Why Are You Doing What Youre Doing

Why Are You Doing What Youre Doing Sometimes, life gets really hectic and we don’t take the time to stand back and just question on why we do what we do. I recently read, for a second time, Simon Sinek’s great book “Start with Why” and I would highly recommend it to all of you. In the book, Simon says that is not the “what” that motivates us to jump out of bed in the mornings, it is the “why”. It is not the “what” that drives us to give great service and become expert in our field, it is the “why”. I also read an article recently written by Richard Branson who said that an entrepreneur’s drive is not about making money, but about making a difference in people’s lives. He believes that those driven by money will not be around for the long haul. I have spent some time recently asking my clients why they do what they do and while it is far from exhaustive research, it is interesting to note that those who were crystal clear about their “why”, have businesses that are more evolved â€" and are significantly more profitable! The financial benefits are an outcome of that clarity. This led me to start thinking about businesses that, in my view, lost sight of their why, and what the consequences have been, and my list is as follows: Banking industry: Obvious candidate for this list, but there is no doubt that they lost complete sight of their original why and profit became their only focus. Will they learn? I don’t know! Lehmans: Set out to provide great service to their clients and then went like the banks. Again, their “why” got lost. IBM: They were the Apple of their day, but lost sight of the fact that their original why was to make business more efficient. Their “why” became their “what”  to build big computers! Nokia: They started out to make communication easy, but their “what” â€" we make mobile phones â€" became their reason for being. They controlled the market and lost it! Railroads: Brilliant invention to make getting from one place to another so fast, but then became fixated on trains and railroads and not on their customers. Many large insurance direct sales forces: Huge in the 70s and 80s, but their focus shifted away from serving their clients to how much commission they could earn that year and the organizations cultivated that shift with the incentives given. There are loads of other examples â€" and many not quite so dramatic â€" but losing sight of your “why” is destined to put you, at best, in the “average” band of businesses. Not where you want to be, or where I want you to be. So, how does having a clear “why” help your business? As I said earlier, it tells you why you get out of bed in the morning to go and do something of value, but it does more than that. Your “why” also does the following: It provides you with your guiding principles as to what you do and how you do it. It informs your clients of your reason for being. It determines your behavior â€" what you do and how you do it. It is reflected in your values. It determines the sort of clients you will deal with â€" they will share in your why. It determines the sort of people you hire and represent you and your business. When I start talking about this, many people ask me why I do what I do, and my why is very simple, and important to me.   My passion is to help my clients to win in their businesses and in their lives â€" which is why I branded my podcast Winning at Business and Life. This clarity helps me every day, and drives me to give as much as I can to support my clients. Having a clear “why” gives you a context for everything you do in your business, and your life. What is your “why”? Love to hear. RELATED: How to Answer ‘Why Do You Want This Job?’ in an Interview

Writing a Resume For Internship Example

Writing a Resume For Internship ExampleWriting a resume for internship will allow you to get a high-paying job after completing your training program. There are a few basic things that you will need to know about writing a resume for internships before you start submitting yours to the companies that are hiring.You will need to have letters of recommendation that are from people who know you and who can give you an idea of their opinion of you. It is best to have three or four letters, depending on how many positions you want to apply for. Some people write and submit one letter per position. Others prefer to submit more than one letter to multiple positions. Always check your letters carefully for spelling and grammar errors.When you do submit your resume, make sure that it has your educational degree with it. If your education degree is not included with your resume, then it will show the employer that you were not as serious about your work as you should have been. If your educati on degree is included with your resume, then it will show the employer that you have a strong work ethic and that you took the time to go back to school for more education.On the other hand, a financial statement from a bank will show the employer that you are not as responsible when it comes to money. A business card is another great piece of writing a resume for internship example that you will need to include with yours. You will also need to include copies of your academic transcripts and letters of recommendation.The easiest way to obtain this information is to look through your curriculum vitae and see what kind of educational background is listed there. Try to find out if any of your work history is related to your education, if so, highlight it. It will also help to list any professional affiliations that you may have with previous employers.You may be able to write a long story on how great you are in your resume, but there is only so much you can say. So do not worry if yo ur educational background is less than stellar. It will not be used to make an exception in regards to your application.Interview with the interviewer of the company that you are applying for. If you want to put yourself up for an interview, then you have to do the interviewing first. If you are accepted, then send your resume along with a cover letter, which can be done directly online.This will save you the trouble of sending a bunch of paperwork all over the place, because they will be sent directly to the company and they will not see the extra stuff that you want them to see. Never, ever underestimate the power of a resume. You can still get your dream job after completing your internship if you follow these simple steps.

