Personal and Professional Transformation
As the last month of the calendar year finally arrives and we collectively celebrate the end of one year and the start of a new year, Raymond Carver’s question is so pertinent. As you look over the year that has been, ask yourself: “Was it the year that should have been?” In other words, when you go back to your wish list of dreams on 1 January of this year, “did you get what you wanted from this life, even so?” It is a wonderful question and turns our focus to purposeful self-reflection and to personal and professional transformation.
Is Mainstream Cover Letter Advice Preventing Your Success?
One of the questions that I get asked the most is if cover letters are dead. The truth is, no, they are not. As I wrote about last month, ATS is scanning resumes for keywords to filter them more carefully. Due to this, some believe that cover letters slow down the screening process because they force hiring staff to read another document. This isn’t necessarily true, however.
Information Governance Insights: Looking Ahead – Get Your Training Plan Ready!
Information governance should be part of the annual training regime at every organization right along with safety and sexual harassment. In many organizations, these types of sessions are required for compliance. For others, it is recommended as a standard business process. Regardless, information governance should be part of the curriculum. If this is not the case in your organization you should be meeting with your training department staff immediately and bring it to their attention.
You Need Culture
A lot of discussion happens when the question of Culture comes up. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, we all claim to live within a ‘culture’ and that must mean that we, therefore, understand what culture is and how it works. This is similar to the notion that most people have visited a hospital, either to see a loved one or due to personal illness or injury and thus we all know how hospitals work, don’t we? The same is true of schools.
Solution-Focused Strategies in the Workplace: The Mad Dash
The workplace is constantly evolving, and employees are expected to seamlessly adapt. Although change is inevitable, it is not always welcomed. Changes in the workplace affect more than our work lives. They impact our families, self-care, relationships and much more.
Clue Into Your Staff’s Superpowers
When you started in your management position what was your initial objective? For most of us, we dove into the technical work. We identified the big projects and how we could help keep them on time and within the budget. We focused on the technical challenges and the financial picture.
Harness the Power of Influence and Relationships
When you are leading others, have you ever considered who are you as a leader? Your leadership point of view can help you stay aligned with your values and build trust and respect between you and your team members.
The Powerful Truth About ATS Friendly Resumes
HR departments receive more resumes than ever because job applicants have more options than ever to apply. This also means that resumes must be filtered more carefully. To handle the increase in applications, more and more organizations are turning to Applicant Tracking Systems, or ATS to scan resumes much more quickly.
Your Reflection
In the United States, Halloween is a significant celebration. Derived, at least in part, from the ‘Feast of All Hallows (All Saints)’ which falls on November 1 each year, the quote from Lolly Daskal is pertinent. The Saints all had one thing in common, they learned how to develop an interior life that allowed them to ‘lead from within’.
Cybersecurity Best Practices to Bring to Every Job or Employer
Looking for jobs in the government sector can provide you with job security, a good retirement plan, and a health insurance program that exceeds most public sector employers. One of the things you can add to your professional resume as you apply for government positions is showing that you have knowledge and understanding of the importance of cybersecurity in the workplace.
Are you Interested in a Writing Job with the Government?
Well, this is without any doubt, a dream of every writer to find an effective writing contract which can not only make him or her attain the ability to earn good money but also let the writer build a portfolio more effectively. This explains why every writer is always looking for something big, which can play a significant role in the process of building his or her career in the best possible way. Most people may have no idea about the great opportunities which a writer can get. It is because they do not have the idea that writers can also get writing contracts from government officials.
Fairness and Justice Lead to Passionate Employees
Every day we face choices about what we should or should not do. We have to consider what tools and techniques enable leaders and their team members to always do the right thing.
Keeping Calm When Adversity Hits
I lay in the narrow bunk, heeled 30 degrees, listening to the storm tear at the boat and sails. And, I listened to the crew tackle each adversity calmly, collaboratively, decisively, and transparently. Do you do the same when adversity hits your organization?
Mid-Level Leadership and Resilience: Between a Rock and a Hard Place
It has been said that there are those who lead and those who follow. Tell that to a mid-level leadership and you will get more than a pair of rolling eyes. Caught between the crosshairs of complying with executive leadership and being responsible for team leading, many mid-level leaders find themselves between the proverbial rock and hard place. When this happens the risk of occupational burnout intensifies.
Intentional Leadership
In the United States of America, September 17, 1787 is etched in the memory of its citizens as the day that 38 delegates signed a new ‘Constitution’ that would bring into existence the United States of America with a central, federal government. Through the echoes of history, such an event stands as a great achievement and the words of Stephen. R. Covey ring true. If the founding fathers were not focused, consciously committed to the task of creating a new ‘Constitution’, they would have, according to Covey, been committed to something else less important and thus history may well have taken a different course.
12 Don’ts for Holding Difficult Conversations
After a recent presentation, someone approached me and asked, “I noticed that when you share your learning with us, you often give us things to do rather than telling us what not to do. Why do you do that?” I responded by stating that when someone tells you what not to do, your brain focuses on that, often leading you to do what you are told specifically not to do. For example, if you were teaching someone to ski, you would not tell them, “If you lose control, don’t look at the trees!” Making this statement would lead people to look at the trees. Rather you would say, “If you lose control, remember to look down the hill in the direction you want to go.”
Two Traits on Which to Build A Workforce
Individuals, governments, and private businesses all share one absolute truth: Reputation is everything. If an individual has a bad reputation, no one wants to take a chance on them. When a company has a bad reputation, no one wants to do business with them, so much so, that others can simply avoid these less-desirable services and take their business elsewhere. However, people often can’t easily avoid or seek out another local government as easily. Therefore, in many ways, it is even more critical that local governments guard their reputation.
How to Tailor Your Cover Letter to a Government Job
Applying for a government position is a lot different from applying for a private-sector job. Unlike the latter, government or public-sector applications often require a cover letter or personal statement. Landing a job in a government agency takes a special approach and the cover letter is the hiring manager’s first glimpse at your skills and qualifications. At the same time, it serves as an introduction to your personality and interests.