Wonderful Story with Powerful Lesson

A woman baked chapatti (roti) for members of her family and an extra one for a hungry passerby. She kept the extra chapatti on the window sill, for whosoever would take it away. Every day, a hunchback came and took away the chapatti. Instead of expressing gratitude, he muttered the following words as he went his way:

"The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" This went on, day after day. Every day, the hunchback came, picked up the chapatti and uttered the words:

"The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!" The woman felt irritated. 

"Not a word of gratitude," she said to herself... "Everyday this hunchback utters this jingle! What does he mean?" One day, exasperated, she decided to do away with him. "I shall get rid of this hunchback," she said. And what did she do? She added poison to the chapatti she prepared for him!

As she was about to keep it on the window sill, her hands trembled. "What is this I am doing?" she said. Immediately, she threw the chapatti into the fire, prepared another one and kept it on the window sill. As usual, the hunchback came, picked up the chapatti and muttered the words: "The evil you do, remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!"

The hunchback proceeded on his way, blissfully unaware of the war raging in the mind of the woman. Every day, as the woman placed the chapatti on the window sill, she offered a prayer for her son who had gone to a distant place to seek his fortune. For many months, she had no news of him.. She prayed for his safe return.

That evening, there was a knock on the door. As she opened it, she was surprised to find her son standing in the doorway. He had grown thin and lean. His garments were tattered and torn. He was hungry, starved and weak. As he saw his mother, he said, "Mom, it's a miracle I'm here. While I was but a mile away, I was so famished that I collapsed. I would have died, but just then an old hunchback passed by. I begged of him for a morsel of food, and he was kind enough to give me a whole chapatti. As he gave it to me, he said, "This is what I eat everyday: today, I shall give it to you, for your need is greater than mine!"

" As the mother heard those words, her face turned pale. She  leaned against the door for support. She remembered the poisoned chapatti that she had made that morning. Had she not burnt it in the fire, it would have been eaten by her own son, and he would have lost his life!

It was then that she realized the significance of the words:  "The evil you do remains with you: The good you do, comes back to you!"

Do good and Don't ever stop doing good, even if it is not appreciated at that time. If you like this, share it with others and I bet so many lives would be touched.          

Avoid These Top Five Resume Mistakes

Over the years as a recruiter and resume coach, I've seen the consequences of poorly written resumes. Unfortunately, most people don't seek professional career help until they experience the frustration of a long and fruitless job search. It's surprising how many of their problems can be traced to the top five resume mistakes.

1. No resume focus The most effective resumes leave no doubt as to the job seeker's career objective. A one-size-fits-all resume gives the impression that the job seeker is uncertain of his/her career goal. An employer once told me that if a candidate is interested in two completely different positions, he must not be very good at either. If you have more than one career objective, you need more than one resume.
2.  Lack of marketing strategy Job seekers rarely see their search for what it is—a sales campaign. Think of your resume as marketing material designed to create a powerful first impression and win a multitude of job interviews. A resume coach can help you translate your career history into an effective marketing piece by selling toward the reader's buying motives: solving problems, saving money, or increasing profits.
3. No accomplishment statements 95% of all resumes lack accomplishment statements. These statements allow employers to visualize your contribution to their company. A resume coach can help you move from a job description type resume to a resume with quantifiable statements that motivate employers to call you before their competition does. These statements can dollarize your worth and increase your bargaining powr.
4. Lack of resume keywords These days, resumes are screened by both humans and computers. A resume lacking in keywords runs the risk of being read by neither. An average screening of a resume is 15 seconds or less, so more attention is paid to resumes using the same words found in the job description. Candidate-tracking software retrieves resumes by keywords. A keyword-focused resume will put you front and center.

Incorrect resume format Basically, there are three resume formats: chronological, functional and hybrid.

Chronological: The chronological is best known and easiest to write, a timeline style resume. This format works well if your objective is to remain in the same industry or occupation.

Functional: The functional resume places transferable skills and accomplishments at the beginning of your resume. However, a poorly crafted functional resume can be confusing, causing the reader to believe the candidate has something to hide.

Hybrid: The hybrid resume combines the best features of other resumes. It showcases skills and accomplishments while maintaining ease of reading. This is the best format for job seekers of all level, but it is also the most difficult to write.

        A resume coach can teach you how to write your own hybrid resume like a pro that will win responses.

