How Do I Get Started When I Have No Idea What I Enjoy

“How Do I Get Started When I Have No Idea What I Enjoy” Help from our Community “How Do I Get Started When I Have No Idea What I Enjoy?” * Liliana feels so out of touch with herself that she can't work out where to begin finding work she loves. How do you get started when you feel like you have no clues to guide you? What's your career history and current job? I'm a Senior Consultant in the Strategy practice of PwC. I started on a graduate program with them after university and have been here ever since. How do you feel about your work? I feel disappointed. In myself, in my choices, in my job… It's not what I expected it to be when I came out of university, and despite realising that fairly early on, I'm still here. In theory, it's a great job and it's exactly the kind of work that thousands of people would love to be doing, but I just feel constantly anxious and irritable. I go home at the end of the day exhausted, stick on the TV and zone out. I don't really even go out any more; my life is just work, work, work. My colleagues are great, the money's good, and people respect me for what I do, but with every year that passes I get more and more annoyed with myself for still being here. I can't let another year go by and carry on feeling like this. What would you like to be doing instead? I don't even know where to begin answering this question. I simply have no idea â€" not even a little hint of a clue. All I know is that this isn't it! I feel like I've been so wrapped up in a world that isn't 'me' for so long that I've lost touch with everything that is me, and now there's nothing to guide me. What's the biggest obstacle you're facing? I feel like I need to see myself clearly and I can't. I've read advice about trying out things I enjoy to see if I could make a career out of them, but then I'm so far out of touch with myself I wouldn't even know where to start with that! I don't know what I enjoy. I don't know what I might like to do. Without any clues, it could take me years to find something that actually appeals, and I don't have years to spare. I just want someone to tell me what I like so I can at least feel confident with a starting point. It's ridiculous â€" I get paid to solve problems for businesses by analysing what they want and how they operate, but I can't do it for myself. Can you help Liliana? Have you been in a similar situation, or are you in the same boat right now? What can she do to start working out what she might enjoy? Do you know anyone she could talk to? Share your thoughts in the comments below and click the thumbs-up button to show your support. Give Liliana a cheer of encouragement by hitting the thumbs-up button here:

Untapped Territory Social Recruiting with Instagram and Pinterest

Untapped Territory Social Recruiting with Instagram and Pinterest Well there’s no doubt about it, social recruiting has improved both the quantity and quality of candidates, and an online study by Jobvite suggests that one-third of human resource professionals tend to agree.  This is because social profiles are giving recruiters more confidence in not only the professional fit of a candidate but the cultural fit too. Employers and candidates both actively seek this fit and a shifting trend in working life and employer brand positioning means that brands are opening their doors to the public and using the workplace as a communication tool to share their cultural values â€" and they’re using social media to do it. The survey study suggests that a staggering 93% of recruiters are likely to look at a candidate’s social profile and 42% have reconsidered a candidate after viewing it. This lead to both positive and negative re-assessments, and funnily enough, it’s not awkward photos that are deterring potential employers â€" it’s often profanity, and grammar and punctuation errors that trigger negative reactions (over 60% of the time). This upward trend means that the hiring environment is getting increasingly more competitive and defining your social media strategy is evermore important. Recruiters with clear social media strategy are reaching beyond the predicted platforms and into social environments like Pinterest and Instagram, which are being considered as “specialised”, “localised” and “up-and-coming”. Pinterest and Instagram are not primarily designed to be recruiting sites, so unfortunately many recruiters fail to see the value in using them. But the fact is, plenty of desirable candidates and potential brands and clients use them, as much and sometimes more as other social sites.  There is a strategic opportunity here, and it’s based around the idea of this cultural fit both these sites offer users the opportunity to express themselves, their interests, their creativity, their skills â€" even insight into their current, past and future work life.  These platforms are being considered as an “innovators way of recruiting” â€" if you’re using it already, you’re one of the first to harness the opportunity. Dan Finnigan, President and CEO of Jobvite, rightly says Its no longer a question of are recruiters using social media?’, its a question of how. So how are you using it? Have you considered using Pinterest or Instragram? What is Pinterest? Popular sharing site launched in 2011 Simple user interface makes it widely used Sharing content is accomplished easily (photos can be pined to boards and then shared to Facebook and Twitter) Highly visual images go viral Videos can also be pinned to boards Over 48 million registered members 80% of all pins are re-pins What are the benefits of using Pinterest? Driving Traffic with SEO: Like many social networks, it drives traffic to job openings and talent communities by tagging in this case, with ‘pins’.  Recruiters are able to ‘pin’ pictures and information about a job or potential employment opportunities using photos and graphics. You can add links and other information either within the content of the image or in the description below it.  This search engine optimization approach relies on the use of organic search on the Pinterest site to drive candidates to your posts. Sourcing for Candidates: Pinterest is the perfect platform for our much-loved infographics. They are all over the social platform and are another reason to discuss the “death of the resume” and “rise of the infographic resume”. It’s a great idea and the trend is catching but at this stage, most applicant tracking systems are made to track down a graphic in lieu of a traditional resume format. Pinterest Strategies: Make the most important boards appear first. Add relevant keywords to your boards and pin descriptions. Reciprocal pinning: sharing only your own work will not encourage other pinners to share your content. Pin when users are most active (2pm-4pm and 8pm-1am). READ MORE: How to Recruit Using Pinterest [Top 3 Tips]  / How To Use Pinterest for Social Recruiting [Cool Example] What is Instagram? Popular for its photo-editing features Simplistic photo sharing ability allows users to upload images easily and quickly Photos can be shared to other networks: Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Flickr Tumblr Creative images receives comments and likes 40 million photos shared every day 8,500 likes per second 1,000 comments per seconds What are the benefits of using Instagram?   Employer brand image building: Being a photo-sharing app, Instagram certainly has the “cool factor” going for it. It draws trend leaders and allows brands an opportunity to outwardly portray its brand image to attract the right candidates. This reflects back on the idea of brands using their workplace as communication tool to express brand values. Instagram is one of the perfect places to do this. Hashtag search for candidates: The platform uses the most simple keyword search process â€" the hashtag. It’s as simple as searching “writer”, “engineering”, “PR”, and you will not only receive an abundance of results to filter through, but recommendations from Instagram. The ability to follow and communicate directly with other users via the comment feature is also a great way to engage. Instagram Strategies: Follow others in your field/industry and network. Post visually stimulating images that generate a significant amount of activity. Stay active: Instagram feeds can become very cluttered. Share images to other social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. The rise in popularity of both these platforms gives more possibility in recruiting in terms of recruiting tools. There’s lots to be learnt, lots to be explored and there is no doubt that when both platforms realise their potential as recruitment tools, more recruitment-focused features will be added to support us too. These are both untapped potential candidate pipelines with little to no cost, of course with the exception of your time â€" definitely something to consider. READ MORE: How to Recruit Using Instagram [5 Simple Steps] Image: Shutterstock

