10 Things Nobody Tells You When Youre a New Manager

10 Things Nobody Tells You When Youre a New Manager I thought I was ready when I took on my first ‘official’ management role as a performance manager. I had technical ability. I’d undertaken a large amount of additional, unpaid supervisory work. On top of that, I had a great professional attitude so I thought I was good to go. Oh my. If you’re a new manager, some of the lessons that I and countless other leaders have learned will, hopefully, help you to transition into a management and leadership role in a more authentic way. 10 Things Nobody Tells You When Youre a New Manager 1. Prioritize being the leader your team needs, rather than doing everything perfectly. Chances are you’re a conscientious woman with high standards so you don’t need to stress about being seen to be doing a good job; that’s a given. It’s better to learn what your team needs from you, rather than focusing on checking off every box to perfection. Spend time with your new colleagues, get to know them and find out what they need most from you while you learn more about the role. 2. If change is needed,  get gutsy. You’ll need to develop the  confidence to challenge the status quo, which takes guts. If you want  a lot of change to happen as a new leader, remember that you are managing a group of people you have only just met.  Take changes slow and dont plan to implement your dream organization in just the next 90 days. Learn and listen as much as you can. 3. Overstand your values. Yes, I said overstand. It’s one thing to be aware of your own values; it’s quite another to understand how your values serve you and influence the way in which you lead. The best leaders have a high level of self-awareness. Check out this article for more on understanding your values. If you’re not already, spend time getting get clear on your values. 4. Start reflecting. There will be days when you feel more like an infant school teacher than a manager. There will be days when you feel on top of the world because things are going so well. Spend time reflecting on your day and ask yourself what you did that was good and should be repeated. Also, reflect daily on what wasn’t so great. How can you do things differently next time? Reflecting like this helps improve your practice as a leader and is a pretty good de-stresser, too! 5. Don’t switch your persona. Pretending to be someone you’re not is hard work and tiring. If you’re not a suit woman, don’t go for a power suit  just because you’re now in a leadership role. If you’re a soft-natured person, don’t try to come across as hard-nosed just because you are in a leadership role. People will see straight through you and inconsistencies in the way you treat and lead will cause others to doubt your credibility. Do you, boo. 6. Don’t be afraid to be vulnerable. Being honest about what you’re not sure of can help your new team connect with you as another human being. Being vulnerable will allow them to see you as more than just ‘the new boss.’ If they can see that you are ok with your imperfections and limitations, they can relate to you and come alongside you much faster. It will also be freeing for you to release the pressure that striving for perfection creates. 7.  Dont pretend you have all the answers. It’s not your job to know everything, it’s your job to facilitate your team in coming up with solutions and support staff so that they can do their job. This is crucial to understand. 8. You will make mistakes. Get comfortable with the fact that things won’t always go to plan and that’s ok. You’ll learn for the next time. 9. Being liked as a manager is underrated. Yes, it’s true that staff need to respect you but being respected and being liked don’t have to be mutually exclusive. It’s a lot easier and more enjoyable for everyone when you’re likable. 10. Boy, is leadership great for your growth! Dont compartmentalize your learning. Growth is growth so be intentional  with transferring the development in your professional life to your personal development. A year from now, you’ll have grown immensely through your leadership experiences so soak it up, my dear! What’s your leadership experience been? What do you wish you’d been told earlier on? Let me know in the comments below. [Related:  Advice for First-Time Managers from First-Time Managers]

Cover Letter For Resume For Marijuana Dispensary - Creating Your Own Personal Cover Letter