Burning Bridges Can Feel Good - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Burning Bridges Can Feel Good - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career There is an old saying that goes, you should Never Burn a Bridge. I agree. While it might feel good to burn a bridge I think the advice is pretty good and should be followed … with some exceptions and suggestions. Generally I  do think it’s better to stay above the fray and not burn a bridge. However, this doesn’t mean you  need to spend a lot of cycles trying to keep a bridge from burning … especially when someone else lit the fire. My point is … avoid burning bridges yourself, but you don’t need to play fireman for someone else’s burning bridge. Use your best judgment and engage when it makes sense. Also, I’m not suggesting  this applies only for  business dealings or just to personal interactions. Burning a bridge is burning a bridge. Let’s talk about a few scenarios where you may be inclined to burn a bridge and a few things to think about before you take the next step. Different Levels of Bridge Burning and the Effects Reputation Management With the rise of Social Media … what you say is there FOREVER. Always remember … There is NO DELETE KEY on the internet. What you say today can and will come back to haunt you and you need to be aware of that. Even though you may have long forgotten a tiff or a kerfuffle with former business partners or colleagues, the internet will remember. Keep this in mind when you go on a keyboard tirade and want to put someone in their place. Don’t let the heat of the moment get the best of you. Take a Step Back. Think about it … cool down and don’t press send. Your reputation depends on it. Ethical and Moral Bankruptcy There are too many examples of people with no ethics, no morals and no scruples to list here. We all know people like this and we do our best to avoid dealing with them. However, there are those cases where we cannot avoid them and we cannot bypass working with them. In these cases it’s best to keep your distance and to make sure you will not be caught up in their charades. It’s important to do whatever you can to make sure you are not painted with the same broad brush that will inevitably be applied to them. The point here is … it would be nice to call them out. But, too often it’s not worth your chits to do so. Let them continue doing what they do. Avoid dealing with them. Eventually karma will have it’s day and they’ll be exposed for what they are. Note: Legal Issues are different. This section  mentioned Ethical and Moral Bankruptcy. These are primarily character flaws that you can’t and shouldn’t bother trying to control or impact. However, if bad behavior is illegal you should take it upon yourself to report it. Walk Away and Save the Day (at least your day) Walk away and wish them well. There are days when you need to step aside and let the Bridge Burners do their thing. If you can … just walk away. If you can’t walk away or completely dissociate yourself from the situation make sure you keep looking for the door and document the misdeeds so that you’ll be able to show what happened. (see Facts aren’t Fungible below). Sometimes It Just Happens There are some people that burn bridges all the time and probably don’t even notice. Hopefully this doesn’t describe you. If it does take steps today to start making a change. If you are noticing then you are likely bothered by it … otherwise you wouldn’t notice. Again, as mentioned above take a step back and look at the big picture and see if you can make adjustments to the way the situation arises and how it progresses and most important how it ends. Facts aren’t Fungible There is another old saying … There are Three Sides to Every Story Yours, Mine and The Truth. Facts have a habit of making themselves known … eventually. It’s much better just to stick with the facts and let the hyperbole be spun by others. What if it Already Happened? While it’s not an ideal situation it’s not the end of the world if you have burned a bridge. You can come back from a public goof. As Maria Elena Duron  mentioned in her post here Acknowledge and Own the issue.  Empower yourself and your community to work on your behalf and finally make sure you invest the necessary time to work through it and all the ramifications involved. What About You? Have you ever burned a bridge? Do you wish you could have go back in time and repaired it? Either way … Was it worth it? Would you do it again? Author: Jeff   is a veteran in the Enterprise Content Management industry. Over the past 20 years he has worked with customers and partners to design, develop and deploy solutions around the world. Jeff is currently the Director of Strategic Alliances at Winshuttle. He has worked for Microsoft, FileNet (IBM), K2, Captaris, Open Text, Kofax and Kodak. He speaks and blogs about ECM and the Intersection between Social, Mobile and Cloud Computing.

