Following these tips can pay dividends for years!
#jobsearchtips #introvertatwork #witchywoman #introvertsmile #worldsmileday #climbingkili2020 #aspectsinart
During my 30 years in corporate America, I utilized these tried & true methods for job searching. Though my searches involved postings within Shell, they transfer to external job searches as well. Many may apply to introverts and extroverts alike. But I've found them especially helpful for those of us less enamored with the social lifestyle and gregarious networking!
1 Out-perform in your current role including going above and beyond, developing and implementing new ideas, task leadership, and communications. Sometimes these don't come naturally, but find your passion and use your own style to make it happen.
2 Maintain a networking spreadsheet of contacts, past and present, their department and roles, and when you talk to them or are scheduled for your next discussion. Even introverts develop networks. Ours actually tend to be fewer but deeper. Lean on your organization skills with this tip.
3 Reflect on what roles and tasks you have the most passion for. Be honest with yourself and honest with the hiring managers. If they don't like it, it's not the right role for you. Self awareness will be your guide throughout this process, and will be sensed and appreciated by hiring managers. If you skip this tip, you may pay the price for years to come!
4 Think BROADLY about where you might apply your skills and passions. We tend to narrow our choices to what we are familiar with. Don't seek a specific job or title. Seek a role that has tasks you are qualified for and will enjoy. You might be surprised at the kinds of jobs that pop up!
5 Update your Resume/CV to be concise (1 page), highlighting skills and outstanding projects that make you unique and strong. Expose and flaunt your introversion by sharing skills like creativity, listening skills, organizational skills, work ethic, and empathy. Hiring managers that see these as valuable are the managers you want to work for!
6 Solicit 5-6 enthusiastic references. Use 3 for each application, selecting those most appropriate for that job. Update references on your strengths and interests and provide them with a heads up when you are posting. Occasionally you may ask one or two to proactively send an email to a hiring manager to support your candidacy. This is not always an enjoyable tip for introverts, but it is critical and strong references will be happy to help!
7 Prepare your answers to anticipated questions (why are you interested, what are your strengths/gaps) and prepare examples of successes, integration, difficult conversations and decisions, as well as your vision and plan for your first 30 days on the job.
8 ALWAYS meet with the hiring manager, ideally as an "informal" meeting early in the process. Remember, this is a two-way street to find the perfect fit. Ask to meet with prospective teammates as well. Check out the company and hiring manager on social media (they are checking you out!). You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you. Prepare your own questions about the job, the team culture, and the manager's style. A good fit will pay dividends for years!
9 Send follow up "thank you" emails after meetings and interviews, extending your appreciation and remind them of your unique strengths, experiences and passion for the role, if you remain interested.
10 Keep a positive attitude. This process may be difficult and humbling. Seek feedback for those unsuccessful applications. Job search is very competitive but there are "great-fit" roles out there. Apply for those. Pass on others. And you will find that next great role for YOU.
EXTRAS
ASPECTS IN ART: Witchy Worman (10/2/19)
OUR DAY
October 4th is WORLD SMILE DAY!
Top: Me & Maddie, Steve & Jennifer, Me & Noah;
Bottom: Gwennie, Auntie M, Shaving w/ 1 Eye Closed
Friday is World Smile Day. Oftentimes at work or in social situations a smile was the furthest thing from my mind. Not that I was always unhappy, but I was too caught up in my own thoughts to appear relaxed and smile. Us Introverts may often have a difficult time coping with our own anxieties and discomforts to truly smile. Or we may be less preoccupied with our outward appearance to think about it. However, as the pictures above indicate, typically once I got home and was surrounded by the comfort of home and family, the smiles came easily.
INTROVERTLink
by Jenn Granneman / Introvert, Dear
Photo credit: Jenn Granneman / Introvert, Dear
A great article by Jenn Granneman, founder of Introvert, Dear, who shares her experiences of being focused internally, only to leave a disgruntled face on the surface. My favorite line is "Your outer expression belies a world of secrets beneath." Finally, she begs people to just leave her, and other introverts, alone and stop encouraging us to smile. I've had similar experiences and would agree with her request. It's okay world, we are often smiling within.
CLIMBING KILI- Choices, Choices, Choices... (9/18/19)
As my daughter, Madolyn, and I contemplate our Kilimanjaro trek, it's time to evaluate options:
Choose the Climb- there are six routes up Africa's tallest mountain and several more derivations. We are aiming to narrow our focus based on our primary criteria:
Provides greatest likelihood we will reach the summit.
Offers the most diverse and beautiful scenery including alongside glaciers
Easiest on the body. While there's no true mountain climbing, some trails are steeper than others and can wreak havoc on joints and bones.
Comfortable accommodations on the trail but also in the village before and after.
Cost.
So we've narrowed routes down to two:
Marangu: only trail with cabins (vs. tents) and called "Coca-Cola Trail" for its ease and popularity. Shortest trek (typically 6 days) so costs are lower.
Machame: called the "Whiskey Trail" for its relative challenge, but it's 8 days which helps to acclimatize for the higher altitudes and therefore chances of summiting are best. Treks alongside glaciers and takes different route down so scenery is best.
So leaning toward Machame but seeking input from past Kili trekkers!
We are also learning more about training for our trek. Acclimatization is KING: getting to the top is most dependent upon how your body may handle the higher altitudes. Hence, longer climbs are better. But older, heavier people theoretically have just as good a chance to summit as younger, fitness buffs.
However, to improve our chances and the condition we may be in when we finish, two training areas seem to be recommended:
Cardio: improved overall fitness condition will help for those long days (6-8 days of 4-6hrs of hiking each day) and improve our confidence, which will be critical on the exhausting, high-altitude surge to the top. So walking, running, elliptical are all recommended.
Stairs: while vertical climbing is not part of Kili, some sections can require crawling and some sections appear to be rough on the knees, especially descending from the peak. So StairMaster or building stairs up and down will help in conditioning and knee and bone survival.
As training progresses, tackling these exercises in our hiking boots and with 20lb day packs will also prepare us for the expedition ahead.
For the next couple of months we will be further researching our options in order to book our route and trekking agents, who coordinate the details before and during our trek, by early 2020.
It's all quite surreal at this point. But the research is building excitement and once we book arrangements, we will have 6-7 months to train for the challenge ahead in August.
I hope this added content provides you with some insights, inspiration, and perhaps a chuckle too! If you enjoyed...please SHARE!
I'd love to hear from you via Facebook, LinkedIn, or Email. As always, if you leave your Email on our website, you won't have to chase around to find our blog on social media...it will drop right into your Inbox for you to scan at your leisure. Thanks again!!!
WEDNESDAY BLOG THEMES EACH MONTH
1st LEISURE LEARNING - 2nd INTROVERTS ARE LEADERS TOO!
3rd HAPPY & HEALTHY - 4th WRITE ON, DUDE!
5th GUEST BLOGGER!
IN OCTOBER, EVERYTHING HAS ADVANCED A WEEK SO LL-THE HALLOWEEN EDITION, CAN BE SHARED ON OCTOBER 30TH. OOO, SPOOKY!!!
Be sure to save BeyondIntroversion.com in your contacts.