Get Used to Feeling Underqualified, Baby

Get Used to Feeling Underqualified, Baby Do you ever feel underqualified for your job? Like, youre sitting in a meeting  with a  client who is waffling on about this and that and you deserve an  Oscar because you feel so unbelievably out of your depth, but they dont know that. Its an out-of-body experience where you find yourself questioning everything you know and all the skills youre supposed to have. Are you a crock? The whole way back to the office you feel deflated and start asking  yourself what youre doing with your career. Then you start questioning your academic qualifications and the meaning of life, too. When you find yourself starting to think like this,  its time to shift your focus here instead: How did you get  into your job? Take it  right back to the start. Did you go through round after round of interviews, meeting with different members of the business, coming out as front-runner against multiple  other candidates? Were you grilled about your technical knowledge, soft skills and cultural fit? If the answer is yes, then rest assured your organisation  backs your ability to complete the job at hand (so  you should too); they wouldnt have hired you otherwise. In this case its likely your  feelings of self-doubt might just be a workplace wobble and temporary; totally normal.  If the answer is no and you kind of winged your way into the role, then your organisation really needs to sort out its recruitment vetting processes and you probably shouldnt be too surprised about feeling underqualified. Youve got to challenge yourself  in order to  grow If you constantly move between jobs at the same level, youll never truly progress or develop. Making a lateral move isnt necessarily a bad one; sometimes its totally reasonable to do so; perhaps to work for a better company or escape the horrors of another workplace. However if you want to keep your career progression trajectory on the up, you need to challenge and stretch yourself. Alison Cardy, Career Coach and Founder of Cardy Careers: Everyone starts out as a beginner. The only way to become qualified is to show up and work through each learning curve that presents itself. Remember that you are capable of growing. That capacity is more important than knowing everything from the get go. Being out of your comfort zone leads to great things Some people dont perform well under pressure, and few people flourish when they feel they are drowning and failing. Having said this, theres something to be said for stepping outside your comfort zone in order to achieve greatness. Are you actually in over your head, or are you staring at an  amazing opportunity to prove your inner pessimist wrong by stepping up the plate? Charlotte Billington, Career Coach and author of What to Do Next: It is good to embrace change and challenge yourself to learn and grow and develop. Sometimes this will be scary and include doing things outside of your comfort zone with little experience but to give it a go. You will look back and be thankful you did. When we put too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect at every single thing we do we may limit our advancement. Look out for opportunities within areas you may not have experience but are interested in. If you are in a role where you feel out of your depth, learn from others, find a mentor and ensure you have the correct support in place.  We may hinder our advancement and inability to move forward if we put too much pressure on ourselves. Keep calm, work hard, have support in place, be open to opportunities and ask for help if you need it. It may be uncomfortable at first but if it is the right role for you that plays to your strengths you will soon be proving your worth. Youre your own  harshest critic While were on the subject of inner pessimist, lets highlight the fact that you judge yourself a lot harsher than others will. Youre probably being extremely critical of yourself  and would do well to cut yourself some slack. Obviously you want to hold high expectations for yourself (and never change that), however letting that pressure manifest within your brain and take over your mentality is a slippery slope to a lack of overall confidence and under-achieving. Failure can be a self-fulfilling prophecy Speaking of under-achieving, when we tell ourselves were going to fail, we are more likely to end up doing just that  because we talk ourselves into it. Theres no doubt that a negative mindset will encourage negative outcomes. Your feelings of being totally underqualified for your job arent going to get better by admitting defeat early and surrendering. People make mistakes If you do fail who cares? Okay, obviously you do because no one likes failing, but we all know that  even incredibly  successful people have to learn from mistakes and failures. Few people get a smooth ride to the top.  Making mistakes makes you human. As long as you learn from it and take steps to correct  the error, youll come out a  stronger person. Feeling underqualified is part of being human.  If you feel underqualified, it means you have an opportunity to challenge yourself and grow, so take it with both hands! Caroline Stokes, Career Coach and Founder of  FORWARD: We may not admit it to ourselves without fear of feeling stupid, but it is natural for us to feel under qualified in our job, or to feel impostor syndrome at various stages of our lives. We always look up and compare ourselves to others, especially in the first 90 days of our job, or when we aspire to be at a certain place in our career. The feeling can lead to frustration and jeopardize our ability to be successful, unless we can take a moment to set realistic goals, or adapt our mindset.  When I was young, my grandmother once said to me ‘I still feel like I’m 16’. Only now, at 44, do I understand. We all have insecurities, and we think when we reach our 30’s, 40’s or 50’s we will know everything we need to know and life is certain. I wish I could avoid sounding like a 70’s hippy here, but there is no destination, we’re all on our own unique life and career journey. The secret to banishing the unqualified feeling is to keep trying new things, push your own limits. If you’re not feeling imposter syndrome, or if you’re not feeling uncomfortable, you’re not growing. Bottom line: if you’re feeling under qualified, work towards the area you want to grow into. Then, repeat. And, repeat. Still not happy? At the end of the day, if you still feel totally out of your depth and its making you feel down or insecure,  seeking some professional, bespoke advice is recommended. You might just need to put some extra hours in for a while or have a very frank conversation with your manager about being overloaded, letting them know youre concerned.