Fake It Til You Make It

Fake It Til You Make It Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'SAz09s_HS4drXVpMRQblBw',sig:'tNbJMkSzp4zgQWQRFtBsTWS0sTWwMyYc8jdv0o8Rt-s=',w:'337px',h:'507px',items:'78323098',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Valerie Young is the author of The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It.  Among her lessons for (mostly) women who suffer from Impostor Syndrome is “learn to fake it.” Young spends considerable time on the subject of why men suffer less often and less deeply from feeling like impostors. One skill men develop early, she writes, is the ability to â€" well â€" let’s call it a business-like pseudonym: “Bluffing Strategically,” or B.S. For her purposes, Young defines B.S. as “giving the impression that I’m more competent than I really am.” Men start the behavior early as they play games. “Boys grow up learning how to exaggerate. More happened in the backseat of the car with the girl than really did. The fish was “this big.” When you grow up playing sports, you learn that bluffing and exaggerating are part of the game. You learn to fake a pass, to fool the other team by changing up your play, and to use bravado to psych out your opponent and “get inside his head.” Girls don’t have an equivalent to this behavior, Young writes. In fact, they’ll renegotiate the rules if one player struggles in a game â€" they value relationships over rules. Boys almost never change the rules   weaker players just have to learn to keep up. In my experience, that’s why boys learn to bluff early â€" you’ll never get invited to play with the bigger, better athletes if you doubt your ability. Bluff your way in and hope you get lucky. Meanwhile, you learn and improve by mixing it up with guys who are better than you. Girls, on the other hand, tend to watch wistfully from the sidelines, thinking “I wish I could do that.” Young writes, “Even in the animal kingdom, survival of the fittest often means that the male of the species has to appear bigger than he really is. “Display behavior,” as it is known, is used to attract females and ward off rival males. Two-legged males also recognize the value of such behavior.” She says that the whole B.S. phenomenon became clear to her while watching Ted Koppel one night. A guest asked him: ““Do you ever feel you don’t know enough about a subject to ask the tough questions?” Koppel’s answer forever changed how I looked at the world. He said: “No. When I can, I’d rather go into a program knowing as much as possible about the subject, but I don’t consider it a handicap [when] I know next to nothing.” But, Young writes, it was the next sentence that changed her feeling about the subject forever. “I figure I can] pick up enough information in a short period of time to be able to b****hit my way with the best of them.” Unapologetic. I’ll fake it if I have to.   Sure, I can give the impression that I’m more competent than I really am, and it’s pretty great that I can pull it off! Most women, Young says, tend to recoil from that attitude. It feels dishonest, inauthentic.   So, she challenges us: “Okay, then what are some ways of describing what Koppel meant that you would feel more comfortable with? What about winging it  â€¦  holding your own  â€¦  rolling with the conversation  â€¦  being in the moment  â€¦  trusting your instincts  â€¦  improvising? What you call it doesn’t matter. What is important is recognizing that there are times in life when you have to be able to fly by the seat of your pantsâ€"and that this kind of going with the flow can be very freeing.” She encourages women to act as if they were the capable, talented, deserving woman everyone seems to think they are. Say yes first, get in there and try it. You might get lucky. Or you might be really good. You’ll never know unless you try. How do you feel about faking it ‘til you make it? Leave a comment and let me know.

