Losing a Contract

Losing a Contract I almost wrote this post on my Jason Alba blog, which is where Ive started to write more about entrepreneurial stuff.   You can subscribe to get those posts, which are written less frequently than these posts, but have a different flavor. I remember one of my first days of work at a building maintenance company, there was a weird feeling in the air.   I soon learned we had lost a 5 million dollar contract.   This was a huge contract, perhaps one of our largest, and I was suddenly scared. Surely, people who worked at those facilities would have to be let go.   Thats the way the building maintenance world works its easy to find new maintenance professionals, which means its easy to let them go when you dont need them.   I wondered if they would regret hiring me as their first IT manager, with a salary higher than they wanted to pay. I walked into my bosss office to see what might be different.   I was shocked to see him happy, whistling an upbeat tune. It was like any other day at the office for him.   No big deal, regardless of losing this huge contract.     When I asked him about it he responded: We get and lose contracts all the time.   We have for the last 40 years. I was reassured by his confidence, and this perspective. Here we are, more than nine years later, and I find his perspective still has an impact on me. During the next six years at that company at that company I indeed saw contracts come and go. I heard a rumor they recently lost a contract worth around $100M.   How do they react? Restrategize.   Reorganize. There are a few lessons we can learn from this volatile business/industry: Stuff happens. They lose contracts, we lose jobs.   We lose contracts, life goes on.   Business goes on.   You think there are companies or industries out there who dont have to face this?   And find me someone who hasnt lost their job ever it just happens, and its okay. Attitude matters. Of course, we all know this.   In this situation we can go into the corner and cry for a while, or get mad and take it out on someone or something, or we can move on.   Hopefully we can figure out how to cope with this change and move on quickly. Opportunities abound. If others are losing contracts, that means there are new contracts looking for service providers.   If others are losing jobs, hopefully there are opportunities for us to pick up where others left off.   If companies arent hiring now (its freaking EXPENSIVE to hire someone, isnt it?), perhaps they might look for a short-term contract.   Perhaps YOU can be the person to provide contract services? Keep on keeping on. Before they lost the contract, they were doing good marketing and operational stuff.   They had laid foundation for new contracts, and they just kept this up its important we have a system and foundation in place before we need it right? Restrategize and reorganize. Maybe its time to consider switching professions, or industries, or rethinking the amount of money you need to make.   Perhaps its time to move, or downsize, or sell a car.   Companies do this, sometimes they even do it strategically and well.   Why cant we do this?   Oh yeah, perhaps if you were there for 40 years you get the golden watch STOP!   It aint happening stop thinking like that. We need to be able to think like a startup nimble, flexible, quick, hungry.   Not like a big company slow-moving, unwavering.   We cant afford that we must be proactive and reactive this is OUR career, we are CEO of Me, Inc. Lost your job? Lost a contract? Its okay.   You will get through it, just like my old company did. Losing a Contract I almost wrote this post on my Jason Alba blog, which is where Ive started to write more about entrepreneurial stuff.   You can subscribe to get those posts, which are written less frequently than these posts, but have a different flavor. I remember one of my first days of work at a building maintenance company, there was a weird feeling in the air.   I soon learned we had lost a 5 million dollar contract.   This was a huge contract, perhaps one of our largest, and I was suddenly scared. Surely, people who worked at those facilities would have to be let go.   Thats the way the building maintenance world works its easy to find new maintenance professionals, which means its easy to let them go when you dont need them.   I wondered if they would regret hiring me as their first IT manager, with a salary higher than they wanted to pay. I walked into my bosss office to see what might be different.   I was shocked to see him happy, whistling an upbeat tune. It was like any other day at the office for him.   No big deal, regardless of losing this huge contract.     When I asked him about it he responded: We get and lose contracts all the time.   We have for the last 40 years. I was reassured by his confidence, and this perspective. Here we are, more than nine years later, and I find his perspective still has an impact on me. During the next six years at that company at that company I indeed saw contracts come and go. I heard a rumor they recently lost a contract worth around $100M.   How do they react? Restrategize.   Reorganize. There are a few lessons we can learn from this volatile business/industry: Stuff happens. They lose contracts, we lose jobs.   We lose contracts, life goes on.   Business goes on.   You think there are companies or industries out there who dont have to face this?   And find me someone who hasnt lost their job ever it just happens, and its okay. Attitude matters. Of course, we all know this.   In this situation we can go into the corner and cry for a while, or get mad and take it out on someone or something, or we can move on.   Hopefully we can figure out how to cope with this change and move on quickly. Opportunities abound. If others are losing contracts, that means there are new contracts looking for service providers.   If others are losing jobs, hopefully there are opportunities for us to pick up where others left off.   If companies arent hiring now (its freaking EXPENSIVE to hire someone, isnt it?), perhaps they might look for a short-term contract.   Perhaps YOU can be the person to provide contract services? Keep on keeping on. Before they lost the contract, they were doing good marketing and operational stuff.   They had laid foundation for new contracts, and they just kept this up its important we have a system and foundation in place before we need it right? Restrategize and reorganize. Maybe its time to consider switching professions, or industries, or rethinking the amount of money you need to make.   Perhaps its time to move, or downsize, or sell a car.   Companies do this, sometimes they even do it strategically and well.   Why cant we do this?   Oh yeah, perhaps if you were there for 40 years you get the golden watch STOP!   It aint happening stop thinking like that. We need to be able to think like a startup nimble, flexible, quick, hungry.   Not like a big company slow-moving, unwavering.   We cant afford that we must be proactive and reactive this is OUR career, we are CEO of Me, Inc. Lost your job? Lost a contract? Its okay.   You will get through it, just like my old company did.