How a job can save you

How a job can save you A job cannot make you happy, but it can save your life. People spend so much time looking for that perfect job, the perfect boss, the salary that will finally make them feel secure. But in fact, the impact a job can have on your life is overrated. Unless your life is completely falling apart. Then a job can save you. I know because I have seen this many times in my own life. When we think about a job saving someone, we usually think about people in poverty. For example, Richard Easterlin, an economics professor at the University of Southern California found that earning enough to pay for food and rent can drastically change the lives of people in povertyand give them the ability to achieve happiness. But he found that anything beyond around $40,000 a year does not have much impact on your level of happiness. The reason for this is that our happiness comes, for the most part, from the amount of optimism we have. Daniel Gilbert, in his book Stumbling on Happiness, spends 300 pages talking about all the research that shows how misguided we are about our ideas of happiness. The biggest mistake is thinking we can influence it much. Mostly, we cant. Mostly we have no idea what will make us happy in the future although we think we do. Whats the best way to influence your happiness? Personal relationships. People with strong, supportive personal relationships are happier than people who are isolated. The statistic that best shows this comes from Dartmouth College economics professor David Blanchflower. He says if you go from having no sex, to having sex once a week, you will have a large jump in happiness. This research isnt about orgasms. Its about forging reliable, steady relationships that you make time for every week. Its hard to measure that, but sex is a good way. So back to the job. Imagine someone who hates her job. If shes fallen in love, shell have that glow about her even though her job is boring. Because love trumps interesting work in the happiness charts. And imagine an inherently optimistic entrepreneur whose business fails? She probably starts another business. Because an optimistic outlook often trumps reality, for better or worse. Trying to influence your natural set point for optimism is like trying to influence your natural set point for weight. Your body pushes to go back to where it was, no matter how you try. So only the most extreme diet can move an inherently husky woman into skinny-girl mode. And only the most extreme job situation can move an inherently optimistic person into the realm of negativism. Here are attributes that The Economist reports that your job must have in order to make you feel productive and happy about your work: 1. Stretches a person without defeating him 2. Provides clear goals 3. Provides unambiguous feedback 4. Provides a sense of control The range of jobs that meet these requirements is wide. And they include jobs you might not expect. For example, hairdressers report they fire clients who treat them poorly, and janitors say that they get feedback from the people who are happy the floors are clean. Conversely, lawyers report having little control over their goals, since the clients frequently change them, and that they have little control over outcome because they are beholden to a judge, jury or ambiguous law. So a job cannot make you happy, even if you wish it could. But it can save your life. People report that in times of extreme negativism and sadness depression, poverty, or complete lack of connection to the world a job has saved them. I have found in my own life, and experts agree, that work can rescue a dangerously unhappy life by providing routine, a connection to other people, and the feeling of contributing to the world. Martin Seligman is a professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, and founder of the positive psychology movement that is behind most of this research. He encourages people those at the far edge of unhappiness and the more optimistic as well to spend time and energy learning how to increase their optimism set-point. He explains how in his book Learned Optimism: Positive psychology is not only about maximizing personal happiness but also about embracing civic engagement and spiritual