10 Body Language Tips

By Robert Phipps

EYE  contact is one of the most important aspects of dealing with others, especially people we've just met. Maintaining good eye contact shows respect and interest in what they have to say. Here in the UK we tend to keep eye contact around 60-70% of the time. (However, there are wide cultural differences, so be careful in other countries) By doing this you won't make the other people feel self conscious, like they've got a bit of vegetable stuck between their teeth or a dew drop hanging from the nose. . Instead, it will give them a feeling of comfort and genuine warmth in your company, any more eye contact than this and you can be too intense, any less and you give off a signal that you are lacking interest in them or their
conversation.
POSTURE  is the next thing to master, get your posture right and you'll automatically start feeling better, as it makes you feel good almost instantly. Next time you notice you're feeling a bit down, take a look at how your standing or sitting. Chances are you'll be slouched over with your shoulders drooping down and inward. This collapses the chest and inhibits good breathing, which in turn can help make you feel nervous or uncomfortable.
HEAD  position is a great one to play around with, with yourself and others. When you want to feel confident and self assured keep your head level both horizontally and vertically. You can also use this straight head position when you want to be authoritative and what you're saying to be taken seriously. Conversely, when you want to be friendly and in the listening, receptive mode, tilt your head just a little to one side or other. You can shift
the tilt from left to right at different points in the conversation.
ARMS  give away the clues as to how open and receptive we are to everyone we meet and interact with, so keep your arms out to the side of your body or behind your back. This shows you are not scared to take on whatever comes your way and you meet things "full frontal". In general terms the more outgoing you are as a person, the more you tend to use your arms with big movements. The quieter you are the less you move your arms away from your body. So, try to strike a natural balance and keep your arm movements midway. When you want to come across in the best possible light, crossing the arms is a no, no in front of others. Obviously if someone says something that gets your goat, then by all means show your disapproval by crossing them !
LEGS  are the furthest point away from the brain, consequently they're the hardest bits of
our bodies to consciously control. They tend move around a lot more than normal when we are nervous, stressed or being deceptive. So best to keep them as still as possible in most situations, especially at interviews or work meetings. Be careful too in the way you cross your legs. Do you cross at the knees, ankles or bring your leg up to rest on the knee of the other? This is more a question of comfort than anything else. Just be aware that the last position mentioned is known as the "Figure Four" and is generally perceived as the most defensive leg cross, especially if it happens as someone tells a you something that might be of a slightly dubious nature, or moments after. (As always, look for a sequence)
ANGLE OF THE BODY  in relation to others gives an indication of our attitudes and feelings towards them. We angle toward people we find attractive, friendly and interesting and angle ourselves away from those we don't,
it's that simple! Angles includes leaning in or away from people, as we often just tilt from the pelvis and lean sideways to someone to share a bit of conversation. For example, we are not in complete control of our angle at the cinema because of the seating nor at a concert when we stand shoulder to shoulder and are packed in like sardines. In these situations we tend to lean over towards the other person.
HAND  gestures are so numerous it's hard to give a brief guide but here goes. Palms slightly up and outward is seen as open and friendly. Palm down gestures are generally seen as dominant, emphasizing and possibly aggressive, especially when there is no movement or bending between the wrist and the forearm. This palm up, palm down is very important when it comes to handshaking and where appropriate we suggest you always offer a handshake upright and vertical, which should convey
equality.
DiSTANCE FROM OTHERS  is crucial if you want to give off the right signals. Stand too close and you'll be marked as "Pushy" or "In your face". Stand or sit too far away and you'll be "Keeping your distance" or "Stand offish". Neither are what we want, so observe if in a group situation how close are all the other people to each other. Also notice if you move closer to someone and they back away, you're probably just a tiny bit too much in their personal space, their comfort zone. "You've overstepped the mark" and should pull back a little.
EARS , yes your ears play a vital role in communication with others, even though general terms most people can't move them much, if at all. However, you've got two ears and only one mouth, so try to use them in that order. If you listen twice as much as you talk you come across as a good communicator who knows how to strike up a balanced a conversation
without being me, me, me or the wallflower.
MOUTH  movements can give away all sorts of clues. We purse our lips and sometimes twist them to the side when we're thinking. Another occasion we might use this movement is to hold back an angry comment we don't wish to reveal. Nevertheless, it will probably be spotted by other people and although they may not know the comment, they will get a feeling you were not to pleased.There are also different types of SMiLES and each gives off a corresponding feeling to its recipient which we'll cover next time.