Tips For Higher Education Resume Writing

Tips For Higher Education Resume WritingIf you are looking for a job in higher education, then your resume is critical. You want to make sure that you have the kind of resume that will get you hired. With this, you will want to follow these tips to make sure that your resume is right for higher education hiring. This will help you with the kind of resume that you want to use.First of all, you will want to make sure that you have some college level experience. This is something that you want to take a look at when it comes to your resume. You will want to ensure that you have some kind of academic experience that comes from your school. This is important, because it will show employers that you can manage a class and that you have a lot of knowledge in that field. You can use your school's GPA as part of the criteria for the kinds of jobs that you want to apply for.The first thing that you will want to do when it comes to your resume is to make sure that you have someone that you can describe yourself as an objective person. That is a skill that you want to have. So you will want to make sure that you have the skills that are needed when it comes to showing employers that you are the best candidate that they are going to get.Second, you want to make sure that you do some research on what kind of student life that you led. You may find that you did not experience the kind of student life that you would like to talk about. With this, you want to make sure that you talk about all of the things that you did and what kind of people you talked to.The final tip is to be sure that you include information about the kinds of courses that you took. This is a good idea, because it can show employers that you have taken the courses that you are taking. With this, you will be able to add a little bit of experience into your resume.When it comes to the end point of the writing, the last thing that you want to do is to use the personal details that you want to include. With thi s, you want to take a look at all of the things that you need to be able to put on your resume. You want to make sure that you have the kind of resume that you want to use, because you want to make sure that you are able to get the jobs that you want to get. You want to get the jobs that are right for you.For this, you will want to read up on the various kinds of documents that are available to help you with the different kinds of writing that you can do. You will want to make sure that you do some research so that you know what to write on your resume. This is important, because you will be using these documents to help you with your resume.So keep in mind that you want to make sure that you take a look at what type of material you need to be able to include on your resume. With this, you will be able to make sure that you are applying for the jobs that you want to apply for.

