3 Keys to Developing Daily Disciplines

3 Keys to Developing Daily Disciplines Article by Todd DuncanTime is yur greatest resource. If you struggle with managing it, you likely have not yet harnessed the power of daily disciplines.As the biblical book of Proverbs says, He who neglects discipline despises himself. The most powerful decision you will ever make for your productivity is the choice to build rhythm and know-how around doing what matters most. When you do that, you feel good about yourself and can achieve at a higher level. Being a high performer is the result of your daily disciplines.Time Management Is a Waste of TimeFor most people, time management is like raking water lots of activity, limited results. We are limited not by time, but by how we use the time we have. Time management is life management. Time management is values management. Time management is activity management. You and I will never be clever enough to control our time, but we can choose the eventsto which we al locate our time. When those events are repeated through daily discipline, our productivity soars, our spirits are enlarged, and we develop unstoppable determination.3 Keys to Developing Daily Disciplines Key No. 1 Clarify Your ValuesIf you dont know what is important to you, you will spend time doing what is not.When you know what is important and commit to those things as must-dos, you create the ecosystem for a more effective use of your time.When your activities are in alignment with what is significant to you, you suddenly know inner peace. High levels of inner peace reduce stress,calming you throughout your day. We all need a full grasp of those things that mean the most to us. I suggest we spend at least 15 minutes a day in a quiet state of mind to see how we can discover fulfillment in any of our important value areas.There is a saying, often attributed to Roy Disney, brother of Walt When values are clear, decisions are easy.Deciding what to do with your time should be easy i f you are clear on your values and spend time reviewing them on a daily basis. Knowing your values also helps you frame what not to do, which may be even more critical to your performance. Once your value areas are clear, you can move from behavior to habit.Key No. 2 Block the TimeBefore a habit is formed, you must commit to repeated behavior. To create rhythm and routine is to decide in advance what your day and week will look like and then discipline yourself to live accordingly. The discipline comes from your values and living in accordance with them.Managing time is not about post-it notes. Its not scribbled to-do lists. Its definitely not being connected all day long with unvetted technology. Effective time blocking and blocking interruptions that mess up those time blocks is the key.Time blocks are planned segments of time that help you complete your most important predetermined activities. They are, at their core, disciplines that lead to achievement. They are nonnegotiable s.For example, I have a Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday morning discipline of riding my bike 50 miles. My wife, Deb, and I have a Sunday night debrief where we get to tell each other what we did well over the previous week and plan accordingly for the upcoming week. Every day between 1000 a.m. and 1100 a.m., I call three decision-makers to connect, add value, and advance relationships.Key No. 3 Form the HabitsWhy arent people as productive as they might be? Mostly because they miss the difference between trying to be productive and committing to being productive. Habits are only formed when the behavior attempted becomes permanent.Here are some ideas to help you stay focused on forming the habit of honoring your daily disciplines Be proactiveEveryone who moves toward a more productive life does not wait for life to come at them. They go out and make it happen. They know that everything has a proactive solution. You can hope that life will get better for as long as you like, but unless you do something to back up those hopes, littlewill change. Change must come from within. Heres a great question If you continue on the path you are now on, will your life improve and take you to the level of your dreams? Life will give you what you tolerate and accept Fight multitasking Multitasking is the fast track to low performance. It gets in the way of your greatness No one has everhad amanager congratulate them for being busy. The key question is Busy doing what? High-performance people are not busy they are productive. Rather than multitasking, they master the species of one-thing thinking. According to a Harvard Business Review article, multitasking can cut productivity by as much as 40 percent and IQ by 10 points Moreover, according to aUniversity of California, Irvine, study, it takes 23 minutes to get back on track following an interruption. Practice The Five-Minute Rule I learned an amazingly powerful discipline when I was 23 years old. I call it The Five-Minute Rule. I was studying high-performance salespeople and was reading an article about an insurance agent who was makingmore than $1 million a year in sales commissions. He was asked, What is the best advice you could give any salesperson? He said, Spend five minutes every hour evaluating how the last 55 minutes went, and correct. Once I started using this rule, Iwas able to identify all the things getting in the way of my productivity. I learned how to fix and manage interruptions. I learned how to say no, which is the most powerful word when it comes to being productive. Within a year, I had increased my income by more than 400 percent.Whether you are doing business, living life, or both, the most important truth is your life will be defined by your daily disciplines. The choices you make,the impact you have, and the results you achieve your entire destiny itsall in your disciplines.A version of this article originally appeared on SUCCESS.com.Todd Duncan is a sales entrepreneur and game-c hanging speaker withmore than 5 million students around the globe whom he has mentored and taught in life, time, and sales mastery. He is the author of 17 books, including The New York Times best-sellers Time Traps Proven Strategies for Swamped Sales People and High Trust Selling Make More Money in Less Time With Less Stress. Todd has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Sydney Morning Herald, The Los Angeles Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Seattle Times, Entrepreneur, SUCCESS, FOX, and CNN, among other media publications.

