Marne Platt - A Real Ms Career Girl, Author, and Entrepreneur

Marne Platt - A Real Ms Career Girl, Author, and Entrepreneur Here at Ms Career Girl, weve been honored to have Marne Platt be one of our columnists.   Marne has been sharing her wisdom twice each month since the Summer of 2016.   While creating one article twice a month may not sound like a lot, let me assure you it is.   When you place that as an extra on top of all the other obligations and engagements of a working woman, it takes a level of dedication that most dont appreciate.   And she hasnt missed a beat. On top of the 35 or so articles shes written for Ms Career Girl, Marne also published a book, Living Singlish,   Thats one you should pick up and maybe stick in your purse as a go-to big sister.   As one review said, its a fantastic guide to cultivating the habits and mindsets that lead to living a fabulous Singlish life. Platt walks young women, whether single by chance or by choice, through the process of self-discovery and empowerment she went through on her own journey. Be sure to read her article published today in which she shares a bit more of that sisterly wisdom. As for her contributions to Ms Career Girl, heres a few of my favorites that are worth a look if you havent seen them.   Or a second look if you have! Marne Platt Favorites Are You Using Your Network Correctly? Always important in our connected world,   networking isnt an option any more.   If you want to make real progress in your career, its critical and Marne gives some great tips for using yours wisely, or getting started if youre not. Five Things I Learned From Horses Whether youre an animal lover or not, theres no doubt that we can learn from them.   Im pretty sure that youll want to spend some therapy time with your favorite critter after reading this one.   Who know?   Maybe itll spark the inspiration in you to write that book youve been wanting to start! Be Kind To Yourself Were all guilty of being a little hard on ourselves.   That might be okay from time to time to keep us on our game.   But youve got to remember that being kind, as with so many things, starts at home.   If youve been feeling a little trashed by none other than yourself, give this one a read. Overcoming Office Politics Tame The Animals! Its probably no secret to you that politics and political opinions have gone viral in the last year.   If youre in a workplace setting, that can evolve into something very unproductive quickly.   When that happens, everyone loses.   Heres a look at ways to handle and defuse it. Three Ways You Can Help Close The Gender Pay Gap Its pretty maddening to think that men with the same qualifications and experience as you are getting paid more.   The disparities wont disappear unless all of us stand up to it.   Take a look at Marnes thoughts on what you can do to make things change. More Marne! Heres a link to all of Marne Platts posts.   Enjoy!

Professional Resume Writing Services New York

Professional Resume Writing Services New YorkIf you are looking for professional resume writing services in New York will be your first choice. New York is the location that is home to several professional resume writing companies who will be able to help you in this regard. These professionals are very experienced and have a lot of experience in providing professional resume writing services to individuals from all over the world.You can avail of their services by making use of their online tools or you can directly contact them through phone calls. You have a lot of options for doing so as they come with an online version of their services that you can avail of. The online version of their services is also an effective tool for ensuring that you get the quality of work done in a timely manner.There are many companies that provide professional resume writing services New York and various other places all over the world. They specialize in providing services such as editing your resu me for the purpose of making it a professional looking document. They can write up a resume in just a few hours if need be. This is a service that comes at a nominal cost and one that is offered for free.Editing your resume does not only involve the editing of the content but also includes the alteration of the formatting. If you want to make sure that your resume is perfect for submission then the editing of your resume must be carried out in New York. Many companies in New York specialize in doing this type of job and therefore you can easily get your resume checked up to a certain level.When it comes to online editing of resumes the options are limitless. You can get your resume edited by simply clicking your mouse button and then you can download the resume online. The editing process on the other hand can be done either in New York or you can even get it done in your own office and then submit it to the company for editing.Professional resume writing services for New York can e nsure that you get your resume written perfectly. These professionals have years of experience in writing resumes and therefore they are the best possible option that you can go for. They have the right knowledge about the requirements of each type of person who would need a resume for a career change. These professionals have the ability to draft a resume for every type of individual that needs their services.You can also send your resume online to these professional resume writing services in New York. The professionals will be able to sort out all the details for you in the process and then they will come up with the best candidate for you. They will also edit the resume for you so that you can get the best and professional resume from them.These are some of the things that you need to know about professional resume writing services New York. With the help of these services you can expect to get a professional resume that you can easily get accepted by any of the recruitment agen cies.

