Work Portfolios The Best Job Interview Tool Youre Not Using

Work Portfolios The Best Job Interview Tool You're Not Using 222 Have a proven track of success? Wow recruiters by bringing the proof to job interviews. Photo by JD Hancock This is a guest post by Debra Wilson. 3 Reasons to Have a Work Portfolio You might feel a little strange compiling a work portfolio (aka a career portfolio), especially if you have to fill it with rather abstract reports and things, which you might if you’re in a certain type of work. However, there are lots of great reasons to have a work portfolio. Free bonus: The One Job Interview Resource You’ll Ever Need is a handy reference to help you prepare for any kind of job interview. Download it free now Here are just a few:eval 1) To solidify your resume The actual process of making a portfolio helps you find out what you’ve actually done in your work so far â€" whether you’re still in college or have been in the work force for years.eval By creating a portfolio, you can find more concrete accomplishments to list on your resume. Even if you don’t use it for every job interview, you’ll still have a more polished resume to present to potential employers. 2) To make a good impression Having a portfolio at an interview makes you seem more put-together and prepared, which is impressive for potential employers. 3) To build your credibility A portfolio is also excellent for lulls in an interview or for giving interviewers concrete answers to their questions. For instance, when asked what experience you have in your particular profession, you can pull out a report or give concrete statistics about what you’ve done. Notice how the word “concrete” has come up a couple of times in this list? Having real items to show potential employers, whether they are reports that you have actually written, statistics about your job performance, or samples of projects you’ve been a part of, can help employers understand the value of what you can bring to a work team. What is a Work Portfolio, Anyway? Now, you might be wondering what exactly a portfolio is. When you hear the word, you think about art projects or slides that a graphic designer might display. Your portfolio doesn’t have to be anything like that. All it needs to be is a folder full of samples of your work. It can include photos, reports, brochures, lists of statistics, and anything else you can think of. All a work portfolio needs to be is a folder full of samples of your workClick To Tweet For example, if you were involved in the planning of a major event at a theater, you can include a brochure for that event. Even if you did not work directly on the brochure, you can use it as a concrete reminder of what you did do during that project, so you can bring that up in interviews. As long as everything in your portfolio ties in directly to your work experience and offers logical glimpses into your work experience, you’ll be helping yourself by putting one together. Did you bring a work portfolio to your most recent job interview? Yes No, and I don't have one No, but I do have one View Results 5 Tips for Creating and Using a Portfolio There are all sorts of ways to make your portfolio unique. Some people have both hard copies and a PowerPoint presentation saved on a disc or USB thumb drive. The key is to make sure your portfolio is organized and neat looking. If you’re in a field like graphic design or advertising, you’ll also want it to be visually attractive. In other fields that rely less on visual arts, just make sure that it’s neat and easy to navigate. Here are some tips for creating and using your work portfolio: 1) Never assume you don’t have enough to fill a portfolio Even college students can include transcripts, letters of recommendation from professors, and even college papers on work-related topics. 2) Include anything positive Include performance reviews from former bosses, copies of certificates for training and awards, writing samples, design samples, testimonials from clients, a list of your accomplishments, a list of things you can do that aren’t necessarily on your resume, and your complete resume. In this instance, your resume can spill over the standard one-page, and can be more like two pages. 3) Formatting counts Put a table of contents at the beginning of your portfolio, and number the pages so that you and potential employers can navigate it easily. 4) Use a three-ring binder with plastic page covers for your portfolio This allows you to keep different-sized sheets of paper together, and it allows you to rearrange or add to your portfolio over time. This way, you don’t have to re-create it every time you have new things to add. 5) Take your portfolio to every interview You don’t always need it, but you should definitely have it with you. If you think it’s a really great way to connect with interviewers, make it conspicuous when you walk in. Many interviewers will ask what you have with you when they see it. If you’re a little less confident, leave it tucked away, and only pull it out if you know you can use it to answer a question more fully. Putting together a work portfolio can take time, but it can also be an excellent way to set yourself apart from the crowd during an interview. If you’re nervous during your interview, it may help you feel more confident. Instead of stuttering around trying to explain your work experience, you can pull out your portfolio and have concrete examples of your work to guide your interviewer’s questions and your own answers throughout the interview. Sample work portfolio for any profession Wondering what a work portfolio looks like? Here's one example of a work portfolio binder to bring to job interviews that you can use as an interview portfolio template: Free Bonus If you want a handy job interview resource that you can keep on your smartphone or print out for easy reference, I’ve got a special bonus for you. This free download contains: 165 positive personality adjectives to describe yourself 444 of the most popular job interviewer questions to prepare yourself with 175 questions that you can ask in job interviews to make a good impression and learn about your future employer Click the image below to get access to The One Job Interview Resource You’ll Ever Need: JobMob Insiders can get this free bonus and other exclusive content in the JobMob Insider Bonuses area. Join now, it's free! READ NEXT Wondering how to make an online work portfolio? Check out 115+ Resources for Showing Off Your Work Skills Are you creative and handy with graphic design tools? Stand out with the one page resume work portfolio About the author Debra Wilson is a social media advocate at the business credit cards comparison website CreditDonkey.