How to Write Your Military Experience to Correspond to Civilian on a Resume

How to Write Your Military Experience to Correspond to Civilian on a ResumeWhen writing your military experience to correspond to civilian on a resume, it's important to remember that all information should be included. The most common mistake that people make is not including their military service and many times you will find that many employers will view your incomplete military experience as a negative.When writing your military experience to correspond to civilian on a resume, it's also very important to remember that the military will not review your resume. Your military career experience can be submitted in written form or on paper. When submitting it online, be sure to type clearly so that you don't misspell or misplace information.Most often, people that do not write their military experience to correspond to civilian on a resume will omit much of it. As a result, they will either leave out a critical component or a minor incident that they did not intend to place on the re sume. With the most recent changes that have been made to the Veterans Employment Opportunity Act, employers are now required to list all military experience.Although most employers do not consider this type of information when deciding who to hire, it is an important thing to include on your resume if you're applying for a civilian position. Military experience can be listed under the career fields in which you want to work such as sales, marketing, or customer service. A great way to present a military background on a resume is to highlight any awards or medals that you've received.If you write down all of your awards and achievements at school, it is important to type them up and keep them handy so that you can always refer back to them when writing your military experience to correspond to civilian on a resume. Most employers will ask you about your awards and your military service, so being able to list it out clearly will help you stand out.If you're looking for ways to write a military experience to correspond to civilian on a resume, it is helpful to put your military service into paragraphs. Don't be afraid to list every facet of your military career in a single paragraph, but don't forget to include any other service that you have, such as military police or medics.Also, be sure to state clearly the dates that you served in your resume, as well as how long you served and what branches of the military you were assigned to. Your military service can be stated in the following format: Military Service- Location - Term.Writing your military experience to correspond to civilian on a resume can be very time consuming, but the job itself is not difficult. It is important to include everything on your resume; however, if you don't want to include some parts of your military service, then write a separate letter or e-mail the employer to let them know what parts of your military service that you would like to include on your resume.

