Month: January 2016

Can You Get Rich by Continually Changing Jobs?

Can You Get Rich by Continually Changing Jobs?

Can you get rich by continually changing jobs? Is job-hopping for more money smart or stupid? The answer to those questions depends on the answer to five simple questions.

Is job-hopping for more money smart?

The answer to that question depends on the answer to these five questions.

What is the difference of the total package between the job where you are working and the job where you have an offer?

Are you walking away from retirement savings, profit sharing, vacation, medical coverage, and other benefits? An increase in income is just one part of the package.

What are your promotion opportunities where you are?

Promotions can greatly increase your short-term and long-term earnings.  Changing jobs for more money can cost you in the long end when you career continues to move laterally.

What additional costs do you incur in your new job?

In “Hidden Expenses at a New Job,” I detail the costs that can erase a pay raise and even put you at a reduction in income at your new job.

Is the place where you are going somewhere that you can stay for the long haul? 

Some hiring companies have a dim view of people who change jobs in less than a year or two. They have an even dimmer view of people who change jobs every two years repeatedly. Companies invest money and time in hiring and training people. They want to keep good people to continue to get value out of their investment. They don’t want to hire flakes who will quit every time another company offers a fifteen percent increase.

What is reality?

As a recruiter, I placed hundreds of people in new jobs. The average pay raise for these people changing jobs was two and one half times greater than their annual pay raises at their current or previous company. They came out ahead through these job changes.

Pay raises were not involved in all job these changes. In some cases, people accepted jobs for lateral pay, because the new job fit their needs for various reason.

On the other hand, I placed some people who increased their income fifteen to twenty percent or more. Obviously, pay raises through job changing ever two to three years will result in a person making a lot more money.

But I never saw anyone who was able to change jobs continually for more money.  I did see people who found it increasing difficult to find a new job when they had an employment history of job-hopping.

3 Steps to Job Search Success

3 Steps to Job Search Success

Make your job search a success with these three simple steps.

First, you do the job search basics.

  • Write a terrific resume.
  • Write a template for a great cover letter.
  • Polish your online profile.

Second, you rapidly expand your network.

Job search is a numbers game.

Contacting more people will increase the likelihood that you get a job.

In terms of numbers of prospects or shoppers, getting a job is similar to running a retail store. If the store has no shoppers, the store will have no sales. If shoppers line up out the door, the store has greater odds of selling products and services.

Begin connecting with people who can hire you and with people who can connect you with people who can hire you.
The best contacts are the people you already know. Start by making a contact list of these people.

As you contact people, ask those people for names and contact information of other people who can help you.

After you have written your list of people you know, go to membership sites to add the names of other contacts to your contact list.

Third, you find the companies where you want to work.

Make a list of companies where you would like to work. Build this list from your industry knowledge, from recommendations of people in your network, and from job listings, which you find on job boards.

Before you apply for a job on a job board, review your contact list for people you know at the company.  If you do not know anyone at the company, research names of people who work at the company.  Your application is more effective if a person recommends you for a job.  Try to get a direct referral from a person at the company.  Many companies pay employees for referrals. Direct referrals will give you more credibility than applications you make online.

Continue to contact as many people each day as you can. Put the numbers in your favor. Remember that your contacts are like retail shoppers to a retail store. The more contacts you make will increase your chances of getting a job.

4 Winning Steps to Emotional Intelligence

4 Winning Steps to Emotional Intelligence


I can listen without bias.

When I fail to listen for any reason, I frustrate people. I fail to understand people. I limit the information I have when making a decision. When I bring my bias to a conversation, it is harder for me to hear what people are saying. I can listen without bias and withhold judgement until the person has had a chance to speak.

I can get the food and the sleep I need.

When I am hungry or tired, I think less clearly. I take things more personally. I become impatient. I react emotionally and not mentally. I lose perspective. Important things get lost in the clutter of emotions that high jack my thinking.

I can step back and take a break.

When people say things that anger me, my instinct is to pounce on what they are saying. Communication breaks down. Understanding disappears. I can handle the discussion better by stepping back and taking a break. I can start by simply asking, “May I get back to you on this?” The separation from the person allows me to separate the personality from the issue. I think more clearly and develop an effective way to continue the conversation. I can decide whether I need to discuss the issue at all.