10 Essential Ways Being More Positive Enhances Your Career and Your Life - Kathy Caprino

10 Essential Ways Being More Positive Enhances Your Career and Your Life As a trained marriage and family therapist and career coach, I’ve researched for over 13 years what makes some people highly successful interpersonally and in business, and others doomed to fail. I’ve observed this: Being more positive and uplifting in your behaviors and language makes room for far greater success, satisfaction and reward in your life (this goes for your marriage and family life too). How do we become more positive? Its an extremely important question and it involves a myriad of decisions, behaviors and commitments. Its about strengthening your boundaries, shifting your mindset, being very careful about every word you utter, moving away from negative people, and more. In short, theres not a one-step-cure for this its a journey and a lifelong commitment to a series of behaviors. Also, its about cultivating positive thinking as a habit. In Marriage as In Life and Work During my therapy training, I read a fascinating book called The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work.   In it, the author, leading relationship expert Dr. John Gottman, explains that there are particular types of negative interactions that, if allowed to run rampant, are so lethal to a relationship that he calls them the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.   These four horsemen “clip-clop into the heart of a marriage in the following order: criticism, contempt, defensiveness and stonewalling.” I’ve seen these exact same harbingers of professional disaster in the workplace as well. Allowed to run unfettered, these Four Horsemen will certainly clip-clop into the heart of your career and professional life with a deadly thud. Dr. Gottman discovered a formula he believes is provable and reliable â€" that to make your marriage successful, you must ensure that there are five times more positive, loving interactions than negative, painful interactions between you and your spouse. If you don’t adhere to this formula, serious unhappiness ensues.   And if you dip toward the 1:1 ratio consistently, he says you’re likely to end in divorce.   He can watch a couple discuss a problem or conflict for only a few minutes, and predict with eerie accuracy if they’ll eventually end in divorce. Interestingly, I’ve seen the relevance of this positive-to-negative interaction formula in people’s careers and professional endeavors as well. Those who are consistently more negative than positive in their communications and interactions suffer from an untimely demise of their career potential. Why is Negativity So Destructive?   Negativity limits, constrains and tears down.   Negativity also tends to escalate, and as it does, it strips away future opportunities for success, self-esteem, trust, confidence, and growth. What Does Positivity Do Instead? Being positive, on the other hand, has the opposite effect â€" it builds, repairs, and protects. Using positive language and behaviors builds up support structures and creates new roads to solutions and success. It paves the way for a deeper level of human connection, compassion, and creativity. In fact, I’ve found that concentrating your focus on being more positive as you engage in your professional endeavors achieves the following 10 powerful outcomes: Being more positive: 1) Helps you engage with others more effectively and gain support more easily for your ideas and initiatives 2) Develops you as a role model and someone to “watch,” admire and learn from 3) Gives you greater positive impact and influence on your culture, your environment and your colleagues (positive language and emotion are magnets) 4) Boosts your “immunity” to negative outside occurrences  â€" you become more resilient and bounce back quicker 5) Inspires others around you to find the courage to seek and move toward the positive 6) Strengthens your ability to advocate effectively for yourself and others,   which in turn attracts more opportunity for all involved 7) Paves the way for more collaborative success rather than crushing competition 8) Builds your reputation as someone worthy of trust and support 9) Helps you see possibility where others see only hopelessness 10) Brings to light your achievements and accomplishments rather than highlighting your failures In the end, positivity paves the way for growth, and growth breeds success.   You might be thinking, “Sure, I know being positive is important, but I can’t seem to shift myself out of my negative thinking, especially with all this bad news around us today.” If this sounds like you, I’d ask you to think again.   We CAN change and modify â€" it’s called evolving.   We ARE able to shift ourselves away from negative, destructive and damaging negative patterns to more positive ones â€" in our relationships and in our work.   I know, because I’ve worked extremely hard to create these shifts in myself and in my career, and worked with hundreds of others do the same, to great success. If you will make the commitment today to engage in more positive behaviors and thoughts in your life and work, I know you won’t regret it. Your challenge: This week, take a very close look at your communications and interactions at work.   What is the ratio of your positive communications to negative ones?   If the ratio is at least 5 (positive) to 1 (negative), kudos to you!   If not, there’s some important work to be done. To learn how to become more positive and build stronger boundaries to separate from negative people, work with Kathy in her new Close Your Power Gaps coaching program and tune into her weekly podcast Finding Brave.