How I Create Pinterest Photos That Go Viral - Classy Career Girl

How I Create Pinterest Photos That Go Viral Pinterest drives the most traffic to my site. Over the last few months, I doubled my followers and tripled my traffic from Pinterest. When I know something is sort of working, I dive in and figure out how I can maximize it to the fullest extent. This video I recorded for my team a few months back to teach them how to create Pinterest pins themselves. The truth is that I dont create them anymore, my team does. But, everything I delegate in my business, I learn how to do first. Today, you get to go behind the scenes and see the video I recorded for my team on how to create Pinterest  photos. In a rush?  Click here to get the Pinterest tutorial guide emailed directly to you now. My team took my training and then ran with it making our CCG pins even better than I could do myself and tripling our traffic from Pinterest in just a few months. This video will give you the introduction video if you are just getting started to creating Pinterest photos. Please run with it, though. Start pinning, monitor your analytics and improve as you go. See what works and do it over and over again. That will be your key to Pinterest success. I am going to show you how I create photos for free for Pinterest and some of the tricks I have learned. I use picmonkey.com. For every article I do, we have a featured image but I also want a larger image. Remember, batch the time you do these pins. I always do social media scheduling once per week rather than every single day. How I Create Pinterest Photos That Go Viral 1. Create a Private Pinterest Inspiration Board The first step is to create a secret board on Pinterest. Start pinning examples that youd like to create yourself. You have to get inspired and know what you are trying to model first. 2.  Create Your Pin Template I recommend creating a pin template that you can just pull up quickly every time you are creating pins. This will help you be more efficient and it will help you stay on brand. For example, we have a template that already has classycareergirl.com written on it that is already in the right size. We love using  735X1102 because it is a taller image that does really well and stands out on Pinterest. 3. Create a Great Title Its truly about the title of the content and what the photos says. If you nail the title, you will get traffic on Pinterest. Spend a ton of time on the title. Ask for help. Come up with 5 titles and narrow them down. Review Pinterest for ideas. 4. Get Great Photos. I highly recommend going to Target and spending $25 on some fun office supplies that match your website colors and branding. Get some white poster board at Target, grab your phone and take some pictures from your house. You can always touch up your colors when you get it on your computer. You can also use free photo sites like pexels.com and picjumbo.com. Pictures are so important for Pinterest so make them great! 5. Add In Your Font. Picmonkey has a lot of great options for font. As you can see from the video above, its super easy to add fun fonts over your photos. 6. Check your Analytics Constantly What works? What doesnt? Repeat what works. Bonus tip: Make sure you add in your URL to the description of your Pinterest photos! This will get you more links to your website because the pinner doesnt have to open up the picture on the homepage and can just click your link to take them directly to your site.

How to Survive the Waiting Game After an Interview

How to Survive the Waiting Game After an Interview Its amazing how many parallels can be drawn between a job and a relationship; there are the faux pas on when and when not to follow up, the need to contain your enthusiasm and the importance of playing it cool. Post-interview stress can, at times, be maddening â€" just like the waiting game after a first date. The trick to success isnt easy, but using the tips below should stop you from losing your mind and showing up at the hiring managers house with flowers and chocolates (but seriously, dont do this). 1. DO  send a thank you note: Even if you dont think the interview went well, a well-written and brief thank you note is still a brilliant way to follow up after an interview. And while youre at it, why not include a topical article, or a little bit of self-promotion that you didnt show them during the interview. Do be prompt and send it within two days of the interview. But dont cut corners â€" it needs to be personal and adapted to the specific interview so that the company knows that youre actually interested (and not just sending a generic message). 2. DONT  come across too strong: Just like the start of a relationship, you dont want to appear needy and desperate. Yes, you may be aching to leave your current job, or dying to move away from your soul-destroying hometown â€" but dont let this come across. If you have any pressing questions post-interview, then maybe send a follow-up email. But only do this if you deem it completely essential and beneficial. If not, limit yourself to a simple thank you note; the next move is theirs to make. 3. DO  reply in good time: If a thank you note is already on its way, you can now relax. However, if you hear back from an employer (woo!) you need to be like white on rice with your reply. A timely reply from an employers perspective is up to 24 hours after the initial email but within a few hours (or minutes) is preferable. Sadly the employer may not stick to their own timely response standards, but its the least you can do while you wait to hear back. 4. DONT  spend too long obsessing: As perfect as this job may seem in your head, you need to be careful about building up your expectations too much. Granted, a dose of obsession shows that this is a role you feel particularly passionate about. Yet you need to be prepared in case you arent successful. So with this in mind, try to allot a few hours of the day in which you will check your personal email for a response (otherwise any noise from your phone will see you jump out of your skin). To keep up your moral, try to carry on applying for other jobs while you wait. Many people will want to spend some time obsessing and dreaming about the prospect of being hired, just dont spend longer than a week waiting. 5. DO  accept rejections positively: In a perfect world, youll hear straight away from the employer with a big thumbs up. Yet, this isnt always the case. When it comes to rejection, the best and most gracious approach is to thank the employer for the opportunity, and ask to be kept on file for any future roles. If they havent already provided it, do ask for interview feedback so you can take note for the future. Now that the hiring process is done, feel free to add your interviewers on LinkedIn in an effort to keep in touch. Depending on the company, you may or may not receive a formal rejection â€" you may just be left hanging. In this situation, allow a week or so before you send a follow up email. If you receive a response, consider the tone and speed of reply before acting. If you hear nothing, your precious time is clearly meant for other and better things.

