Here are nine tips on how to present well that you can incorporate into your general presentation style:

1. Know How to Use Humor – Humor is a difficult thing to pull off in a presentation. Get it right with a short anecdote to break the ice at the start of a presentation, and you can get an audience on your side. However, making a joke that falls flat will only make things uncomfortable. Think carefully about the audience that you will be presenting to, and consider whether humor is suitable to the situation and your style.
2. Work on Gestures and Body Language – Body language and hand gestures can help you to hold the attention of an audience. You needn’t spend a lot of time in trying to work out the best movements or gestures, but should try to focus on keeping eye contact, emphasizing key points, and keeping your posture straight and your body language relaxed.
3. Change Vocal Tone and Pace – A monotone presentation will most likely cause your audience to switch off and lose interest. Work on varying your tone of voice and the volume by which you deliver your presentation.
4. Use Visual Aids Appropriately – A few visual aids can help to enhance key points, and can keep audiences entertained during the course of a presentation. However, you should avoid producing overly detailed PowerPoint slides, as well as handouts that require audiences to focus on your speaking and the information in front of them.
5. Always Rehearse as Much as You Can – Rehearsing a whole presentation out loud is much better than hoping that a written script will be fine on the day. Timing, vocal inflection and volume are all issues that can be worked through by performing the presentation out loud. Try and see if any friends, family members or colleagues will be willing to act as an audience for you.
6. Focus on Three Key Points – An effective presentation should only consist of a few key points. Ask yourself, what three things do you want your audience to remember after the presentation.  This may sound simple, but to learn how to present well, being able to boil down your presentation into three central points is key. This way it’s easier for the audience to follow and you have a clear structure for your presentation.
7. Make Sure You Have All Technical Issues Resolved – Fiddling with cables and projectors before a presentation will make an audience restless, and will not come across as professional. Arrive early enough in the presentation room to get everything loaded up and checked. Doing so will also help you to relax and take in the size of the room and the potential audience for your talk.
8. Don’t Overload Audiences with Information – Too much data or graphs can be very tiring to an audience.  The best approach is to work on a technique where you can use a few graphs or information to support your three points, while suggesting that further data can be produced on request, or discussed in a question and answer session.
9. Recap Key Points - Don’t be afraid about pausing to recap your key points during a presentation and at the end of your presentation. This technique can act as breathers for an audience if you’re covering a lot of information, and will also help to add structure to your presentation.

 Your comments: Did these tips help you learn how to present well?  Please add your comments below.

Guest author: Christina Appleworth is an intern for Speak First. Inspire confidence and create impact via our presentation skills training courses available throughout the UK.

This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to BeMyCareerCoach.com, please follow these guest post guidelines.

This podcast is an one-on-one coaching session to discuss two topics

1. How to negotiate your contract hourly rate (if you are currently a full time employee transitioning to contract work).  This is not simply dividing your salary by 2000 hours.
2. How to negotiate your vacation time when you are contracting – given contracting usually doesn’t pay for vacation time.  In this person case, she doesn’t want to get paid for vacation but she does have vacation planned soon after she would start this contract. She just want coaching on how to make sure she can still take her vacation.

Podcast: How to Negotiate Contract Rate and Vacation Time

Best wishes in your negotiations.  For additional job hunting tips, subscribe to my podcast on iTunes under Job Hunting Tips or Lei Han.

I am always in your corner

Lei

It is very possible to reduce stress.  After 15 years of trying to figuring this out for myself, here are 7 tips I recommend you can do at work and after work to reduce stress.

How to Reduce Stress at Work – 5 Tips : The key to reducing stress at work is by proactively managing your work load and directly address the source of your stress.  Many times, we overly stress because we have too much work, complicated work, or work where results are outside our control.    Here are 5 ways to be proactive and alleviate stress early before it spirals.

1. Prioritize and negotiate - Not all work are equally urgent.  It only seem so when we are stressed.  Take a step back, make a list of all the work you have to do and prioritize them based on EXTERNAL deadlines and what is critical to the business.  If you do this, you will realize that perhaps only 50% must be done this week and the other half can be pushed.  For those that you decide to push, communicate or negotiate your decision to affected parties including your boss.  The stress is only reduced when the new priorities you propose is agreed by all stakeholders.
2. Practice saying no tactfully to additional work - Many of us want to be liked at work.  So even when we are stressed and a senior person asks us to do one more thing, we tend to say yes.  STOP doing this!  When you are already overstretched, saying yes to one more thing will lower the quality of your work and will aggravate your stress.  You can learn how to say no at work gracefully – something like ” I would love to help with this.  Right now, I am under a tight deadline to do x,y,z, can I help you with this in two weeks?”  or  ”I would love to help with this.  If this is critical, is there something else on my plate I can push out?  I want to make sure I provide you the highest quality of work.”
3. Communicate and let go of what your cannot control - Often times, stress occurs when we worry about the results of the work that is outside our control.  In this case, realize that you CANNOT control the outcome completely and it’s okay.  Instead what you can do is communicate what you observed and the risk it has on the outcome to relevant parties – your boss or other stakeholders.  The key is NOT to point fingers but inform relevant people that you see this risk and here is what you are doing to mitigate it and here is what they may need to do to help you mitigate.  Beyond that, you have to let go and let the chips fall where they may.
4. Get help and advice – If you have trouble with the first 3 tips above, find someone to help.  It could be your boss if you have a good relationship and feel comfortable asking for advice.  It could be a mentor at work or outside of work – anyone who can give you sound, objective advice and have your interest at heart.
5. Time-box your work - Work will never end if we let it until we die.  Don’t make work your only priority in life.  Set boundaries and have non-work priorities as well.  When you do, you will then find ways to get the work done in the time box allocated more or less.  People are also more likely to respect your boundaries if you respect it yourself.

How to Reduce Stress – Outside of Work – 2 Tips - While stress may be related to work, we also carry it home and even in our sleep when we over-stress.  There is a marked physical reaction to stress – shorter breath or even holding our breaths at times, darting of thoughts, quickening of heart beats, insomnia, and a general tension / nervousness in the body.  Any pro-longed stress in this state physically and mentally can make us more prone to disease as we get older.  So here is what you can do outside of work to reduce stress.