How to Be Happier at Work

By Leonard A. Schlesinger, Charles F. Kiefer, and Paul B. Brown

It would be nice to think that you're going to be just as excited about going to work tomorrow as you were on your first day on the job.

But between increased workloads caused by your company's reluctance to hire more people, or a change in management that has put less than stellar people in charge of your little corner of the universe, or maybe the fact that you have done the same job for a while now, you may be feeling....well, not exactly burned out, but fatigued.

What to do?

* Telling yourself to get more excited about the same old thing isn't going to work. (It never does.)

 
* Retiring in place and simply going through the motions is not an option. (You'd be replaced a week from Thursday by someone who might not be better, but by a person who certainly has more enthusiasm.)

 
* And while looking for another job is clearly a choice, terrific jobs are hard to come by in this limp-along economy and you may not be ready to undergo that kind of disruption.

Let us suggest another alternative: Start something. More specifically, start something outside of work.

It could be a new company — or at least something that could lead to starting your own company — but it also could be something artsy like writing a book, composing music or doing something for the betterment of your community (such as developing an idea for a new after-school program). Heck, it could even be something you've always wanted to do — like learning to play the piano or speak a new language — with absolutely no possibility of financial reward. You simply want to do it for the sheer enjoyment of it.

It doesn't matter what it is. The key is to start, to take a small step toward what you think you want. You don't have to make a commitment to see this fledgling notion through to the end. That would be silly — you simply don't know if this new thing is something that you are really going to like.

The key is to get moving without much cost (either in time or in any other resource.) As with all new ventures, you want to stay within your acceptable loss. 

Once you take that small, inexpensive step, see what you've learned. If you're happy with the results, take another step toward your goal. Pause again to see what you've learned this time and, if it feels right, go take another step.

How is this going to make you happier at your job? That's simple. Some of the enthusiasm you have for your outside venture is going to carry over into your work. Making progress on things you care about elevates your mood. You'll come to work pleased with yourself and you'll be less dour. 

Guaranteed. That could be enough to get you out of your funk — which is certainly a good thing both for you, your colleagues and your company.

And if it doesn't cure your job fatigue, or it doesn't for long, that's not necessarily bad, either. By taking the step toward creating something outside of work, you have done two things, both of them good:

First, you may have started down the road that could lead to you starting your own business.
Second, because you have done it, you are in the process of proving to yourself that you know how to create something new. That will be a valuable skill to have no matter what you do next — start your own company, look for a new job or try to carve out a new sort of position in your current company.
Of course, there is an alternative, and you've probably met this person before. It's the person who tells you about all the things they might do, but who never seems to take the first step toward any of their goals. You offer an idea. You offer encouragement and support. But nothing happens. Somehow this person seems more comfortable and even (ironically) pleased with dreaming about possibilities while remaining unhappy.

The remedy for this malaise is simple (although not often taken). It is to act. Every action causes a change in reality. Every action carries the potential for learning. Learning about your next step. Learning about what you like or don't like. Every act can build momentum. Small desires grow. A small talent or expertise can be developed and honed. Before you know it, you can be on a new course. But only if you act.

So, as counter-intuitive as it seems, to be more excited about your job, go do something great outside of it.

Wonderfully described definitions.........

Author Unknown

CIGARETTE:
A pinch of tobacco rolled in paper with fire at one end and a fool at the other!

LECTURE:
An art of transmitting Information from the notes of the lecturer to the notes of students without passing through the minds of either

CONFERENCE:
The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present

COMPROMISE:
The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece

TEARS:
The hydraulic force by which masculine will power is defeated by feminine water-power!

CONFERENCE ROOM:
A place where everybody talks,nobody listens and everybody disagrees later on

ECSTASY:
A feeling when you feel you are going to feel a feeling you have never felt before

CLASSIC:
A book
which people praise,
but never read

SMILE:
A curve that can set a lot of things straight!

OFFICE:
A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life

EXPERIENCE:
The name men give to their Mistakes

DIPLOMAT:
A person who tells you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip

OPTIMIST:
A person who while falling from EIFFEL TOWER  says in midway "SEE I AM NOT INJURED YET!"

MISER:
A person who lives poor so that he can die RICH!

FATHER:
A banker provided by  nature

BOSS:
Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early

POLITICIAN:
One who shakes your hand before elections and your Confidence Later

DOCTOR:
A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you by his bills!

Forgive your boss. Here is how and why...

