7 tips to help you become a better ACTIVE listener -

7 tips to help you become a better ACTIVE listener - I cant talk enough about how important it is to be a good listener if you want to succeed in your job hunt. Earlier this week, I shared tips to help improve your listing skills. Today, some additional thoughts and advice! I have written about how to stand out in a sea of sameness.   Instead of focusing on YOU â€" what you want, what you offer â€" start listening. Ask questions. Be the candidate who connects on an emotional level with your audience. There’s nothing that people like better than someone who seems interested in THEM â€" it’s human nature. Be the one who listens first and answers based on what you learn. You may be surprised by how well this technique works! Being an active listener is just that a process that involves your participation. On the surface, listening is something you do without thinking. In reality, to be a good listener, you need to work at it. Grace Fleming, who writes for the About.com Guide offered these tips to help become an active listener. Listen for verbal clues. Watch for nonverbal clues. Eyebrows, hands, pauses, eyes these note when a person makes an important point. Be mindful of your own reactions. Nod or smile, but try to avoid physically reacting to a negative comment. Fleming notes,   As long as you’re managing your reactions, you’re still listening. Avoid making predictions. Dont assume what the person will say next, as it usually means you will stop listening. Focus on the words, not the person. Dont focus on what the person wears or ugly hairstyle! Don’t get caught up on one detail. It is easy to get distracted, but you dont want to miss the next important point. Don’t let your mind wander. Your to do list can wait. Push non-related thoughts from your mind to focus on the conversation. Dont miss the rest of my series about the five networking fundamentals to help you land a job. Review the pieces about the keys to researching your networking targets, how to ask good questions and six ways to improve your listening skills. Once you have a chance to think about updating your skills, take   this quiz to evaluate your general listening skills. Please share your ideas and comments about good listening in the comments! photo by vickisnature

Free Modern Resume Templates Fundamentals Explained

Free Modern Resume Templates Fundamentals Explained The Importance of Free Modern Resume Templates It's possible to even give them a copy of your resume so you are both on the exact same page. Usually, a reference list isn't a mandatory part of a resume. Locating the right template helps saving a good deal of time and money. There are many free creative resume templates you may use, enabling you to focus your energy on everything else you should do. Massive number of design style will guarantee you will come across a resume template that fits with your taste. Once you have selected your perfect resume template from our selection, follow our completely free expert guidance about ways to craft the ideal modern resume. The very first template on the list features an elegant black and white modern resume design that may be used for any job in any business. If you have a look at the templates we've listed below, you will see that they all are similar in the manner your information is prioritized and structured. If you didn't know that there such design goods, today we want to inform you concerning the new templates which are already available at TemplateMonster site. There are three major types of resume templates. It is possible to stop searching for the best resume templates for Word at this time. A basic resume is also less difficult to read. Then it may be time to bring some style to your resume! A modern resume ought to be simple to read and attractively designed. The Fight Against Free Modern Resume Templates Modern-day employers will likely be reading your resume online rather than on paper, for instance, and might want details which you wouldn't see on a traditional resume. You could also see Modern Business Resume Templates One of the absolute most important things to keep in mind while writing a resume is that it's not an autobiography.

7 Ways To Sniff Out The REAL Company Culture - Work It Daily

7 Ways To Sniff Out The REAL Company Culture - Work It Daily 7 Ways To Sniff Out The REAL Company Culture - Work It Daily You read the job description and get so excited. It is exactly what you want in your next career step. You talk with the recruiter and everything seems aligned. You prepare for the interview, you ask good questions and you get good answers, you think you got this nailed. It is as good as it seems, then you start and, a month later, you realize that it isn’t what you thought it was and you feel trapped. Related: 3 Sneaky Ways To Research A Company You can’t quit after a few months because you don’t want to be a job hopper. You regret your decision and wish you had done things differently. So, how do you know what it’s really like to work somewhere? Here are some ideas to help you identify the real company culture before you accept a position. 1. Ask a LOT of questions I've said it before and I will say it again; ask a lot of questions! Ask scenario-based questions about career paths and culture and then you need to be sure that the interviewer can back it up. Ask them to tell you stories about top performers at the company and why the company considers them a top performer. Ask about what characteristics are rewarded and revered in the company. But be sure you ask! 2. Listen to the answers probe Asking is simply the first part of the equation, because then you need to listen and trust your gut. Does the answer seem genuine? Do they have no stories to back up their claims? Do they seem like authentic stories? And finally, do you think these answers and stories are aligned with what you want? If the answer is maybe, probe deeper with the interviewer. If you don’t get anywhere after you attempt to probe a bit, and it remains a maybe… then it’s a no. Maybe is a “no” because you cannot afford maybe. 3. Study current and former employees Take some time on LinkedIn. Study the company page and the people who are working for the company. Are they frequently promoted? Do they demonstrate a career path? DO they quit and come back? This can tell you a lot about the company culture and can also inform the awesome questions you have to ask. 4. Connect with current employees Use your network to talk with people who already work there. Ask them the good, the bad and the ugly. These conversations can help you shape an understanding of the company culture from an insider’s point of view. Ask them questions about what’s important to you when you join a new company. 5. Connect with former employees Similar to the idea above, talking to former employees is equally important. These people can tell you why they left and if they would ever consider going back. The information you learn from former employees should also inform your questions. Keep in mind, companies do change and the reason this person left may no longer be an issue. So, be sure that you are mindful of that as well. 6. Read reviews, but don't ONLY read reviews Sites like Glassdoor and Indeed are awesome to get some insights, but I always caution that these sites can sometimes cloud your point of view. Keep in mind; people who write anonymous reviews of things are often either horribly disgruntled or shilling. If you want to read reviews, read the ones that are middle of the road. Don’t read 5-stars and 1-star. Read 3-star reviews and then either ask your network to validate or just take it with a grain of salt. 7. Follow them on social to see how they respond Social media has forced brands to more openly communicate with candidates and customers. Some companies do an amazing job of telling you about the culture on their social media channels. Others don’t. The companies who do not share a lot about their culture, you should study how do they treat their candidates and customers. You can use this information to see what it might be like at a company, and to see what is important to the brand before you join it. Changing jobs is a big decision. Figuring out your fit is so important so that you don’t end up filled with dread and regret or the dreaded “job hopper” label. Carefully considering a company’s culture is critical in your career because getting it wrong is too costly. This post was originally published on an earlier date. Related Posts Company Culture: 7 Tips On How You Can Plug In 14 Ways To Research Company Culture 5 Tips To Uncover Company Culture About the author With passion and an innate curiosity, Tracey strives to push the envelope to create great experiences for talent. Tracey has been developing digital, mobile and social solutions for nearly 20 years in the talent acquisition space. Currently CredHive’s CEO, she is dedicated to changing the way hiring is done to create a more level playing field for talent. Visit CredHive to learn more.   Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here. Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!