How Passion-Driven Hobbies and Personal Projects Can Advance Your Career CareerMetis.com

How Passion-Driven Hobbies and Personal Projects Can Advance Your Career Image Source â€" Freepik.comPeople tend to underestimate how seemingly extraneous activities may help build their skillset and mental integrity in a way that contributes to their career development. And this fact is tightly connected to that inevitable question we ask ourselves when it comes to our jobs: How much do you need to sacrifice to get ahead?The obvious answer is that no career is worth your wellbeing, because if you’re not well â€" physically or mentally â€" you are not fit to work, regardless of whether you are a freelanceror a regular employee.Your mind requires time for itself. What makes this topic conciliatory in nature is the fact that you can invest time in something of your own In other words, you can have your cake and eat it. The key is to narrow down the list of passion-driven hobbies and personal projects based on this particular mixture of qualities: whether they inspire you and advance your career.1) They can improve your confidenceevalImage Source â€" Freep ik.comPeople that focus solely on their career may find that their confidence is lacking in other areas. After all, life requires more of us than focusing all our attention on one field, so this rarely bodes well in the long run. Working only on your career will likely stifle your personal development, which, long story short, can leave you feeling inadequate for everything other than your job.Having a hobby or a personal project that you are developing on your terms universally leads to an improved sense of integrity and freedom. It builds character because all people are wired to enjoy things that they can call their own.And you know what? â€" Whatever you choose to do with your own time can be considered a hobby. This includes seemingly inconsequential activities, such as spending time with people. Maybe you are a thoughtful and analytical observer of the work environment, and your observations help you develop your skills as a leader. Maybe you are a highly gregarious person.The point is: meeting new people, talking to them, developing relationships â€" this all contributes to your networking capabilities. And that often proves to be a deciding skill if you plan to move up on the career ladder in today’s dynamic work environment.This is also why traveling is such a beloved hobby among people that want to boost their careers and render themselves more employable. Traveling puts you in all kinds of unpredictable situations, encouraging you to communicate with a variety of people from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds. You’ll learn about other cultures, their ways of thinking and communicating, and all of this undeniably contributes to a sharp boost in confidence.Remember â€" the more you travel, the more confident you’ll become.2) They can boost your creativityImage Source â€" UnSplash.comevalWe cannot discuss traits that boost your career without mentioning one of the cornerstones of success in today’s job market: creativity. Thinking outsid e the box is a ubiquitously treasured trait in all facets of art and industry. And those who invest time and effort into the development of their creative mind can truly master this skill.If you want to develop the kind of creativity that will benefit your career, you probably know what key obstacle you need to overcome: push through baby steps. Whether it’s painting, writing, photography, model-making, or anything else â€" you have to pass the crucible of being bad at it before you get better. After all, nobody was born with the skill â€" not even people with great talent.Now, here is the important thing: nobody has to look at your initial works! They are all about personal The more you practice, the more assured in your ‘movements’ and ‘strokes’ you will become â€" and it will show. You just have to make peace with sucking for a prolonged interval.3) They can enhance your organizing skillsImage Source â€" UnSplash.comTime is a commodity we rarely have at our disposal. Yo u either learn how to manage your activities, or you sink into chaos. Now, many people become so consumed by their business ventures that they dedicate 90% of their waking time to work.But once you ‘free up’ your schedule to create a slot for a hobby or a personal project, things get interesting.At first, it may appear insignificant â€" you dedicate as little time to a hobby as you can afford. But then you start thinking about your hobby while you’re doing other things â€" the joy it gives you, the progress you’re making â€" and you start making an effort to dedicate more time to it. Don’t underestimate the human proclivity to passionately pursue goals the more time they invest in a project. There will come a time when you’ll become just as enraptured with your hobby as you were with work.What happens then is that you’ll have to learn how to organize your time well. This is not a bilateral relationship between you and your job anymore. Now there’s a third element tha t needs to be factored in, or a fourth one if you have a family.And what if you’ve started a project with a friend, and they’ve come to depend on your participation?In short, you’ll not only have to learn to create a comprehensible The main reason behind this is that you can go through the cycle of trial and error on your terms. Nobody is watching or assessing your performance. Paradoxically, this fact alone often leads to better performance.You can take a hint from this paradox, as the newly acquired initiative to make mistakes and course-correct at a quick pace becomes an invaluable skill at work. Your employees will notice if you begin treating mistakes at work as hurdles that can be overcome, rather than cataclysmic failures.You can embrace hobbies known to reduce anxiety, but even if you’re not doing something typically relaxing, pursuing a hobby or a personal project contributes to managing anxiety in other ways. When you’re putting a lot of work into a project or tr ying to learn a skill, and it gets awkward, difficult, and even stressful at times, exposing yourself to making mistakes will help you learn to accept it as part of the process.Along with that, there’s also the multitasking and scheduling angle to tie it all together. In order for you to thrive at work and at home, while simultaneously managing personal projects, your brain will have no other choice but to learn to ‘count to ten’ and operate calmly, at peak efficiency.The ability to juggle multiple facets of life and stand in the eye of the storm without giving in to paralyzing anxiety is the defining feature of all great entrepreneurs. And if you’re not pursuing the entrepreneurial path yourself, having your superiors notice that you have developed that skill as well won’t pass unrewarded.evalAll in all, learning to make peace with failure is the ultimate anxiety killer, and hobbies can undeniably help you develop that skill.ConclusionevalImage Source â€" UnSplash.comA bu sy life is all about prioritizing. Physical health and mental wellbeing come first, of course. But personal expression through hobbies and private projects is intrinsically connected to both the former and the latter factor. No human can thrive without sovereignty over, at the very least, one aspect of their life.After all, deeply rooted personal passion is what drives all of our pursuits and conquests in the first place, and we cannot forget that. What do you find compelling about your career? If you are an entrepreneur, does your work fulfill you?In the (admittedly paraphrased) words of Steve Jobs: If this is the last day of your life, can you look at your reflection in the mirror and honestly say that you love your work?Hobbies and personal projects are a good litmus test that answers these questions. Pursuing an activity that is truly meaningful to you may (or may not) uncover dissonance between your work and your wants, which further determines your career path.Who knows â€" de veloping new skills through hobbies may lead to personal revelations that would encourage you to venture off the beaten path. Whether that means redirecting your career within your field or completely changing fields is a whole other story, but have no doubt that this change will be beneficial for you.