connectedness, hope and charity. These are the things a job can give you that matter. Wyeth Windham grew up in Montana. His dad was gone and his mom cleaned houses. He was bored in school and hung around with kids who did poorly. He had little future. In his junior year of high school, he started volunteer work with a group that funded youth programs. Six months later, while Wyeth was involved in his work every day, his friends robbed two restaurants. It was a turning point. Windham saw, maybe unconsciously, a literal example of how work can save you. And he stuck with it. He was the youngest member of the board at his local Boys and Girls club. And an Oprah Winfrey fund recognized his achievement and sent him to college on scholarship. Today he works at PrintingForLess.com, and recently, he visited Boston for a conference about digital printing. He has a good job, to be sure, but what matters is feeling a part of a larger community, and a spirit of connection to the world. So he skipped out of the conference to walk the historical Freedom Trail of the American Revolution. And this just might be a good little lesson in career happiness for us all.

Conducting New Improved Business - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Conducting New Improved Business - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career No doubt you have heard commercials, many times over, that state “we have a new and improved…”.  The potential problem with this relates to how the remainder of the advertisement is communicated. Most often and unfortunately, we feel dim-witted for having purchased the previous version of the product. On the other hand, when the improvement is communicated well, we are eager to learn more. This is what start-ups and entrepreneurs should consider modeling. A new example just came forward from a car manufacturer. In past years they were noted for their high-end manufacturing and stylish design. But in today’s commercial, actors deny that the car parked across the street is a product of that brand. It is portrayed as if the previous models are an embarrassment. If you owned one, how would that make you feel? Stability and consistency in business growth is essential. A better approach would be to communicate pride in how far your company has come. If in fact, you have been in business for a number of years, and have decided to alter your future course of action, a nostalgic retrospective campaign might be considered. You could focus on the origins of your idea, why it was unique at the time, and highlight the inroads that you have made. Instead of communicating denial that you no longer are “X”, you speak with pride of where you began, where you are today and where you are headed. Also included would be indication of why prospective clients should pay keen attention. Impressed by your progression in thought and delivery of service, your prospective clientele will be eager to know more about where you are headed. Just as significant, they will begin to research you and all you do. Each story or thought that you convey, and the underlying meaning of those words, go to further building your personal brand as well as your business brand. Consistency in everything communicated is essential for remaining in the forefront of the minds of your clientele. The question becomes, if you have vastly improved a service then how do you approach previous clients? Won’t they be upset to hear things are now so much better? The answer is not necessarily. Instead, their viewpoint will be more dependent upon how you present the “new and improved”. One of the better ways to connect with current clients who use older products is the personal touch. Send an email asking if they have time to meet or chat. Provide a choice of dates and times, and then suggest if one of those don’t work, they should offer a choice. Cheerfully ask your clients how they have been and what’s new in their life. Then ask each how they are enjoying the product, if any issues have been experienced, and if they are thinking about a change in the near future. Address all issues first. And then briefly let them know the highlights of your new offering followed by asking if they have interest. These guidelines will improve your advancement toward the Smooth Sale!