Are You Addicted to Work

Are You Addicted to Work Research by TechTalk shows in the UK, 54% of employees check work emails on holiday and 6% admit to even checking them at a funeral. As technology makes it increasingly easy for us to push beyond the 9-5, Lucinda Pullinger, Global Head of HR at Instant Offices explores how workers can recognize the difference between committed working habits and work addiction. With smartphones, computers, and apps at our fingertips, we’re able to maintain a constant connection to our work. In theory, these tools should make our workdays shorter and more efficient, but constant distractions and the inability to disconnect can lead to longer work hours and less to show for it. According to the Bergen Work Addiction Scale, replying ‘often’ or ‘always’ to at least four of the following seven criteria may indicate a work addiction: You think of how you can free up more time to work. You spend much more time working than initially intended. You work in order to reduce feelings of guilt, anxiety, helplessness, and depression. You have been told by others to cut down on work without listening to them. You become stressed if you are prohibited from working. You deprioritize hobbies, leisure activities, and exercise because of your work. You work so much that it has negatively influenced your health. Impact on Employees: Studies from CIPD show a sharp rise in presenteeism over the last few years from just 26% in 2010 to 86% in 2017, while another report shows a cost of £81 billion each year in the UK. As opposed to being absent from work, presenteeism leads to employees having lower productivity while at work.. This can lead to burnout, unhappiness and increased health issues, which end up impacting both company and employee negatively in the long run. Impact on Business Growth: In a Harvard Business Review study of 27 CEO’s over three months, time management proved the greatest challenge for most, while email usage was the top interrupter of the day. Leaders in the same study spent 72% of their time in work meetings, with the average meeting length being one hour. One of the biggest time wasters for employees is a distraction at work. Around 60% of employees say meetings are a big distraction that impacts productivity according to Udemy, ultimately leading to longer hours spent working. How to Regain the Balance One of the major differences between a hard worker and a workaholic is the problems that are caused as a result. Poor health, guilt when not working and increased stress levels are often consequences of work addiction. Here are a few ways to combat it: Trust your team: For a team to grow successfully, it’s important to attract and retain talented employees, delegate effectively, and trust them to perform tasks without you. This will free up time for you to focus on strategy and growth. Reduce distraction: Shorten meetings, set dedicated working times where people can focus and create a culture of face to face interaction rather than using email. Around 40% of employees believe work distraction could also be drastically reduced with flexible and remote working options, according to a report by Udemy. Encourage work-life balance: Instill a 40-hour work week for everyone, CEO’s included, with an emphasis on results rather than hours spent at a desk. Try a digital detox: Limit time spent online by consciously logging off of your work email and putting your phone away during weekends and on holiday. Set the tone in your organization by normalizing the fact that employees don’t have to adopt an always-on attitude. There are several apps that can assist by locking your devices for a period of time. Allow mornings to set the precedent for the rest of the day: Whether taking time out to exercise, read, meditate or plan for the day, prioritize setting the tone for the hours to come every morning. When planning out your day, stick to a realistic to do list of no more than five items at a time. About the author:  Established in 1999,  The Instant Group  is a global flexible workspace specialist. Underpinned by unrivaled expertise, Instant tailors unique solutions to help businesses of all sizes to grow, drive savings or gain invaluable insight.   With offices in London, Berlin, Dallas, New York, Hong Kong,  and  Sydney, The Instant Group employs more than 100 experts and has clients in 113 countries.