5 Resources for Visual Resumes - CareerAlley

5 Resources for Visual Resumes - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. The job hunting world is continually changing, driven primarily by advancements in technology and leveraging the Internet. Weve seen the world of snail mail and pounding the pavement replaced by emails, job boards and hundreds of job posting sites. Visual Resumes hit the scene a few years ago and, while not being an instant hit, have started to become popular. This relatively new twist on job search is still in its infancy and its not clear yet how popular this trend will become, but time will tell. So what is a visual resume? It is an online professional marketing brochure or personal web-based brand. Rather than sending your Word or text resume to potential employers, you would direct them to your web-based resume. This is a new wild card and those who are creative are likely to create the most eye catching resumes. Its all about what you can do to have your resume stand out from the rest. For those who are ready to give this a try, there are a few of options available. Vizualize.me This site allows you to create an infographic resume. You can sign-up for free using your email account or your LinkedIn account. The site strives to be easy to use, pulling all of your data from LinkedIn. You can add, delete and change information easily. When I tried it (pulling in my LinkedIn info), it took less than 30 seconds to create the first view. LinkedIn recommendations look great and there are a bunch of tools on the left hand side so you can make tweaks to your resume. Once your resume is done, the dashboard will give you key stats like views and popularity. VisualCV We cant cover this topic without reviewing VisualcCV.com which, as best I can tell, is the best known visual resume site. The site offers a tour as well as examples. The tour gives an overview of how to create your visual resume and what is generally included. You can embed almost any type of media as well as hyperlinks to your personal website or social site profile (like LinkedIn). The service is free. It is worth looking at the examples before creating your own visual resume as they will give you some ideas as to what might work best for you. Re.vu This site helps you create an infographic resume which is a pictorial of your career and skills. It can pull data directly from your LinkedIn account or you can add the information yourself. You can create a custom profile as well. Visual.ly by Kelly This site provides an alternative way to create a visual resume. Basically, you create a visual resume using slideshare.net and use this site to embed your virtual resume. Since Ning.com enables the creation of your own social network, my assumption is that this site will become a repository for visual resumes and another visual resume alternative. Resumup This site has several resume formats: Regular text resume, ATS (can be easily read by a computer) and a visual (infographic) resume. We will focus on the infographic resumes. As with some of the other sites, you can sign in using Facebook, LinkedIn or the standard email address and password. Sign-up is quick and easy. Each section of the infographic resume can be edited. The format is very appealing and editing each section (such as achievements, identity, skills, etc. The quality of the final product depends on how much time you spend in creating your resume. Canva Basically,Canva is a simple, drag-and-drop, design software thats completely online and free to use. This is a great resource to use for your visual resume. It gives you everything you need to easily turn ideas into stunning designs. Create designs for Web or print: blog graphics, presentations, Facebook covers, flyers, posters, invitations and so much more. Theyvebeen around for just over 2 years and already have 8.1 million users. Take a look at The Infographic Resume: How to Create a Visual Portfolio that Showcases Your Skills and Lands the Job. This is a book by Hannah Morgan (the founder of careersherpa.net) In my opinion, VisualCV has the edge (by a long shot) on visual resumes. There do not seem to be too many alternatives (at least I could not find many) and the format and tools in VisualCV are superior to the other options. 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. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+ Job Search job title, keywords, company, location jobs by

Smart Career Decisions in a Tough Economy - Hallie Crawford

Smart Career Decisions in a Tough Economy Life shrinks and expands in proportion to one’s courage. Anais Nin I belive that this is true. I know that when I am feeling courageous and more confident, I make things happen. I’m more willing to step out of my comfort zone and take a risk to do what I need to do to make a change in my life towards something I want. Career transition takes courage. It’s a change, and change can be scary. There are many things you can do to successfully make smart career decisions manage your career transition. One of the key elements you have to tap into is your courage. We all have it sometimes it’s just buried under disempowering beliefs, negative past experiences or fear of change. Imagine you can move those things aside in your mind, as if you’re moving aside a big brick wall. What do you see on the other side? Where is your courage and how can you tap into it more? Here’s to making it happen! Career Coach P.S. Join me TODAY for Survive the Job Crisis: Creating Career Possibilities for Yourself in Three Short Steps at 12 noon ET. In this FREE teleclass, find out live the 3 things you need to do right now in order to survive the job crisis. Learn how to handle whatever career transition you are currently facing.