1. Sweat it Out - Do at least 30 minutes of some kind of cardio exercise 3 times a week.  Anything that makes you sweating buckets.  You may say, I am already stressed – I don’t have time to work out.  Well, believe me, you need the break.  Throwing all your free time to work to relieve stress is an instinctual response that DOES NOT WORK.   You need the break to think clearly.  Choose the cardio exercise that work for you.
2. Participate in a Creative Outlet - once a week for at least an hour.  Again this feels counter-intuitive as stressed outl people never seem to think there is time for anything fun.  This idea however is instrumental to reducing your stress at work.   A creative outlet is an activity you enjoy (e.g, competitive sports or salsa dancing) where your right brain completely dominates.  A creative outlet can relieve the mental symptoms of stress – the constant working of the left brain 24/7 even in sleep.  We cannot be our best if we make our left brain work all the time.  This way your left brain – the one used for work – is allow to rest completely.  Note: Watching TV is NOT a creative outlet as many of us just suppress the stress into our subconscious while we watch TV.

At the end of the day, the key to reducing stress is to be proactive and try these tips to address stress head on.  It may not feel comfortable at first, but stress is NOT comfortable either.  We sometimes just deal with it thinking we have no choice.  Stress will happen at work.  There is no way to prevent it completely.  If you address it early, however, you will have a better chance at being productive, happy, and on top of your game.   Good luck at your work!

Like this post?  Then help me share it on Google+, Linkedin, Twitter and elsewhere.  For more advice to support your career success, sign up below for my email newsletter – How to Succeed like an Executive – learn practical tips for developing your soft skills (like stress management and people skills) and apply them immediately at work

Your comments: What is your challenge in managing stress?   I look forward to your comments below.  Thanks.  I am always in your corner.

Lei

Well, these are stressful situations that you are aware of.  What about hidden stress?  By its very name, it’s stress in your work life that you are not aware of. It’s every day stress due to the type of jobs you choose to have and type of decisions you make about how you work.  What do I mean?  Well, I can tell you from my own experience that I had no idea how much hidden stress I had everyday when I worked for McKinsey and Deloitte.  Consulting is a highly stressful job, especially for overachievers like me.   How did I find out I had hidden stress?  Actually through my husband when we first start dating and ultimately my body told me.

He commented on it one day early in our relationship and said “you probably have one of the highest tolerance for stress I have ever seen.”  I asked him, what he meant.  He said “well, it seems like you are stressed everyday, but you are barely aware of it.”  At first, I dismissed what he said.  Years later, I realized how right he was.  There is constant stress every day in consulting – am I performing well on this project?  Am I on the “beach” (not on a project) too long? Is this new partner / senior manager going to value my work (as we change teams every project)? Am I on track for promotion?….  This is just a beginning list.  As a result, there is a pretty high level of stress every day of my life while working for the major consulting firms.  And then of course, the stress increased even more at major project deadlines, new client meetings etc…  I was so conditioned after years of being in the same industry that I just accepted the stress as normal.

Well, eventually I paid a price.  I pushed myself so hard, that I injured my body for 3 years from a chronic syndrome called Repetitive Strain/stress Injury (RSI).  I got it due to too much computer work while being stressed and bad ergonomic conditions.  It was so bad that at one point, I couldn’t put on own my seat belt, be on the computer for more than 30 min a day and cannot hold a water glass with both hands.   Long story short, I had a major wake up call that my body has its limits. While I was not as aware of my stress and just assumed I will recover, my body took the tore of years of constant stress.  I got RSI and thankfully I was still young and was able to recover fully.

The question to ask yourself is how far will you let your stress take over your health and your life?  Do you know when to stop before it has irreversible effects (e.g., ulcers, heart attack, cancer, stroke) on you?  Disease by the very nature of the word is “dis” “ease” meaning lack of ease – another way to describe stress literally.

One way to avoid the hidden stress at work is to be in a career that is considered the least stressful.    For those who haven’t picked a career yet or considering a career change, perhaps the following list will help.  This is the 2011 and 2012 list from Careercast.com of the top 10 least stressful jobs

2011 list (see details)

1. Audiologist (average income: $63,144)
2. Dietician ($52,127)
3. Software Engineer ($87,140)
4. Computer Programmer ($71,176)
5. Dental Hygienist ($67,107)
6. Speech Pathologist ($65,143)
7. Philosopher ($61,221)
8. Mathematician ($94,178)
9. Occupational Therapist ($70,193)
10. Chiropractor (68,358.00)

2012 list (see details)

1. Medical records technician.
2. Jeweler.
3. Hair stylist.
4. Dressmaker-tailor.
5. Medical laboratory technician.
6. Audiologist.
7. Precision assembler.
8. Dietician
9. Furniture upholsterer.
10. Electrical technician.

These two lists above are just examples. At the end of the day, you control how much stress you go through at work and in life.  As for me, I am thankful to learn to how to make wiser decisions now to avoid unnecessary stress in my work and life.  I work now 30-40 hours a week at the most, am much more conscientious about my health, and am thankful every day to have time to spend with my family.  You can also find your path to fulfillment and a healthy life.   Best wishes in your life and career choices.  I am always in your corner.

Lei

This is because the consequences of stress (illness, early death) do not show until many years later vs. the rewards from putting ourselves in stressful situations are more apparent and immediate – praise for a project completed successfully, a raise as a result of our stellar work which may be filled with stressful days, or a quicker path to promotion.    To raise more awareness that work related stress can actually kill you, I want to give you a different perspective than the accepted norm that stress is just part of life.  It is important to realize that you are choosing stress when make decisions about where you work, how much you work, and how fast you try to climb the career ladder.