I can focus.

I can allow myself to see the big picture. I can make better decisions. Using my that I do not on my emotions.

4 Questions of a Successful Career Plan

4 Questions of a Successful Career

Here are four questions to ask yourself in planning your career and in adjusting your career plan over time.

What do you want to do?

Write down what you want to do on the job. Write down where you want to live.  Write down whether you want to work from home or go to a place outside of your home to work. Write down whether you want to work for yourself or for someone else.

You should use this process or a similar process every time you evaluate the progress of your career.

These are your career goals. If you don’t know your goals, how can you possibly achieve your them?

What are you capable of doing?

Write down your experience in managing projects, managing people, creating innovation and change, processing data, writing software or publications, and using applications and tools.  Make a list under each category.  These are your abilities.

What jobs match your goals and your abilities?

You can research this information from job descriptions that you find on Internet job listing sites.  There are also career aptitude tests. ” Take the Career Aptitude Test | Rasmussen College” and “Career Aptitude Test | What Career is Right for Me” are two popular tests.

For a video of the Fastest Growing Occupations 2014-24, click here.

Who is hiring for the jobs that match what your goals and your abilities?

Now you are getting to an actual job search.  If you have narrowed down the industries you want to pursue, you can start to approach companies in these industries directly. Many companies list their jobs on their company website.  If you know someone working at a company where you want to work, contact that person directly.  Identify recruiters in the industry you want to pursue and contact those recruiters.  Check newspapers for job listings in your preferred field. Check trade journals specific to your industry for jobs.

The best way to find jobs and jobs descriptions is in a search engine and not a job board or job search engine.

9 Steps to Greater Success by Working Less

Here are 9 steps to greater success by working less.   

Value your time.

People who value their time more than money are happier, according to an article from the Society for Personality and Social Psychology.

Interrupt people who are wasting your time.

Learn how tactfully to say, “This isn’t working.” In interviewing, for example, most hiring managers allow applicants thirty minutes to an hour to make their case.  However, I could often tell how well a person’s interview went by knowing how long that person spent interviewing with a senior vice president or president of a company. These people would end interviews as soon as they decided that a candidate was not a fit.

Ask for help.

Success is a team sport. Successful people ask for help. I could do all the things that my secretary did.  I could type, file cards, answer all the calls, but I made a lot more money when I let my secretary do these things and I focused on recruiting.

Get things done.

“It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?” asked Henry David Thoreau. I can work very hard. At the end of the day, I may be very tired. But I don’t make any money when I don’t get the things done that will make money.

Stay in the present moment.

Regrets, resentments, and guilt reside in the past. Fear exists in the future. Ruminating over the past or imaging the bad things that can happen in the future is a painful waste of time.  The only moment anyone has is the present moment, the time when we can make decisions and take action.

Know your strengths and your weaknesses.

I can waste a lot of time trying to do things that I just can’t do well. I can use that same time being highly productive doing things that fit my skills and my purpose. Although developing new skills is important, building skills based on my strengths is the most effective and efficient way to find success.

Stick to the point.

I enjoy giving my point of view. I enjoy adding information to a discussion. But business meetings are not the time to be long winded. Extra information wastes time. Too much information can create confusion. Everyone benefits when people stick to the subject and get to the point.

Stop replying to every email and returning every phone call.

Unless I need someone to take action, I don’t need to acknowledge an email or a call I receive.

Be honest with yourself about yourself.

An article on Kellogg Insight discusses the dangers of faking it until you make it. If something doesn’t feel right, I need to check in with people I can trust and get their help in clearing my mind and getting back on track. If I don’t understand something, I need to be honest with myself. I can then ask questions to learn what I need to know.

8 Leadership Skills You Can Develop Now

Leadership skills: here are 8 leadership skills you can develop now.

