Everybody has thought “what if?” at one time or another.

In fact, they’ve probably asked that question about more than one aspect of their life—their family, their personal life, and/or their career.  It’s the last of these aspects that we’re going to address in this blog post.

That’s because “what if?” questions can have a negative impact on a person’s career satisfaction . . . IF they allow that to happen.
However, here’s the good news: you can turn those same “what if?” questions into a way to increase your career satisfaction.  All it takes is a different perspective and frame of mind.

How do you accomplish that?  By asking “what if?” questions not about your past, but about your future.

In this fashion, you’re taking the focus off things you could have done and have no control over now and putting it on things you can still do and have much more control over.

With that in mind, follow this simple three-step process for achieving greater career satisfaction:
#1—Ask “what if?” questions about the future of your career.
Once again, this transforms your thinking process.  Specifically, instead of focusing on regrets, you’re instead focusing on possibilities, which are much more fun and contribute greatly to a positive outlook.  You’ll find that these “what if?” questions will more than likely involve things about which you are passionate.
#2—Collect advice and other opinions.
If you’re in a mentoring relationship, ask for the input of that mentor.  Also ask trusted friends and colleagues who are familiar with your strengths and weaknesses.  The more information you can compile, and the more accurate that information is, the better.
#3—Create a plan of action from the possibilities.
Now that you have a list of possibilities, how are you going to get there from here?  With the “end game” in sight, you’re better able to draw a line between these two points.  You can also attack your list of possibilities by first focusing on the ones that make you the most excited about the future.
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When it comes to your career, don’t live in the past.  Instead, ask exciting, provocative questions about your future and focus on the things you need to do to take you where you want to go.

We recently published “5 Steps for More Effective Hiring This Year,” a blog post which presents a more comprehensive, big-picture approach to hiring.

However, the hiring process is the most integral key to a company’s ability to bring on the best candidates available and turn them into highly productive employees.  Unfortunately, some companies’ process is neither efficient nor streamlined, resulting in lost opportunities.

In addition, there are only so many A-level candidates in the marketplace at any one time.  That’s why you must find them, recruit them, and hire them as quickly as you can.  How can you do that?

You can accomplish it with a more efficient and more effective hiring process, and with that in mind, below are four ways to help speed up that process.

#1—Review the job description and make appropriate changes.
The person who held the job previously might very well have changed the parameters of what the position entails.  Perhaps they took on more responsibilities, dropped some, or shared some with others.  The only way to find out for sure is to review the description and then compare notes with everybody in the company who is expected to interact with this individual.  You definitely want to ensure that everybody is on the same page and in agreement regarding what this new hire is expected to do on a daily basis.
#2—Focus more on results instead of tenure or experience.
How long a person has worked at an employer or within the industry is not as important as what they’ve accomplished during that time.  Ultimately, an employee’s value is defined by what they accomplish, and by focusing on candidates who have an impressive (and verified) history of achievement, you can eliminate those who don’t from the process and streamline it further.
#3—Utilize phone interviews strategically.
If you’re already doing this, then kudos.  If not, implement the practice immediately.  Interviewing unqualified candidates on-site is a waste of your time and resources.  Speaking of which, be sure to schedule the interviews in a way that will not disrupt work schedules or impact productivity in a negative fashion.
#4—Combine steps of the process.
Don’t combine steps just for the stake of combining them, but if the opportunity exists and it makes sense, then do so.  For example, emphasize the online application process to job seekers or if there is testing to be done, administer it in a way that coincides with other steps.  Eliminate redundancy whenever you can.

Once you lose time during the hiring process, it is difficult to make it up, so be proactive about making sure you don’t lose it in the first place.  The four ways listed above represent a great place to start, so take the appropriate steps and make this a great year for hiring!

Conducting a job search can be a trying time.  It can also be an exciting time.
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After all, there’s a lot to be done, including updating your resume, applying for positions, setting up phone and face-to-face interviews, collecting information about the companies with which you’re interviewing, etc.  The list goes on and on.

Not only that, but the closer you get to receiving an offer of employment, the more exciting the whole process becomes.  However, it’s important to remain as objective as possible during the entirety of the process.

That’s because the last thing you want is for excitement and eagerness to cloud your judgment in any way and contribute to carelessness on your part.  It’s imperative that you ask the right questions in your quest to determine if the company and its job opening are the right fit for you at this point in your career.

In fact, below are five such questions that you must ask at some point during the interview process (preferably before you accept an offer of employment):
#1—What is the full scope of the job responsibilities?
#2—To whom would I be reporting?
#3—With whom would I be working on projects or in a collaborative fashion?
#4—With which departments would I be working?
#5—How would you describe the company culture?

Not everyone is comfortable asking questions, but doing so is crucial for finding out the information you need to make the best decision you can.  The rule of thumb is this one: effective communication almost always leads to accurate expectations . . . and you certainly want to know what to expect in a new job.

In addition, hiring officials will more than likely take notice of your initiative in asking these questions, and that should work in your favor during their deliberations and assessments.  It could very well differentiate you from many of the other candidates involved in the process.

So make sure that the five questions above are included in your interview arsenal, and use them to help you decide if the job is the right one for you—and your career.

Next to the face-to-face interview, the part of the job search process where job seekers and candidates hurt themselves the most is their resume.
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Unfortunately, they construct their resumes in a poor fashion, and that hurts their chances of even being contacted for a face-to-face interview, or at the very least, a phone interview.  We’ve touched upon the subject of your resume on previous occasions:
“5 Ways to Update Your Resume at the End of the Year”
“The 4 Most Important Aspects of Your Resume”

In this blog post, we’re going to focus on those things that you shouldn’t include on your resume.  We’re doing so with help from Jenny Foss, who wrote the article “7 Things to Remove From Your Resume ASAP” for The Muse.

There are some things you shouldn’t have on your resume that are basically understood, such as lies and a headshot (photo) of yourself.  Lying on your resume (or at any time, really) is a cardinal sin, and submitting a photo of yourself is inappropriate in just about every way imaginable.

However, in addition to those two, below are four other things you do NOT need on your resume:
#1—Potentially unusual interests or hobbies
Why omit these?  Because if the person reading your resume doesn’t share the same interests, they’re going to judge you, subconsciously or otherwise.  Not only that, but if those interests or hobbies don’t have something specific to do with the job for which you’re applying, why exactly are you putting them on your resume?  Being a competitive food eating champion will not help you land the job.
#2—Talking about yourself in the third person
You’re not Bo Jackson.  (Don’t know who he is?  Click here.)  Committing this sin will turn off the hiring manager or decision maker, regardless of your abilities and experience.
#3—Your email address . . . at your current employer
You should definitely have a separate email address for your job search.  Using your email address where you work is poor form, and it suggests that you’re looking for a new job on company time . . . which leads the hiring authority to believe that you’ll do the same thing at their company.
#4—Non-relevant job history
Potential employers only care about the work history that shows how you’ll help them in the future.  Including jobs that have nothing to do with the job for which you’re applying is not going to help you.  In fact, it’s only going to hurt your chances.

Click here to read the rest of The Muse article, including a list of ways in which you can correct these egregious mistakes.