to go - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog It aint what you dont know that gets you into trouble. Its what you know for sure that just aint so. Josh Billings (or Mark Twain or Artemus Ward or) Much well-known business advice is sadly obsolete but can still be found in articles, business books and, not least, in daily use in the workplace. It seems that some companies are still guided by thinking that is sadly out of date if it was ever true to begin with. The worst of these old maxims are not only wrong, theyre bad for people and bad for business. Businesses who use them are making their employees unhappy and are harming the bottom line. Heres my pick of the top 5 business maxims in serious need of an update with a suggested replacement for each. UPDATE: Now theres also a Part II post with 5 more horrendous pieces of business advice. Old maxim #1: Failure is not an option Meaning: We absolutely, positively must succeed. Guess what: No matter how many times you repeat this maxim, failure remains an option. Closing your eyes to this fact only makes you more likely to fail. Putting pressure on people to always succeed makes mistakes more likely because: People who work under pressure are less effective People resist reporting bad news People close their eyes to signs of trouble This is especially true when its backed up with punishment of those who make mistakes. Peter Drucker provocatively suggested that businesses should find all the employees who never make mistakes and fire them, because employees who never make mistakes never do anything interesting. Admitting that mistakes happen and dealing constructively with them when they do makes mistakes less likely. Also, failure is often the path to new, exciting opportunities that wouldnt have appeared otherwise. Closing your eyes to failure means closing your eyes to these opportunities. New maxim: Failure happens. Deal with it. Old maxim #2: The customer is always right Meaning: The customer is king. We satisfy our customers every need. No. No, no, no. This tired business maxim often means that loyal hardworking employees are scorned in favor of unreasonable customers. It also, ironically, results in bad customer service. I recently wrote a post outlining 5 reasons The Customer Is Always Right is wrong, concluding that sticking to The customer is always right makes employees unhappy and that unhappy employees almost always give customers bad service. New maxim: Happy employees means happy customers. Old maxim #3: Never be satisfied Meaning: You can never be satisified and complacent in business. Youve always gotta want more. This is a bad mistake which rests on a very fundamental misconception, namely that being satisfied means that you stop acting. That satisfaction breeds complacency and therefore that a happy, satisifed company will be passive. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, a constant sense of dissatifaction in an organization sends one powerful message: Were not good enough! The irony is that this results in worse performance. People who constantly appreciate all the good in their organization and express their satisifaction create a much more positive working environment characterized by more: Motivation Energy Self-confidence Happiness at work This is not about closing your eyes and pretending things are great if theyre not. Its about appreciating the fact that people in constant states of dissatisfaction erode an organizations will and ability to act. The trick is to appreciate what you have and still aim for more. Replacement: Always be appreciative but never complacent. UPDATE: but never complacent added thanks to Colin G.s excellent suggestion. Old maxim #4: Nice guys finish last Meaning: We cant be too nice in business. In fact, being nice may hinder your career and impede results. Thats just not true, of course we should be nice at work. This doesnt mean that you have to be nice to all of the people all of the time, but it means that you absolutely can be a nice person and succeed in business. I previously wrote about jerks at work and why theyre bad for business. The conclusion: Unpleasant people hurt the bottom line. In a networked world reputation matters, and it?s more important to be generous and likeable than to be ruthless and efficient. New maxim: Nice guys get the job done. Old maxim #5: Grow or die Meaning: A business is either growing or dying. A business cant be successful if its not growing. Its interesting to see how growth has been elevated to an automatic good, questioned by very few businesses and executives. Growth certainly has some positive effects especially because it creates new possibilities and challenges for an organization and its people. Im not saying that growth is bad but that growth isnt always right for every business. Sometimes a business might be better off spending a quarter or a year not growing but simply consolidating existing business. Consequently not growing or even shrinking does not automatically represent business failure. Thats what Semcos CEO Ricard Semler meant when he said this: There is no correlation between growth and ultimate success. For a while growth seems very glamorous, but the sustainability of growth is so delicate that many of the mid-sized companies which just stayed where they were doing the same thing are much better off today than the ones that went crazy and came back to nothing. There are too many automobile plants, too many airplanes. Who is viable in the airline business? If someone asks me, where will you be in 10 years time?, I havent got the slightest idea. I dont find it perturbing either if we said, look, in 