By Sunayna Navani

Most of you might want to read this post just for curiosity. :) Y  is this  crazy lady asking us to forgive our boss??? 

 Some lucky ones might not feel the need coz they have excellent bosses.  Some must be so filled with anger that forgiveness is so out of the question, that they might not even read it. I hope curiosity brings the  ones who really need to hear this, here. Well, whoever you are, hope you  are able to lead a better life after reading this. Stories are always welcome, Infact, I love listening to it. So pls do share. Also, feel free  to share this post with people u know will need to read.
 

Boss - A mysterious creature, ain't he? For many, it is possible that he is the same guy whom they shared lunch with, but now, make faces when he enters on your lunch time. The picture just says it all. 

Bosses truly don't know what to with the power they have been given. Most are forced leader. I have a true story to  share.

Just few months back, I had a handwriting sample for a Pre Employment scan .  It was for some senior position in the company that wanted to hire him, I had not been given any other specifics about function to check, it was just a simple analysis. I sent the report and I got a call back asking how is  this guy not a good leader. I was taken aback. I didn't know how to  explain. I told them that as per his handwriting, though he is very  straight forward, simple, fast thinker and hardworking. The following were  my additional exact comments - Balanced individual. Clean heart and hence
> slightly short tempered. Also if time taken to analyse handwriting can be  considered as the time to judge the individual, then this analysis took me  half the time as the first one. I am guessing he will come with no  pretenses and will be able to judge and analyse. But am sorry that he is not a good leader."He is very highly recommended and He is currently  the AGM, He is to be hired for Head position, and he has a flawless track  record. How can he not be a good leader" was the reply. I told them that he isn't. Please check on him. Was he forced to a leadership position? Did he have to struggle a lot in the start? now, does  he treat himself as a leader or just like a captain? He has a lot of good qualities like being straight but also kind and he is hardworking so his  subordinates will learn a lot. This could make him a good person to be in charge of that position, Also, his stress management skills are high, so it  has taken him time to be in charge of that position and lead but he is not  a very good leader intrinsically and takes some time to adjust to new  situations, but will do well.

They didn't get back to me for sometime, but when they did, I was told that it  is very much possible that he was forced into a leadership position. NOW,  Think about your boss. Does he have good leadership skills? Probably no, because you are reading this article.What exactly is a leader? As per graphology, he is someone who has vision, thinks big and is not good with getting in the small details but would very well want you to do it. He has  a slightly inflated ego that needs little bit of air every now and then. But  at the end of the day, he is a human being just like you.*He too has his boss to report to. Maybe even worse at managing self than your boss is.  Possible na? He is not a good boss because he is not good at managing his  self. BUT just because he is not good at managing his self, doesn't mean that you should too? Forgive him.

 There is just no point in spoiling your mood because of him. *Worrying they say is a waste of imagination. *So, All you lovely people and my friend PJ, don't waste a single moment in sadness because of your boss. Smile and chill. Forgive him for not being a good boss. At the same time, learn from his mistakes and 

*promise yourself that you will be a lot better boss*.

Good luck.

Keep smiling.
Keep learning.
Keep Growing!  

Why Everyone Needs A Resume – Even YOU

I have this conversation frequently these days. It's usually with people who've called me to talk about my resume-writing service, so they know something is up. But this topic also comes up with friends and business associates. One of two things usually brings it up:

1. I will mention an opportunity that would be just right for the other person. I say, "You should send them your resume." They say, "Oh, I don't have one." I say, "You mean you don't have an updated resume?" They say, "No, I don't have a resume at all. I mean, I did at one point but…" They're voice trails off into silence. 
2. I will say, "I went on your LinkedIn page and it's almost blank. What's the deal?" (I'll just interject here it's not snooping if it's on the Internet.) "Why don't you have your resume on there, along with a compelling summary of what you do?" "Oh, I don't have a resume," they say, either confidently or sheepishly depending upon their circumstances.

I want to say, "Why are you even on LinkedIn? You have 357 connections and no way that's going to turn into work for you." Sometimes I do actually say it (usually, in a gentler way), which leads to me explaining the whole point of LinkedIn and why having a resume is essential, even for them. (More on LinkedIn later.)

Yes, it's true. In the past, lots of people got freelance work – or even permanent jobs – without having a resume. There was a time that when someone who needed a graphic designer or a copy writer or a marketing consultant or even a new VP, Business Affairs would call their trusted friends and associates and their trusted friends and associates would tell them names of potential people to hire. And then the person in need would call a bunch of the referrals and ask those referrals about their experience and accomplishments. Based on that, either finalists would be asked to bid a job or come in for an interview or one person would just be hired depending upon the size and nature of the project.