3 Ways To Stay Resilient in the Face of Judgment - Classy Career Girl

3 Ways To Stay Resilient in the Face of Judgment “Shame. It’s the thing that people would say about you in a room full of other people that would devastate you and prevent you from wanting to face them.” Dr. Brene Brown Do you consider yourself a sensitive person when it comes to hearing constructive feedback? How about any type of feedback? No worries, you’re not alone. To the world, I give off a thick skin facade but all my close friends will tell you, I have tendencies to be extremely sensitive when it comes to getting caught up in what other people think of me. Over the years, I used this tendency to my advantage through practicing mindfulness. As a holistic practitioner and an energy healer, this comes with a lot of critical judgment and vulnerability. 3 Ways to Stay Resilient in the Face of Judgment Even though energy healing is making its way more and more on to the mainstream media, from Newsweek to Vanity Fair, many still consider holistic healing to be very “woo-woo” or too “out there”. So trust me, I know a thing a two about critics, be it opinions from family members, friends or strangers. It is increasingly important that we know whom we should listen to as there are many critics who provide their opinions and pass judgment without speaking from a lot of experience. Sometimes it’s helpful to hear feedback, even if it can be downright hurtful. It all depends on how you use it to grow. Other times, it can be better to just let the feedback slide. [RELATED: 6 Easy Habits of Really Happy People] In a recent presentation on courage, Dr. Brene Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate School of Social Work, addressed some actions we can take to become more resilient. Seventy percent of resiliency is all about avoiding the emotional hijacking of whatever situation you are in. So the next time you’re faced with a setback, increase your resiliency with these three best practices from Dr. Brene Brown. Recognize when you are hooked by emotion. When in the midst of a situation surrounded by judgments, try to get curious about it. Emotions usually always drive difficult events. The brain loves storytelling because it reduces ambiguity, and the brain will reward you neurochemically for this, whether or not the story you generated is actually true. SFD (Shotty First Draft): Learn to keep your thinking mind in check in the midst of challenging circumstances. When the mind begins to generate a story about something that just happened, Dr. Brene Brown refers to it as the “Shotty First Draft.” Write it down to externalize it. Get it out of your limbic system and onto a piece of paper. “If you’re mortified by what you’ve written down, you’re being honest,” Dr. Brene Brown said. Use “The story I’m making up about what I heard you say…” response as a check in when you feel triggered. This helps prevent you from entering a worse emotional state. It allows you to practice being vulnerable with others because you risk sharing what you just made up and provide others with an opportunity to let you know if you’re right or wrong. Bonus tip: Brown explained a helpful exercise you can complete in just a few minutes. On a one-inch by one-inch card, list the people whose opinions really matter to you. Who are the teachers or trusted loved ones that you should seek feedback from? If you want to list more people than you can fit, she encouraged shortening the list. Use one side for those who matter to you personally and the other side for those who matter to you professionally. Keep this note card in your wallet or purse as a reminder for yourself when you notice emotional hijacking is taking place. So ladies, let’s continue to support one another in being resilient! May you notice and thrive in all the silver linings each critical feedback has to offer!