Using Examples For Resume Writing

Using Examples For Resume WritingWhen it comes to using samples for resume writing, there are a few guidelines that should be kept in mind. While having a sample is an important tool for every writer, it can also be used as a crutch that will not help you get anything good out of your resume.The first rule is that the samples should never be too long. If you are looking to include a few of them on your resume, make sure that they do not go on for more than two pages. You will only end up taking up too much space, which can be used for other things.Make sure that you use samples that are not already used by others. The reason for this is because resumes are meant to give a glimpse of what you have done in the past. It should not be boring or make it look like you have had lots of experience, as this will make you look unprofessional. The sample should instead include how the person looked when they were hired and what they did for the company before they were hired.The second rule to remember is that you should also take care of the details of the sample as well. In addition to the samples that you use, try to find one that has some of the basic elements that are needed for your resume. For example, you should not use the same template for both the resume and cover letter. Also, it is crucial that you should ensure that the samples are easy to read, so you may as well see how they will appear in your resume.Finally, make sure that you can actually follow the examples that you are using. Some people use a pen to write something down, while some prefer to type out the information. Take into consideration that you can relate to a certain sample if you use the same methods that were used for it.The idea behind using samples for resume writing is that you can relate to a sample as well as an actual person who is a professional. That is why you need to consider the way in which you will write and express yourself as you go along, to ensure that you can find the best m ethods.In addition to that, you also want to make sure that the samples that you use for your resume will look great when they are being printed out. As a matter of fact, if you are using professional samples, it is highly recommended that you use a black ink pen to do the writing instead of a fountain pen.

