Over the years, I have enjoyed studying people and how body language is used to convey a non-verbal message. In my profession, a critical component of the job is the ability to read people, and make no mistake, a lot is communicated through people’s expressions or gestures. As Peter Drucker said, “The most important thing in communication is hearing what is not said.” Funny thing is, we are all experts in using body language we just aren’t great at reading [...]
By Captain Laura Hatcher, USN (Retired) Recently, as I briskly walked up the sidewalk towards the Metro entrance, I came shoulder to shoulder with a woman and without hesitation, I made eye contact, smiled and said, “Good Morning.” First, some context: 1 June marked the first time I’ve been off military active duty status in over 30 years. It also happened to be week three of my new civilian career (yes, I know I broke some cardinal transition rule about taking time [...]
Do you ever feel like you do more than your job title implies? It is tempting to want to put an unofficial job title on your resume to align better to what you actually do at work, especially if it makes you the perfect fit for a job you are interested in; however, I caution you against the urge. Your resume is the first thing a prospective employer is going to receive from you. It serves as a first [...]
Is Applying for Multiple Positions at the Same Company a Good Idea or a Bad One? As a career coach, I always cringe when I hear a client is applying for multiple jobs within the same company. Apparently, I am not alone. In a recent article by Lindsay Tigar, Recruiters reveal the qualities that are an instant ‘no’, this very topic was discussed. According to Lindsay, job seekers applying for several open positions in hopes of increasing their odds of [...]
Whether you realize it or not you are constantly in competition with others. Don’t believe me? Here are some examples of what I mean: Job Search: If you are searching for a job, you are competing with others for the same potential job openings. According to Monster.com, 29 resumes are uploaded to their site every minute. If I did the math correctly, that is more than 15 million people a year who are posting resumes to the site. What is [...]
Do you ever feel like your LinkedIn profile is an undiscovered island just waiting for visitors to arrive, but they never do? Well, I have good news for you my friend, below are four tips to help you change that scenario today! Are you ready? Let’s do this! Keyword Optimization: As you know, LinkedIn is a professional site where people are looking for people just like YOU; however, they don’t know you or your name so how will they find [...]
Did you know that YOUR LinkedIn profile has a web address that you can share with others? The web address also referred to as your URL is typically displayed as follows: https://www.linkedin.com/in/firstname-lastname-b430325/ *Numbers are unique to you and can be changed as well. To find your profile’s web address follow the guidance below. Here is my profile as an example. Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage and then click View profile. On your profile page, click Edit [...]
With the New Year right around the corner I, like you, start planning out what I want to accomplish in 2018. However, I do not start with a laundry list of resolutions. No, instead, I start with a word. Yes, just one word to get me through the entire year. Some of you may recall the blog article I wrote last year called, “New Year’s Resolutions: One Word NOT a List.” Last year, I chose the word PURPOSE. I [...]
Don’t Put YOUR Job Search on Hold During the Holidays! Top 5 Reasons Why Doing So is a BAD Idea! The thought of taking a break from your job search sounds appealing especially since it is becoming more difficult to set aside dedicated time for the task. The holiday season is in full swing and I know, it is becoming more challenging for you to juggle tasks both at home and at work. At this point, all you can think [...]
Strategic Alliances: We Can Make a Greater Difference Together! There are several things I enjoy about this time of year and the cold is not one of them, but it does remind me of home. I grew up in both Wisconsin and upper Michigan so cold is no stranger but living in Virginia Beach, Virginia for the past 30 years has made it a distant memory, that is, until November. In the late fall, those memories of home come flooding back [...]