Boost Your Interview Results By Demonstrating Your Value

Boost Your Interview Results By Demonstrating Your Value Boost Your Interview Results By Demonstrating Your Value Most of the resumes I see focus on what people do on a daily basis. The results is a boring list of duties and responsibilities thats unlikely to inspire anyone to call them. . Employers want to know what you can do for them. The best way to show your value is to focus on what youve done for your current and previous employer. They want to know about the positive impact youve made   The same is true for interviews. Employers dont want to hear about your duties and responsibilities, what you do every day. They want to hear about your achievements. Maybe you didnt directly generate revenue, but maybe you saved the account by providing extra service. Perhaps you redesigned a process so it takes 2 days a month instead of 5 freeing staff to take on other duties. Maybe you leveraged your business relationships to build a promising pipeline.     Prepare for your interviews with stories that illustrate your value. Like all stories, there should be a beginning, a middle, and an end.   Begin with the challenge you faced (it may have been there when you were hired or come up during your tenure). Might be anything from low morale to the loss of the companys largest client.   Next, explain what you did to solve the address the issue, solve the problem, improve the situation, etc. If you worked as part of a team make sure you highlight what you specifically brought to the table. That might be providing special knowledge or building consensus between disparate parties or whatever.   Finish with the result. Improved employee retention, increased customer satisfaction, amount of time saved, etc. Adding metrics like $$$ made, % customer satisfaction improved, % time saved, etc. the better. . Dont waste time during your job interview talking about how you spend your day. Wow the employer with the impact youve made.