The Best Paying Engineering Jobs - CareerAlley

The Best Paying Engineering Jobs - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Have you heard the acronym STEM? It stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Conventional wisdom says that if you want a career with security and good pay, you should choose one of these fields. Today we will investigate the E in STEM and break down the best paying engineering jobs. Why Engineering Careers Are Constantly in Demand When you look at a board job like Monster, you see dozens of listing for engineering jobs. Why? This is due to a few key reasons. We All Need Them No matter where you live in the United States, if you have an engineering degree, you will probably always have a job. This is mainly because engineering careers can serve a variety of societal needs. The price of oil fluctuates due to a variety of factors, but the world still uses billions of gallons a day. And as a result, petroleum engineers are invaluable. Likewise, while the auto industry has ups and downs, they mostly dont affect the mechanical engineers who design the cars and trucks we drive. While individually we only purchase things like new cars and computers once every several years, engineers are always busy. Much of what they help to produce are things that we use daily. Chemical engineers are employed in agricultural production to ensure that crops are pest free, that livestock is healthy, and that food makes it safely from farm to market. Because we all have to eat, we need chemical engineers. Each day the necessities of our lives, from roads we drive to the clothing we wear, must be repaired or replenished. Consequently, engineering disciplines must continuously train new students to keep pace. Not only does the demand for engineers never cease, but demand can spike due to unforeseen circumstances. Dealing with things like floods, droughts, hurricanes, and blizzards require the expertise of civil engineers. As a result of climate change, these events are more frequent so the demand for civil engineers will be almost endless. source Engineers are Needed All Over the World There is great demand for engineers in mineral-rich countries like Australia, South Africa, and Canada who have large mining industries. The same is true for oil-rich countries in the Middle East. Companies hiring engineers in this field are looking for those who have specialized degrees in mechanical and chemical engineering. Engineers who work abroad not only earn a great salary, their compensation also typically includes travel, housing, and food allowances, health and life insurance, and bonuses. While working abroad as an engineer is exciting for single people, it can be hard on those who have families because they work away from home for months or years at a time. There Arent Enough Scarcity is part of it too. Only one in twenty college students choose engineering as their major, so engineering graduates can practically name their salary. Based on research compiled by Adecco, nationally there are 3.6 unemployed individuals per 1 job listing. When it comes to STEM, however, there is one qualified individual per 1.9 job listings. This shortage is obviously coming from somewhere. It could be the cultural drive away from math and science, or it could be that the modern population is generally disinterested in becoming engineers. Since manufacturing plants rely heavily on machines and computer-operated systems, they need to hire quite a number of engineering graduates. Because manufacturing plants run year-round and most have 24-hour shifts the need for engineers and technicians are high. From the maintenance of machines to training new hires to benchmarking new systems and processes, an engineers skills are always necessary for making the processes and systems more effective and efficient for the entire plant. Their Skills Are More Than Their Specialization While the nuts and bolts of engineering are very straightforward, a good engineer needs other kinds of skills that any employer wants. Since almost all engineers work in groups, they need excellent communication skills and the ability to work cooperatively to complete projects. These skills make for strong, effective leaders and often propel engineers into upper management positions. Photo by Clark Young on Unsplash Engineers are problem solvers too because they are so well trained in objective analysis whether they are dealing with company dynamics or an electrical grid. Another critical trait employers want. Make the Right Choice Many young people are reconsidering a college education because they dont want to fall into the trap of student loan debt because its such a burden. Especially for a degree that doesnt have a high demand or pays well. But when you choose to pursue an engineering degree, you will almost be guaranteed a well-paying job even right out of college due to the demand. Scientists dream of doing great things. Engineers do them. Tweet This For various engineering jobs, there are certain qualifications that you need to fulfill. Education-wise, an engineering graduate should have a specialization or a major course in order to qualify for certain positions. Petroleum, mechanical, biomedical, among other specialized engineering courses are available at most major universities and colleges. We have included what is considered to be the best program for each specialty. If youre going to spend the time and money to get a degree, you want to make sure it pays off. These are the best paying engineering jobs. Petroleum Engineering Jobs What They Do: Oil and gas companies employ petroleum engineers to design, test and implement methods to extract petroleum products from the earth and the sea floor. Petroleum engineers work with geologists to locate extraction sites and build the machinery to remove petroleum products. Best School: Texas AM. Out of state tuition and fees, $30,208, in-state $10,030 per year. Median Income: $128,230 Mechanical Engineering Jobs What They Do: Mechanical engineers design, build prototypes, test, and perfect a variety of machines across a huge range of industries including automotive, aerospace, transportation, and consumer goods. Best School: Massachusettes Institute of Technology (MIT). Tuition and fees, $49,892 per year. Median Income: $85,880 Biomedical Engineering Jobs What They Do: Biomedical engineers design and analyze solutions to problems in biology and medicine to improve the quality and efficacy of patient care. They work in hospitals and research facilities, universities, manufacturing and regulatory agencies. Best School: Georgia Institute of Technology. Out of state tuition and fees, $33,014, in-state, $12,418. Median Income: $85,620 Photo by Ousa Chea on Unsplash Chemical Engineering Jobs What They Do: Chemical engineers design and develop industrial processes used in the production of chemicals, materials, and energy for a wide range of products across a vast number of industries including oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, and plastics. Best School: MIT again. Median Income: $72,799 Aerospace Engineering Jobs What They Do: Aerospace engineers design, build test and oversee the manufacture of aircraft, spacecraft, and missiles. Best School: MIT. Median Income: $71,803 Computer Engineering Jobs What They Do: Computer engineers develop and maintain computer functions and systems for personal and industrial use. Best School: MIT Median Income: $68,445 Electrical Engineering Jobs What They Do: Electrical engineers develop and maintain electrical systems for a wide range of industries including all manner of manufacturing and transportation. Best School: MIT again! Median Income: $67,662 Civil Engineering Jobs What They Do: Civil engineers design and oversee construction projects like roads, bridges, airports, water and sewage treatment systems. Best School: University of California, Berkley. Out of state tuition and fees, $42,112, in-state, $14,098. Median Income: $66,690 Materials Science Engineering Jobs What They Do: A material science engineer researches, manipulates and improves the materials used in industries like biotechnology, nanotechnology, energy, and communications. Materials will be combined or manipulated to improve the products performance and quality. A material science engineer will work with a range of materials such as ceramics, chemicals, composites, glass, metals, plastics, polymers and many more. Best School: MIT again. Median Income: $66,438 Entry Level Engineering Jobs While looking for your first post-college job can be intimidating, youre already miles ahead of other graduates because you chose engineering as your field of study. While many graduates struggle with student loan debt due to their choice of majors, engineering grads will probably not face the same difficulty. Even entry-level engineering jobs are highly paid because of the education and skills required. On the Right Path It takes a lot of time and money to get a degree. Therefore you want to get the best possible return on your investment. Not only does a career in engineering come with the promise of a good salary, but also, it provides job security and the opportunity to work all over the United States and the world. Congratulations on your excellent choice! As a result, you are on the right path to success. We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to land your first job. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