What the Pollsters Mistakes Can Teach Us About Predicting Behavior at Work Marla Gottschalk

What the Pollsters Mistakes Can Teach Us About Predicting Behavior at Work Marla Gottschalk I often wonder if Im getting it right. Are we posing the right questions? Are the right employees responding? Are we obtaining a clear picture of what is really happening within an organization? Based upon the available data, will valuable employees remain engaged? Will they walk away? What am I missing? Each time I examine diagnostic results, I obsess over these questions. When we consider how wrong the vast majority of pollsters were in predicting the outcome of the Presidential election, I quake in my boots. The Atlantic, skillfully takes us through why things went woefully wrong â€" and poses an unnerving question we must all contemplate when making data-based predictions concerning human behavior: Did we all believe Clinton would win because of bad data, or did we ignore bad data because we believed Clinton would win? Yes, confirmation bias may have played a role here. When we become too sure of any future outcome, we essentially stop considering the other potential end points. We must also consider technique. One polling organization, the USC Dornslife/LA Times Election Poll seemed to have the ability to capture what was really happening. Interestingly, their methods were a departure from other polls, with a stable panel of 3200, from which daily polls were pulled. Moreover, they considered the likelihood of an individual actually voting. So, in essence, the poll attempted to measure both sentiment and behavior. This is how they explain it: we calculate a ratio of a person’s likelihood of voting for a specific candidate to his or her estimated chance of voting. So, lets jump to the business of predicting how employees feel and behave in the workplace. What we can learn from the inability of the polls (and the candidates) to predict voting behavior? Bias abounds. There I said it. As human beings we are indeed flawed as decision-makers, who often see what we want to see. If you think your organization, or team, or employee is in a good place â€" do not think for even a moment that this comes with a long-term guarantee. Try to build bias protection into your decision-making processes. Explore the small shifts. Ive learned that where there is smoke there is fire. If your organization is growing rapidly or is undergoing a significant change effort, pay particular attention to trending sentiments. Consider who might be silent, but resolute. There will always individuals who have formed strong opinions, have already planned their future steps and they do not feel compelled to consider your opinions. Time can erode your core base. Consider how time and events might impact your core. Elements such as stress and burnout can influence just as many departures as a lack of engagement. Consider how history might affect even your most dependable people. (Consider Wisconsin. Or Michigan, for that matter.) Have you ever been wrong when predicting behavior? Share your observations here. Dr. Marla Gottschalk is an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist.   She is the Director of Organizational Development at Allied Talent. A charter member of the LinkedIn Influencer Program, her posts on workplace topics have appeared in Forbes, The Huffington Post, US News World Report and The World Economic Forum.

