Greetings and Thoughts...
Hello! Today I’m launching my free monthly newsletter, The Pathfinder. Here is the first issue!
As many of us do at New Years, I’ve been reflecting back on last year. It seems like a lot of my time was spent in preparation for this year! I snatched hours here and there from my stay-at-home mom duties to plan and take baby steps toward building my resume writing service. It seemed pretty daunting at first. The amount of work that I needed to do seemed endless, and I wasn’t even sure how to do some of it. As I started tackling small goals and then completing them, it became easier and my enthusiasm grew. I still have a lot to do, but looking back at how far I’ve come, I’m feeling good about the past and excited about what is to come this year.
I hope this might be encouraging to those of you who are feeling uncertain or overwhelmed by a challenge. Are you facing a career change, beginning a job search, or starting some other adventure? While you may feel intimidated at first, after you break your goal into small steps and begin your work, it really does get easier. Persevere, and be patient with yourself and the process. Don’t forget to look back and enjoy the satisfaction that comes from completing the small steps that bring you closer to your goal.
A number of my small steps were geared toward building a Web site. Now, with major help from my talented husband John, a Web design/graphic designer consultant and instructor (jmort.com), it is just about complete. Please check it out at www.legworkresumes.com.
I do hope you will enjoy this issue! To receive it monthly, just hit the reply and send button. I hate spam, so I won’t be sending you any and I’d never give out your e-mail. And please do me a favor by sending my newsletter to your friends and colleagues.
With warm regards for a wonderful New Year and much success on your path,
~ Laurie
LegWork Notes: New Year, New You…
New years resolutions are an American tradition. Have you made yours yet? Look at mine listed below, and choose at least one to add to your list.
Give yourself a treat every single day. Make a list of the small things that make you feel joyful, peaceful, or nurtured. They should be things that you can easily do on any given day, and that are activities that you don’t normally do. This could be buying flowers for yourself, soaking your feet in a warm tub of water and oil, or calling a long distance friend. Every day choose one of the activities on your list and do it.
When you do something well, take note of it. After completing a project, write down your successes–both personal and professional. It’s not only good for the soul, but it comes in handy when you’re trying to remember the accomplishments you’d like to convey to prospective employers. Create a “success” journal or file folder for storing positive notes, thank you letters, good evaluations, and other reminders of your achievements.
Assign one day each a week to learn something new. Ever feel like you don’t have anything new or interesting to talk about? Make an effort each week to learn more about a topic that’s of interest to you. Go to the public library and read an article in a different magazine every week. Talk to someone you admire and find interesting–ask them about their career. Use the internet to find the latest news on any subject.
Make contacts and network. The older I get, the more I appreciate old friends and colleagues. Once a month, find and contact someone with whom you’ve lost touch. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Classmates.com make it easier than ever. Of course, it’s also fun to make new friends. Meet new people by attending at least one professional meeting each month.
Exercise your courage muscle by stepping out of your comfort zone. When an opportunity is offered that creates butterflies in your stomach or made-up excuses about why you can’t do it, accept the challenge anyway. As you stop holding yourself back, it will get easier for you to speak your mind, mentor a new hire, lead a meeting, make a speech, etc. Through the process, you’ll learn new skills, feel more confident and free, and thrive in your career.
Take yourself a little less seriously. Do you feel bad about yourself when you make mistakes or your opinions aren’t recognized? Are things in your life a big deal? While trying to gain career success, it’s not hard to get caught up in trying to making good impressions, getting ahead, and being perfect. While these aren’t bad goals, it’s not hard to get too focused on them. Instead, try to appreciate yourself and others quirkiness, strive to make your first reaction be laughter when things go wrong, and surround yourself with others who don’t take themselves so seriously.
Web Site Spotlight: Aggregate Job Boards…
Simply Hired and Indeed are job aggregate boards that draw position announcements from hundreds of sources so you don't have to spend valuable time searching numerous posting sites. You can even search for salary information and job trends of positions related to the one you for which you are posting. Posting online shouldn’t be your primary job search. Statistically, less than 10% of job seekers find their positions through the boards. But posting still remains a method of search that should be incorporated into your search campaign strategically.
Laughter & Inspiration on the Road …
“My friend had been pounding the pavement in search of a job with no luck. Frustrated, she asked her dad to look at her resume. He didn’t get much further than the first line of her cover letter before spotting the problem.
“Is it too generic?” she asked.
“I doubt it,” said her father.
“Especially since it’s addressed ‘Dear Sir or Madman.’”
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In this life we get only those things for which we hunt, for which we strive, and for which we are willing to sacrifice.”
— George M. Adams
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"Give yourself an even greater challenge than the one you are trying to master and you will develop the powers necessary to overcome the original difficulty."
—William J. Bennett, The Book of Virtues
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"Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it."
— Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
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“Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.”
— Japanese proverb
Is it time to update your resume?
Contact us this month and receive a 10% discount. Be sure to mention this ad.
Would you like a free resume critique? E-mail your resume to... advance@legworkresumes.com.