I’m not a big fan of the word “hate” but let me be honest: I’ve definitely felt some very, VERY strong negativity toward a few of my superiors in the past. Hey, I’m only human. This is probably one of the most common challenges I hear from professionals.
Working for someone you don’t like is the absolute worst. And yet, it can be a great learning experience if you approach it with the right attitude. Here are four reasons you should love that boss you hate:
1. Personal Insight
You can actually learn a lot about yourself in a situation like this. Consider the following questions:
- Why does this person get under your skin?
- What values are being stepped on here?
- How are you possibly contributing to the situation? (Ouch! Don’t skip this question; it will give you amazing insight.)
- What do you really want from a boss? Are you, perhaps, expecting too much?
- What kind of leader would YOU be?
2. Practice
Look, the business world is full of jerks. Consider this great practice for the future. You’re exercising patience and your ability to not take things personally. With practice, it gets easier.
3. Future Wisdom
After working for someone with whom you don’t click, you’ll be on the lookout for a better match in the future. Next time you’re interviewing for a new position, you’ll be more aware of the impact a supervisor has, and you’ll have more understanding of what you want in a boss. Perhaps you’ll see red flags you might have missed before.
4. Opportunity
I know this sounds a little nutty, but that jerk of a boss is giving you a great opportunity. You have the chance to adapt, to implement new strategies and, ultimately, build a bridge in some fashion. It might never be the perfect relationship, but there’s always a chance you can improve things. So don’t give up! Look for openings to strengthen your partnership. Use your relationship building skills and develop new ones. There IS room for growth here.
Article originally posted at http://www.careerealism.com/boss-love-hate-reasons/
Chrissy Scivicque (pronounced “Civic”), founder of Eat Your Career, is an award-winning freelance writer/editor with a passion for two things: food and helping others.
It’s time to dump the old line: “Please accept this application in response to… ”
If you’re still starting your cover letters with this overused one-liner, then I implore you to stop what you’re doing, delete the line, and spend a few minutes reading this article to discover seven new examples of how you can catch the hiring manager’s attention with an attention-grabbing opening line.
Entice them with the job title and some of your standout accomplishments
1. As an IT Director for ABC Company, I manage IT operations for a 500+-employee organization. Recruited in 2005, my goal has been to modernize and scale the technology landscape and drive forward initiatives to expand the capabilities, systems, and performance across the organization. To date, the results have been impressive, including transition to a new Storage Area Network (SAN), Microsoft desktop environment, data warehouse, and Internet technology tools. Further, I have captured more than $2.5 million in development and operating cost reductions.
Keyword-rich opening lines that demonstrate fit
2. I am a veteran Construction Manager with extensive experience in the designing, planning, budgeting, staffing, and on-site supervision of new construction and renovation projects. With 15+ years in construction and project management, I bring to ABC Company value-added expertise in:
3. As an accomplished Chief Financial Officer, I possess broad cross-functional experience in emerging, high-growth, and well-established corporations. Unlike other finance executives, my focus has not been limited to just finance but includes strategic planning, change management, system implementations, and business operations, as well as the performance improvement of teams. Highlights of my career include:
4. Designing, developing, and leading physical fitness training programs are my passions and my expertise. My 11+ years of progressive leadership experience in the U.S. Air Force, together with my upcoming ACE certification and my achievements in fitness instruction and coaching, make me an excellent candidate for your Personal Trainer position.
Highlight the fact you can meet their needs to keep them reading
5. Cultivating relationships to deliver exceptional results is what I do best. Whether in a start-up situation or a high-growth organization, I have consistently increased sales and customer satisfaction through my ability to develop first-class sales solutions and drive professional excellence. Highlights of my career that may be of interest to you include:
6. Cross-cultural communication, multi-departmental collaboration, and producing highly detailed and dependable administrative and marketing support are what I do best.
7. Delivering massive value to my clients has been the focus of my career for the past 13 years. In my role as ___________ for ABC Company, I have unfailingly provided my clients with strategies, action plans, and the leadership necessary to enhance people, processes, and technologies. In addition, I have established a solid reputation for assessing challenges, creating solutions, and responding quickly to changing business requirements. This is the value I offer to XYZ Corporation.
Words to remember
It’s important to remember your cover letter should be a brief introduction that demonstrates fit and motivates the employer to read your resume. If you’re narrating your whole life story or using the same old line that’s been written a million times before, then you’re not really captivating the reader or communicating the most vital information necessary to win the interview.
Using these simple points as guidelines and the cover letter samples provided above as a starting point, create your own unique and captivating opening line that draws the reader in and keeps them interested.
Jessica Holbrook Hernandez, the CEO of Great Resumes Fast, is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, and presenter.
Article originally posted at: http://www.careerealism.com/examples-start-cover-letter/
Finding out information about other people is much easier than it used to be. Professionals are now going to great lengths to create their own personal brands online. Many people have purchased their own name as a domain and use the space for a portfolio, online resume or personal blog. Domain names are relatively inexpensive and it might be worth the cost to show prospective employers what you have to offer. A personal website can expand upon what you fit into your resume and may be particularly beneficial for people who are seeking jobs in design, art and technology fields to showcase their work.
Be aware that anything you post online could be in the public domain. If you’re posting comments or images online, they may be visible to prospective employers. An increasing number of employers are doing pseudo-background checks on prospective employees by seeing what’s online about their candidates.
Online postings can be used for positive messages, too. You can show your expertise in a certain area by posting comments on other people’s blogs or creating your own. Consider subscribing to blogs and website feeds that offer tips for the industry in which you want to work and in your area of study. You’re likely to learn something new and you may have an opportunity to engage with others in your field by posting comments and being a part of an online community.
If you aren’t currently using LinkedIn, sign up for a free account and post your resume. Once you have entered your work experience and education information, you’ll have an opportunity to join groups of similar professionals. There may also be groups that cater to people who work for certain companies, people who attended your college, various areas of interest and more. The groups allow users to post their own questions, as well as respond to questions that others have posted. This is yet another way to become a part of an online community and network with people with whom you wouldn’t ordinarily be in contact.
Facebook also has a career networking app called BranchOut. This is another great tool to use in addition to LinkedIn.
Once you have your offer letter in hand and all of the details of your employment have been confirmed, you should update your online profiles to reflect your new position. This information will show up in the status updates section of your fellow connections. As you gain additional job skills, training and certifications, make sure you continue to keep your online information current.
Checklist for Monitoring Your Online Image
- Determine what’s “out there” about you. Google your name and see what comes up, review your profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Try to remove any inappropriate or workplace-unfriendly content.
- Be honest. If you know that there is unflattering content posted about you online and you’ve tried to remove it without success, be upfront with your recruiter or interviewers. Explain the situation and ensure the interviewers know that the information is not a true reflection of who you are and how you would perform as their employee.
- Going forward, be careful about what you post. Remember that anything posted in the public domain may remain public indefinitely and could be available to a prospective employer.
- Use free tools to continually monitor your online presence. If you set up a Google Alert on your name, you will receive an e-mail each time your name shows up in a Google search.
Amanda Haddaway is the author of Destination Real World: Success After Graduation. Article originally posted at http://www.careerealism.com/online-image-tips/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+careerealism+%28CAREEREALISM%29