no one is reading my resumes skills section

no one is reading my resumes skills section no one is reading my resumes skills section A reader writesI was wondering what your thoughts are in general on having a skills section on resumes. Ive seen pretty ambiguous skills sometimes, but I only list concrete technical skills, e.g. video editing with Adobe Premiere, NOT things like engages with industry influencers. For me especially, I thought it would be helpful because my skills are sometimes useful in my field, but Ive only been doing them outside of paid work. But Im wondering if a skills section dont carry real weight with interviewers, or if the work history section totally overshadows it.I ask because at the last few interviews I went to, it turned out they actually wanted some with a skill of mine but when I reminded them that I had that skill, their response was, Oh you do? like they hadnt even noticed. Ive even been telling a project management story in my titelblatt letter about the time one of these skills came in han dy, so Im wondering how they can learn enough to bring me in for an interview but totally blow past the fact that Ive been doing exactly the special thing they wanted. I was at one today and the interviewer threw it out there wistfully, like it was pie in the sky she wouldnt be able to find We have so many promo clips to edit for the webpage. It would be SO nice to get a chocolate teapot crafter who could edit video, but I mean, what are the chances that someone knows how to craft chocopots AND edit video?Do I need to move the Skills section to the top of my resume? Do I need to make it bigger? Does it have to live strictly in my cover letter from now on because interviewers just dont care about stuff beyond job history descriptions? Or should I not sweat it because it keeps turning out to be a nachschlag skill rather than the meat of the job?Yeah, I think a lot of people just arent bothering to read that section or retain it, largely because so many peoples skills sections are tot ally useless (listing things that are a given in their field, like Word, or listing ridiculous subjective self-assessments like strong communication skills, works well in groups and independently, and other useless proclamations).I wouldnt move the section or make it bigger. Instead, if the stuff youre including in there is integral to what you want to convey about yourself as a candidate, find a way to include it in the work section, which is really the most important part of your resume and your candidacy. For instance, instead of listing video editing in your skills section, talk about it in a bullet point under the jobs where you edited videos. Doing thatwill also allow you frame it in terms of what accomplished with the skill, instead of just noting the skill itself and thats always better and more convincing.

Break Into The Hidden Job Market Easily

Break Into The Hidden Job Market EasilyBreak Into The Hidden Job Market EasilyI just received a fantastic question from a jobseeker, A company Im interested in is getting ready to start building the corporate offices about 2 miles from my home. It is a massive project and something my construction management skills might be well suited for. Any ideas how to get in the door?Well, fancy that you should ask, because yes, in fact, I do have several ideas on how to get in the door. Lets talk about how to break into the hidden job market the right way.First of all, why is this a hidden job market opportunity at all? The reason is this the job is not advertised. The candidate did not come across it online (where 1,000) of his closest competitors also saw it the same moment he did. Rather, he learned of the opportunity just by knowing his neighborhood.Theres a lesson for you there become aware of whats going on around you. Whether thats a stones throw from your front door, or a 15-20 mile ra dius from your home, get your finger on the pulse of what is happening in your local market. Use search-based Internet research and gather your local newspapers to keep up on business news whos coming into the market, whos building a new division, and whos launching a new product.So, what are the best strategies to take advantage of this opportunity?1) Build a list of companies youre interested in.Once youve conducted your research to identify the movers and shakers in your city or town, build a targeted list of companies. 10 should be the nadir the most successful candidates make a list of 30. By doing so, youre upgrading from job search to company search.The difference is important. A job search is finite if you apply for that opportunity and dont get it, its over. Not so with a company search. There are numerous opportunities to potentially uncover within the organization as a whole.2) Use LinkedIn advanced search.You need to make LinkedIn advanced search your new best friend. Th ere are numerous options you can select in order to narrow down your findings to the company, location, and individual(s) you need. Initiate LinkedIn connections with the HR specialists, recruiters, and relevant functional decision makers the people who would like be your bosses. For example, if youre an IT manager, identify the Director, IT and VP, IT as functional decision makers with whom you need to connect.3) Send a short, value-laden note.This is going to be short and sweet. Indicate that you came across their organization and see they are involved in A, B and C. Your expertise is X, Y and Z, which youre thinking constitutes a solid fit. Ask if that person is willing to hop on the phone with you for 5 minutes this week.Thats it.Now, keep your expectations realistic. Will you hit a home run every single time? No. Will you do so some of the time yes. What about if you dont do this strategy at all? Then the answer is 100% no.The jobseekers that step forward, reach out, and make connections with new people are the ones who succeed time and again. Make sure to put yourself in the category of people who graduated from job seeking to employed.