• What if the consequences of your stress related to working toward that promotion one year earlier, is you will die 1 year earlier?   If you knew that for a fact, do you still want that promotion sooner?   Maybe not.    While I can’t say this for sure, there is a lot of truth to this example.  In one study of 820 adults, 53 of them died during the 20 year study period mainly because they worked in a hostile environment that caused them higher level of work-related stress.
• What if the consequences of your stress related to trying to get the maximum raise you want at the end of year, is you are 25-50% more likely to get a heart attack or stroke later in life?   This is actually based on facts (see infographics below). What would be your response?  Many of our instincts say maybe I will beat the odds and be that 50% that don’t get a heart attack or stroke.  Are you willing to gamble time over time your health on those odds?
• What if overworking and over stressing can literally and directly kill you?    Will you still choose to do it?  In Japan, 10K managers, executives and engineers die annually from overwork.
• What if what career you choose to pursue is directly linked to how long you might live?  Well, this is also true.  The following 10 careers are considered the most stressful careers of 2012 according to Careercast.com.
  1. Soldiers
  2. Firefighters
  3. Airline pilots
  4. Military generals
  5. Police officers
  6. Event coordinators
  7. Public relations executives
  8. Corporate executives
  9. Photojournalists
  10. Taxi drivers

Do you feel like you are more aware of the consequences of stress on your health?  If so, will you do anything about it today?  What you choose to do every day at work (how long you work, how much you stress) can affect your long term health and happiness.  Remember, the annual salary we need to be happy is only about $50K.  Given this, how much of your health and how many years of life are you willing to sacrifice for more money and status beyond the $50K you need to be happy?

Your comments: Are you stressed at work?  If so, what are you doing about it?  I look forward to your comments below.

Lei

From: HumanResourcesMBA.org

For these job seekers, a question naturally follows “What should be my hourly rate in a contract position?”  The answer is it’s not as simple as converting your salary directly to an hourly rate.  For example, if you make $80K in annual salary and works full time (which is about 2000 hours per year), does this mean your equivalent hourly rate converted from your salary should be ($80K/2K hours) $40/hr?

The answer is NO.  If you only ask for $40/hr, you would have undersold yourself.  This is because your hourly rate as a contractor should account for 3 factors that are different from a full time position who is paid a compensation package.

1. Full time compensation package includes salary and benefits vs. hourly rate contract jobs do not have benefits - As a full time employee, your company will pay for the majority of your insurance premiums and the rest of the premium is paid with pretax dollars from your salary.  In a contract situation, you are self employed and therefore would have to find your own health insurance.  Individual health insurance cost at least 3 times more and has less coverage.  Therefore, your hourly rate needs to account for that.  The best scenario for you is if your spouse is a full time employee and you can get your health insurance there.
2. Hourly rate contract jobs also incurs self-employment tax vs. full time employment do not - When you work as a contractor, you are considered self-employed and the government will charge you a 15% self employment tax in additional to other income taxes.   Therefore, your hourly rate should be at least 15% more than your salary converted hourly rate.   One way to offset the additional self employment tax is to deduct business expenses (e.g, computer used for contract work, % of your rent that is office space dedicated to working your contract, etc..) against your contract revenue.  You should contact a tax consultant to find out all the legitimate business expenses you can deduct
3. Down time cost between contracts- Contracts are typically from 6-18 months and many companies forces contractors to take a mandatory break after a set period to distinguish them from full time employees (e.g., must take 6 months off after contracting for 18 months at a company).  Given contract job are typically shorter than full time employment, you need to account for that period between contracts where you are without income.   To get around the mandatory break rule, you can always try to get a contract from another company during that time and switch between two or more companies to avoid any down time.  To achieve this however requires you to network more and find work for yourself efficiently.  In general,  you have to look for contract work much more often than a full time job.

Therefore to convert your annual salary to an adequate hourly rate that takes into account the above 3 factors, you need to multiply your salary to hourly equivalent by a multiplier.  This multiplier is somewhere between 1.5 to 2.5 depending on the industry and your skills in selling yourself into a contract.  With the tough market, the multiplier is closer to 1.5 lately given there are many more people applying to contract work.  With the example above, the salary hourly equivalent is $40 per hour.  Adding the multiplier at 1.5, then the hourly rate you would want is at least $40 x 1.5 = $60 per hour to offset the risks and additional cost of working as a contractor.

I hope this helped.  Best wishes in your job search and negotiations.

Like this post?  Then help me share it on Google+, Linkedin, Twitter and elsewhere.  For more advice to support your career success, sign up below for my email newsletter – How to Succeed like an Executive

Your comments: Did these tips help you figure out your fair hourly rate?  I look forward to your comments below.  Thanks.  I am always in your corner.

Lei

• Someone jumped off the roof of the apartment complex we live in (downtown San Francisco) – died instantly.  I didn’t know the person but to have it happen so close to home is sobering.
• My husband found out one of his best friends checked into the hospital due to stomach pain.  The doctor told him he has to have gall bladder surgery and now after some more tests, they found some other potential disease and need to run more test before doing any surgery.  We still don’t know what this means and how serious it is.
• I found out another friend’s wife, mother of 4 kids, who is only in her late 40s, has a rare form of bone cancer.  She has already lost one leg due to it and is still fighting for her life right now with regular chemo sessions until July.  Her chance are at best 50/50.

One way that helps me stop and be present is going running. I am lucky to live by the water in San Francisco.  This view is only 10 min away from where I live.  I started running again 3 weeks ago after giving birth 3 months before by C section.  My run is very slow filled with breaks but it’s so liberating.  I am always in awe of the beauty around me when I run.  It reminds me to be thankful to be healthy, to have a loving family, to have kids (3.5 year old and 3 months old) who are healthy and well adjusted.

Best wishes!  I am always in your corner.

Lei

In contrast, today I went to see Dr Sood, the dentist I use to see in this same office.  She were amazing.  She delivered pretty much the same conclusion to me about my teeth.  But because of her expert interpersonal skills, not only did I listen, but I also really appreciated her expertise.

Can you imagine the power of good interpersonal communication skills?  If a dentist can turn bad news about my teeth into something I listen to and appreciate, imagine what you can do for your career if you use effective interpersonal communication skills when conversing with your colleagues and your boss.  Interpersonal communication skills is the ability to deliver any communication in a way where the other person will listen and at the same time form a favorable impression of you.  How powerful would that be in your career!