Job Mobs Top 40 Job Search articles

Job Mobs Top 40 Job Search articles JobMob recently published their Top 40+ Job Search Blog Posts of 2013. This is a great list from distinguished career experts of what other job searchers have been reading and have found helpful, all over the globe. One of our latest posts is on that list: Unemployed? You Have Secret Powers! Of course, it is an affirmation that we provide a service our readers are interested in, and thats always a good feeling. But it also shows that you are not alone in your search for employment, and that has all kinds of feelings attached to it. Its intimidating to realize there are so many job seekers out there Its encouraging to know you are not alone and have support Its hopeful to anticipate the results of steps you are making in your career plans Professional Resume Services has a mission: to craft powerful, exciting, and effective resumes for every job seeker on the planet. Thats a big goal, isnt it? Maybe it wont really happen all over the planet, but it sure will happen a lot this coming year because we will be doing it one job seeker at a time. Maybe it will be in the form of a resume critique, or coaching, or a resume package. Maybe it will be in the form of this blog, encouraging and guiding along the search. Maybe it will be on Facebook or some other social media. See how many facets there are? Like the cuts on a diamond, each different facet of a job search is another angle that reflects the light a different way. It takes a lot of angles to make a diamond shine and sparkle, and it takes a lot of angles to make a career do the same thing. All the different things you do make up who you are and what you have to offer, and a good resume is like those lights at the jewelers shop causing the gems to sparkle with reflections: it illuminates what you have and makes it shine.

Create Your Own Custom Resume Using Free Online Resume Templates

Create Your Own Custom Resume Using Free Online Resume TemplatesThere are many free online resume templates available on the internet. These offer a great opportunity to create your own custom resume that you can design from scratch. A professional resume might cost you a lot of money, but you can have one created for free using some free templates online. You do not need to invest in a full size resume or pay thousands of dollars in fees to have your resume professionally designed.Some of the many online resume templates available are:Free Online Resume Templates - When you get the word out that you are looking for a job, many would be employers will consider adding your resume to their website. This is because they know that they will be able to see it several times a day. Therefore, when you include this online resume template with your resume, you are more likely to get noticed.Your resume is basically an advertisement for yourself. It explains why you are interested in the posit ion, what you are good at, and the qualities that make you the right person for the job.By including your resume with your application, employers will be looking at what you have to say about yourself and if you are exactly who they are looking for. Since hiring managers are looking for an example of how the job applicant looked like, your resume would play a significant role in this process.There are many other free online resume templates that can help you get started with a new career. Some will allow you to take the information you already have in the sections of your resume that you have eliminated and add this into the part you did include. Other types of templates that are available include job search applications, tool kits, and templates designed specifically for marketing companies.You can use these free resume templates to show off allof the talents and skills you possess. Just be sure to create your own resume that contains your skills and experiences, so that you have a unique and impressive profile to show employers.

The Secrets to Launching a Successful Encore Career

The Secrets to Launching a Successful Encore Career “You must do the thing you cannot do,” Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote. It’s the only way to overcome the fears we all face in doing something new, she thought, and take a leap into the unknown. Kate Williams quoted Roosevelt earlier this week here when she accepted a $25,000 Purpose Prize, one of the awards given annually by Encore.org, a San Francisco-based nonprofit that works to engage baby boomers in “encore careers” with a social impact. The awards, now in their ninth year, recognize trailblazers over age 60 who have tackled social problems creatively and effectively. Cash prizes range from $25,000 to $100,000. Williams, 72, lost her eyesight to a rare degenerative disease after a long career as a corporate human resources professional. She overcame her own fears, first by moving away from friends and family in Southern California to start over in San Francisco and later by starting an employment training program for the blind. Today, she runs a similar, larger program for the national non-profit organization Lighthouse for the Blind. Encore.org’s mission is to promote a game-changing idea: Greater longevity and the graying of America present opportunities, not problems. This year’s Purpose Prize winners underscore that point. They’re rock stars in the world of social entrepreneurship, having started organizations that work on issues like sex trafficking, disaster relief, autism and education in impoverished neighborhoods. The idea of second careers with social purpose has broad appeal. Millions of older Americans want to stay engaged and work longer, sometimes out of economic need but often out of a deep motivation to give back. An Encore.org survey this year found that 55% of Americans view their later years as a time to use their experience and skills to make a difference, though just 28% say they are ready to make it happen. Many people have trouble figuring out where to startâ€"which brings us back to Roosevelt. Fear of the unknown is a key hurdle in starting down a new path later in life, and I had the chance to ask some of the encore experts gathered for the awards about how they would advise others seeking to begin. The juices get flowing when people connect their experiences and knowledge with a problem they are passionate about. But first they have to make the leap. “I had been in the corporate world, not part of the blind community,” Williams says. “I was frightened, but what I thought would be overwhelming turned out to be a beautiful thing. As soon as we started our training classes, I was hooked.” http://www.payscale.com/js/psextension-min.js?1 http://www.payscale.com/syndication/start_large_v3r.aspx?instance=1js=1v=1af=job=city=state=country=United%20Statestextcolor=333333backgroundcolor=a5d34c Accurate, real-time salaries for thousands of careers. The Lighthouse for the Blind program has worked with 100 blind job seekers over the past three years, and has placed 40% of them. David Campbell, winner of a $100,000 prize this year, wanted to help after the Indian Ocean tsunami that devastated parts of Southeast Asia in 2004. A senior executive at several software and Internet technology companies, he figured he could help by creating a Web-based tool to organize volunteer tsunami relief efforts. That led him to start All Hands Volunteers, which has worked on 45 disaster relief projects in six countries and dozens of U.S. locations. The non-profit uses the Internet to route volunteers to places where they can be put to work effectively. “People just want to know that if they go, they’ll have a place to sleep that won’t be a burden to the local people, and a contact to start with,” he says. “We give you exact instructions on how to get there, and assure that you’ll have a bunk bed, food and someone will have organized work and that you’ll have the right tools to be productive.” Campbell talks often with people looking to get started on encores. “I always advise people to start by volunteering with some organization with social purpose â€" it’s an easy, great way to start. But the question many people have is, ‘Which one, and what might I do?’ ” Campbell suggests people consider geography and the focus of the work. “Do you want to work locally, nationally or internationally? Do you care about health, education or some other thing? That starts the conversation and helps people narrow it down.” Then, he says, visit a non-profit that interests you, and take the time to understand its needs. “Be willing to help understand the mission, and do whatever it is they need help with. And don’t treat volunteering as a casual activity. You need to commit to a certain number of hours of work a week as though it were a paying job, and take responsibility for it.” To paraphrase another famous Roosevelt, the only thing you have to fear is fear itself. Related: Can I afford to retire? Should I work in retirement? Does working affect my Social Security benefits?

