7 reasons introverts are more successful
Here are seven introvert personality traits that are a major benefit in the workplace:
1. They are good listeners and so make good sounding boards. 2. They are calm and can be reassuring to a team in a crisis. 3. They worry about what others think so tend to be hard workers. 4. They can be more approachable, which makes them better mentors. 5. They are often better at empathising with others. 6. Due to their tendency to speak quietly and reasonably, ask questions and listen carefully they often make excellent negotiators. 7. They focus on their cause rather than their ego.
Managers should recognise the value of introverted employees and encourage them to speak out more often, as their input will be valuable to the team.
If you’re an introvert it’s important you appreciate your strengths and realise that speaking up is not about self-promotion or confronting others, but about sharing your wisdom, ideas and insights with others who can really benefit from what you have to say.
Most jobseekers go through the same process, in the same way, at the same time to find the same jobs, which is why most of them are unsuccesful. The key to a successful job hunt is to access the pile of jobs that very few others even know exist: the unadvertised jobs. Unadvertised jobs make up around 60% of all job vacancies, according to research. That means most people are going after only 40% of all jobs.
There are two ways to reach the hidden market of jobs: making it easy for recruiters to find you and being more proactive.
The most successful candidates do both. For each approach, however, it’s worth dreaming a little: consider who you’d really like to work for and the type of job you really want to do. Research those companies/roles and look for key phrases, skills, values, required qualifications and experience. Make sure you include them wherever possible in your profiles and CV and in the language you use when you speak to potential employers.
Making it easy for the employer:
• Post your CV on your own website, your own blog or on Twitter, for example, so employers will be able to access your CV, via a search engine, for free. Just make sure that you include pertinent search terms in your CV.
• Get your LinkedIn profile up to date and up to scratch and give it a strong, professional headline.
•Make sure all your friends, colleagues and business associates know you’re looking for a job. If your skills and expertise match a vacancy at their organisation they may refer you. Referrals are generally an organisation’s preferred way to recruit .
For a more proactive approach:
• Make speculative calls directly to employers. But don’t just call the HR or recruitment manager. Take some time to find out who might have a suitable vacancy.
• Look out for new job announcements. You don’t need to wait for a job to be advertised. Do your research and find out who you need to talk to in the company.
• Got to trade fairs, conferences and networking events, armed with several copies of your CV.
• Join LinkedIn professional groups and make it known that you’re looking for work.
• Check out Twitter for tweets about jobs that haven’t been advertised formally yet.
It’s still worth responding to conventional job postings, but make sure you’re not missing out on all the jobs that really are out there.
Job rumours… before the job adverts are written
University of Edinburgh Universities Glasgow & Edinburgh are leading £28m funding project given by the Scottish Funding Council for 3 new centres focusing on stratified medicine, sensors and imaging systems. In the first 5 years the 3 centres will employ approx 2000 staff.
Capgemini Woking based Capgemini will create 500 new jobs in Inverness over the next 3 years. They have secured funding of £4.25m from Scottish Development International and a training grant of £1m form Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Turnover £1.6b employing 7,900 staff
Multrees Investor Services Multrees Investor Services, a Scottish company that provides complex support services for investment management firms has achieved sales of £5.5m and created 40 jobs in its first two full years in business.
Switch Concepts Hampshire based IT firm, Switch Concepts is planning to double its workforce to cope with its exploding workload. They are creating 50 new jobs in the coming year at their Salisbury Road base. Switch has seen its profits rise by 600% in the past year.
Merchant Warehouse Boston based Merchant Warehouse is to set up a Technology Development Centre creating 70 new jobs in Belfast. The firm provides payment technologies and merchant services to around 80,000 merchant customers. Invest Northern Ireland has offered 840,000 of assistance towards the job creation.
Southern Communications Dummer based Southern Communications is to create 50 new jobs thanks to securing a finance package from the Breakthrough programme provided by Santander Corporate & Commercial Banking. The funding is to be used as a capital growth investment to accelerate the expansion of its sales force. Revenue £18m employing 160 staff.
East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust East of England Ambulance Service is to employ an additional 376 new staff to turnaround the performance of the regions ambulance service. The NHS Trust was letting down patients and staff so the Service has committed an extra 5m to improve the emergency operations.
Aberdein Considine Law firm Aberdein Considine is opening two offices in Edinburgh creating 15 jobs and increasing its office network in Scotland to 17. The company employs more than 270 staff.
London Ambulance Service NHS Trust London Ambulance Service (LAS) will receive an additional 7.1 million funding this year, which will be used to recruit 240 new staff. The funding should bring LAS closer to its goal of having a paramedic, who would work in conjunction with accident and emergency staff, on board every ambulance.
Malvern Hills Science Park Malvern Hills Science Park is creating a further 25,000 sq ft of office space and potentially 150 jobs. The park already accommodates 23 businesses employing 300 staff. Phase four, which is expected to generate an extra £1.3m to £2m annually for the local economy, is expected to start in late 2013.