How to Choose the Best Resume Writing Service in Houston

How to Choose the Best Resume Writing Service in HoustonThe best resume writing service in Houston for you should be capable of helping you create a great job application. For this to happen, the services of these professionals must be able to assist you with regard to your resume, including the type of information that you need to include in your application. Of course, your resume is the single most important document that will be used to obtain a good employment decision, so it is imperative that it is easy to read and persuasive.The first thing that you need to look for in a professional resume writing service is the number of resumes that they have handled over the years. This can help you determine if the company has a record of providing effective services to clients. In addition, the experience of the writer in this field is very important. Hiring someone who has been in the business for a long time will give you the assurance that he or she will be able to provide you with q uality work.To help you avoid wasting time on products and services that do not suit your needs, you need to take the time to ask yourself a series of questions before you decide on which services you want to use. For example, if you have been looking for a resume writing service to help you rewrite your resume, you will need to find out whether the company offers this service. You also need to know what is included in the package. Make sure that the offer includes sample papers that you can use to guide you in coming up with your own application.You should also find out what kind of material you will be expected to provide for your resume. Some writing services offer material to assist you write a cover letter, and these should not be skipped over. It is essential that you include the name and contact information of your current employer in your resume. Your resume should also include contact information for any previous employers you may have had during your job search.Some compan ies may be willing to supply you with a sample of work you could submit if you have other materials to submit. The sample should contain the same information as your resume, and it should be accompanied by samples of other work that you have already completed. Some of the best resume writing services in Houston will include sample applications, letters of recommendation, and correspondence from previous employers, all of which can be used to help you present your case.The most important details that you should include on your resume are the dates of the jobs that you held and your duties. If you are not clear about the dates of your jobs, this may cause some employers to put your resume in the trash can. Your resume should also contain your work history, your achievements, your education, and other relevant details. Make sure that you can highlight these details in a convincing manner.Your resume needs to convince the hiring manager that you are someone who can succeed in this indus try. This is an important part of creating a good impression, and you should try to be concise in the writing of your resume. The point of contact should see that you communicate in a manner that is both professional and business-like.If your situation does not lend itself to the kind of services offered by a particular writing service, ask them about their specific needs and requirements. You can find these out by asking them to provide you with samples of job applications they have handled in the past. Hiring a good service provider is definitely an investment in your future, and it will be worth the time and money spent.

How to Write an Executive Career Brand Biography - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