A 15-Point Business Case For Employers To Recruit Young People

A 15-Point Business Case For Employers To Recruit Young People A few days ago I took part in a Twitter chat, #YthEmpChat it stands for Youth Employment Chat. Its held every Tuesday between 8pm-9pm UK time. The topic was the business case to employ young people. I was the devil in there with my own theories, having worked with HR teams across companies. But it was actually a good chat. The chat was hosted by Steven Champion, who, among many other things, is also an  Ambassador for Youth Employment UK. He had 15 arguments in his business case to employ young people. When I had a read they all seemed valid and pretty clear. In fact, you should try and use these arguments in a business case to recruit young people. Whether that is interns or graduates. Your ROI will be enough to then carry on the tradition year-on-year. 1. Lower recruitment costs, as employers engage with schools directly instead of conventional advertising;   Here Steven is specifically speaking of the pre-university scenario. Even with todays technology and professional networks, a lot of businesses are spending way too much on recruitment. Cut that, visit schools and universities (for graduates). Attract them to apply to you. This way you even get to get your name out there in the talent acquisition market. 2. Cost-effectiveness (through lower wages);   I think that this is self-explanatory. Well, unless you pay young people an average of £29,000, as this report claims. 3. Greater flexibility in hours worked and geographically, as well as psychologically (in terms of  adaptation to change);   4. Higher qualifications as young people tend to be better qualified than previous cohorts;   With so much emphasis on education and getting a degree, it is generally accepted that educational institutions are churning out more qualified graduates than before. The good thing is that these young people have learnt (maybe just theoretically) about the mistakes committed in the past, so they will automatically try to avoid those in your business. 5. A willingness to learn;   6. A shared organisational culture (instil organisational values and ‘shape’ employees to fit the companys ways of working);   I personally always argue that businesses should hire early because they then get to mould the intern/graduate/young person to the needs and expectations of the business. 7. Insights and connections to the market that link to the customer base;   8. Enhanced loyalty and reduced staff turnover;   Its like football: the young person always remembers the first business (or football club) to give them a break. There is definitely a sense of loyalty that comes with employing young people. 9. A competitive advantage obtained through attracting talent and preparing for the future;   10. Employers benefit from innovation and energy, with young people bringing  new ideas and knowledge into the organisations;   11. Greater diversity of perspectives and experiences and a sense of optimism and  greater aspirations;   12. An opportunity to prevent and address existing and future skills shortages;   13. Easier engagement with the local community;  improved employer brand;   14. A way to develop companies existing staff in terms of management and coaching skills;   15. Ability to keep an organisation’s culture and skills base, which can be passed on from older employees to the young, so they don’t disappear with the retirement of the  older workforce. Steven has gleaned this information from a CIPD 2012 report which can be found here. You can even read a further report titled  Employers are from Mars, young people are from Venus: addressing the young people/jobs mismatch.   Connect with Steven on Twitter; find him on LinkedIn; and share your thoughts of these points below. As for the image above? Well, I just liked it ?? photo credit: pinkpurse via photopin cc 5

