Thursday, November 28, 2019

4 Tips to Positively Present a Step Back in Your Career

4 Tips to Positively Present a Step Back in Your Career4 Tips to Positively Present a Step Back in Your CareerPeople often speak about climbing a career ladder. Truth be told, however, paths dont always involve constant ascension. Workers sometimes make a sideways move or change routes altogether. They may even take a step backwards. And while this movement may be logical or preferable, employers dont always see it that way. The burden then falls on the applicant to explain the choice. Be ready to make your case for why you want to take a step back in your career and land a job for which you may seem overqualified.Here are four strategies to explain why you want to take a step back in your career1. Discuss the benefits of this opportunity.Title and salary may be important, but they certainly arent the only factors people consider when taking a job. Think about ways this punkt meets other needs. Perhaps this company would enable a better work-life balance by shortening your drive or a llowing some telecommuting. Maybe youre passionate about the companys mission or want to experience the excitement of growing with a startup. Articulate these reasons during the interview.2. Focus on the challenges.Employers realize the connection between engagement and productivity, so expect to be hit with questions such as, Wont you get bored in this job? and Are you concerned this might be a step back in your career? Vicky Oliver, author of 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions and 301 Smart Answers to Tough Business Etiquette Questions, suggests stating reasons why the job would actually be a step forward. Talk about what you want to learn from it and the specific challenges youre excited about facing.Always remember that the interviewer is voicing only what she thinks, Oliver says. She feels it may be a step backward, but you dont. Youd be thrilled to take the job.3. Ease concerns over leaving.Employers also worry that an overqualified candidate will quit once a bette r opportunity comes along, so be ready to dispel fears.Its good if you can say why you value loyalty in others and are therefore loyal yourself, Oliver says. If you have a particular anecdote you can tell thats germane, do it. Maybe someone who worked for you bolted the second she welches trained and you felt spurned. Maybe you have a very long track record somewhere you can point to. Always try to pepper your answers with real-life case examples.4. Address your fit.Finally, consider spelling out how your previous experience and background have led you to this position. Perhaps time as a manager left you longing to go back to performing tasks rather than overseeing others doing them. Maybe youve taken time off to raise children or pursue an interest and would feel more comfortable re-entering the workforce at this level despite your advanced degree. Candidates who know themselves well convey confidence that employers cant help appreciating.Find more job search tips hereReaders, how have you explained wanting to take a step back in your career? What tips do you have for others looking for the same opportunity? Share with us below

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Veterans and Military Spouses Ten Steps at RAF Mildenhall

Veterans and Military Spouses Ten Steps at rote-armee-fraktion MildenhallVeterans and Military Spouses Ten Steps at RAF MildenhallVeterans and Military Spouses Ten Steps at RAF Mildenhall AFTERNOON CLASSKathryn Troutman, Federal Resume Guru and Author, SpeakerTEN STEPS TO A FEDERAL JOBFree WebinarTop Tips for Military Spouses and Federal JobsMilitary Spouse PreferenceMay 11, 12 noon to 1245Register hereApril 11, 2018, RAF, Mildenhall, London, England. Author and instructor, Kathryn Troutman presented a two-hour version of Ten Steps to Airmen, Spouses and Military Family Readiness Specialists from RAF Mildenhall, Lakenheath and Alconbury. The military spouses stayed for the second class to learn more about USAJOBS and the federal resume. The class was enthusiastic and very interested in anything they could learn from Kathryn Troutman, Federal Resume Guru.First question to the audience How many of you would like to have a federal career? 90% said YESHIGHLIGHTS OF THE TEN STEPS C URRICULUMTEN STEPS INTRODUCTION. Kathryn started the class out with the popular warm-up activity, How Many Hats Do You Wear AT Work? A couple of the Airmen read their hats. An Aircraft Refueler, said that his hats were supervisor, quality assurance, safety, instructor and planner/scheduler. Then for the 2nd warm-up, the Airmen and attendees were asked to write ONE accomplishment in about 3 sentences. The Airmen who stood up to volunteer their accomplishments were GREAT. We heard that one Airmen did an analysis of a certain program and advised senior leaders to eliminate the program saving AF one million per year. They accepted his recommendation ImpressiveSTEP 1 Review the Federal Job Process. Kathryn introduced the OPM Classification Standards and asked everyone to FIND YOUR NEXT JOB. They did it. They found Transportation Specialist (GS-000) Logistics Management Specialist (GS 348). Then Kathryn asked everyone to look at the list of federal agencies. Select your Favorite nex t agency. They did it DLA. Broadcasting Board of Engineers, State Department. We were on a roll.Step 2 Networking. Kathryn asked if anyone in the room knew someone who worked in the government NOW. She said, Will you talk to them? Ask them what agency they work for? What is their job? Are they hiring? Will you do this? 60% of the attendees raised their hands -GREAT. Networking is so important for federal job search.Step 3 Finding Keywords Kathryn reminded everyone that the USAJOBS federal resume is read by human human resources specialist. BUT that they read for Keywords. The Human Resource Specialist who attended the class, reminded everyone at the end of the class, The HR specialist DO read for keywords from the announcement. GREATStep 4 What are your Core Competencies Kathryn asked everyone to select 3 of the core competencies from the 2 pages. The favorites were Flexibility, Adaptability, Customer Services, Problem-Solving, and Interpersonal Skills. Kathryn said t o everyone Figure out a way to add ansicht words into your accomplishments and narratives. The managers want these competencies in the new hires.Step 5 Look for Announcements on USAJOBS Kathryn reminded everyone, that they have to start early to find their federal orts, learn how to read the announcement qualifications, and practice matching their resume to the positions. This takes practice Start early and get familiar with the positions.Step 6 Writing your Federal Resume. This is the BIGGEST STEP OF ALL The Video showed T-Rex stomping about the correct way to write a federal resume with small paragraphs, ALL CAP KEYWORDS and accomplishments. The video showed the old-style bullet, acronym format being torn down by a crane and ball. And the new sleek outline format being constructed with short paragraphs, ALL CAP KEYWORDS and featuring Accomplishments to stand out. The class reacted nicely to the new format and the T-Rex key words.Step 7 KSAs, Accomplishments and the Questionn aire. Kathryn warmed everyone in the room, to give yourself all the credit that you can with the self-assessment questionnaire. And also asked everyone to PLEASE add 3 to 5 accomplishments to stand out, be confident, get Best Qualified, Referred and hopefully invited to an interview.Step 8 Apply for Federal Jobs on USAJOBS. The BEST tip Kathryn gave to the class was to practice applying for federal positions. Walk it through a couple of times before the perfect position comes up. Theres a lot of screens, documents and questions. Start a day early before the deadline.Step 9 Track and Follow-up on Your Application. This is one of Kathryns favorite steps. You CAN find out what happened with your application. With private sector, you pretty much CANNOT find out the results. But if you have a question about Who May Apply, Veterans Preference, The Eligibilities, you can write to HR and get answers to questions. And sometimes corrections.Step 10 Interview for a Federal Job. Both Airmen a nd Spouse know now that the federal Behavior-Based Interview is a TEST. Prepare and practice ahead. Prepare five accomplishment stories, memorize them and practice with your cell phone.BONUS TIP The veterans can apply for federal position 120 days BEFORE they separate or retire And SPOUSES can use EO 13473 for the length of their stay at each installation, instead of the previous rule of 2 years.Last questions from Kathryn to the classHow many of you are going to apply for federal position? 90% said YESHow many of the spouses will register for PPPS? 90% of the spouses said YESHow many of you will talk to your friends and family who are federal employees? 50% said they wouldThe class was great. Everybody received a Jobseekers Guide 8th Ed., Ten Steps to a Federal Job. And I believe that they will have more confidence with their federal applications when its time. The two classes were highly successful with more than 150 in attendance with a small, quiet base in the middle of E ngland, with a mission specializing in refueling aircraft. They all want a federal career And this class helped with their goal.TEN STEPS TO A FEDERAL JOB AND THE STARS ARE LINED UP FOR MILTIARY SPOUSES are two popular federal career curriculum that are licensed through The Resume Place, Inc., Certifed Federal Job Search Trainer and Certified Federal Career Coach Program. Teach your customer jobseekers how to land a federal jobJobseekers Guide, 8th EditionBEST BOOK FOR TRANSITIONING MILITARY, SPOUSES AND VETERANS

