How to Build Essential Communication Skills - Hallie Crawford

How to Build Essential Communication Skills Solid communication skills are essential to professional success as we all know. Whether you communicate primarily over the phone, via email, IM, texting, video conference, or in person, knowing how to communicate effectively will enable you to continue to progress as a professional, whether you want a management role or not. Enhancing your communication skills helps you build better relationships with your coworkers, clients, supervisor, other managers, and enables you to accomplish your tasks more professionally. Effective communication is critical to establishing goals with your team, setting expectations for employees, providing context for projects,  and communicating the vision for your department and organization, to name a few. Not all of us are naturally great communicators, however, which can be a problem for some professionals. If this is you, follow the tips below for ways to start working on your communication skills. Practice your listening skills. Two-way communication is critical in the workplace since it affects efficiency and effectiveness. Not everyone knows how to listen well, even when they think they do. It takes focus and being fully present to listen to the other person, to not only their words but their nonverbal communication. It takes even more effort to pick up on the mood and tone of the conversation. One of the exercises we recommend is practicing your listening skills for one full week, and conducting an active listening exercise during your meetings or your coffee breaks. Listen to what a coworker is saying and limit yourself to reflecting what they say to you or paraphrasing, but that’s it. Do not ask questions or give advice. Then rate yourself on how well you were able to listen actively and effectively. Practice this several times a week until you feel more effective at listening to others. Meet new people. Meeting new people is a great way to practice your communication skills since you have to make small talk and make more of an effort to connect with them. Attending networking events in your industry or university alumni events are great opportunities to do this. You can also take the initiative to get to know people outside of your department. Introduce yourself and compliment them on a positive aspect of their department. Try to find some common ground and ways you can collaborate. Stay in touch with your network. It’s important to actively communicate with your network on a regular basis. They can provide you with career advice and tips during a job search, yes, but it’s important to stay in touch with your network when you’re not conducting a search as well. You can learn from each other, find ways to collaborate, and identify connections for each other you can benefit from. With your LinkedIn connections, look for ways to stay in touch. For example, write a small message to let them know you were thinking about them. Include an article or event that you think that they would appreciate. To make a new connection, you must include a personal note with your connection request. Let the person know why you want to connect: their impressive professional accomplishments, they have a position you would like to learn more about or a common interest. Practicing your communication skills in this different environment, the world of networking, so to speak, will in crease your confidence in your ability to establish and manage new relationships which will translate into your work with clients, new employees, and co-workers.

Top Should I Even Bother Writing a Resume Choices

Top Should I Even Bother Writing a Resume Choices Well on october, if you're asking for an email. Explain in detail why you desire the job and that which you'd like about doing it. Anyway, if you're asking for a federal government job, your physical address is needed. With the developing role of technology in our lives, however, it's not unusual for employees to devote part or all their time working remotely. Second, make certain it isn't someone who will just compose a form letter. A cover letter can strengthen your candidacy and boost the probability of getting an interview. Specific skills ( for instance, the budget manager and financial planning scenarios described above skills particular to the area of accounting) ought to be placed right at the peak of the section in confident phrasing. As with all these facets of the work search When you're crafting your resume objective, you ought to focus on particular abilities and experiences which are directly about the job. Y our resume ought to be laid out in a professional way and ought to incorporate all of your contact information and your name on top. Your resume gives a fast but strong first impression of the abilities and personal qualities you must offer you. Most Noticeable Should I Even Bother Writing a Resume Looking for an initial job can be hard enough, but when you're a foreign student, it can be a truly daunting endeavor. To begin with, your resume ought to be personalized and unique. Becoming clear about your employment history is essential so you're giving a functional resume.

3 Ways To Get Noticed By Recruiters On LinkedIn - Work It Daily

3 Ways To Get Noticed By Recruiters On LinkedIn - Work It Daily Simply joining LinkedIn isn’t enough. If you want to get noticed by the top recruiters in your industry, you’ve got to find a way to stand out from the crowd. Like many recruiters, I fill a majority of my open roles using LinkedIn and I use this platform on a daily basis to identify and approach passive candidates. Related: How To Find The BEST Keywords For Your LinkedIn Profile Here are my top tips on how to get noticed by recruiters on LinkedIn: 1. Fill in a complete profile. Unless you complete all sections of the profile, you will miss out on opportunities. Therefore, I’d recommend that you: Create a strong summary section Put relevant keywords into the specialties Write about every job you’ve held (in the last 10 years at least) Include universities/schools you’ve attended as well as any associations you might belong to If you speak any foreign languages or know some sought-after technologies, mention them. If I am looking for a German speaking Account Manager, I won’t find you unless you list ‘German’ as one of the keywords! Choose a professional photo (I’ve seen a lot of beach or party pictures on LinkedIn â€" not a great impression!) Create a strong headline â€" you have 120 characters under your name on your profile to sell yourself. If you can, don’t just mention your job title but show how you solve a problem List some tangible achievements â€" keep your profile concise but use bullet points to highlights some specific achievements 2. Be proactive. A lot of people join LinkedIn, add a few connections and then they stop any activity, yet they are surprised they are not getting many emails. Instead of waiting to be noticed: Identify recruiters in your target companies, and invite them to connect with you. If you make a good first impression, you increase the likelihood you’ll be considered for a future role. Make connections on a regular basis. Add your current and previous colleagues on LinkedIn and regularly keep adding connections, for example, after visiting an industry event. The larger your network, the easier it is for you to connect with employers and leaders in your field. I also connect with people I meet professionally and I accept invitations from those I haven’t met if we have common professional interests. Engage with your network â€" you can keep in front of recruiters by posting relevant information, news and interesting articles Join groups - joining relevant industry groups on LinkedIn is a great way to showcase your expertise. Recruiters will often search groups looking for strong candidates â€" show them you are one by proving thoughtful answers and comments. Participate in discussions. Intelligent, articulate responses may attract attention from recruiters and lead to an interview or job offer. 3. Post recommendations on your profile. It is a good idea to both offer and ask for recommendations on LinkedIn as these appear not only on the profile of the person they're for, but also on the profile of the person who wrote them. Very important â€" only post recommendations from people who have worked with you and can vouch for your professional skills. I am always amazed when I get requests from people I’ve never met â€" I’d never recommend anyone I’ve not worked with and would not expect a stranger to write a recommendation for me either! I hope these tips have helped you. If you want to learn not only how to use LinkedIn effectively, but how to find unadvertised jobs and how to get more interviews in a competitive job market, download my free 3-part video course “Smart Strategies to Get More Interviews” here. This post was originally published at an earlier date Related Posts What Your Interview Body Language Reveals About You 4 Interview Prep Tips You Can’t Afford To Skip How To Prepare Yourself For The Offbeat Interview Question About the author Margaret Buj is an interview coach who has been helping professionals get hired, promoted and paid more for over eight years. She is also a qualified Personal Performance Corporate and Executive Coach and can help you with developing confidence and the attitude that will make it easier for you to get any job you want. Schedule a complimentary consultation with Margaret here.   Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here. Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!