What Your Boss Wants You to Know

What Your Boss Wants You to Know Most of us have a boss. It would be great to know what was really going on inside his or her head, but sadly, the technology doesn’t yet exist. However, after talking to bosses from my past jobs, I have discovered 10 commonalities that they would like you to know. Follow this advice, and you could give a well-earned boost to your career. 1. A Positive Attitude Is Really Important Bosses don’t expect their employees to be perfect shining rays of light, and happy every second of every day. In fact, that may actually get very irritating, or give the impression that you just don’t care. However, being difficult, constantly complaining, nay-saying, gossiping, and generally being a grumpy curmudgeon is not going to be tolerated for long, regardless of the skills you have. Some people may say “His attitude stinks, but his work is incredible,” and while that may be true, it won’t keep that guy employed forever. What’s at stake here is greater than one person. Team morale suffers, the boss has to give more grease to the squeaky wheel, and it becomes more of a hassle than the employee is worth. Less talented, but more positive, individuals will outlast highly skilled killjoys. 2. Take the Initiative More Often A good employee will do what is asked of him or her in a timely manner, and they’ll do it well. A great employee won’t wait to be asked, and will instead initiate the projects or create new ways to drive business. A boss has a lot of work to do, and when an employee steps up with a solution to a problem, rather than being asked to look into it, it’s an absolute delight to a boss. It shows you care about the job, and the company, and are thinking about ways to improve it on your own time. If you have ideas that you think would improve business, do not be afraid to take 10 minutes out of the boss’s schedule to discuss them. Even if the idea isn’t feasible, you will get props for the effort. 3. The Boss Is Not the Enemy It’s something regularly portrayed on TV and in the movies. The boss is the one everyone else can’t stand. It’s the boss who stops the fun, who demands you work late, or come in early, and it’s the boss who has to deliver bad news. Well, the boss doesn’t relish doing any of those things. There is so much going on behind the scenes that employees don’t, and shouldn’t, know about. From revenue issues, to staffing, and even stock prices â€" the boss has much more to deal with than you’d think, and it’s hard work. But at the end of the day, the boss wants the company to do well, and therefore, wants you to do well. You won’t always agree with the decisions, but that doesn’t mean they were made to annoy you, or keep you from succeeding. And remember, many times your boss has a boss, who also has a boss. This all trickles down. Read More: What’s an employee to do? Part 2 4. Asking for Help Is Not a Sign of Weakness There’s a great Seinfeld episode called “The Bottle Deposit” which features George being given a very important task to do. The boss thinks George has followed him into the bathroom, and briefs him there. When George comes in at the end, he’s missed the entire briefing, but his boss thinks he’s heard it all. The simple solution is to approach the boss and say, “I actually didn’t hear that. Could you please brief me on it again?” But that wouldn’t be funny in a sitcom. In real life, however, asking for help, or clarification, is a perfectly normal and accepted part of the job. In fact, by asking for help, you’re showing that you care enough about the project to make sure it gets done correctly. Now, if you ask for help constantly, and cannot grasp the notion of the project after three or four explanations, that’s not so good. You also don’t want to be seen as offloading all your projects onto other people. But in general, if you have a question, ask it. Your boss will be happy to give you the best answer they can. 5. Promotions Have to Be Earned You may have been at the company five years, and never had a promotion. And yet, someone down the hall has had two promotions in just four years. This isn’t fair, right? Well, most of the time, it is. True, sometimes there is favoritism involved, and in those cases, there is very little you can do about it. Bosses promote their friends, it’s a fact of life. However, most of the time, those promotions were earned by a go-getter who showed initiative and really went the extra mile. In fact, a promotion is usually given to someone who has been doing that job for months, or even years. Show that you can do it, and you’ll get it… and the raise. 6. You Can’t Expect Special Treatment You may make the boss laugh more than anyone else. You may go golfing with him or her on a weekend. You may even be related. But you cannot expect that to have an impact on your job. You shouldn’t expect a raise because you bring the boss homemade cookies every week. You shouldn’t expect to work special hours, or telecommute, just because you’re charming. Remember, if the boss lets you have something, then pretty soon everyone on the staff will hear about it, and want the same. Now, if you do something that earns you special treatment, like working overtime for three weeks without pay, then that’s different. In that instance, it’s fine to ask for some free time off to recuperate. Read More: Flashback Friday: 62 Ways Introverts Tend to Win at Life 7. Don’t Bring Problems Without Solutions The boss has to know about problems. However, simply telling the boss something is wrong, without offering any kind of assistance or solution, is just lazy. If you don’t have the expertise to address the problem, talk to someone who does, and find out what can be done to address that problem. Do it in a timely manner, and then bring both the problem and possible solutions to the boss. Now, you have not made his or her day worse by being the bearer of bad news. Instead, you have flagged a problem, but offered a fix. This is more appreciated by a boss than you could know, and it will be reflected in your next review. You are proactive, and that’s something worth rewarding; either with more responsibility, and/or a promotion. 8. Criticism Is Not Personal It seems that as the years go by, employees get more and more sensitive to criticism of any kind. Perhaps the entitlement culture is to blame, and parents who shelter their children all the way to adulthood. But whatever the reason, a boss should be able to critique your work and your ideas without you feeling attacked or hurt. Constructive criticism is how we all learn to grow in our roles, and advance in our careers. Some industries, such as advertising and marketing, cannot survive without tough feedback. Creative people have to learn to grow a thick skin, as they are told all 10 concepts for a pitch are awful. But the same should apply across the board. Whatever industry you’re in, a critique of your work is not an attack on you as a person, and you should not take it personally. Brush it off, and learn from it. 9. Think Beyond Your Own Role It’s very easy to work in a silo, and focus on your own tasks and responsibilities. But a great employee will consider the whole business, not just one department or project. For instance, asking for an injection of capital to fund a project can have all kinds of implications. It’s possible that money is tied up in another project or initiative, and that would have to be cut to fund your project. Is your project best for the company as a whole? Are you using funds in the best possible way? Some people treat the company’s money like Monopoly money, spending because it’s easy. However, if you spend the company’s money as if it were your own, you’d find ways to save, or make better deals. Read More: 10 Depressing Jobs That Aren’t Worth the Money 10. You Don’t Have to Agree With Everything Good bosses hire people who are ready to challenge the status quo â€" if they bring better ideas to the table, and go about it in a respectful way. There is absolutely nothing wrong with having the dissenting opinion, and your boss will actually think more of you for bringing up the topic. Someone who says yes to every single idea their boss has is not only seen as irritating, but also lazy. It takes work, and bravery, to speak up about an idea that’s different. But it also shows you’re thinking, and most importantly, that you care. While a boss has every right to shoot down those ideas, or overrule you, they are not going to think negatively of you if you show genuine passion for a different idea. Of course, saying no to every idea, that’s a whole different story.