Cover Letter For Resume For Marijuana Dispensary - Creating Your Own Personal Cover LetterAlthough cover letters are by far the most common and first thing that a candidate will have to write in their job search, it is still important to be creative when writing a cover letter for resume for marijuana dispensary. While there are some very generic cover letters for resume that can be written, there are also other creative ways to do it as well.The first thing that you have to do before you begin writing a cover letter for resume for marijuana dispensary is to decide how you will use the letter. You can either write a short one-page letter that summarizes your information about the position you are applying for or you can write a longer letter that will go into greater detail about what it is you can bring to the job. This decision will depend on how much information you are comfortable sharing in this one letter.Careers writing is usually an easy task because the only requirement is t hat you must make your career statement clear. You have to show that you have the passion and commitment to a particular career path. And you have to also provide as much information as possible about yourself that is relevant to your target job.Careers writing, like resumes, also requires that you have the tools and experience needed to successfully get the job you want. But there are some steps that you have to take in order to get the best results. Of course, you cannot expect to just leave the details of your career goals lying in plain sight on the cover letter for resume for marijuana dispensary because there is a chance that some potential employer will see this and will assume that you have no idea what you are doing.A common mistake that people make is to copy and paste whatever you want on their resume. Yes, you can always find and use the exact wording of your cover letter, but when you use your resume for your cover letter for marijuana dispensary, you need to go a step further. For one, you can include personal touches that will show that you have the ability to connect with them.When writing a cover letter for resume for marijuana dispensary, you have to use the same conversational tone as you do with your cover letter. You need to show that you can talk to someone and that you have empathy for them. You have to be able to tell that they are an individual that you would like to work with. And it is your job to convince them that you are the right person for the job.Remember that writing a cover letter for resume for marijuana dispensary is not as simple as creating a one-page cover letter that you could send out with no problems. It will take a lot of practice and you need to be able to follow through and make sure that you are successful with this. So make sure that you spend time practicing and get the hang of it.There are many different personalities and preferences that you need to know about in order to be able to communicate your message cl early and effectively. A simple cover letter for resume for marijuana dispensary will not be effective if you cannot get across your point of view. You need to be able to craft a cover letter that really works for you.

Tips on Writing a Resume When Returning to the Workforce

Tips on Writing a Resume When Returning to the WorkforceEveryone who is about to start looking for a new job is looking for tips on writing a resume when returning to the workforce. Since so many people decide to return to work after having taken some time off, there are many people who have come back to work with a standard resume.Employers want to hire someone who is confident and able to write a resume that has a professional look to it. They are not looking for someone to take the time to sit down and write their resume. They want to hire someone who knows what they want to say and has put the time into developing an effective resume.When writing a resume that is professionally done, it should contain specific skills, education, and other information that will be beneficial to the employer. Of course, the person's achievements will be important too. However, the focus should be on exactly what the person can do for the employer. This is why a resume is not meant to be a sales doc ument; it is only to present the employee's experience.There are some things that are important when writing a resume but can be overlooked when using one as a sales pitch. It is important to have a cover letter, but that does not mean that you have to send out several copies of it. What most employers want is to see an applicant's personal qualities, rather than just how much experience they have had.Instead of making up career objectives or any of the other list items, make sure that you include what you are looking for in the position. There is nothing wrong with listing specific positions that you might have interest in. Doing this will make it easier for the employer to select the position that fits your qualifications.Youshould also include any personal life that you have had. For example, if you were recently divorced, mention it. If you have children, list them and mention any extracurricular activities they may be involved in.Another great tip on writing a resume when retur ning to the workforce is to make sure that you include all of your education and credentials. Make sure that you include any special certifications that you may have obtained. Making sure that you are writing your resume is easy; just write what you know.The first thing that you should remember when beginning your job search is to be honest. Do not lie on your resume and then wonder why it is not showing on the interview table. Be sure to update your resume regularly and be sure to use only your best efforts when preparing it.

Keyword Tracking Systems - Pathfinder Careers

What You Absolutely Need to Know About Applicant /Keyword Tracking Systems - Pathfinder Careers What You Absolutely Need to Know About Applicant /Keyword Tracking Systems As a résumé writer, I encounter people from all walks of life in virtually all levels of employment from entry level to CEO. It’s continuously amazing to me to see how many people aren’t tuned into what’s going on in terms of the human resource side of the hiring process. And what you don’t know can truly hurt you! Many companies have resorted to applicant tracking systems (ATS) which is an efficiency measure put into place to enable the HR manager or hiring director to separate qualified applicants from those that are not. To wit: the first round of the screening process isn’t all about finding the ‘good’ candidates… …It’s all about weeding out the poor candidates, and people who just plain don’t qualify! Applicant tracking systems might be viewed as evil by some, especially when you hear about the situation where one of my clients spent about 5 hours carefully inputting her résumé into an online application form. Yes, you read that right, FIVE (5) hours. In her situation, there were a number of supplemental questions that were asked online as well as the actual work history part of her résumé. Guess how long it took her to get notified that she was rejected for the position? (Which she was very much qualified for, by the way.) Six seconds. Yep. That’s right, sports fans. She got a kick-back message from the ATS saying, “We’re sorry, but you didn’t meet the minimum qualifications.” Talk about ‘no fair!’ But when she turned to having a professional writer produce her résumé, I could clearly see what the likely cause was of her problem. Her résumé truly had no keywords in it. There was no clear ‘density’ to her career field, which would mean that the ATS probably scanned it zippity quick, came up with nothing, and tossed her application quickly aside. Understanding what the employer wants and what the ATS is looking for is half the battle of producing an effective résumé. Here are four tips to help you better navigate the system to get your résumé in the pile to be screened by a real, live human being: 1) Focus / theme your résumé. Try to concentrate your résumé towards a particular job title. Having a theme will help you concentrate and build up a critical mass of keywords that are likely scanning targets that an ATS is searching for in your document. Got a mish-mash of jobs that have some common theme of transferrable skill sets? Great. Concentrate them. 2) Do your homework. In order to find the right keywords, you’ll need to look beyond just the position that is currently open at one particular company. Some job descriptions are thorough while others are not. Look up similar positions, and identify the pattern of keywords that are common, and those will be your top ones to use in your résumé under a section called “Career Expertise.” 3) Sprinkle keywords throughout your résumé. Using the words in describing your work under each job record will also garner more ‘hits’ on the ATS. 4) Be honest. Don’t just start spreading words around willy-nilly just to get more hits. Some people have craftily started putting keywords at the top of their résumé… in white font so they remain hidden from the human eye, but the programmer who put together the ATS is already one step ahead of you… in some cases, these hidden keyword bundles can automatically disqualify an applicant because the software caught this deceptive act of trying to get a higher ranking. Understanding how ATS work and what to do to address the employer’s needs are precisely what you need to do to graduate to the next level of the screening process and really shine!