So how can you improve your interpersonal communication skills?  Here are 5 tips you can use in your next business conversation.

1. Build personal rapport – Whatever your business conversation is, don’t launch right into it, always start with a little small talk that shows you have been paying attention and care about the person you are speaking with.  It’s important to be genuine here.  At the dentist, Dr Sood’s staff immediately congratulated me on the birth of my baby and asked also about how my older daughter is doing.  I was impressed they remembered so much about me and seemed genuinely interested.
2. Listen – if you ever want to be heard by anyone, you must first also show that you are listening to them.  Interpersonal communication is a two-way conversation.  Only when you listen, can you perceive where they are coming from and respond appropriately.  Also most people appreciate it when you listen and will in turn return the favor and listen to you.  Dr Sood today asked me about my teeth.  I told her and she listened intently and didn’t seem to judge at all.  I appreciated it that.
3. Speak with encouragement and without finding fault – If someone spoke to you and all they were saying is where you are wrong, would you listen or would you be offended?  Most likely, you would be offended.  Nobody likes to be told they are wrong even if they are.  It’s human nature.   It’s better to speak with encouragement – focus on what’s working and also focus on the future and what can be done to improve.  No one can change the past, but the future is not written yet and you can communicate what can be done in the future and the benefits in order to make sound recommendations without finding fault.  My dentist did exactly that today.  She acknowledged my efforts so I felt good that I did some things right and then she told me what I could do to improve.  She didn’t tell me I must do it.  She simply told me why it would be good for me to do it and left it up to me.  I am already thinking about how to change my habits in the future as a result.
4. Genuine tone and non-verbal cues matter – It’s not only what words you choose to say but also how you say it that matters.  The communication tone you choose can convey judgement even if you don’t want to, so make sure in your heart you don’t believe in finding fault.  Otherwise, even if you use the right words to avoid finding fault, your tone will disclose how you really feel and can still put someone on the defensive.  Same is true of body language.  It’s important to make eye contact, don’t fold your arms and face your body to whom you are speaking.  All this invites a positive response.
5. Care about the person with whom you are speaking – Last but not the least, this is probably the most important tip.  The more you can put yourself in their shoes, the better you can find the best approach in communicating with them.  If you have to tell your boss bad news, then imagine how he would feel receiving the news and what he would worry about.  If you can proactively address those worries to minimize his stress, you will also minimize the impact of this news may have on your job performance.

At the end of day, mastering interpersonal communication skills gives you the power to influence other’s action and impression of you.  I walked away from the dental office today happy and relieved.  I accepted everything Dr. Sood recommended, will go back tomorrow for an hour for fillings (more business for them), booked my husband for a cleaning with her (advocate her to others) and plan to improve on how I will care for my teeth at home (caused me to change and act).

Just like dentistry, success in the corporate world is about people and not just business solutions.  Everyone wants to be treated with respect and care.  If you take time to improve your interpersonal communication skills and listen, care, and communicate in a way that keep their interest in mind, they will most likely return the favor and support your career success.

Like this post?  Then help me share it on Google+, Linkedin, Twitter and elsewhere.  For more advice to support your career success, sign up below for my email newsletter – How to Succeed like an Executive – learn practical tips for developing your soft skills and apply them immediately at work

Your comments: Do these tips help?  Did I miss any?  I look forward to your comments below.  Thanks.  I am always in your corner.

Lei

A person on average will have about 5 careers in their life time.  That’s at least 5 job changes, some of which will be you quitting the job.   So learning how to give notice at work is a key soft skill in maintaining a good reputation that supports your career success.  Here are 5 tips to giving notice at work

1. Give notice at least 2 weeks in advance – At a minimum every company expects a 2 week notice.  Anything less can be perceived as too abrupt and can jeopardize your reputation.   There is never a good time to quit your job and you are undoubtedly always going to be in the middle of working on something that need to be transitioned if you quit.   So when you find a new job, be sure to negotiate the start date so that you have at least 2 weeks to give to your old company.  The new company should understand and respect it, as they also would not want to hire someone that will just quit and not care about transitioning their work.
2. Give notice in person - Unless you absolutely hate your boss or your job has completely been unfair to you, it is best to give notice in person to your boss.  It shows respect.  Just like it’s rude to break up with someone by phone, text, email, or post it note, the same rule applies at work.  Schedule a meeting if you can, but if your boss is too busy anytime soon, then just stop by his or her office to ask for 5 minutes.  Once he hears the news, he will make time.
3. Don’t just say you quit – Also communicate the following: a) tell him what you may have appreciate it about your current job including thanking your boss for his support if it makes sense. b) let your boss know that you will develop and implement a transition plan so that someone can take over your work.  c) Ask who he would like you to transition your work to  d) Answer any questions if your boss had any concerns.
4. Transition your work – Everyone would appreciate your efforts even though you are leaving.  It shows that you are a professional and cares that the company is left in good standing.  That goes a long way in reinforcing your reputation as a top notch professional.  The best reaction you want to achieve is that your boss and team are bummed that you are leaving but totally understand and support you.  That would be ideal.  If you don’t have such a good boss or team, well, at least do everything in your power to leave on good terms and make sure someone takes over your work.   It never hurt to behave like a professional.
5. Keep in touch – Connect with key people on Linkedin and ask for Linkedin recommendations if it makes sense.  Even though you found the next job already, you may still need someone from this job to recommend you for any future job search.

Every job is a chance to build your network.  Just like first impression matters at work, last impression matters as well.   The last impression is how you leave a job and give notice.  Relationships matter in your career success.  The more people you know and thinks highly of you, the more it helps as you progress upwards.   Best wishes to your career success.

Like this post?  Then help me share it on Google+, Linkedin, Twitter and elsewhere.  For more advice to support your career success, sign up below for my email newsletter – How to Succeed like an Executive – learn practical tips for developing your soft skills and apply them immediately at work

Your comments: Do you agree with these tips? Did I miss any?   I look forward to your comments below.  Thanks.  I am always in your corner.

