Category: Success

Things we don’t think about don’t scare us. ~ www.jaywren.com Who doesn’t have days when we worry about things going badly? We want things and worry that we will not get them. Or, we have things and worry that we will lose them. Living in fear of what might happen is pointless and painful. The…… Continue reading How to Stop Scaring Ourselves with Our Thinking

Your network is your sphere of influence. ~ www.jaywren.com One powerful way to gain recognition is to have influential people write or talk about you. If you know people in any form of media, consider whether those people might help you gain recognition. A simple technique that I used at one time was to have…… Continue reading Creating Relationships with Influencers

A successful virtual (or phone) interview carries as much weight as an in-person interview. Without success in either one, you cannot move ahead in the interview process.  In any interview, you need to know what to expect and how to prepare for the interview discussion. Additionally, in a virtual phone or virtual interview, you need…… Continue reading The Simple Steps to Success in Virtual Interviews

There are many traits of winning team members. Here are six of the best traits. Mistakes Team members own their mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. On winning teams, the members admit them and do not repeat them. Additionally, these members immediately correct their mistakes. Without delay, they move the team along successfully. Job Description Winning team members know…… Continue reading Winning Team Members

Self-comparisons are normal, but not always healthy.  For some people, success comes early and appears to be easy. Some tech entrepreneurs become billionaires in their twenties. Often, entertainers become famous and wealthy as children. Athletes become millionaires in their late teens and early twenties.  Measuring our success against the success of these people is flawed.…… Continue reading Self-comparisons

The direction of my day begins with the thoughts that I reject or embrace as I become awake. From there, the success of my day comes from how I turn these thoughts into actions. Ruminating  There is a difference between planning and ruminating. When I am planning, I am actively engaged in the present moment.…… Continue reading The Direction of My Day

New Directions Along the way, my career has taken new directions. As an undergraduate student, I had planned to become a college professor. However, the military obligation I faced required that I serve in the military. Even though I had never been at sea and had no college preparation for Officer Candidate School, I chose…… Continue reading New Directions: You Got This

Long-term success comes from a lifetime of repeating daily steps. www.jaywren.com Long-Term Success: What are the things that successful people do to build a long-term career? Can you do these things? Can you repeat them throughout yourcareer? During three decades working as a corporate recruiter, I saw people do many things to create successful careers.…… Continue reading A Lifetime of Success

Starting Now: Remember, success does not come from trying to change things we can’t control. Success comes from acting on the opportunities in front of us. www.jaywren.com Technology creates changes. Innovation creates changes. Attitudes create changes. Economics creates changes. Mergers, acquisitions, and consolidations create changes. The unknowns will create changes that we can imagine.However, people…… Continue reading Starting Now, Act on Opportunities

A deadline is not a wall for failure. It is the door to success. www.jaywren.com Some projects require months, even years to complete. How do successful people meet deadlines and achieve success with long-term projects? This article lists some ideas that you might find helpful. Daily Reminders, Project Managers, Lists, Clutter, Priorities, One Step Daily Reminders…… Continue reading How to Meet Deadlines

Do you fear being wrong? That fear is normal. With a little understanding and simple habits, you can manage that fear. You can become more confident. Your mind will become clearer. Moreover, you will make better decisions and respond more effectively to the people around you. The Origin of our Fear Conditioned from the crib,…… Continue reading Overcoming the Fear of Being Wrong

For successful people, school is never over. They learn as if they will live forever. Developing new skills will increase your potential for success. You will be able to contribute more greatly at your current job. Additionally, new skills can increase your value when you start to look for a job. Staying current on changes…… Continue reading For Successful People, School is Never Over

Your performance review affects your promotions, your pay raises, and your job security. Go for a gold medal review. www.jaywren.com Management Changes As managers come and go or as you move to different responsibilities in your company, the things in your performance review are the documentation that you need to keep your career on track…… Continue reading 6 Tips for a Gold Medal Performance Review

The Best Direction Tells People What to Do A guest lecturer at one of my undergraduate classes put a note on the chalkboard and quickly erased the note and posted a different note. Then she apologized. She said that she had just broken a basic principle of teaching. That is, only show people the information…… Continue reading Great Direction Focuses on Solutions

Lifetime Career Success: Building a successful career is a continual process of expanding your skills and your network. Don’t fear change. Embrace it. Move beyond your comfort zone. Self-doubt is a sign that I am growing. With growth, I gain greater confidence and marketability. The Texas Ice Houses At one time, ice houses sold one…… Continue reading Lifetime Career Success Requires the Power to Grow

If we say things that offend people at work or in our businesses, we hurt our co-workers, our employees, our employers, and ourselves. The things you say are things that show commitment, loyalty, and enthusiasm. They create esprit de corps. The purpose of the workplace is to work. When team members talk about the job…… Continue reading 5 Things Not to Discuss in Your New Workplace

Is there a job you would like to have but do not have the skills for that job? Perhaps there is even a job in your current company that you would like to do if you were qualified. Find ways to develop those skills. First, Find the Skills that You Need. Online Job Descriptions People…… Continue reading Expand Your Qualifications with New Skills

Just the process of seeking a new job requires effort and creates stress. Meeting new people in networking and interviewing is stressful for most people. If you have a job, making interviews with another company creates the stress of getting away from your work without being discovered.  Along with normal life experiences of getting married,…… Continue reading The Stress of a Job Change

If a hiring manager or recruiter calls you and you have no interest in making a job change but would like to begin to develop a relationship so that you can have people to contact for future needs, you are smart to avoid a discussion of income. These people have no need to know your income…… Continue reading Income and Job Changes