Mango Direct Marketing Mango Direct Marketing is creating 55 new jobs with the support of Invest Northern Ireland’s Jobs Fund. The £165K funding will enable the company to take on major new contracts.
Department for Education The Department of Education are to open new offices in Darlington creating over 1100 jobs. The new premises will be situated near the town hall, along with a leisure complex alongside, bringing a 21m boost to the town’s economy.
Scottish Government Three new innovation centres are planned in a 30m investment by the Scottish government, creating over 2000 jobs over the next 5 years. The centres will develop healthcare and life sciences at sites in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
10 reasons why every job seeker should volunteer
1. It gives you the experience you may need to get the job. In roles which state you need experience, but to get the experience you need a job, volunteering may be the only way forward.
2. It fills a gap on your CV. It shows you have been proactive in keeping your skills up to date, learning new skills and keeping in touch professionally.
3. You learn something new. Volunteering can provide the opportunity to learn many different skills. Not least of all for managers who must learn a different style to motivate workers who could walk out at any time.
4. You can build your network online and face-to-face. You can find out about opportunities and get employees or people in your chosen industry to refer you, greatly improve your chances of success.
5. It enables you to line up credible references in your field of choice. If your experience is limited, references from people who have seen you at work may put you ahead of the other applicants.
6. It demonstrates your passion. Employers want top candidates who really love what they do and doing it for free says exactly that.
7. You can still claim benefits. As long as you’re actively seeking paid work and you’re available if any interviews come up you can still claim your job seekers’ allowance.
8. You focus on something other than your lack of a job. It keeps you busy and your spirits up as you’re helping others and meeting new people.
9. You are the most likely candidate for the next available job. Providing you perform really well they may even create a job for you.
10. It will boost your morale and self worth and help you to become clearer about your career goals.
9 steps to job seeking success
Reference: simplyhired; glassdoor; careerealism
Find somewhere to conduct your job search that is free from distractions and then do the following, roughly in this order:
1. Make yourself a realistic job hunting schedule and stick to it: a routine will stop you wasting your day and make your job search as efficient as possible.
2. Sort your CV out: rework the format so that pertinent skills leap out at you ; create different versions for different roles; use key words often that are in the job descriptions.
3. Create a cover letter template: convey your fit for the role and how much you want the job; make different versions with wording relevant to each role/employer.
4. Search both large and niche job boards: it’ll give you the biggest variety of job listings. Take advantage of alerts to find out about jobs as soon as they are posted.
5. Organise and professionalise: ensure your voicemail message and email address are professional; get a list ready of references with relevant details and contact information; create folders for all your files and emails.
6. Use Social Media: follow specific companies to find out about job openings and the culture of the company; try to track down your interviewers.
7. Check your online presence: google yourself and check for any inappropriate or inaccurate information; remove or correct anything that would be difficult to explain in an interview.
8. Make good use of LinkedIn: check for inconsistencies between your CV and your profile; join professional groups; ask for recommendations from your managers; check to see if you’re connected to someone in the industry or the organisations you’re applying to.
9. Prepare for your interview: research the industry and company; find out about the type of interview you’ll be facing; be able to talk about your skills and back them up with evidence; practise answers to all types of interview questions.
There will be challenges so don’t give up, think positively and manage your own expectations.
9 steps to job seeking success
Reference: simplyhired; glassdoor; careerealism
Find somewhere to conduct your job search that is free from distractions and then do the following, roughly in this order:
1. Make yourself a realistic job hunting schedule and stick to it: a routine will stop you wasting your day and make your job search as efficient as possible.
2. Sort your CV out: rework the format so that pertinent skills leap out at you ; create different versions for different roles; use key words often that are in the job descriptions.
3. Create a cover letter template: convey your fit for the role and how much you want the job; make different versions with wording relevant to each role/employer.
4. Search both large and niche job boards: it’ll give you the biggest variety of job listings. Take advantage of alerts to find out about jobs as soon as they are posted.
5. Organise and professionalise: ensure your voicemail message and email address are professional; get a list ready of references with relevant details and contact information; create folders for all your files and emails.
6. Use Social Media: follow specific companies to find out about job openings and the culture of the company; try to track down your interviewers.
7. Check your online presence: google yourself and check for any inappropriate or inaccurate information; remove or correct anything that would be difficult to explain in an interview.
8. Make good use of LinkedIn: check for inconsistencies between your CV and your profile; join professional groups; ask for recommendations from your managers; check to see if you’re connected to someone in the industry or the organisations you’re applying to.
9. Prepare for your interview: research the industry and company; find out about the type of interview you’ll be facing; be able to talk about your skills and back them up with evidence; practise answers to all types of interview questions.
There will be challenges so don’t give up, think positively and manage your own expectations.