Thursday, November 21, 2019

5 Websites for Finding Remote Work

5 Websites for Finding Remote Work5 Websites for Finding Remote WorkAre you sick of your commute?Have you decided to leave the office behind and settle into remote work?Congratulations Deciding to work remotely is a big decision, but it can have a lot of benefits.Working remotely allows you to avoid a long commute, wear comfy clothes, and work anywhere in the world with a computer and internet connection.But you may find yourself asking Where can I find remote work?If you are ready to make the switch to working from home, get connected to a job board that specializes in remote work. landsee what opportunities are available to you.The following websites can help you start your journey to start working remotely.5. FlexJobsFlexJobs offers workers a massive database of remote, freelance, or flexible job options.They offer jobs in 55 different career categories with positions that range from entry-level to executive.To weed out fake job deutsche post agings, FlexJobs hand-screens and cura tes every job and company to make sure they are professional, high-quality positions with flexible options.If you arent sure you are ready to make the jump to fully remote work, you can also find flexible jobs that offer partly remote options.However, to fully experience the site and apply for jobs, you have to pay a membership fee of 14.95 per month.4. JobspressoIf you are looking for only remote positions, Jobspresso is a great place to start.Jobspresso offers jobseekers a curated list of high-quality remote jobs.All of the jobs posted to Jobspresso are hand-picked, manually reviewed, and expertly curated.They cover a variety of positions in tech, marketing, customer service, and creative fields.Jobspresso also works with big companies such as Microsoft, InVision, Amazon, Reddit, and Github.Best of all, its cost-free, and you can get daily job updates, articles, and more by following them on Twitter.3. We Work RemotelyWe Work Remotely is a popular online job board for seekers who are looking for jobs that arent restricted by commutes or particular geographic areas.They claim to be one of the first remote-only job boards established and the largest remote-only work communities.They offer several job categories such as marketing, programming, DevOps, management, design, and more.Companies such as Zapier, Hubstaff, GoDaddy, and Hotjar post jobs on We Work Remotely.The board updates frequently and you can get jobs in your field emailed to you daily.2. RemotiveRemotive is a great resource for workers looking to go remote.They offer a great job board with jobs in engineering, human resources, marketing, sales, and support.You can find work with companies like Github, Twitch, Buffer, and others.Not only can you find a great remote job, but Remotive also offers a community for remote workers.You can subscribe to their newsletter, join their community of workers on Slack, or check out their resources for remote workers on their blog.1. Working NomadsWorking Nomads of fers a great list of remote options for job seekers interested in moving to remote work.Working Nomads offers a curated list of interesting remote jobs in a variety of career areas.You can search for jobs based on your interest, whether that be in design, development, consulting, or more.If you want to avoid searching through the listings yourself, you can elect to have Working Nomads email you a list of positions in your desired field.Many of the jobs focus on the tech field, with positions such as web developer and software engineer, but there are also positions in customer service, sales, and writing.