Once your resume is designed to avoid the top five resume mistakes, you will be well on your way to winning interviews and reaching your career objective.

- Deborah Walker

You’ve Got Nine Seconds

If you’re talking in more than nine second soundbites, you’re wasting your words, losing the attention of buyers, and positioning yourself as just another long-winded person trying to make your case. From soundbites on broadcast news to politicians delivering provocative statements to posts on Twitter, we’ve become a society that consumes information in smaller and smaller chunks. According to research at the University of California, the incredible shrinking soundbite has gone from 43 seconds in 1968 to a mere nine seconds today. As a result, when you communicate, especially when selling, you need to choose your words carefully while delivering them with impact, passion, and enthusiasm. Not an easy thing to do, especially when you’re an outgoing person whose default factory programming as a human being is to share your gift for gab.

In many instances, less is more and this is certainly the case when you commit to being masterful in conversation. This starts with a belief that what the customer has to say is always much more important than anything you have to add to the conversation. When you speak, your questions must be provocative enough to evoke a thoughtful and detailed response, and when it’s time for you to comment, it’s at these moments that being a “soundbiter” will have listeners hanging on to your every word, wanting to understand and retain the valuable things you have to say.

Becoming an effective soundbiter begins with three simple steps:

1. Listen to how people communicate in person, on the telephone, and via television and radio. Pay particular attention to those that capture your attention while keeping their comments brief, noticing how they convey their ideas through their selection of words and use of volume, tone, and inflection.
2. Conduct a personal debrief after conversations you have with others. Pick statements you made during the conversation and develop alternative ways you could have made your remarks in more of a provocative soundbite fashion.
3. For example, in response to a prospect saying they’ve had bad experiences in the past when working with companies like yours, the long-winded response could be:
   
   
   “I’m so sorry to hear that. I often hear this about our competitors. It’s unfortunate that they give our industry a bad name and a tarnished reputation. I know as a consumer myself that these kinds of previous experiences make me incredibly hesitant to go down that path again. I’m sure if you give us a try you’ll find that we do things differently and, as a result, you’ll change your opinion about the value you can receive.”
   
   
   The soundbite alternative becomes:
   “That’s exactly why you should work with us. Three of our recent new customers had the same complaint and have volunteered to provide references as to how we are different and better than other providers.”
   
   
4. Strive for progress, not perfection, by using select conversations as an opportunity to practice saying more with less words. Personal conversations are a safe and easy place to start.

- Scott Wintrip

Salary Negotiation Secrets That Work

Have you ever wondered exactly how someone negotiates their compensation package? You've heard the success stories - individuals who talk employers into giving them thousands more. Salary negotiation is a game - a sophisticated game - but a game nonetheless. You too can acquire the salary or benefits you most desire if you engage these strategies in your next salary discussion.

A win/win approach is required. Use a warm, friendly tone to open the conversation. Try this baiting statement to determine if the employer is willing to negotiate. "Considering my background and experience, I thought your offer was rather low." Then, fall silent. Wait for the employer's next move. If they are open to negotiations, reaffirm the value the employer receives by hiring you to do their job. Discuss the very reasons they've mentioned for wanting to add you to their team. Many times, simply asking for more money will result in a higher offer. If not, draw comparisons to industry and competitors' salary ranges for this type of position. Comment on your ability to become productive quickly. For example, a manager who seeks a $60,000 salary might say "According to my research, food process managers in companies comparable to yours offer salaries that range in the lower 60's. The extensive systems experience I bring and my strengths in streamlining processes and developing high quality, efficient teams are abilities highly valued in the current marketplace." Cite salary surveys in business magazines or trade journals to verify your data. When you're asked for a specific dollar number that you want, speak in flexible terms such as "I was thinking more like 63,000 instead of the $58,000 offered." This allows you and the employer to compromise and settle for the $60,000 you want. Compromise is the end result of most negotiations.

A word of caution-never bluff with an employer and issue a take it or leave it ultimatum. You could be gambling and LOSING the job. Set your bottom line. Predetermine at what level the offer is too low to accept. Be sure to evaluate the whole picture-potential job satisfaction, promotional opportunities, and other benefits offered.

Salary negotiations are worth the risk when the additional compensation you are able to obtain takes minutes and not years to acquire.

-Robin Ryan