    1. Share your ideas with others.
      It takes time and patience to share ideas and train team members.  Leaders who invest this time to show team members shortcuts and special skills increase the success of the individual members of the team and the success of the entire team.
    2. Delegate responsibility.
      Caught in the daily cycle of handling routine responsibilities, managers can procrastinate working with team members to take on additional responsibility.  However, as team members take on new responsibility, they increase their abilities to move up on the company and take on greater roles.  Delegating responsibility is the first step in succession planning and in increasing employee value.
    3. Become a big picture person.
      Good leaders know that a minor slight or small loss today has no significance in the big picture.  In my relationships, I can remember that no one is perfect.  I can view people for their overall value and not their occasional shortcomings.  I don’t need to pole vault over cracks in the cement.  I can keep things in perspective relative to the big picture.
    4. Improve your communication skills.
      Everyone can work on this basic skill every day.  For me, the single best way to improve this skill is to become a sponge and not a waterspout.  I can read more than I write.  I can listen more than I speak.  When I read and listen to effective communicators, I pick up good communication skills from the imprinting that takes places.  I have found that when I read great stylists like Faulkner and Hemingway, I have to resist writing in the same rhythm, sentence structure, and style they use.  I also ask for feedback from well-read and well-spoken people.  Discussing what I am writing with these people gives me ideas for polishing my skills.  I remember that a local newscaster from Houston told me how they had listened to diction tapes to overcome their southern drawl.
  1. Allow others to take go center stage.
    I can encourage others to take the lead.  It never ceases to amaze me to see how another person’s face can light up when I ask them lead to a meeting.  Many wallflowers are quietly waiting to receive recognition.
  2. Give credit to other people.
    Saying, “Thank you” is easy to do.  People appreciate it when I say, “You did a good job.”  It is important to pass the credit on to the correct person when someone recognizes me for the work other people have done.  Giving credit to the correct person quickly is easy and helps keep relationships solid.
  3. Show concern for people who are struggling.  I once became impatient with a secretary who was hesitant about helping me schedule a flight.  When I pressed her on the matter, she confessed that she had never scheduled a flight.  She had never been on an airplane.  The fact was awkward for her.  She was so bright and capable in so many ways.  I apologized for my impatience.  I explained the simple process to her.  She booked the flights.  A little bit of patience from me helped us both move on to the important things we needed to do that day.
  4. Practice what you preach.
    Boy does that sound preachy when it comes from someone else.  It is very easy for me to criticize other people for their shortcomings and ignore my own.  For the people around me to respect me, I can’t say one thing and do another.

10 Ways to Get Respect at Work

Getting Respect at Work affects your income, job security, and career progress.  Here are 10 ways to get respect at work.

You Will Get Respect When You Give Credit.
People gain respect when they give credit to the correct person.  Giving credit is a compliment with substance.

On the other hand, people who claim credit for the work of other people lose respect.   People who know that these people are undeserving of that credit will resent the dishonesty.

“Getting the assignment of credit right is important to everyone.  It is a driver of high performance.”

If you give credit, you will get respect and make your company stronger.

You Will Get the Respect You Deserve When You Admit Mistakes.
Everyone makes mistakes.  Successful people admit them and do not repeat them.  People will respect you if you correct your mistakes and move on.

Don’t make excuses for failing to do your work.  Be honest.  You just did not do the work.  You regret it.  When you admit your mistakes and not repeat them, you will get respect.

You Will Get the Respect You Deserve When You Do Your Job.
Get a copy of your job description.  Read it with your boss.  Discuss regularly with your boss what you are doing.  When you are uncertain about what you are doing, ask your boss for information.

Be conscientious about the way you do your job.

“The only major personality trait that consistently leads to success is conscientiousness.”

Your boss will respect you for knowing and doing what you are supposed to do.  Your co-workers will respect you.

You Will Get the Respect You Deserve When You Let Other People Do Their Job.
There are two parts to letting people do their job.

First, do not do let people take advantage of you.  Being a team player and helping other people occasionally is one thing.  Having people use you to do their work is not the way to get respect at work.

Second, do not interfere with other people by meddling in their job.  People do not always want your advice.  People certainly do not want you to do their job and take credit for what their job.

By respecting the job of other people, you will get respect.