What I Learned from Bethenny and Ramit this Week

What I Learned from Bethenny and Ramit this Week Happy Friday!   It has been a great week in my world, thanks in part  to two people: Bethenny Frankel and Ramit Sethi.   No, I am not cool enough to be friends with either of these fabulous people in real life.   BUT, I am cool enough to read their blogs and take their advice seriously on two of most peoples biggest stresses: fitness and money. What I learned from Bethenny Frankel this Week I got to work on Monday and decided that  my  sedentary eat-whatever-you-want  slump  was OVER.   I stopped saying, I need to go to the gym and said I am going to the gym today instead.  Getting back on the wagon of healthy eating and going to the gym is the hardest part for me.   Once I get back on track, Im easily hooked (albeit not always for long!). Thankfully, Katie (roommate and best friend) sent me this great article by Bethenny Frankel  on realistic exercise.   Bethenny recommends adopting health and fitness as a lifestyle, not as something you have to do.   Once you feel you have to go to the gym or have to eat salads, there is a negative association with the task and  your motivation isnt genuine. In her article, Bethenny also recommended another simple adjustment:  do exercise you enjoy.   If you hate spinning classes and running, then dont do it!   You will never make it a lifestyle if you hate it. I shifted my thinking this week and asked what I want my long-term lifestyle to look like.   I thought about  what Ive done in the past that doesnt last long and I decided to go on a different track.   So far Im loving it and craving fruit instead of fries- weird! What I learned from Ramit Sethi this week Ramit Sethi-in my opinion- is  a true  hero.   Ramit is  another twentysomething Gen Y blogger who has blown it out of the water.   His blog (and book) I  Will Teach You to be Richis way more than a personal finance blog.    Like Bethenny, Ramit focuses his teachings on lifestyle instead of   dramatic cuts.   As part of his  earn1k class  emails this week (that class looks absolutely amazing, by the way)  Ramit went on a rant.   He encouraged his readers to stop focusing on cutting costs and focus on making more money instead.   He says to go for big wins and to stop wasting your time cutting  out $3 lattes.   Ramit believes in spending money on what you love- even if that is world travel, $200 jeans or spending $30,000 a year on going out.    Ramits advice  is the opposite of what 99% of personal finance bloggers will tell you, but it is actually the  smartest advice.     Like Bethenny said, adapting a lifestyle means  creating a system that works for YOU.   When you create a lifestyle that you want, your motivation is genuine and it  is no longer something  you have to do.   This means you will have a healthy relationship with fitness and finances.   It means you dont beat yourself up if you eat an ice cream cone or splurge on something at Nordstrom once in a while.   If youve set up a system for yourself that supports your lifestyle, occasional splurges  arent a huge deal.   Lastly, Ramit  makes one of my favorite points of all-  people dont  get rich  by cutting lattes, they get rich by cutting  out what they  dont value and making more money. I hope this post gives you some food for thought as you end this week and go into next.   Hopefully by Monday you will think of one or two things in your own life that you can adjust to fit your lifestyle instead of what you are supposed to do. How has making cuts financially or in your diet affected you?   Did it last? Why did you make the cuts initially  and why did you stop? How do  YOU motivate yourself to stay healthy both physically and financially? What systems do you put in place to account for splurges?

Writing an Academic Resume For Grad School

Writing an Academic Resume For Grad SchoolWriting an academic resume for grad school can be tough. The most important part of writing a well-written academic resume is to make sure that it highlights your best qualities. Following these tips can help you write an academic resume for grad school that will stand out from the rest of the writing.Your resume is your first and best opportunity to showcase your great qualities. Start by creating your personal statement. This statement will be your strongest point on your academic resume. Start your personal statement with why you are qualified for this position, what you bring to the table and what you have done to demonstrate that you are the right person for the job.Next, build your job description on the strengths that you have. Write a short list of your qualifications in order of importance. You should have at least two strong items on each page.Writing is one of the hardest things to do. Writing an academic resume for grad school can be frustrating because you don't know how to word things correctly. There are two ways that I like to approach this.First, use lists and bullet points. Don't let grammar or sentence structure intimidate you; use lists and bullet points to help you with the process of writing.Second, use great clarity and directness when you're writing your information. Don't write paragraphs of more paragraphs. Keep it to a couple sentences with a lead in paragraph.Think about what you want to say in your information and make sure you include all of the important information. If you need more details, then explain them right in the first paragraph of yourinformation.These are just a few tips for writing an academic resume for grad school. As you start writing your information, be prepared to edit and rewrite. A good resume is one that has been written from the heart.