10 years time Semco could have 500 people instead of 3,000 people; that sounds just as interesting as 21,000 people. Id hate to see Semco not exist in 10, 20, 50 years time, but what form it exists in, what business its in and what size it is are not particularly relevant. Growing also entails its own risks, especially fast growth on borrowed money. This almost killed Patagonia in the early 90s. Founder Yvon Chouinard says this: It was back in 1990 or so and we were growing the company by 40 to 50 percent a year and we were doing it by all the textbook business ways adding more dealers, adding more products, building stores. Growing it like the American dream, you know grow, grow, grow. And one year we predicted 40 to 50 percent growth and there was a recession and all the sudden we only grew 20 percent. And at the same time, our bank was going belly-up and we had cash-flow problems and it went to absolute hell. And I had been the person who had never bought anything on credit in all my life. I always paid cash for everything, and to have to call someone and say, Im sorry, I cant pay my bills this month, was killing me. And I realized that I was on the same track as society was endless growth for the sake of growth. Thats when I decided to put the brakes on and decided to grow at a more natural rate which basically means that only when our customers want something do we make more, but we dont prime the pump. New maxim: Grow when you gotta. Wrap-up The scary thing about maxims is that theyre often accepted unquestioningly because they come in the shape of old addages which are repeated a little like nursery rhymes used to educate children. That means its not enough to oust the old maxims we need to replace them with new ones that are guaranteed to bring better results for people and for the bottom line. Here they are at a glance, the tired maxims and the suggested replacements: Tired old maxim New maxim Failure is not an option Failure happens deal with it The customer is always right Happy employees means happy customers Never be satisfied Always be appreciative but never complacent Nice guys finish last Nice guys get results Grow or die Grow when you gotta Im working on another post called, in a fit of almost supernatural creativity, five more business maxims that need to go. Do you know any that belong on the list? Tell me about it in the comments. If you liked this post, I think youll also enjoy these: Top 5 business maxims that need to go Part II Lets go vampire slaying Why The Customer Is Always Right is wrong The Seven-Day Weekend by Ricardo Semler my review Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. 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How to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out

How to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out A LinkedIn profile service can help you stand out. LinkedIn profile development  is an often overlooked aspect of the job search or career change. The most popular business social network is vastly underused and unappreciated. Most individuals in business dont understand how to make it work for their benefit. You may not need a  LinkedIn profile writer  to find value throughout the social network. Heres how to stand  out on LinkedIn. Get Grouped With more than two million LinkedIn Groups in existence, theres bound to be one (or hundreds) within your industry. You can use Groups to meet others in your industry and develop your reputation as an expert in the field. The more value you add to a group, the more likely new opportunities come your way. Reach Out LinkedIn is not a place for the faint of heart. Business networking is no time to be shy. Put your profile out there and get in the game. While adding an acquaintance on Facebook can be construed as odd in certain circumstances, you shouldnt carry over personal social media protocol to LinkedIn. The more people you connect to on LinkedIn, the better off youll be. Pro Tip: Changes in anything work related make the perfect time to reach out (for you or them). Dont Go Connection Crazy While you should reach out to just about every person you know on LinkedIn, you shouldnt be cold-calling strangers. There is no prize for having the most connections on this social media platform. The number of people in your LinkedIn network isnt relevant. The importance of your network lies in the quality of people youre connected to and how youve proven your value to them. Focus on finding a common ground with individuals you want to connect with. If youve known someone in the past, theres your commonality. If youve never met someone you wish to connect with, work to build a connection through a common interest or background, especially when cold connecting. Open Viewing Season If someone views your profile on LinkedIn, this is a warm lead to opportunities. Whether these opportunities come to fruition or fade away is up to you. A profile view can lead to hires, career advancement and more. Its also a way to begin connecting with someone in your industry. Pro Tip: Make sure you keep your visibility settings open too so people can see when you view them and potentially reach out. Develop Your Voice and Expertise One of the easiest way to establish your credibility and expertise in an industry is by publishing a post on LinkedIn. The platform gives users an opportunity to comment on upcoming changes in the industry, changes in the market and more. Developing your voice can lead to enormous opportunities on the business social media site. A professional  LinkedIn profile service  can help you create a profile that speaks to your background and expertise.