Lei

This podcast is a live coaching discussion with a job seeker who is trying to make a career change.   While I helped her with her specific situation, the podcast goes into detail about the process of how to sell your skills into any new industry or role.  This includes

1. How to read the job opening description and understand what the employer is looking for – identify 6 skills they are look for.
2. How to tailor your resume and cover letter to best convey your qualification for this role – build your resume and cover letter around which of the six skills you identify in their description you have.  How to think about your skills in a new way in a new role – dare to market yourself boldly without lying
3. How to prepare for your interview and address difficult questions confidently – If you don’t believe you are qualified deep down, the prospective employer won’t either.  So make sure you can sell your skills to yourself first.

Podcast - How to Sell Your Skills Into a New Industry or Role

You can also find this podcast on iTunes – Just search in Podcast under Lei Han or Job Hunting Tips.  Good luck in your job search.

Like this podcast?  Then help me out and share it on Google+, Linkedin, Twitter, and elsewhere.

Your comment:  Did the process I described help you rethink how you write your resume and cover letter?  Share your comments below.  I am always in your corner.

In this article, I highlight four multimedia resume techniques that are replacing the traditional resume strategies. And as a glimpse of things to come, I also look at what one college is doing using multimedia to help its graduates position themselves as competitors in the job market.

FOUR MULTIMEDIA RESUME OPTIONS

The traditional resume won’t disappear completely anytime soon, there are certain guidelines that you should always follow, regardless of mode of delivery. The multimedia resume techniques described below are all marketing tools, containing marketing messages about you. The question is: Can multimedia help you stand out in the application process?  If the answer is yes, there are four multimedia channels you can tap into to accomplish this.

1. Video: Giving a Face and Voice to the Applicant
As Bruce Hurwitz of Hurwitz Strategic Staffing says, “Video can increase my confidence in a candidate’s ability to successfully interview–Is she professional? Is she articulate?–or eliminate a candidate from consideration.”

The website Purzue makes it easy for job seekers to create a profile based off of their resume, accompanied by a quick video pitch in place of a cover letter. The recruiting platform and job board GetHired goes further, with real-time interviewing capabilities and virtual screening through recorded responses. Of course, time is money, and candidates need to give recruiters a reason to keep watching. My advice: personality is great, but don’t get too cute. Balance is key.

2. Infographics: Bringing Flat Resumes to Life
Breaking out of the traditional resume template isn’t easy without a degree in design. But presenting a recruiter with a more visually stimulating overview of experience and qualifications can go a long way in setting a candidate apart. Thankfully, it doesn’t take an Adobe Illustrator savant to turn a boring old resume into an interesting infographic.

Vendors like Vizualize.me pull information from your social media profiles (LinkedIn, in this case), and lay it out in various (and customizable) formats. Not only are these easy to create, but they’re easy to share across multiple channels.

3. Social Media Profiles: Providing Insights into Culture Fit
Most job seekers–okay, at least those under 50–have some kind of social media presence. It’s no secret that recruiters investigate some candidates’ social media profiles to obtain a more rounded picture of the individual (and yes, also to check for questionable content).

Job seekers are responding to this shift in recruiting practices by beefing up their networks (which gives a nice halo effect), expanding their professional profiles and adding recommendations on LinkedIn, driving conversations and connecting with thought leaders on Twitter, and cleaning up their Facebook profiles.

4. Blogs and Personal Sites: Showing Off
Blogs are an excellent platform for candidates to showcase their hobbies, writing and communication skills, and general interests. Think they’re just for marketing candidates? Think again. Even a meat cutter at Whole Foods can run a successful butcher blog to establish expertise and share experience with an avid audience.

And who said blogs are just for writing? Techies can demonstrate their ability to build WordPress templates, too, or simply prove they know how to find and add plug-ins to build websites. And candidates for and candidates for artistic positions can showcase their portfolio of work.

IS THE MULTIMEDIA RESUME THE FUTURE?

The basic function of a resume isn’t going anywhere. What’s changing is how that function is executed.  To that end, many college campuses are taking it upon themselves to give the next wave of workers a competitive advantage in the job market of tomorrow.

At Ithaca College’s Park School of Communications, Dean Diane Gayeski spearheaded an initiative to prepare to enter a workforce with limited work experience, and where social media engagement and a strong portfolio are a graduate’s strongest ally. All freshman communications majors are required to take a six-week multimedia course in which they learn how to create and market an online repository of their work via an ePortfolio, learn best practices for using social media tools, and connect with alumni–both fresh out of school and already established in their careers. They’re seeing success.

“When you’re starting off in college, you’re dealing with buzzwords like branding and image. It can be intimidating,” says Aaron Edwards, a senior journalism major and future James Reston Reporting Fellow for The New York Times. For Edwards, however, the ePortfolio started in freshman year became a repository of his best work that was easily leveraged when he began applying for jobs and internships. Says Edwards:

“I now have a personal website, which is a little more permanent. It was great to have the portfolio as a stepping stone to something I’ll use for the rest of my life.”

Your comments: What successes have you had in using media to find work?  Do you think you will try any of these options above?  Please add your comments below.

Guest author: Kyle Lagunas is the HR Analyst at Software Advice, a resource for selecting a talent management or an applicant tracking system. Kyle reports on trends and best practices in HR and recruiting software—offering fresh insights into the ho-hum of people processes.

This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to BeMyCareerCoach.com, please follow these guest post guidelines.