How to Write an Executive Career Brand Biography

Top Tips For Self-Care During The Job Search - Pathfinder Careers

Top Tips For Self-Care During The Job Search - Pathfinder Careers Top Tips For Self-Care During The Job Search Let’s face it. None of us would to put at the top of our daily checklist the following task: “Get rejected today.” But during the job search, applicants go through rejection day in and day out. Whether it is the lack of response from the human resource department to the application you had worked on for hours before sending in, or the call you get to let you know that they chose another candidate over you… it IS rejection… and it really hurts. In fact, news outlets across the U.S. have indicated that unemployment numbers are probably higher than reported simply because the statistics don’t count the people who have gotten too discouraged, and given up looking for work. It is pretty discouraging out there, but if you are looking for employment, you HAVE to take care of yourself to persevere and prevail. The trick is to keep your head above the dark waters of depression so you don’t drown during what is otherwise an ego-bashing experience. Self-care is important in keeping perspective, balance, and to not fall into the self-pity trap of curling up in a ball, closing the curtains and pulling the blanket over your head, convinced that no one wants you. Ever see the movie “Yes Man” with Jim Carrey? He finally decides to start saying ‘yes’ and opening himself up to letting life lead the way, versus being so busy telling everyone ‘no’ that he ends up alone and cut-off from his friends and living life. If you shut yourself off in isolation, you are creating zero opportunities for anything to happen. You have to at least try, and thats what job searches are all about. Youve got to keep trying. If you are struggling with this situation, here are some tips to keep you swimming towards shore to reach your employment goals. 1) Rejection is NOT PERSONAL. Sure, easy enough for me to say, right? Any human resource manager will tell you that there are a million reasons why they didn’t choose you as their final candidate. Let’s put this in perspective: It’s not like they woke up, jumped out of bed, and proclaimed, “Today, I am going to make sure ___________ isn’t hired today!” Sounds silly, but this helps put the kibosh on going down that road that there is a ‘vendetta’ against you. 2) Create a job search plan, and execute it! I’ve blogged about this in the past (April 9, 2009 post) â€" one of the biggest problems with being unemployed is the loss of sense of structure, which alone can be self-defeating. You need to stay focused. Create a plan, follow it, and chart your progress. If you feel that you aren’t doing enough, then give yourself a quick kick in the keester and do something about it! 3) Volunteer. Volunteering is altruistic behavior, which releases endorphins… you know, the ‘feel good’ hormone. Not only are you giving back, but you are also physically giving your body a boost that you could really use right now. You’ll feel better and you are also making your community a good place to live, too. 4) Nurture or pamper yourself. While you need to gain traction on your efforts to look for a job, you need to also give yourself a break. Looking for a job is a stressful full-time job. You’ll need to take those breaks to reward yourself with fun activities to get some rest and relaxation time. 5) Get a cheerleader. Find a friend who is willing to be there and you can call during your darkest hours. If you start finding yourself sliding down a deep well of self-pity or frustration, you’ll need someone who will be there to help hold you up. They can be just the shot in the arm to get you out of your funk. 6) Learn from your mistakes. If you think you goofed on an interview, then review what you think you did wrong, and use that information to learn how to answer the questions better. If you realized that you went about applying for a position the wrong way, or didn’t leverage your contact list right, then use this information to hone your job search skills. 7) Get out of the house. The worst thing you can do is stay in one place. Successful job seekers are constantly on the move… making contacts, meeting people, learning things and having fun. This alone can have a significant impact on your disposition. Remember, people are attracted to positive people; negative auras repel everyone. You need to make sure you maintain a positive outlook. 8) Don’t give up. Don’t talk yourself out of moving forward. Anyone can talk themselves out of anything… if they get into the right frame of mind. It is absolutely okay to have your down days, but you can’t dwell there. You have to avoid getting a case of what I call the “C-C-C-C”s â€" which means you are sitting at home on the Couch with the Curtains closed watching CNN and eating Cheetos. That isn’t going to get you a job. Remember, you need to nurture yourself to sustain the positive energy and psychological well-being it takes to look for work. Keeping these tips in mind can help you avoid the pitfalls of falling into a bad place that ends up making you your own obstacle to getting hired.

Life After Redundancy, The Facts and Figures IM HIRED

Life After Redundancy, The Facts and Figures Boxing up all those facts with one neat bow Read the news and you cant help but think if youre currently out of work it might be impossible to ever get back in. The headlines are focused on the rise in unemployment and the latest wave of companies facing administration which includes the thousands of jobs at risk. Looking through the articles do you ever get overwhelmed by all the facts and figures? Not sure how it affects you or what it means for your own job search? If you do then dont panic you are not alone, I have put together a list of facts about unemployment not to scare you but just to make it slightly easier to understand. But remember youre not a statistic and neither is your job search Unemployment Rates It currently stands at 4.4% which although is an increase from earlier in 2017, its actually a decrease from the same time the year prior. Redundancies Rates This was at a rate of 3.9 per 1000 employees being made redundant during the period of October December 2017. Jobs Available There are a lot of vacancies out there so dont feel too despaired about finding the right one, it just takes a lot of hunting. Between November 2017 to January 2018 there were 823,000 job vacancies which is 70,000 more than the year before so there is still plenty of opportunities. If youre looking for work the majority of roles are in the service industry including wholesaling, retail and motor vehicle repair. So they might be sectors to consider. All the above facts are according to the Office for National Statics  report correct as of Feb 2018 How long does it take to get hired? According to  Glassdoor  the interview process take 27.5 days for each role. Now this might seem a long time, but in my experience I think it is spot on. From the point you send off an application to getting hired is usually 4-6 weeks so set yourself realistic timelines. The recruitment process can be long but it is worth it for the right job. Summary Employment rates will always change and the job market will alter but that never means you wont get back into employment nor does it mean you should hold off on finding your dream job. Head to my Life After Redundancy, Whats Next post to find out the 6 main steps to getting back into work and more importantly getting a job you love!