Some Friendly Reminders For The Frustrated Job Seeker - Work It Daily

Some Friendly Reminders For The Frustrated Job Seeker - Work It Daily Are you frustrated with your job search? If so, you are not alone. There is nothing more frustrating than looking for opportunities when none seem to exist. Related: 6 Ways To Deal With Family Asking About Your Job Search The following are a few tips the frustrated job seeker should embrace. The advice is simple and often discussed, but also often overlooked. Sometimes, the most basic advice is the most vital. Stand Out It is not an easy to stand out in the hiring environment most companies have adopted today. In today’s market, you are competing with many applicants for the same opportunities. You have to think about unique ways to use your resume and cover letter so you can stand out and communicate your brand effectively. Know When To Adapt The biggest mistake job seekers make is not realizing when their resume and/or cover letter is not effective. If you are not getting results, you need to change it up. Do not be afraid to try different formats! I am sure you know everyone has different opinions on resume formatting and content, which means employers will to. Network Looking for opportunities? Dig and do not stop digging! You never know where one will show up. Remember your job search needs to go beyond the internet to be more effective. NETWORK! Do not be afraid to let everyone you know that you are looking for opportunities. Send an e-mail to anyone who might know someone who might have a job opening. You will be surprised how many leads you can find by letting people know you are in the job market. You will find that people really do want to help you. Network, network and network. Did I say network? If you do not ask no one can help you. Search everyday! Job Search Everyday Try to do something career related once a day, if not more. If you stop job searching your results will be delayed. Apply for opportunities that you meet most of the requirements. Employers always advertise a laundry list of qualifications and requirements. They would like to find the perfect person to match every qualification, but employers know this person does not exist. They are looking for someone who closely matches and someone who will fit well into the culture. Get The Interview Basics When you go in for an interview make sure you are on time, prepared and researched the company you are interviewing with. Do not rely on just the company’s website for information. Be savvy! Use Google, Yahoo Finance, and Business Journals. This will show the employer how serious you are. Come prepared with extra resumes and have copies of your references ready to go. The goal is to demonstrate your professionalism to the employer. And finally... are you helping or hurting yourself with the way you use social media? Related Posts 8 Tips For Conducting An Effective Job Search Are You A Pushy Job Seeker? 5 Tips For Job Searching While Pregnant   Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!