Here's the thing: Word-of-mouth doesn't work as the only strategy anymore. There are too many freelancers and potential employees and, due to the internet, people's circles are too large. 

And, for a big project at a big company – or a permanent position – you don't just get hired by the person who you talked to on the phone. There are people from other departments who need to sign off on you, as well as upper management in the mix. So now, each time you are brought up as a candidate, the person trying to hire you has to regurgitate everything they know about your relevant work history. If there are follow up questions ("Where'd they get their training? Have they ever done work for our type of company?"), they have to go back to you, get the information and then report back. You could see how someone with a resume would have an advantage in this situation.

Here are other people who need resumes:

• People who have had jobs for a long time who would be open to moving on. I'm not saying you have to be actively looking. These are people who want to be ready when opportunity knocks, because they know a good opportunity won't be available long enough for them to get a great resume together after they hear about it. 
• Most business owners. Yes, you are your own boss but how do people know they want to use your service or invest in you or come to you with a great offer to collaborate on a project?
• Stay-at-Home Moms who need to make some cash while junior is napping. We all know those work-from-home ads are a scam. Network marketing is almost always the fast track to… making next to nothing while pissing off all your friends. But if you have a successful blog or were a very effective PTA president for three years, you could parlay that into a paid social networking or community advocate position that works for your schedule. If people know about you and what you'd done.
• YOU. Even if you are 100% happy with your current situation and you do not need nor want any additional income, you still need to be establishing and maintaining your professional reputation. There will come a time when you will need or want to make money some other way than you are now. Your job will end, your current freelance income stream will dry up, etc. You will not want to be starting from scratch.

Here's where LinkedIn comes in:

Your resume no longer sits in a drawer or gets passed from fax machine to fax machine or even by e-mail address to e-mail address. It lives on the web! LinkedIn is the best professional tool to come out of the internet age. You create an identity from yourself simply by having your excellent resume copied onto LinkedIn, along with a compelling summary of who you are and what you do. You build your reputation by commenting in relevant LinkedIn groups you belong to. You connect with people in your field. You help them, they help you.

If someone hears your name as a potential hire and Googles you, your LinkedIn profile will come up and they don't even need your resume sent to them. And sometimes people just stumble upon your profile on LinkedIn and contact you for work. (It's happened many times for me. It can happen for you.) Which is why…

A blank or incomplete or badly-written LinkedIn profile is almost worse than no LinkedIn profile at all.

So if you don't have a resume – or if your resume is not a strong representation of your career in terms of where you want to go with it – it's time to put some time into it. And then get it onto LinkedIn. It will pay-off. Trust me.

Jenny Yerrick Martin, founder of YourIndustryInsider.com, has amassed 20+ years as an entertainment industry professional including almost 15 as a hiring executive and five as a career consultant. She's become an indispensable resource for people who want to break into entertainment, as well as those in entertainment looking to reach the next level or course-correct in their already-established careers.

Thanks to Jenny Yerrick Martin / Careerealism
http://www.careerealism.com/resume-everyone-needs/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+careerealism+%28CAREEREALISM%29

Faith Works

Author Unknown

 

There  was  an  old  man  who  operated  a  rowboat  for  ferrying  passengers between  an  island  and the mainland. One day a passenger noticed that he had painted on one oar the word "Works", and on the other oar the word "Faith". Curiosity led him to ask the meaning of this.

The  old  man replied, "I will show you," dropping one oar, rowing only with the oar named "Works". Of course, the boat just went around in circles. Then he switched oars, picking up "Faith" and dropping "Works". And the little rowboat went around in circles again... this time in the opposite direction.

After this demonstration, the old man picked up both oars "Faith" and "Works", and rowing with both oars together swiftly coursed over the water. He looked at the passenger and said, "You see, that is the way it is in life as well as in rowing a boat. You got to keep both oars in the water, otherwise, you'll just go in circles."

Only 140 Characters To Help Your Job Search

By Cheryl Palmer
 
You're engaged in a job search, and you're on Twitter. What should you say in 140 characters or less that would help you reach your goal?

First of all, you have to identify your target audience and surmise what your target audience would be interested in. As a job seeker you primarily have two audiences: recruiters/hiring managers and colleagues who can refer you to openings. Fortunately for you, recruiters/hiring managers and colleagues have one very important thing in common. They are both looking for the best and the brightest.