Here are 6 tips I recommend on how to get promoted quickly at a company

1. Make a good first impression – Because first impression can last a long time, start any job strong by building a good reputation fast with key influencers of the company – your boss plus other senior people that can contribute to the decision of your future promotion.   You usually have about 90 days to build your initial reputation.  Make them count because a major misstep in the beginning can be very hard to reverse later.
2. Discover Promotion Expectations - Once you settle into a company, find out what are the criteria for promotion from your boss.  Approach him or her with a positive and open attitude.  Communicate your desire to excel and proactively find out what it takes to get promoted and when it could happen if you do well.  This communication does three things for you: a) helps you find out the exact criteria for promotion, so you can work toward it. b) understand the typical length it takes to get promoted – for example 3 years. and c) gives your boss the impression that you are focused and want to excel.
3. Demonstrated skills at the next level - Obviously you have to excel at your current position to be promoted.  That is usually a given at most companies.   Whether it is said or not, it is also important to develop and demonstrate skills at the next level to ensure promotion.  For example, if you are an individual contributor and the next level up is manager level where you would have to manage people, then you should already find opportunities at your current level to informally manage people.   It is a lot easier to get promoted if you can show your boss that you have the skill already than to convince him or her that you will be a good people manager.
4. Proactively build a good relationship with your boss – This is important even when you are a stellar performer.  Let’s face it. Promotion is a subjective decision still and people still rather promote the person they like and are similar to them.  So if there are more than you in the team who performs well but you have a closer relationship with the boss, you will get promoted.  c’est la vie.
5. Build a personal “board of advisers” – Companies all have board of advisers.  Why? so that they can get great strategic advice from people with diverse experience.  You should follow that example and build your own personal “board of advisers”.  They can tell you the informal scoop on how to get promoted.  Your board of advisers are senior people that can include your boss’s peers, people senior to your boss, as well as people outside your company.  Usually 5 people is sufficient.  You want to build relationship with those you respect, have the experience to provide sound advice, and want to help you with your career.  With these people, you can ask them to be your mentors.   But not all people on your “board” have to be a mentor as it’s hard to find many good mentors. Others can be on your board for politic reasons.  By this, I mean you want to figure who has your boss’ ear and build a good relationship with that person.  Make sure that person thinks highly of you using subtle self promotion and this will help with your career progression.
6. Proactively check in on your progress - Lastly, it’s also important to directly check in with your boss periodically (every 3 to 6 months) on your performance.  You never want to assume you are on track unless you hear it from your boss as he / she can have different perception of your performance than your own.  By proactively asking for feedback, you demonstrate initiative; you will get a chance to find out what areas you still need to improve to be on track for promotion; and you will remind your boss that you want to be promoted and expect it if all goes well without directly saying it.

By following these 6 tips, you are doing yourself a favor, making sure you are recognize for the good work you do and getting promoted according to your expectations.  Best wishes to your career success!

Like this post?  Then help me share it on Google+, Linkedin, Twitter and elsewhere.  For more advice to support your career success, sign up below for my email newsletter – How to Succeed like an Executive – learn practical tips for developing your soft skills and apply them immediately at work

Your comments: Do these tips help?  Did I miss any?  I look forward to your comments below.  Thanks.  I am always in your corner.

Lei

To read more tips, also refer to my other post - Can’t Find a Job after College – 6 Ideas.

Podcast: How to Maximize Your Job Search Chances After College

Your comments:  was this podcast helpful?  any outstanding questions?

Like this podcast?  then help me out and share it on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and elsewhere.  Thanks.  Subscribe to my podcast channel on iTunes – under Job Hunting Tips or Lei Han

I am always in your corner.

Lei

1. You don’t discover how tough this job is until you are on the job.
2. Your boss is pretty demanding but does not communicate well.  You have to often guess what he/she wants you to do and whether he or she is happy with your work.
3. Your boss requires you to be on call almost 24/7 in the first few months on the job.
4. Many people are qualified to do this job but to be really good at it requires a lot of dedication and personal sacrifice.
5. You are usually thrown into the job without much formal training. No matter how many books you read about it, you will be still scrambling from time to time, especially during the first year.
6. While you most likely work in a team with at least one other person on this job, nobody else can help you do some parts of this job.
7. This job usually requires a long term commitment.
8. While job security is high, you can be fired from this job if you are really bad at it.
9. You can make a profound difference in someone else’s life in this job.
10. This job is often under paid and under appreciated by many.  Some people may even look down upon you if you have been at this job full time for awhile.
11. If you let it, this job can also be one of the most rewarding job you will have .

Your comment: Is it obvious what this job is?  Share your guess and comments below.

I am always in your corner.

Lei

Top 10 On the Job Advice Posts

1. List of 28 Soft Skills – Business Professionals
2. Hard Skills vs. Soft Skills – Difference and Importance
3. Examples – Interpersonal Skills are More Important than Hard Skills
4. How to Ask Someone To Be Your Mentor
5. What are Soft Skills
6. What Makes a Good Manager- 7 Qualities
7. How to Improve Your Soft Skills
8. What is Interpersonal Communication – Definition and 3 Myths
9. Overwhelmed at Work? Six Practical Solutions 
10. How to Make a Good First Impression

For more way to navigate this blog and take advantage of all the 140+ career advice articles, click here.  Best wishes in 2012.  I am always in your corner

Lei

Job seekers: Xmas is usually the slowest season for recruiting as many hiring managers are taking vacations and budget for hiring are not set until January.   So give yourself permission to enjoy the holidays and start your effort anew in the new year.  The only thing you can work on is your resume during the holiday.  If you want help, start with this free resume template.

Those with jobs: Be thankful to have a job since unemployment is so high still.  Even if your job is not perfect, you at least have options to work it out or try to find a new one in the new year.   Most companies have holiday vacation schedules.  Take it and spend time with your family.  Work can wait.  Choose life over work during this holiday season.  Nobody ever wish they worked more on their death bed.  Everyone however wish they spent more time with family.   Take the time now while business is slow and say no to work.

As for me, I am thankful for a wonderful year.  While I have little income to show for it this year, this year has been rewarding in other ways and an adventure.

• I am thankful to be able to reach over 13K readers now worldwide monthly and still growing at 20-30% a month.   I started this year only reaching about 500 people a month.  I also found out that I love to write.  I have hated writing for about 15 years of my life, so this is quite a revelation.
• I am thankful for everyone’s interest and support of my career advice blog.  I love the fact that I can help people I don’t know with their careers.   I treasure every email that lets me know I was helpful in some way.
• I am thankful to find a passion – helping professionals develop their soft skills to achieve career success - which I realized that I would do for free indefinitely if I had all the money in the world.  I don’t have all the money in the world, but I am working on gaining financial freedom so I can always pursue what I love.
• I am thankful for a year of learning new skills – writing, search engine optimization, paid search marketing, new product development, etc…
• I am thankful for the unconditional support of my husband and my ever growing family – I have a 3.5 year old daughter and by the time you read this, I would have given birth to another daughter due Dec 15, 2011.