A former employer is a future reference. Leave them with a smile. www.jaywren.com Resigning Gracefully: When you’re leaving a company, knowing how to say goodbye gracefully is important. Using the following steps will reduce the stress for you and avoid burning bridges with the company you are leaving. Review You Decision Before resigning, once again…… Continue reading Resigning Gracefully: The Do’s and Don’ts of Leaving a Company

Keywords and Refinements: Search engines are like people in that they are more effective when they can understand what you are asking them to do. ~ www.jaywren.com Making your job search more effective, using search engines.  Search engines return resumes based on keywords. Keywords and Refinements Start your internet search with job title, company, or other…… Continue reading Job Search Keywords and Refinements

Synergy versus Silos: Synergy is the process of combining the efforts of individuals or organizations to operate at level greater than the combined talent of the individual members. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  Said another way, in this process, teams produce greater results together than the total combined results of…… Continue reading Synergy versus Silos: Increasing Your Company’s Success

At Your New Job, Treat Every Meeting as a Job Interview Once you land a job, you are competing with other people inside and outside your company to keep your job and to progress in your career. If you want job security and, especially if you want to get promoted, treat each day as a…… Continue reading At Your New Job, Treat Every Meeting as a Job Interview

Building Trust: What makes trust so valuable in leadership? What is the role of this trait in the relationship between leaders and their teams? Great leaders may have the authority to demand that their teams follow. But by building trust, great leaders instill in their teams the powerful instinct to follow.  ~ www.jaywren.com   Building…… Continue reading Building Trust and the Role of this Trait in Leadership

Leadership Types: Leadership is a trait that can start from any place in an organization, but usually starts at the top, and runs throughout the entire organization. Great leaders create great organizations through picking and developing winning teams.  Bad leaders can create failure in any organization. Leadership Study from Literature “The Caine Mutiny” is a…… Continue reading Leadership Types: Success and Failure

Becoming Aware: Doing one thing at a time and clearing my mind of everything else, these steps empower my mind to a higher level of thinking. Becoming Aware: My Promise to Myself Today I am going to do one thing at a time.  I will start the day by going over my plan for the…… Continue reading Becoming Aware: The Power of Living in the Present Moment.

Do You Have a Powerful Headline for Your Resumes and Online Profiles? Headlines sell. They convince hiring managers and recruiters that reading your resume is worth their time. ~ Jaywren. Stick to the names of people, places, things, or ideas. Add action words: increased, doubled, succeeded. Skip opinion words: excellent, outstanding, experienced. Examples Of Powerful…… Continue reading Do You Have a Powerful Headline for Your Resumes and Online Profiles?

Leadership Development:  How can companies hire and train future leaders? Here are steps companies can take to strengthen company leadership for the long term. The Four Steps to Creating Future Leaders Creating future leaders is critical to the long-term growth of a company.  ~ www.jaywren.com Hire for leadership Establish Authority & Responsibility Teach for leadership Increase…… Continue reading Leadership Development: 4 Steps to Creating Future Leaders

Powerful Headlines serve several purposes. One purpose is to catch a person’s attention in a way that the person reads your content. A second purpose is to create a memorable impression in the reader’s mind. Headlines sell. They convince readers that your content is worth their time. Professional headlines convince hiring managers that you have…… Continue reading Powerful Headlines for Resumes and Online Profiles

USA Small Business Administration helps entrepreneurs plan, launch, manage, and grow their business. Two government web pages that will help you find support for your business are “U.S. Small Business Administration: Start and Grow Your Business” and “USA.gov: Small Business” “Small businesses make up: 99.7 percent of U.S. employer firms.”  SBA.gov U.S. Small Business Administration…… Continue reading U.S. Small Business Administration: Government Support for Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurs accept greater risks to operate their own business. In return, successful entrepreneurs can enjoy greater independence over their activities, greatly increase their income, and gain greater control over how and where they do business. Entrepreneurs: Is it Time for You to Start Your Own Business? Prior to entering recruiting, I worked for two terrific…… Continue reading Entrepreneurs: Is It Time to Start Your Own Business?

Career Inside Track:  As a job seeker, you will face a number of challenges. Here are three of them. First, knowing whether they are looking at the right job. Second, gaining the experience employers are seeking. Third, getting to know people who can help them on the inside of a company. Here five ways you…… Continue reading Career Inside Track: Testing Driving a Job while Gaining Experience

Stay Flexible: Becoming established in your career gives you success and security.  But the world changes. Industries change. Career opportunities change.  What should you be doing in a world of career uncertainty? Stay Curious and Aware Remain curious. Accept the realities of an ever-changing world of business.  You might need to return to college or obtain…… Continue reading Stay Flexible: Career Assessment is an Ongoing Process

Winning Resumes: Working through stacks of resumes, hiring managers and recruiters only spend seconds deciding whether to save you resume or delete it.  You need to know how to write resumes employers will want to read. The best resumes show why you are the most qualified candidate for the job. ~ www.jaywren.com Thirty Years of Reading Resumes…… Continue reading Winning Resumes that will Land You a Job Interview

Hardest Interview Question: “Why were you fired?” How do you handle the most difficult question in interviewing?  How do you prepare your answer?  How do you deliver it? There are several difficult Interview questions. Explaining why you lost your job is the hardest.  However, preparation can help. Write down and rehearse your answer. Do not…… Continue reading Hardest Interview Question: “Why Were You Fired?”

Loving the present moment. Working on turning It every day into Friday.