 Recruiters/hiring managers want to identify the cream of the crop when searching for the ideal candidate. Colleagues also want to refer those who will make them look good in the eyes of the company that they refer people to. So your task as a job seeker is to demonstrate you are on top of your field.

Simply advertising the fact you are looking for a job is not sufficient, and if overdone, can prove your undoing. Instead you need to devise a job search strategy that reaches your target audience effectively. One method that you can incorporate into your strategy is tweeting the URLs of articles that discuss new trends in your industry and/or profession.

This subtly shows that you are savvy about what is going in your field. This is especially important for people who have been unemployed for awhile because it is easy for employers to assume that if you have been out of work for some time that you are not current with your field.

Another part of your overall job strategy can be to maintain a blog and comment on different aspects of your field. You can tweet the URLs of your different blog posts along with a very brief description to entice your followers to go to your blog. (Using a URL shortener such as bit.ly will give you a few more characters to share more information with your followers.) In addition, you can highlight information that you receive at professional association meetings or professional conferences on your blog, again directing your target audience to your blog posts.

Yet another tactic is to provide links to news videos that are related to your field. For example, if there is a news story about how the proposed financial reform of Wall Street will impact the financial services industry, you can share that video via Twitter. Your audience will appreciate the timely information and also view you positively as a professional because you are sharing useful information.

In order to increase the likelihood of your tweets being found by the right people, you should use hashtags that relate to your field. You may need to do a little research by using variations of different keywords related to your field to find hashtags that are commonly used, but it will be worth your while to do so if hiring managers and recruiters find you as a result.

Lastly, you can increase the visibility of your tweets by connecting your Twitter account to your LinkedIn account so that your tweets automatically show up in your LinkedIn status bar. LinkedIn and Twitter can be used together effectively in a social media job search since they are complementary in nature. Twitter's brevity is its strength, but LinkedIn allows you as the job seeker to go into much more detail about your professional background.

Thanks to Cheryl Palmer, M.Ed., CPRW / Carrerealism

http://www.careerealism.com/job-search-help-characters/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+careerealism+%28CAREEREALISM%29

Emailing Your Resume

By Linda Matias

When searching for a job, there is nothing more frustrating than emailing resumes and never receiving responses. For this reason, I took the time to ask recruiters, hiring managers, and human resources representatives the mistakes job seekers make when applying for a position electronically. Below are the main points I got from the discussions.

• Not reading directions before applying. Some hiring organizations have specific guidelines. Don’t dismiss the guidelines just because you don’t agree with them or don’t understand the purpose. When applying for a position you have to follow their rules. So when the classified states that you need to designate a specific position you are interested in or your application won’t be considered, be sure to include one. This means that if you are interested in more than one position don’t toy with the idea of providing a list of positions you are willing to interview for. Choose the position you are most qualified and interests you more. 
• Classified ads also indicate an email address you should send the resume. The email address provided is usually of screener and I understand your hesitancy in submitting your resume to an individual who doesn’t have hiring authority. Because of this, you may decide to call the company and get the manager’s name for the department that has the open position and email the resume directly to her. Smart move, but your suaveness may backfire. The hiring manager may choose to delete. To cover your bases, email your resume to both the manager and the email provided in the job description.
• Cancel the email verification system you have installed. You know the program. The one where the email sender (in this case the hiring organization) receives a notice indicating that in order for the recipient (that’s you) to receive the email the sender needs to click on a link and type in a verification code. Interviewers are very busy and they will not take the extra steps to ensure that you receive their email unless you are a candidate that they can’t live without. And the reality is that qualified candidates are a dime a dozen so you have to make it easy for an interviewer to reach you. Cancel the email verification while conducting a job search and deal with the unwanted emails from Nigeria asking if you are interested in a business proposal. If you choose not to, it can cost you the interview you have been waiting for.
• The following tips seem so simplistic, but these mistakes happen time and time again: (1) when searching for a job don’t change your email address and then email your potential employer about the change. Keep your email address until your job search is over. The likelihood that a hiring manager is going to find your resume and insert your new email address is virtually non-existent (2) your subject line should read professionally, such as Linda Matias Resume for Career Coaching or Resume Writing Position (3) don’t email more than one hiring organization within the same email. Take the time to send each one out personally and finally (4) if the organization requests a Word attachment, make sure you name the attachment professionally, such as matias.linda.resume.doc.