Bloomberg employees work on purpose but what does that really mean - Debut

Bloomberg employees work ‘on purpose’ but what does that really mean - Debut If you look at pictures of Bloomberg’s offices what comes to mind is the use of space. Located between the Bank of England and St Paul’s Cathedral, the Bloomberg office provides approximately 1.1 million square feet of sustainable office space. This includes three new public spaces, a retail area, and a Bloomberg Arcade that will reinstate an ancient Roman travel route and a cultural hub that restores the Temple of Mithras to its original site. We spoke to a few Bloomberg employees to get their insight into what it’s like to work there, and their experiences are highlighted below. Lisa Tucek, an Analytics Team leader who has worked at Bloomberg for almost six years, describes the office culture as “buzzing,” “open,” and “fast-paced.” Contrarily, Morgan McKinnon-Snell, a Private Equity Specialist who has worked at Bloomberg for 18 months, describes the culture as “unlike any other setting [he] has worked in.” Bloomberg prides itself for having an open floor plan to establish a non-hierarchal culture. All employees sit in height-adjustable radial desks which are laid out in ‘pods.’ The sense among employees is that “we are measured by our contributions, not by our titles.” Working collaboratively is strongly encouraged, and “we love to share ideas over a free snack or coffee in our well-stocked pantries.” When Lisa was asked how working in a non-hierarchal environment affects her work on a day-to-day basis, she stated that communication is easier and she is able to get more work done. She explains, “sometimes it is as easy as sending a message or instant-chat to a colleague in another office to resolve a long-standing issue.” She can also “walk up to a manager on the floor to think through an idea.” According to Veronica, a Bloomberg Customer Support employee of three years, the office is “a place where your innovative ideas can be heard and implemented.” At Bloomberg, there is a culture of open communication which allows information to flow easily. This in turn speeds up innovation. The company’s ethos of working ‘on purpose,’ relates to finding a sense of meaning in the work they do, taking pride in their work, and having a job they enjoy. At Bloomberg, you will do meaningful work while working with cutting edge technology. “Bloomberg is such a multi-faceted company,” explains Lisa. “Whether it is structuring and making sense of data using programming language, designing the look feel of our product, to solving the most complex questions on our products or pitching our solutions to a prospective clients there is rarely any skill or area interest that cannot lead to a long-term career at Bloomberg.” For Morgan, working ‘on purpose’ means “having a reason to work or a goal is what keeps me motivated.” He adds, “working on purpose is about acknowledging that everything you do is for a reason.” I asked Lisa, Morgan, and Veronica what they’d been up to at work today. Veronica begun her day with “a lovely fresh coffee from the buzzy pantry.” She then checked if all the people in the projects she is involved in with were in before greeting and chatting with a few colleagues and talking through the days interviews with a Team Leader. “Throughout the day, I assisted users in three different languages with software and login issues as well as with the installation of licenses. New Hires were able to understand the procedures, and started taking their first calls independently.” For Lisa, “no day at Bloomberg is the same.” She details, “my daily staples are ensuring my team has all the necessary resources and information in the morning so they are set up to succeed in their client interactions and goals for the day.” She also works closely with the Product Sales teams. Morgan said he tries to prepare for everything because life at Bloomberg “is busy and varied,” and as such the best approach is to “always be ready and organised.” “Its a very fast paced environment!” agrees Lisa, “Whilst it can be challenging, it has meant that I was given the opportunity to continuously develop personally professionally throughout my career including different leadership assignments and appointments overseas.” She also enjoys working with very driven people at the company and enabling them to achieve their potential. Morgan enjoys interacting with clients, working on strategy and product development, whereas Veronica finds fulfilment through “working with the New Hires” because it means that she’s able to “pass on [her] knowledge to the new starters and provide them with guidance in the beginning of their journey at Bloomberg.” In addition to having a sense of purpose at the heart of its company ethos, Bloomberg runs an extensive volunteer programme for employees. This programme allows them to try new things, meet new people and collaborate with communities and employees in ways they might not otherwise have the opportunity to do so. “Whilst we are a results-driven company, it has always been a key motivating factor for me that my employer ultimately looks to give back to society,” says Lisa. Veronica has been involved with projects such as “Reading and Maths Mentoring” in schools as well as “Homeless Christmas Gift Packaging” and a school theatre trip. For Morgan, it was “gardening, cleaning canals” and “baking cakes for families with terminally ill children” that appealed. Lisa has worked with AgeUK, been involved with an “evening soup run” and has done “StartUp Mentoring”. Participating in Bloomberg’s volunteering programme has been “a very humbling experience” She explains, but one that was “hugely rewarding.” For Morgan, volunteering gave him a sense of fulfilment while helping him to meet people from all walks of life, both within and outside of the company. For Veronica, volunteering “helped my psychological well-being and developed my interpersonal skills” and she adds that the experience “makes me feel my actions have a real purpose and meaning” both to herself and “the community as a whole.” You can find out more about working for Bloomberg here. Information on the company volunteer programme can also be found on this page. Bloomberg are recruiting now! Take a look at the below vacancies and follow the link to apply. Global Data   Data Specialist   Data Analyst   Financial Products and Sales Analytics and Sales 2020 Business Customer Support Customer Support German or Russian Speaker Customer Support Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian Speaker