You Will Get the Respect You Deserve When You Lighten Up.
If you don’t take yourself too seriously, people will respect you more.  Your daily routine is a marathon, not a sprint.  If you come to work everyday and load the workplace with pressure, you will create tension.

Be sincere.  Work hard.  Be straightforward with your supervisors, co-workers, and people you manage.  Take your work seriously.  However, don’t take everything so seriously that you can’t accept mistakes and adjustments in the daily routine. People will enjoy working with you and you will get respect.

You Will Get the Respect You Deserve When You Keep Your Word.
Honor your commitments.  If you know that you can’t do something or that you will not do something, be honest about it.  Don’t make a commitment to do things that you can’t or will not do.  Keeping your word is basic to getting respect.

You Will Get the Respect You Deserve When You Are Punctual.
People will quickly get weary of dealing with you if you are late all the time.  Make your appointments on time.  Complete your work on time.

You will get respect when people know they can trust you to complete your work on time.

You Will Get the Respect You Deserve When You Respect Your Personal Appearance.
Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.  Keep your hair groomed.  Keep your shirt or blouse tucked in.  Wear clean clothes.

Don’t overdress for the job.  You just want to look professional.  You want to look neat.

If your boss wears khakis and an open-collar shirt, don’t wear a three-piece suit.  If your boss wears a blouse and a skirt, don’t wear expensive dresses.

You want to look like part of the team.  Imagine the manager of a major league baseball team wearing a suit in the dugout during the baseball game instead of wearing a team uniform.  Imagine a professional basketball coach wearing a basketball uniform instead of a suit.

You will get respect when you respect yourself in how you dress.

You Will Get the Respect You Deserve When You When You Avoid Gossip and Confidences
A quick way to ruin relationships is to gossip.  Avoid people who gossip.  The only people who respect people who gossip are other people who gossip.

Keep confidences.  When someone tells you something personal or private, keep it to yourself.  Even if you do not make a commitment to keep the information private, respect the trust that people have given you. People do not respect people who break their confidences.

You will get respect as a person who is trustworthy.

You Will Get the Respect You Deserve When You Show Confidence.
Be confident in your body language, in what you say, and how you say it.

Stay calm. “Courage is grace under pressure,” to quote Ernest Hemingway.  Confidence is grace under any circumstance.

Respect starts with you.  Dress the part.  Act the part.  People will respect you for doing a good job and being a great asset.

8 Winning Tips for Telephone Meetings

8 Winning Tips for Telephone Meetings:  Telephone meetings have increased in popularity.  More people work from home.  Face-to-face communication over the Internet is easier.

Before the telephone meeting, prepare as though someone is coming to meet you in your office.

Have these things on your desk:

  • A statement of the purpose of the meeting
  • Any correspondence or research you have that relates to the meeting
  • A list of key points you wish to make
  • A list of questions

Select your interview place carefully.

  • Pick a quiet room.
  • Have a glass of water immediately handy.
  • Pick a comfortable chair.

Even though you are on the phone, let your personality shine, especially if you are on a facetime call.

  • Smile.  You will project warmth whether the other people can see you or not.
  • Listen to the questions.  Make sure you understand the question before you answer it.  Answer the questions people ask.  Do not just respond with subjects that relate to the question.
  • Remember to take a quiet deep breath from time to time.
  • Say positive things about yourself and about the other people.

Remember to focus.

  • Check you notes as you go along.
  • Make notes about the things other people say during the call.
  • Don’t bring up new subjects until you have finished discussing the purpose of the call.

Ask questions to keep others involved.

  • If you are seeking a commitment, ask trial close questions: for example, ask the other people when the company will make a decision.
  • Emphasize that you are definitely interested in going forward with the opportunity.

Do not allow interruptions.

  • If you get another call, ignore it.
  • Make sure that people around you know not to disturb you.
  • Certainly do not multi-task.
  • Do not talk over other people.
  • Do not try to tell a joke.
  • Do not fake your answers.  If you do not know that answer to a question, just say so.

Remember to close on an upbeat. 

Thank the others for taking time to speak with you.  Emphasize that you hope to have a chance to speak again.

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