The Truth About Job Sites - Pathfinder Careers

The Truth About Job Sites - Pathfinder Careers The Truth About Job Sites I’ve done a lot of professional speaking on resume writing, and over the past eight years have talked to thousands of people. Every time, I ask the following question: “Has anyone gotten a job off of Monster.com?” Eleven people have raised their hands. There are hundredsâ€"if not thousandsâ€"of job boards online, and they list millions of positions. Yet many of us have had this experience: You’re trolling job listings, clicking on openings in your target field, when you see The Dream Job. Your pulse starts racing. You look more closely. You are a perfect fit. You are such a perfect fit that it was like you had written the job description yourself. So you spend hours editing, proofing, tweaking and finessing your resume and cover letter. You hit “send” confident you’ll be contacted right away. You never hear a peep. There are real, viable jobs being posted on job sites. But even if you hit upon one and are an appealing candidate, going through the “front door” isn’t the most effective way to getting hired. When it comes to job listing sites, there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes. Some employers post positions so they can prove they’re complying with Equal Employment Opportunity law. Others recruit inside their companies, but post jobs to just see who is out there. And some jobs stay posted even after they are already filled, because the employer forgot to cancel the listing. There are real, viable jobs being posted on job sites. But even if you hit upon one and are an appealing candidate, going through the “front door” and applying directly to the human resources department isn’t the most effective way to getting hired. Why? Most human resource people are actually screeners, not hiring managers. The human resource person’s job is to pull out unqualified applicants, not to make hiring decisions. When you add in the applicant tracking software some companies use, there are a lot of filters in place at the front door, keeping you out rather than letting you in. The hiring manager is actually your targetâ€"and positioning yourself with that person is a critical key to your job search success. A new way of thinking is to see job search sites as phenomenal research tools. They can help you see which companies are generally hiring and figure out the keywords you can use on your resume, to help you rank well with the applicant tracking software some companies use. Even if the employer isn’t using that software, you still come across as a highly relevant candidate! Once you have information from the site, use your contacts to get yourself in the back doorâ€"that is, to the hiring manager or an internal advocate (an employee that you have a connection to). These people can “make” your application by putting in a good word for you, making you a known quantity to the employer. According to recent newspaper reports, 70 percent of people find jobs through someone they know. (The others find jobs through postings, so it can happen, but it’s much less likely.) The old adage, “People do business with who they know” holds tried and true. If you have a connection at Your Dream Company who is willing to walk your resume down to HR, it means you’re not just an anonymous applicant. It dramatically improves your chances of getting an interview. Knowing this should affect how you spend your time and energy looking for a job. Build your social and professional networks through sites like Plaxo, Naymz, LinkedIn.com, Twitter, Facebook, and MySpaceâ€"to name a few. Don’t be afraid to go through your Rolodex and address book. As you attend networking events, ask permission to connect online with the people you meet. Schedule informational interviews, go to networking events and take classes. There are people everywhere…and they know people. You never know exactly who they might know! When you do find that Dream Job through online postings, it is a lot easier to tap into your network, get a personal referral and circumvent the official channels. And just maybe that Dream Job will be Your Job. (This blog has also been posted to www.recessionwire.com)