10 Tips to Network like a Pro IM HIRED

10 Tips to Network like a Pro Get noticed and stand out from the crowd You might be thinking that if youre not looking to pursue a career in sales then learning the art of networking is not a vital skill for your job search. But if youre thinking this, then youre mistaken. Networking is an essential skills that you should be demonstrating throughout your CV. And an activity you should be participating in to boost your job hunt. Whether attending formal networking events to connect with decision makers or networking with fellow colleagues, career advisers or other professionals to help enhance your career, the ability to build a quick rapport and be confident in your delivery is key. So these are 10 tips to networking like one of the pros! Dont be too rehearsed Whilst preparation is definitely a must. Coming across too rehearsed or scripted isnt natural and will not lend to building relationships with the others. Networking is all about people connecting so relax, be personable and have a fluid conversation. Whilst you should be professional, showcase your personality. Have a confident introduction Prior to attending any networking event consider the reason why youre looking to build up new connections and use this in your introduction. Prepare a brief summary about yourself, including your work experience and look to add any interesting facts about yourself. Be confident in your introductory pitch and avoid using phrases such as erm or Im not sure what else to say and be specific and engaging in your delivery. Dont go straight into business The aim of attending a networking event maybe to progress in your career or to get back into employment but never go straight into business. Networking should be a two way street and if people feel theyre getting pitched to straight away theyre likely to switch off. First of all building some common ground and discuss more general subjects. Find a topic of conversation where youre naturally  able to  introduce your reason for attendance, youll be more likely to grab their attention. Take notes and Follow up Once the event is over, that doesnt mean youre done.  Follow up with every person you met. Even if you dont think that person could help you in your job search, its polite to send a follow up. You never know when that connection could come in useful. After discussions, write a short description of the person you met. This will help you remember them later on and allow you to personalise your follow up. Dont interrupt the conversation Networking is all about quality over quantity so whilst you dont need to work the room and meet everyone there. You do need to circulate. Once you enter a new group dont automatically introduction yourself and break the flow of conversation, wait for a break or look out for a conversational point you can add to. Interrupting comes across rude and networking isnt supposed to be about making yourself the centre of attention. Listen to others Though you want to get across your pitch, learn that listening is a big part of the ability to effectively communicate. Listen carefully to others and use the information they provide to add to the conversation.  Without strong listening skills you might miss important details that could support your job search. Join in When youre nervous it can be easier to stand in the corner and use the excuse of getting a drink to avoid meeting new people. Stop standing by the bar and actually get into the centre of the room and start meet new people.  Get out there, dont hide behind others. Engage and ask questions Engaging  with others will make you more memorable and asking questions will show your interest in others. By questioning you will be able to enhance the discussion,  leading the conversation. Be on time   Its a common mistake for new comers to the world of networking to think that arriving late will mean you can slide into the back and not be noticed. But always be on time. Getting in early and meeting people as they arrive is much easier than trying to get into the conversation once people have already paired off. Quality not Quantity Its better to create a few strong meaningful relationships than just going around saying hello to everyone in attendance. Pinpoint the key people in attendance you want to meet and focus on building a rapport.  Dont get burden by thinking you have to move on at set time periods.