Foreign Service Exam Information

Foreign Service Exam Information Foreign Service Exam Information United States Foreign Service Officers are members of the United States Foreign Service, along with Foreign Service Nationals and Specialists. They serve in  countries throughout the world, carrying out foreign policy and helping to maintain diplomatic relations. Their work involves administrative management, consular services, political and economic reporting and analysis, and public diplomacy. As well as working in Washington, D.C., Foreign Service Officers also live and work abroad, at more than 270 embassies, consulates, and other missions.   If you are interested in a career as a diplomat, the first step is to take the Foreign Service Officer Test (FSOT). The exam is held in cities throughout the United States, as well as at  American Consulates and Embassies abroad. Are You Eligible to Apply?   Before you consider applying to become a Foreign Service Officer, first check that you meet the following eligibility requirements:   Between 20 and 59 years old on the date of examination. Appointment to the Foreign Service must take place before the candidates 60th birthdayA citizen of the United StatesAvailable for worldwide assignment, including Washington, D.C. An Overview of the Foreign Service Officer Application Process Here is a look at the process of applying to become a Foreign Service Officer.   Select a Career Track The first step in the application process is to select one of five career tracks: consular, political, economic, management, and public diplomacy. This choice cannot be changed during the application process, so choose carefully. (You can adjust your selection if you apply again with a fresh application, however.) There are no educational requirements to take the exam and apply to join the United States Foreign Service; however, most candidates are widely-read or have taken a variety of college courses. Apply to Take the Exam Online Once you have made a decision about your career track, you can register  online  (through Pearson) for the Foreign Service Office Test. In your application, youll need to share factual information about yourself, including your work history, education, language knowledge, and so on. Foreign Service Officer Testing Once your application is complete, you can sign up for an exam date. The Foreign Service Officer Test is offered several times a year. The exam can only be taken once in a 12-month period (that means if you fail the exam the first time, youll need to wait a year to re-take it). The exam measures a candidates knowledge and understanding of a range of subjects determined by a job analysis to be important to perform the tasks required of a Foreign Service officer. It consists of both essay and multiple choice questions.   Here is a practice exam to give you a sense of what to expect.   Personal Narrative If you pass this exam, the next step is to share a personal narrative with the Qualifications Evaluation Panel (QEP). Think of this as your personal statement, or a (long) cover letter. Your goal here is to show that you are qualified for the role of Foreign Service Officer. You will have two weeks to write the personal narrative, and there will be questions provided to steer your writing.   Foreign Service Oral Assessment The next step, if your personal statement passes muster with the QEP, is am oral assessment, which is conducted in Washington, D.C., and in various major cities around the United States. This day-long program seeks to determine whether you have the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are essential to the performance of Foreign Service work.   Final Steps After passing the oral assessment, the rigorous process continues. The next steps include a background investigation, a meeting with a Final Review Panel, medical clearance, and then placement on a list of eligible hires you will be placed on a rank-ordered Register. Note that, depending on your place on the Register and the number of Foreign Service Officers needed, it is still possible that you may not receive an offer of employment. Finally, for those who are successful, its a Foreign Service  career  with the US Department of State. The Hiring Process The process is competitive, so its important to  prepare  as thoroughly as possible for the exam. Applicants for Foreign Service Officers go through a written exam, an oral assessment, and a  security background check. It is estimated that less than two percent of applicants become Foreign Service Officers. Candidates that have passed all requirements and clearance tests receive a score and are sorted for their respective career tracks. Up to five thousand applicants can take the exam during each test window, however, most are not selected to continue on to the oral assessment stage which is the second step in the process. Foreign Service Exam Study Guides Many websites have study guides to assist applicants in preparing for the exam with the hope of becoming a  Foreign Service Officer. Depending on the career track of choice, these study guides help  explain the application process, what to  expect on the test, how to write an effective personal narrative, how to prepare for the oral assessment, and an explanation of how the exam is evaluated. Many also explain the Medical and Security Clearances and what to expect heading into them, along with extra tips and trainings.   What to Expect If You Pass Once officially employed, new officers are hired on a limited assignment that cannot last longer than five years. They are required to be proficient in foreign language and transition into the other Foreign Service sectors before becoming tenured employees.