This picture of my daughter says it all about how I feel about the holidays.  Perhaps it’s because I see more of life through her eyes these days.  She is so excited about our tree, all the presents Santa is dropping off, and her little sister due to arrive this week.

I wish we can all remember how we feel about life and the holidays as we did as a kid – with excitement, joy, and hope in our eyes.   Happy Holidays to you and your family.  I will be back next year with more career advice.  Email me if you have any topic suggestions.

I am always in your corner.

Lei

Podcast  - How to Say No at Work

Your comments:  was this podcast helpful?  any outstanding questions?

Like this podcast?  then help me out and share it on twitter, facebook, linkedin, Google+ and elsewhere.  Thanks.  Subscribe to my podcast channel on iTunes – under Workplace Communication or Lei Han

I am always in your corner.

Lei

3 Common Mental Obstacles – to Finding Your Passion

One Exercise to Help Find Your Passion

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me
2. I wish I didn’t work so hard
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier

Reading this prompted me to come up with this exercise on how to find your passion.  In our 20s, 30s, 40, even 50s, we rarely think about dying.  It’s morbid and depressing.  However, knowing you will die soon also give you clarity and can quickly help you break down the mental obstacles (crap) you hold in your logical mind.   So to do this exercise, allocate an hour somewhere in your house or a cafe and imagine what if you are told you have just one more year or one more month to live, then ask yourself 3 questions in order to find your passion.

3 Questions to Ask to Find Your Passion

1. As you face death, what is your biggest REGRET of what you didn’t do in life?    This question overcome the fear mental obstacle.  There is no bigger fear than death, so assuming you will die soon, what do you wish you would have tried to do in your life regardless of success or failure?  This will give you some ideas about the passion you have been too afraid to try.
2. If you had financial security already, what would you do for free?  It doesn’t matter how much money you have and what fancy cars you drive, you cannot take any of it with you when you die.  What you can take with you, as the article indicates, is the feeling that you allow yourself to be happy in your life and you were true to yourself.  So setting aside financial responsibilities, what would make you happy?  What do you want your legacy to be when you die?   This question overcomes the responsibility mental obstacle and also gives you an indication of your passion
3. As you face death, what one thing you wish you had done that you know others may disapprove of?  By asking the question this way, you overcome the what other people think mental obstacle.  Death makes us face reality about what we really want in life and how we really feel about things.    The truth is people are usually too worried about their own lives to disapprove of any of your decision.

I leave you with the final sentence from “Five Regrets of the Dying” article – “Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.”

Like this post: Then help me out and share this on Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook and elsewhere

Your comment: does this exercise and questions help you find your passion?  Add your comment below.

Best wishes in finding your passion one step at a time.  I am always in your corner.

Lei

• 1 in 6 workers use social media to get hired
• 9 in 10 job seekers has at least one profile on a social media site and 54% of job seekers use Facebook,  Twitter, or Linkedin to find jobs
• over 18 million Americans say their got their current job using Facebook
• 50% of job seekers last year says they use Facebook to do job search and 15% says they used Facebook to get a job referral
• The more social you are the more likely to find a job on a social media site. “Super social” is defined as having more than 150 contacts on a social media site.   1 in 4 “super social” job seekers find their job using social media (Facebook being the most popular)

Here is the infographics

Created by: MBA Online

My recent experience reminded me that life or work is not always fair or reasonable.  And when life gives me a lemon, I can choose to be a victim or be resilient and make lemonade.  What happened to me is not work related but the same principles of resilience apply.  My 3 year old daughter’s Mandarin immersion preschool – Language-in-Action – abruptly announced 2 weeks ago that they will be closing mid-year. All the parents and teachers were stunned.  No explanation was given.  We had exactly 10 days to respond and have to find another suitable spot to continue our children’s Mandarin education.  Usually these things takes months of research and mid year is the hardest time to find any openings.  What a holiday “gift” to receive.

You may not be able to easily relate to my story if you don’t have kids, but this kind of news to a parent is similar to any of the following bad news you may encounter in your career.

• Being laid off unexpectedly right before the holiday – This is what’s happening to the teachers at this school without any warning
• Being passed for a promotion you expected - This school’s director told us only last month how committed she was to this program.
• Not getting an offer after you aced all the interviews - None of the teachers or parents knew this was coming.  Everyone was happy and thriving at this school.
• Being blamed for something you did not do at work - Teachers and parents are given no choice but to accept this decision.  We still don’t know to this day what went wrong.  The school director declined to explain or show her face anymore.

p.s:  For those interested in the outcome of my school story – 1) After two weeks of scrambling, we finally found a temporary spot for Isabel to attend starting next Tuesday.  We are hopeful it will work out 2) We as a parent group plans to voice our opinions in all social networks to warn other parents about any future dealings with Language in Action.  3) We formed a much closer bond with all the parents and teachers in the same plight – our version of making lemonade .

Here is a summary of his 10 tips provided by Forbes .  I added my comments as a reminder for myself.  Hope you will find these tips inspirational as well.