How to find the hidden job market

How to find the hidden job market Here are some industries where jobs are disappearing very quickly: Newspapers, car assembly lines and coal mining. Its important to keep track of jobs that are disappearing, because it gives us a glimpse of where new jobs are emerging. In order to understand where the workforce is heading, you need to understand why parts of it are dying. The value in seeing these new openings in the workforce is deciding which is maybe the right next step for you. And that is a more effective way to steer your career than obsessing about the jobs that you want to exist that are not there yet. Youll need to practice this way of thinking. I know because I do it all the time for my own career, checking a wide range of fields. So start practicinghere are several jobs that Ill bet you havent noticed are gone, and whats being filling the vacancies. 1. Blogger. There is not enough money in blog advertising for lone individuals to make a living from it. There used to be. But today, if you want to sell content, you need multiple people blogging on one site. And if theres just one blogger, you need to use your blog to sell something else (like career tools, in Ramits case, or a company, in mine). My favorite example of this is Guy Kawasaki. He built his blog traffic up to a respectable mountain and then realized that the ad revenue from blogging stinks, especially in comparison to his bestselling books. So he used his blog to launch a new company, and get another book deal, and then he shut down his blog, Heres his new book: Enchantment. And heres something that the current workforce favors more than anything else: being enchanting. Kawasaki shows how enchanting is a combination of being full of smart ideas and being nice. I love his book because its actually a book about how to get a job, how to save a marriage, how to get funding. Its all the how-tos wrapped up into one book. Because if you are enchanting, you can always find the right someone to help you get to your next, right, spot. If you are enchanting, it doesnt matter what jobs are gone. Youll always find one. 2. Porn Star. I really cant say enough great things about New York Magazine. Its like the Atlantic for people who are not snobs. This weeks issue is about porn, and I challenge any of you to read the issue and not learn a ton about the topic. One thing I learned is that porn stars are not making as much money anymore because people like making their own movies for free. Its kind of like why bloggers dont get paid, actually. People just like putting their stuff out there and getting feedback. So the result is that you cant make a living as a porn star, but in every single industry, where one career path disappears, another opens up, and porn is no exception. Marc Randazza, First Amendment lawyer who represents porn companies, said about porn: Honestly, the gay sides where all the money is. There might be 30 straights guys who can make a living at it, but if youre willing to get fucked in the ass, I can get you five grand right now. 3. Graffiti Artist. I know youre thinking that this wasnt a job anyway. But look, Keith Haring made a truckload of money. And so did Banksy and Cope2. But the problem is that the art that used to be subversive has become mainstream. The advice in the wikiHow article How to Become a Graffiti Artist gives the same advice that Id give for how to become an investment banker: Learn the skills, get connected, and do a lot of research to see where youll fit. (Sidenote about graffiti art laws in NYC: Its against the law, of course, to spray paint something you do not personally own. In NYC you can be arrested for holding a can of spray paint with the intent of using it to break the law. This reminds me of Jewish law where the law is to not boil a young goat in its mothers milk, but the Jews who keep Kosher, in order to make sure they do not break that law, do not eat dairy for six hours after eating meat.) Anyway, back to the graffiti: its outdated. Not cool in the art scene. Which means you wont get gallery representation, which is the equivalent of having a job as an artist. Probably the death knell for graffiti art was in when IBM paid graffiti artists to do ads on the sidewalk. But Art News reports in their January issue that, while graffiti remains the chosen term to describe spray-can tagging, post-graffiti is the term to describe all the other sorts of street art. If Ive completely lost you in this paragraph, maybe you should check out the book, Trespass: A History of Uncommissioned Urban Art. I love that term: uncommissioned art. People like Faile (a duo) earn up to $60,000 for putting paint and posters on wood in junkyards. But if youre earning money to put art on the street then its probably not illegal. Faile says, Its a blur between street art and public art and public intervention. But look, heres a key to coping with the reality that the job you want to do is actually disappearing from the workforce. Take a look at what is replacing it. And see where you fit in. The Wooster Collective is a fun blog about post-graffiti street art. And for you artists looking for a job, the drop-down menu on the side bar of the blog is like a career search tool with terms like Chalk, Billboard Liberations, Guerilla Gardening. You are dying to know what those things are, right? Here are some photos I found on the Wooster Collective blog. Chalk art: Guerilla gardening: Billboard liberation: And heres hoping the next step in each of our careers will be as fun, innovative and visually stimulating as these.

Diversity in the Workplace - A Different Perspective - Career Pivot

Diversity in the Workplace - A Different Perspective - Career Pivot Diversity in the Workplace There is more diversity in the workplace now than ever before. I am going to approach diversity from a different perspective. I have been discussing in this series, the workplace today is multi-generational. We are diverse in a variety of ways: How We Communicate Think about it. If you are 65 years of age, you grew up doing the following: Learned to write cursive. Created an outline before you would write a paper Typed that paper on a typewriter Used a phone to call home, and it was probably a pay phone When you called long distance on the phone, you were aware of the time If you are 21 years of age: You may not be able to read cursive much less write it Outline? What is an outline? You start writing and rearrange as you go along Everything you write is entered electronically What is a pay phone? What is long distance calling? These are the two extremes, but these changes have occurred in the last 10-15 years. For example, when I traveled in 2001 on business I had: A laptop computer with an analog modem to download my e-mail A cell phone with roaming charges A long distance calling card The way we communicate in the workplace has become extremely diverse. How We Learn Again think about it. If you are 65 years of age you grew up: In a school where you listened to a teacher instruct You did higher level math on a slide rule You did most projects on your own The library was the place to do all of your research You memorized a lot of the information to be able to do well on a test In contrast, if you are 21 years of age you grew up: Learning in groups Taking online courses Using a calculator from the time you entered school Doing research on the Internet Memorization?? Why memorize information when it is readily available on your smartphone? Again, these are the two extremes, but much of the diversity in the way we learn and acquire information has occurred in the last 15 years! Group and Family Dynamics Again, think about it. If you are 65 years of age you grew up: Listen to the most recent episode To be a strong individual If you are a man, to be the primary income provider If you are a woman, you were expected to marry and raise a family You were never to share personal information like how much you were making To go to work for a company that would take care of you In contrast, if you are 21 years of age you who grew up: To be a good team player If you are man, you hope to find a partner who can contribute equally If you are a woman, you can reach for the heavens when it comes to a career Everything is available on the Internet. You want to know what I make? Sure… To work for yourself doing something that will have a positive impact Again, these are the extremes, but there is tremendous diversity in how we function in groups. Cultural Diversity If you are 65 years of age, when you entered the workplace in the mid 1960s, it was probably pretty segregated. I was talking to a client the other day who works for a major technology company in Silicon Valley. He said that his department was made up of employees where everyone was foreign born. Everything from Russia, Hungary, Cuba, China, India… Most had been in this country for many years, and most were now citizens. If you were 21 years of age and entered the workplace today, what would be your expectations? How would this kind of diversity affect how you approached your career? Even though we have labeled each generation, it was to discuss the differences that exist today in the workplace. The key to making such a diverse workplace functional is to discuss our many differences. This is the end of the series. If you have not read any of the preceding posts, now is good time to catch upâ€"Multi-Generational Workplace Series. In the next couple of months, look for a white paper on the Multi-Generational Workplace. Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