How to Stay Motivated at Work

How to Stay Motivated at Work How to Stay Motivated at WorkHow to keep goin when the goin aint so great.In todays modern job market, candidates are in a position to be sold to. HR and Marketing are partnering together like never before and theyre creating branding initiatives and recruitment campaigns that are geared toward making you want to work there.As candidates, we gesangssolist a job opportunity not necessarily by what the employer does or says but in the way that we wish to interpret it. We apply our owncontext filters and might not really hear whats being said (or whats not being said). We may overlook clues in the interview stage that signal a rotten culture or flags that tell us leadership is a mess. Or, we might catch those clues and ignore them anyway.The truth is we want to buy into it. Whether you believe people like being sold to or they like buying, Id split the difference. We like the experience of shopping, and shopping for jobs isnt that different. We will hear wh at we want to hear from the recruiter or hiring manager and still make our own decisions about the place.This can and will result in disappointment, but dont worry. We all find ourselves in jobs that arent quite what we imagined. Because its work, its not always as simple as just finding a new job. We have bills to pay, mouths to feed, and really - its has to be pretty bad to quit after a month. My advice is always to tough it out for a year at least.When you find yourself in this situation, its really important that you know how to stay motivated at work.Sure, the job might be the pits. Bad culture. Poor leaders. A smorgasbord of un-dream-job-like qualities, but if youre going to be miserable on top of all that, youve got another thing coming.If youre feeling in the pits at work, you need to pull yourself out of it and get motivated. Heres how to stay motivated at work and what you do when the going got tough and youre feeling down and out each day. Here are four self-motivation ti ps to live by1. Weigh the good.It might be cliche to say, but you need to abflug off by looking at the bright side. Optimism is going to be the coal in your fire itll keep your engine going and keep you warm. Sometimes you have to stretch yourself to find the good in a situation, but think of whats at stake - your livelihood. Work is where we spend the majority of our time and if we start having feelings of hopelessness there, it could be a slippery slope into depression. Thefabrollcontainer-transportsystem are there and optimism is good for heart health, life expectancy and success.So how do you conjure up some optimism and self-motivation when the going gets tough? Make a list of everything that is alright with your job. Just write. It doesnt have to be a laundry list of amazing perks, but think about the stuff that is pretty good and start there. You can even start with number one Im employed. Being thankful for the everyday stuff like having a job, is a great way to shift your p erspective. Just google your local unemployment rate and maybe youll feel a bit better.2. Spread the love.When the going gets tough and youre struggling to make yourself happy, try and make someone else happy. In astudy,researchers found that the more people participated in meaningful activities, the happier they were and the more purposeful their lives felt. This is all fine and dandy but how can you apply it at work? Find out what the pain points are and strive to abolish them. Help others out wherever you can. Be a source of positive energy for others. In everything you do, strive to be helpful. It could mean small acts of kindness around the office like refilling the kettle for the next guy or starting a social committee and planning some well-earned fun for your team. Whatever you do, ask yourself if its helpful to someone else and their joy will soon translate to your own.3. Set some goals.Id take an aggressive growth plan and being overworked any day before a job with no purp ose or goals. Goals give us meaning and in work, they give us direction. We need a vision to be inspired and without that itll all start to feel pointless. If you find yourself in a situation like this youve got to take the bull by its horns Dont wait for someone to motivate you - try some self-motivation If the vision isnt set, set one. It doesnt have to be an impressive vision, linked to the corporate strategy and all of that. It can be a vision for you and your work. You can frame success within the context of your environment and what is within the scope of your control. Create your own goals, even if theyre small. Having goals and making progredienz on those goals makes ushappier so go out there and start setting some goals.4. Bask in the sun (when its out).Perspective is everything and gratitude is a big chunk of that. Its so important to realize, acknowledge and be thankful when things are good. Its a great way to know how to stay motivated at work. Being present makes us hap pier and critical to that is recognizing the positive. As much as recruiters are trying to tell us dream jobs exist, no job is perfect and there will be highs and lows. Using this information we must trigger ourselves (or better yet, pinch ourselves) when things are going good and relish in it a bit, soak it up. Why? Its going to pass. Hard times will come. Realize that and when the going is good, ride the wave happily.Because we spend 40 hours plus per week at work, its critical that you feel good when youre there. Feeling good starts with you, your perspectives, and attitude. Approach work with optimism, gratitude, and a desire to be helpful and youll have a foundation for a happier workplace.Need help with your resume? Take advantage of our free critique todayRelated Articles