1. Avoid “good” and “bad” labels -When something bad happens, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, when you make an error, be aware of it without passing judgment. “Do what you have to do, but don’t surrender your calmness and sense of peace.”
   Lei:  Also sometimes what seem to be a bad experience (like a layoff) could be a blessing in disguise in the long run.  My friend was laid off at the end of last year but found a better job in 6 weeks with 20% more pay and now his company just got bought.
2. Practice “extreme resilience” - This is the ability to recover fast from adversity. “You spend much time in needless, fruitless self-recrimination and blaming others…You go on pointless guilt trips and make excuses that you know are fatuous. If you’re resilient, you recover and go on to do great things.” 
3. Let go of grudges -  This is the key to being happy at work. “Consciously drop the past,” he writes. “It’s hard, but with practice you will get the hang of it.”
   Lei: I completely agree with #2 and 3 – refer to my post on Forgive and Forget – Key to Career Success to read more examples.
4. Don’t waste time being jealous - “When you’re jealous you’re saying that the universe is limited and there’s not enough success in it for me.. Instead, be happy, because whatever happened to him will happen to you in your current job or at another company.”
   Lei:   Don’t waste time dwelling on what you don’t have because that just takes energy away from you and cause you to feel like a victim.  When you spend 100% of your energy on striving for the future, you will achieve.
5. Find passion in you, not in your job -  Rao warns against searching for that perfect position, or even believing that it exists. Instead, he advocates changing how you think about your current situation. For example, instead of thinking of yourself as a human resources manager at a bank, identify yourself as someone who helps other bank employees provide for their families, take advantage of their benefits and save for the future.
   Lei:  This is probably my favorite tip from Prof Rao.  If we depends our happiness on what happens at work, then we will always find some level of disappointment as no job is perfect.   Only when we can find self worth, confidence, and happiness in ourselves and our life regardless of work, can happiness be in reach.
6. Picture yourself 10 years ago and 10 years from now -“Most problems that kept you awake ten years ago have disappeared …Much of what troubles you today will also vanish. Realizing this truth will help you gain perspective.”
   Lei: it’s so funny how true this really is.  I can’t even remember what I was worried about 10 year ago.  Whatever is fretting us now, take a step back and take a long term view.  Everything will work out in the long run.
7. Banish the “if/then” model of happiness – Many of us rely on a flawed “if/then” model for happiness. If we become CEO, then we’ll be happy. If we make a six-figure salary, then we’ll be happy. “There is nothing that you have to get, do or be in order to be happy.”
   Lei:  This is so true and probably the hardest tip to follow.  If you look at any achievement you made in the past, you will find them often anti-climatic.  You may feel good for a few hours  but soon you will think of the next level of what you want.  Since human always want more, tying happiness at work to an “if” is like denying yourself ever having the chance to be happy NOW.
8. Invest in the process, not the outcome - “Outcomes are totally beyond your control”  You’ll set yourself up for disappointment if you focus too much on what you hope to achieve rather than how you plan to get there.
   Lei:   We need to focus our attention on trying our best and believe that whatever happens is meant to be.
9. Think about other people - Rao advocates inhabiting an “other-centered universe.” If the nice guy gets passed over for a promotion, he may still succeed in less tangible ways. “He may rise later in the shootout … I’m challenging the assumption that you need to be a dog-eat-dog person to survive in a corporate environment.”
   Lei:  Perhaps he also means that you can build good karma by helping others, then good things will also come to you in the long run.  You don’t need to play unfair politics or step on others to succeed.
10. Swap multitasking for mindfulness - Instead of working on tasks for 20-minute intervals that you gradually increase to two-hour spans. Turn off any electronic gadgets that can be a distraction. With practice, you’ll be able to accomplish much more and with less effort.
    Lei:  I think what he means is in order to do multiple tasks effectively, you have to give each task enough time and effort.  Constantly switching between tasks waste time and leads you to be unhappy.

Your comments:  Do you agree with these tips?  Which are your favorites?  Share you comments below

Like this article?  Then help me out and share it on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and elsewhere.

I am always in your corner.

- Lei

• If only I had more time …
• If only I had more money …
• If only I had technical skills ….
• If only I got my MBA …

For those job interviews where you didn’t get called back, ask for some honest feedback about how you did on the interview so you can learn and be better at the next one.  What is there to lose?  They already moved on to another candidate.   You may not always get a response when you ask for feedback but there is always a chance you will and can learn some real insights from their interview feedback on how you can improve.

Here are 5 rules of thumbs when asking for interview feedback.  Also see an example of an actual email I wrote to an interviewer recently to get interview feedback

1. Do it by email instead of a call - this way it doesn’t put anyone on the spot.  They can consider what they want to tell you and then get back to you.  An email can also give you a chance to ask for feedback tactfully
2. Be humble and sincere – Don’t use this opportunity to give them feedback about anything.  Focus on the fact you want to learn and ask for honest feedback.  Thank them in advance for the help as providing good interview feedback takes time
3. Be flexible – put in language that makes you sound earnest instead of pushy.  sth “when you have time.”  ”Share anything you are comfortable with.”
4. Be specific – put in specific questions you want feedback on. People are more likely to respond to a specific question than a general email that asks for feedback.  It shows that you thought about it.  One way to be specific is actually lay out your self assessment of what could be improve and see if they had the same impression or not.
5. Be patient – not everyone will be willing to provide you honest feedback.   Some will never respond.  Some will keep it high level.  and then there will be a few that can give you true insight.  Realize this is normal and don’t dwell if you don’t learn anything.  At least you took a shot.  Also give the interviewer some time to respond.  Wait a week before following up with one more email.  If you don’t hear anything still, then leave it at that.

- Lei

Why Say No at Work - Here are 4 key benefits

1. Protect your work reputation - Saying yes at work is not always good for you.  If you said yes and then did a poor job because you had too much work then not only do you NOT get any credit for saying yes, but your reputation for doing quality work will be damaged.
2. Maintain high productivity - Once you learn how to say no tactfully, saying no will lower your stress level and keep you balanced and productive for all the work you still have on your plate.
3. Increase work enjoyment  - It’s hard to enjoy work if you are constantly overwhelmed.  By saying no sometimes, you can maintain a healthy work load and better enjoy the work you do.
4. Respect for your word  – By judiciously saying yes or no to extra work, you can build a reputation for being your word and avoid easily being dumped on.  When you say yes, the work you return will be stellar.  When you say no, you have a good reason and people will respect you regardless.

When to Say No at Work - While it’s absolutely okay to say no at work, you will have to do it selectively.  It’s not healthy for you to say yes all the time, but it’s also career limiting if you said no all the time.  Here are 6 key considerations to help you decide when you should say no.  Remember there are benefits/consequences to saying yes or saying no.  It’s up to you to decide based on your career aspiration, health condition, and goals in life.

Stayed tuned for next week’s post on How to Say No at Work – 5 Tips.

- Lei