Authors and Money

Authors and Money Authors and Money

How to Find a Work-From-Home Job

How to Find a Work-From-Home Job How to Find a Work-From-Home Job Its the dream of every exhausted professional: keep the paycheck, and the career advancement, but lose the expensive and tiresome commute. If youd just as soon do your job in your pajamas- or, at any rate, far from the madding crowds of the cubicle farm there are several solid options for making your work-at-home career blossom. Heres how to get started. 1. Negotiate With Your Boss Many of todays jobs require only an internet connection and maybe a phone line. If your present gig is one of these, you might be able to talk your manager into allowing you to work at home on a full- or part-time basis. The best way to do this is to demonstrate that letting you do your job from a home office will benefit the company. Focus your argument on the productivity gains, and therefore the money the company stands to earn. Be prepared to back up your claims with real numbers, hopefully with dollar signs in front of them. Your case will be stronger if youre able to demonstrate your ability to get stuff done while outside the office. If youre already allowed to work at home on an occasional basis, be sure to put in your very best work whenever youre having a work-at-home day. If your manager and colleagues have to go looking for you during your WAH, itll be hard to persuade them that you can be trusted with a more permanent arrangement. 2. Look Online If the job you have doesnt lend itself to working from home, or youre in the market for a new job altogether, take a look at one of the many online job search sites that allow you to search just for work-from-home opportunities. Monster, Craigslist, and CareerBuilder all have searchable listings that you can filter with keywords like work from home or work at home or freelance. In addition, specialty job sites like FlexJobs allow you to search vetted banks of telecommuting, freelance, and a part-time work (generally, for a fee). If you go it on your own, just be sure to avoid scams. The old adage is true: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Other warning signs of internet job scams include outrageously high pay, vague job descriptions or titles, or people contacting you out of the blue via email with any of the above. Finally, never, ever give anyone your bank account information, credit card number, or any identifying personal information that could help someone steal your cash or worse, your identity. Work-from-home scammers often try to sell their victims a kit to help them get started, but the best-case scenario is that youll waste your money. 3. Focus on Companies or Specific Jobs So no, youre probably not going to make six figures stuffing envelopes or processing rebates. But you can make a decent living working at home by using the resources described above, or looking specifically at companies which feature a large number of work-from-home positions or by investigating career paths that lend themselves to telecommuting. One such job is working for closed captioning services.  There are also work-from-home computer jobs that dont require a great deal of experience.