Find Your Career Icon for 2018 - CareerEnlightenment.com

Find Your Career Icon for 2018 If there’s one sure-fire way to get you fired up about your career in 2018, it’s identifying an icon or role model you can look up to and learn from.Though it helps to have real-life mentors â€" people in the workplace you can meet for coffee or have a formal discussion with â€" it’s also important to find some icons in the wider world. You may never get the chance to pick their brains in the office, but they can still inspire you to aim higher in your career.Indra Nooyi, CEO of PepsiCoShe reached the #2 spot in Fortune’s 2017 list of Most Powerful Women, and Indra Nooyi is someone we should all admire. She’s pushing for healthier alternatives of her company’s key products, including reduced sugar, salt, and fat content, and she was quick to pull that controversial ad with Kendall Jenner (the one that tried to get involved in #BlackLivesMatter, but entirely missed the point). Since 2006, she’s been the driving force for this huge and high-profile company, and she’s a lso raised, two children.Nooyi keeps in touch with other CEOs from completely different industries, which is great for peer learning and insight, but she also does one amazing gesture: she writes to the families of her senior employees because she believes we owe our parents for our own success.Your career takeaways from Nooyi: acknowledge the people behind one person’s victory (or, indeed, failure) and give credit where it’s due. Don’t be afraid to take risks, but act responsibly and swiftly when things do go wrong.Anne-Marie Curtis, Editor of Elle UK Edward Enninful, Editor of British Vogue These two new editors have recently taken on the most pressurized role in the magazine business. They’re now responsible for producing a monthly magazine, and supervising rolling content online and across social media channels, at a time when readers have never had more distractions from, well, reading an actual article. Enninful, in particular, has embraced the new role, making his te am and magazine more diverse.What’s unusual is that both Enninful and Curtis don’t come from traditional journalism backgrounds, like their predecessors â€" they have both been fashion directors, spending a hefty chunk of time organizing photo shoots, looking for the latest trends, and attending catwalk shows. Suddenly, they will be glued to computer screens or sat in high-powered meetings, and covering all kinds of topics, from beauty to politics. Find out more about Curtis’ transition to the editor here.Your career takeaways from Enninful and Curtis: Don’t feel tied to a traditional career trajectory. If you want a different job in the same industry, why not go for it? Learn from those in the know, and find out which transferable skills you need to work on to make the move. Want to Read More Articles Like This One?Sign up here to receive weekly updates from Career Enlightenment, and never miss another powerful job searching tip! SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscri bed!We hate spam too. Unsubscribe any time. Nancy Dubuc, CEO of AE NetworksDubuc runs AE, which includes television channels like History and Lifetime. She knows her audiences inside out, and doesn’t think much of the stereotypes foisted on viewers, telling The Hollywood Reporter, “The No. 1 show for women in the United States is  The  Walking Dead,”. She is also known for adding plenty of fresh ideas, including commissioning scripted dramas or reality shows on channels better known for documentaries. Whilst her company’s status is threatened by the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime, she continues to push boundaries and track down the next big thing.Your career takeaways from Dubuc: Show your worth in the workplace by really understanding the customers or audience you serve. Be ahead of the curve and work out what the next big thing is, then tell your boss about it and demonstrate how you think the company could make it work.Julie Bentley, CEO of Girlguiding UKThe worldwide Girlguiding movement (much like Girl Scouts) has never been cooler. Its UK image wasn’t too great a few years ago, though. That all changed, thanks to CEO Julie Bentley, who took over in 2012 and quickly labeled Girlguiding the “ultimate feminist organization”. Today, guides get involved in politics, take an annual survey, and have an Advocate Panel covering issues like sexual harassment. Guides also support their local Pride events for the LGBT community. Pretty impressive for an organization once seen as stuffy and middle-class.Before joining Girlguiding, Bentley had already spent several decades working in the third sector, first as a youth worker, then working for charities who helped people with drug and alcohol problems, personal safety concerns, or sexual health issues. When asked who she thinks young girls should look up to, she suggested the activist Malala Yousafzai.Your career takeaways from Bentley: If you’re interested in a career where you can make a difference , start volunteering now. Make a noise about the issues that matter, and network with like-minded people. Once you start working for a charity or non-profit organization, you’ll build transferable skills and you should see job satisfaction when you get to implement change.Whoever your career icon is, use their wisdom to accelerate your own job goals. Follow them online, learn from their successes and failures, and start planning your next career move.

Using Cover Letters to Build Relationships

Using Cover Letters to Build Relationships Today a client asked me to explain the differences between the resume and the cover letter. Many people assume that the cover letter is just a formality and simply something hiring managers and recruiters have come to expect. But the cover letter serves a much higher purpose. Job search is about building relationships and proving to a prospective employer that you are a good fit for the organization and someone who will forge a positve relationship with the firm. Your cover letter is your first opportunity to establish rapport with an employer. With a style thats less formulaic than the resume, the cover letter allows you to interject more about your personal brand and competencies and identify your reasons for career progressions, shifts, and detours. In a sense, the cover letter humanizes the process of search and lessens the tedium managers face when combing through a mountain of resumes. In addition, a good cover letter addresses the employers needs and showcases the candidates a bility to figure out employers problems and proactive solutions. So next time you draft a cover letter, think of it as a key touchpoint with a hiring manager, rather than a required form letter.