5 Common Mistakes That Can Kill Your Promotion

5 Common Mistakes That Can Kill Your Promotion One of the questions I’m asked most often is, “How do I get promoted?” Or something along the lines of, “I’ve done everything right and I’ve been passed over for promotion. What am I missing?” I love this question because it means the person asking is ambitious, driven and probably ready to really dig into the work required to land their promotion. Honestly, the answer isn’t a simple one. There are many variables into getting promoted, which also vary situation-to-situation. When it comes to promotion, the thing I advise my clients first and foremost is to avoid the most common “promotion killers”. These are the mistakes that can immediately end a person’s chance for getting a promotion, regardless of how good they are at their job. I learned this firsthand because, despite earning 10 promotions in my 24-year corporate career, I know there were promotions I missed out on or was delayed in receiving because I made some of these mistakes. I don’t want you to have to learn all these mistakes the hard way like I did. So, I’m sharing these common mistakes here to help you in your journey toward a more fulfilling career. Common Mistakes That Can Kill Promotions MISTAKE #1:Relying solely on your work to get you promoted When I started my career, I kept my head down and worked hard. I produced excellent results and received praise from my boss. I even got my first promotion with this strategy. But once I reached the higher levels, I learned that hard work and business results alone, while helpful, are insufficient to earn you the promotion nod. Key people also have to know about your accomplishments. We’ll talk about the most effective way to communicate with these stakeholders later but, for now, just be aware that your portfolio is just the beginning. MISTAKE #2:Being invisible If people don’t know who you are, you’re not going to get promoted. There are too many people vying for the positions and not enough roles and budget to elevate everyone. So you have to speak up in meetings, attend events and participate in company dialogue. Don’t fall into the trap of being “too busy” for company-wide meetings and events. Make the time and focus on raising your profile and visibility. It will pay off. MISTAKE #3:Being irreplaceable for the role you’re in now It feels good to be needed. I had a client whose boss would formally refer to her as his “brain”. He relied on her that much. But when an opportunity arose that she wanted to pursue, he was hesitant to support her because “how do you replace your brain?” It sounds obvious, but if you don’t have a backup, you can’t get promoted. Make sure you build a talent pool beneath you. It will help your organization as well as your promotion chances. MISTAKE #4:Leaving it too late Depending on the size of the promotion, there can be a year or more lead time required to move into a new position. Don’t wait until review time to discuss a promotion. This happened to one of my direct reports. He walked into my office two weeks before promotions were being announced to make his case. But it was too late. Everything was decided and budgeted for at that point. Instead, think of your promotion like any work project. It requires planning, timelines, operationalization and execution. This promotion is clearly important to you or you wouldn’t be reading this, so give it the time it deserves. MISTAKE #5:Not having an advocate I was told early in my career, “If you don’t have a boss who will go to bat for you, you don’t have anything.” It’s harsh but true. I watched my colleague Sarah win over clients and produce amazing results. But, sadly, her supervisor kept her visibility low while taking the credit for Sarah’s work. I also worked with a client whose internal stakeholders and senior executives adored her but she didn’t get along with her boss. Neither of these promising women were going to get promoted in their current situations because you simply can’t promote yourself. You need your direct manager (as well as people higher up) to advocate for you. If you don’t get along with your boss, now is the time to learn how to manage up. If your supervisor is like Sarah’s, you may have to take another position in order to find someone who will advocate for you. Just know that you aren’t alone. My guess is you have an existing support network you can tap into now, even if you aren’t aware of it yet. And I’m here for you too. Knowing the mistakes to avoid is the start I hope you can learn from these common promotion mistakes because I don’t want you to go through the trial and error (lots of errors!) that I did. But knowing the mistakes to avoid is just the start. I want you to have the best chance of setting yourself up to succeed and winning that promotion you’re eyeing. That's why I've got more promotion tips for you. FREE Guide on How to Get Promoted You'll discover in this FREE 3-part guide: The 7 signs you’re ready for a promotion A simple checklist for your promotion campaign The 5 essential parts of your promotion plan And much more Just click the button below to get instant access to this FREE guide. Get the FREE Guide

Writing a Powerful Resume - The Tips You Need To Write a Powerful Resume

Writing a Powerful Resume - The Tips You Need To Write a Powerful ResumeIf you are serious about being employed or even if you just want to know how to write a powerful resume for the job that you are interested in, you might want to consider trying some online resources to help you. Online resources include actual resumes from many different companies, as well as other types of resume writing advice and even some online courses.When you do decide to use a resource for resume writing, you want to make sure that you read it in its entirety. You should never just look through the resume, but you should actually read through it very carefully. You might find some errors that you have not discovered before. In this case, you should take the time to check them out and possibly fix them before sending it off to the company or sending it to your employer.Another thing that you should do before you begin on your resume is to figure out what it is that you really want out of your resume. Do y ou want to use it to interview potential employers or do you want to use it to just get your foot in the door and show them that you can do the job? Are you looking for a promotion or do you just want a new job? Any of these questions will help you figure out which direction you should go with your resume.The point is that if you are serious about writing a powerful resume, you should sit down and figure out exactly what you want out of your resume. Take the time to figure out what your dream job is and what the first position you would like to get into is. Make sure that this is something that you are actually passionate about so that you do not put in information that is not truly important to you.A good way to find out what type of job you would like to be doing is to go online and see what kinds of jobs are available. There are some jobs that are much more difficult to land than others, so you might want to look at those first.After you have done this research, you should make s ure that you come up with a great resume. Make sure that you use a professional, current format and try to keep it to the point. Keep it to the point, but make sure that you can add to the value of your resume and the importance of it to your prospective employer.After you have a great resume that can give you the job that you want, you should then send it off to the future employer to find out whether they will hire you or not. If they do, you will need to update the resume accordingly. This includes changing all of the information that is not current information that has already been used.If you do want to write a powerful resume, then there are a lot of resources available online. Some of these resources can even help you to write your own resume or even to make your own.