Things to Consider When Developing a Drug-Free Workplace

Things to Consider When Developing a Drug-Free Workplace Things to Consider When Developing a Drug-Free Workplace In a drug-free workplace, the employer has taken steps and initiated policies to ensure that employees, vendors, and customers are not: taking or using alcohol or drugs,selling drugs, oraffected by the after-effects of indulging in alcohol or drugs outside of the workplace during non-work time. Additionally, the goal of a drug-free workplace program, as they have traditionally been developed, is to encourage an employee with a substance abuse problem to seek treatment, recover, and return to work. Sobriety programs were initiated as early as 1914 by the Ford Motor Company and have taken many shapes and forms over the years. The concept of a drug-free workplace began when Ronald Reagan signed into law Executive Order 12564 that banned the use of drugs both on and off duty for federal employees. It resulted in the Drug-free Workplace Act of 1988. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Drug-Free Workplace Programs, Today, the concept of a Drug-Free Workplace has become the norm with large and medium-size employers. Efforts are continually made by Federal, State, and civic and community organizations to bring the Drug-Free Workplace experience to a greater percentage of smaller employers. Interested in the impact of alcohol and drug use in your workplace? These statistics about alcohol and drug use should catch your attention. As you consider whether a drug-free workplace program is appropriate and needed in your workplace, these are the reasons for having a drug-free workplace program. I have also included the main reason why employees object to a drug-free workplace program. Finally, I have listed the components of a successful drug-free workplace program. Why Establish a Drug-free Workplace Program? You will want to consider setting up a drug-free workplace program for these reasons. You value the health and safety of all of your employees. You are concerned that any employee who may be working under the influence of alcohol or drugs could injure himself or another employee.You are concerned about the impact of unhealthy lifestyle choices on medical and insurance costs for your business.You believe that alcohol or drug impairment impacts all aspects of an employee’s life negatively. These negative impacts, such as broken families, cannot help but flow over into the workplace and manifest as absenteeism, lower productivity, and damaged relationships. You believe that the productivity of any worker who is impaired at work is negatively impacted.For some industries and jobs, drug-free workplace programs are mandated.In some industries, especially when products are easily stolen and sold, substance abusers may account for a large portion of product loss.Finally, you want to send a powerful message to all employees about behavior that is and is not supported at work. Your non-abusing employees deserve this support. What Constitutes a Comprehensive Drug-free Workplace Program? An effective drug-free workplace program shares the characteristics that most effective workplace initiatives share. Workplace efforts that yield results provide: Active, visible leadership and support by the managers and other company leaders;Clearly written policies and procedures that are publicized, trained, and uniformly applied to all employees; with well-trained managers, supervisors, union representatives, and Human Resources staff who understand their roles, rights, and responsibilities;Involvement from a cross-section of employees from across the company and union involvement, in a represented workplace, in the development of the policy and program; Additional training for employees in the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse;Methods of assistance for employees who voluntarily admit they have a substance abuse problem;Access to substance abuse treatment and follow-up for employees who have been identified as having problems;Clearly stated policies about the disciplinary action that will be taken if an employee, with a problem that is impacting the workplace or whose actions are in violation of the workplace policies, fails to obtain help; andWays to identify people with alcohol, drug, or other substance abuse problems, including drug testing. The goal of a drug-free workplace program is to provide the opportunity for the employee to obtain treatment, overcome their substance abuse issues, and return to work. With some attention to these measures, you can establish and promote a healthy, drug-free workplace for all of your employees. The Downside to a Drug-free Workplace Program The major downside to a drug-free workplace program is that employees object to the random drug testing component that is present in most programs. Employers who choose to execute the drug testing component need to be sensitive to the fact that most employees consider drug testing as intrusive and evidence of a lack of employer trust. Opponents of drug testing believe that non-substance abusers are subjected to ill-treatment because of the actions of a few employees.Employees may feel their privacy is being invaded and that what they do outside of work is not their employer’s business.Failing a drug test does not mean that the employee was impaired at work, just that they used a substance within the time parameters that the test checked. Again, the use could have had no impact on their work performance whatsoever.Employees fear that the off-work use of drugs or alcohol may bring the same consequences to an employee as would be applied to an employee who abused substances on the job. Opponents of drug testing believe that while there are Federal regulations for drug testing, there are hundreds of state and local jurisdictions that do not regulate or oversee the methods employers use for drug testing. Consequently, if you do make random drug testing a part of your drug-free workplace program, make sure you treat your employees with dignity and respect and honor their privacy. Consult with legal experts to ensure your compliance with state, Federal, and international workplace laws. Heed also the fact that medical marijuana usage is increasing and becoming legal in many jurisdictions. The drug testing policy should specify the type of drug testing used, the frequency of the drug testing, and the names of the substances for which the employee will be tested. The drug testing policy should provide fair and consistent methods for employee selection for drug testing. Disclaimer:  Please note that the information provided, while authoritative, is not guaranteed for accuracy and legality. The site is read by a world-wide audience and employment laws and regulations vary from state to state and country to country. Please seek legal assistance, or assistance from State, Federal, or International governmental resources, to make certain your legal interpretation and decisions are correct for your location. This information is for guidance, ideas, and assistance.