10 simple questions to ask yourself at the start of a new work year - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

10 simple questions to ask yourself at the start of a new work year - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog The beginning of a new year is a great time to take stock of your work life. Were you happy or unhappy at work? What would you like to change? It?s?important to evaluate because how you feel at work has such a large influence on you at work AND at home. When you?re happy at work, you have better job performance and more career success. You also have better?health and a happier private life. Unfortunately most people look back and think exclusively in terms of what went wrong. The things they should have done. They goals they ought to have achieved. The progress that didn?t come. We gain much of our happiness?at work (and in life) by appreciating the?good things we have and do. Sure, you should also make sure to improve your circumstances and address any problems but it is just as important to be?able to appreciate the things that do work. This is hard. Negativity bias is one of the most well-established psychological phenomena and it means quite simply that our minds devote?more mental?focus and cognition to the bad than the good. Our thoughts automatically go to problems, annoyances, threats and fears but?remembering and appreciating?the good in our lives takes effort and focus. We think you can achieve much more by turning that around 180 degrees, so here?s our suggestion for a little new year?s exercise in happiness at work. Think back at your work life in 2016 and answer the following 10 questions. It works best, if you take some time to do it and if you write down your?answers: What went really well for you at work in 2016? What did you do that you were proud of? Who did you make a difference for at work? What new skills?have you learned professionally? How have you grown and developed personally at work? Who has helped you out at work in 2016? Who have you admired professionally? Which 5 things from your work life in 2016 would you like more of in 2017? Which 5 things from your work life in 2016 would you like less of in 2017? What will you specifically do to become happier at work in 2017? Most people think that they must work hard to become successful ? and that success will make them happy. They?re most likely wrong. So this year, make happiness at work your #1 career goal ? because being happy at work will make you more successful in your career. I wish you a very happy new year at work! Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

The 3 Things You Shouldnt Do When Writing Your Resume

The 3 Things You Shouldn't Do When Writing Your ResumeSo you want to do the 3 things that a resume writer will tell you to avoid? Well, yes. Don't try to appear professional or keep up a written record of anything except your education and professional experience.If you do try to weave together past employment history and your degree and professional experience, you may find yourself stuck in a little quagmire. Remember that your resume will be an extension of your ability to express your life story.You don't dwell on the past, but you certainly do let it inform the story you're trying to put together. At the same time, you may find yourself saying too much. Put yourself in someone else's shoes.If you were asked what you'd like to see on your resume and you wrote about how your 'hot new job' was the only time you had ever worked in a factory or outdoors, it would be jarring to someone who saw you only when your then-boyfriend was able to accompany you to the local auto body shop. It wouldn't be telling a job interviewer that your past was the type where your life was involved with the crime in the newspaper. Put yourself in their shoes.Or if you had a little office job, and you wrote about your work history, how many times had you worked the phone? You probably would have a better resume. All of these factors would be relevant and equally important to you as someone with a little office job, as well as to a person who worked the phone for a living.A resume writer may tell you to make your education, work history, and other factors 'stick.' They may also give you other guidelines. But in a large amount of our jobs, the resume can't stick.Forget it! And make a point of writing only from your own experience. It will impress your prospective employer with just how well you put your life story together.You want to have confidence in your resume. You want to be able to send it off and have confidence that it will be read and understood.