Tips For Writing a Good Objective on Your Resume For Teachers

Tips For Writing a Good Objective on Your Resume For TeachersThe objective is a very important part of the resume. You have to be able to show off the skills you have learned in school in a good way. But how do you go about writing a good objective? This is what this article is going to tell you.First of all, you have to make sure you tell the hiring person why you are applying for the position. You want to impress the hiring person. In other words, you are trying to make them want to hire you. You should try to give them a reason that will leave them asking 'What more can you do for me?' and your objective is going to help you do that. What more can you do?Just the fact that you tell them why you are applying for the position is going to make them see what an excellent candidate you are. They will see that you know the subject matter inside and out and they are going to want to know if you have the skills to fit the position. They are also going to want to know if you are going to b e a good fit. Remember, these are the people you are trying to impress. That is a hard task to do when you are trying to make them feel like you have their best interests at heart.For those of you who want to know how to write a good objective on your resume for teachers, you can use a few different techniques. There are some you can use right in the resume, and there are some that you may want to use later. The objective can be a bit tricky to write. You have to try to make sure it is focused and to the point. If you have a lot of bluffs or red herrings, it will probably not show up in the interview process. Just make sure you do not go overboard or it will not show upon the interview.A good way to get a lot of bluffs and red herrings out of your objective is to include a date for when you learned about the position. Do not use this information as your title or anything like that. In fact, most people use that information as the cover letter. You will also want to use one or two ex amples of when you taught. I like to go as far back as sixth grade or even seventh grade, but this is your choice. Just make sure you give them a good sense of your expertise and make them look at it as an overall picture of what you are good at.Another thing you can do to make the objective clear is to put in the dates of when you had to take the exam. When they read the actual test, they can see how much you know. You can also use one or two examples of what you did in the past. Make sure you do not go overboard with these examples.When you are looking to make a good objective, you have to use your best judgment. It can take a while to see the results and that is part of the process. When you know how to write a good objective on your resume for teachers, you will start to see more candidates get interviews and get hired.

I Was Fired for Taking Initiative (and Undermining My Manager)

I Was Fired for Taking Initiative (and Undermining My Manager) Q: I was fired after I took the initiative on a project that my boss did not specifically approve. My ideas were great, but I got fired anyway after my boss sabotaged my work. Some of my friends are telling me I should let this go, while my husband wants me to get a lawyer involved. What should I do? Here’s what happened. Last summer, I decided to re-enter the workforce after five years of raising my kids. I spent the first four months on the job doing a lot of learning on my own. My manager (let’s call her Betty) wasn’t very involved with my training at all, always claiming she had tons of work to do. Instead, she gave me lists of resources (training manuals, online certification classes, etc.) to go through, checked in with me maybe once a day, and assigned me a “starter project” so that I could “learn on the job.” So I basically taught myself everything I needed to learn, and the project I worked on was a huge success for the company. It launched about five months after I was hired. I got a raise out of it, and everyone in management seemed very happy with my work. Once I had finished that project and the account I’d launched was doing well, I noticed some of the tactics/skills I’d used could be implemented on another account that wasn’t performing as well as the one I’d just launched. I told Betty about my plan, and she completely blew me off. Basically she told me that she “already had plans” for this account, that she didn’t need my help, and instead assigned me to another (less important) project. I was more than a little insulted by her attitude, so I waited until the next day when Betty left for a vacation, and I went to Betty’s boss (Veronica). I walked her through the improvements I wanted to make on this other account. I was given the green light to go ahead and start that work. Clearly this was the right thing to do! I mean, Veronica wouldn’t have given me the go-ahead otherwise, right? Well, Betty returned from her vacation on a Friday a few weeks later. I came in that Monday morning and found that she had sabotaged all of my work over the weekend! She went through everything I’d worked on that had already launched, and made a bunch of changes, took down some stuff, and more. Essentially she did everything she could so that I wouldn’t be able to show the improvements that I’d made to the suffering account, and reverted it to how it was performing in the past. She also sent me a very passive-aggressive email along the lines of “let’s chat about this first thing Monday.” In order to preempt another hissy fit from her, and once I assessed the gravity of what she’d done, I went into the meeting with Betty, but pulled Veronica into the conference room as well. I proceeded to explain to Betty that this project had been assigned to me by Veronica, and that she had no business interfering with my work. I was very clear that what she had done was unprofessional, extremely disrespectful, that the results I’d produced were speaking for themselves and that she shouldn’t meddle in things that don’t concern her. Of course I was very angry and maybe I was a little forceful during that meeting, but I feel like I had every right to be upset at what she did! Betty was very quiet during this meeting. At the time I figured she just couldn’t think of how to defend her actions. Now I understand it’s because she’s even more conniving than I thought she was. The next morning, I was called in to sit down with Veronica and the CEO. They told me that things weren’t working out, gave me a severance check and told me I was laid off. Read More: Why won’t my old job give me a reference? I feel that I was treated extremely unfairly by this company. I had a clearly incompetent manager, I never received proper training, and when I tried to help by taking on important projects, my work was sabotaged and I was punished for my initiative. I think Betty may even have spread harsh rumors about me in the industry because despite applying to a bunch of jobs since then, I’ve had very few interviews, and the ones I’ve had never went past the ‘references’ stage. Read More: What to say when people ask why an employee was fired A: You weren’t fired for taking initiative. You were fired for undermining your manager by going around her to her own boss after she already told you no, and for not being clear with Veronica that Betty had already told you no, and for having a bizarrely aggressive attitude about it when called out on it. Here’s how this looks from a manager’s perspective: * You offered to take on a particular project, but your manager told you she had it covered. You found this insulting, even though it’s your manager’s prerogative to decide who will work on what projects, to have her own plans for accounts, and to decline your help. * As soon as your manager left for vacation, you went over her head to her own boss to ask the same question that you’d already been told no about. You didn’t tell Veronica that Betty had already told you no, which means that she didn’t have the full context to make a decision. * You interpreted Veronica’s “yes” as meaning that Betty had been wrong, when all it really means is that Veronica didn’t have full information. When you write, “Veronica wouldn’t have given me the go-ahead otherwise, right?” the answer to that is no. Betty probably knows the work she oversees more intimately than Veronica, and could have all sorts of good reasons for saying no that Veronica didn’t know about (for instance, that your ideas had been tried in the past but didn’t work for particular reasons, or that a stronger plan was already in progress, or that the client specifically rejected those ideas in the past, or all sorts of other things). But even leaving that aside, there’s no way that Veronica wouldn’t want to know that Betty had already weighed in on this, and it seems like you intentionally didn’t tell her that. * Then, when called out on it once Betty returned, you disingenuously claimed that Veronica had assigned you the work â€" when in fact you’d asked Veronica to let you do it without telling her Betty had already said no. * Most incredibly, you had the audacity to say that Betty had no business “interfering” with your work â€" when she is your manager. Your manager’s business is to intervene in your work, if that’s what she judges is needed. She has complete standing to interfere in your work. You even said she shouldn’t meddle “in things that don’t concern her,” when your entire job is her concern. * To make matters worse, you describe yourself as being angry and forceful in the meeting where you asserted all this. * Throughout this, you interpreted all of Betty’s behavior in the worst possible light: You say she wasn’t involved with your training when she was meeting with you daily, gave you what sounds like significant resources to learn from, and assigned you work designed to help you learn on the job â€" all of which sounds pretty good, not something worthy of contempt. When she undid the work that you did after she specifically told you not to, you called that sabotage (!). You described her as “passive-aggressive” when she told you she needed to meet with you to discuss all this, when that’s just straightforward and direct. You describe her as having “hissy fits” and being “conniving.” This is just a bizarrely adversarial approach toward Betty, and it’s rooted in a really fundamental misunderstanding of what your manager’s role is and the authority that she has over your work. Read More: How to ask to resign instead of being fired I’ll be blunt here: I would have fired you too. Most managers would. This isn’t a matter of making a mistake. This is a situation where you deliberately went around your boss, deceived your boss’s boss, and attacked when called out on it, and you still don’t think you did anything wrong. Firing was a logical response. As for getting a lawyer involved, I’m not sure what grounds your husband thinks you’d have for legal action, but nothing you’ve described here is illegal. Companies are allowed to fire people for any reason they want, as long as it’s not based on race, sex, religion, disability, or other protected characteristic and as long as it’s not as retaliation for exercising a legally protected right like reporting discrimination. Even if Betty was wrong in her assessment here â€" and it doesn’t sound like she was â€" it would be perfectly legal to fire you for any of this. The best thing you can now is to use this as a flag that you need to do some serious re-thinking about how offices work and what it means to have a manager. If you find another job without doing that, you’re going to see this repeat itself. This question are adapted from one that originally appeared on Ask a Manager. Some have been edited for length.