LinkedIn The Facts and Figures [INFOGRAPHIC]

LinkedIn The Facts and Figures [INFOGRAPHIC] LinkedIn is the worlds largest professional social network and a fantastic place to find a job or to recruit. Here are the facts and figures you need to know, courtesy of Website Monitoring. Takeaways: LinkedIn has 187,000,000 members in 200 territories with 2 members signing up every second. There are over 1,000,000 LinkedIn groups are you a member of our Undercover Recruiter group? 65% of LinkedIn users are male with the biggest percentage of users being 35-54 years old. 63% of LinkedIn users are situated outside the USA, with 19 language versions of the site available. The top 3 countries (in terms of members are): 1. United States / 2. India / 3. UK There are currently more than 2,600,000 company pages on LinkedIn. RELATED: To Connect or Not to Connect on LinkedIn

Your Resume Versus Your Network Its Not Even Close

Your Resume Versus Your Network It’s Not Even Close I received an email from a reader who wrote to thank me for the advice I’d provided through this blog and a presentation he’d attended. He has just started what he describes as his dream job as a benefits claims manager at a large firm. It’s always nice to hear from a reader, and especially nice to hear from one who knows how to position himself for his next opportunity. I’ll let Mitch Ashley tell you himself: “How did I get this job? A friend. The person at the very top of my network list. A friend that many years ago saw what I was capable of when we met in the military, then more recently sat next to me in class after class in graduate school. When it came to filling a position at work, he knew who to call. I will forever be grateful to him for that. That friend didn’t call me simply because we’re friends; he’s far more professional than that. He called the person he knew could do the job. He needed somebody he could trust, somebody with whom he already had a good working relationship, and somebody who wouldn’t require a lot of training to be up and running.” Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'tkfkzjw8Qjt3ZHO7pU6S_A',sig:'1CbtOlHOjaD1jMhN5qP5bokKsLau4DjXnKJIP91bTqw=',w:'478px',h:'359px',items:'482179037',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); Rule One of career advancement is to be excellent where you are. Excellence is a way of life, not just an occasional event. Mitch made a good impression in the military, and a great impression in class. Too many students think of school as, well, an academic exercise. How you do anything is how you do everything: showing up, being eager to learn and engaged, and doing your homework are all skills that transfer to your job later. If you’re a slacker in class, it’s fair to assume that you might be a slacker on the job. Mitch got the call on Monday and spent the week studying for the interview. He prepped himself (using this blog as study material â€" thanks for that) and researched the company. He worked on his resume to make sure he had it in top shape for the interview. Turns out, that wasn’t needed. On Friday, when he went into the interview, he was prepared for everything but the hiring manager’s opening remark: “I just want you to know you already have the job we just need to discuss what it entails.” His friend in the company had already made the case with his boss, providing specific examples to prove how Mitch was a great fit. The friend had the boss’ trust, so she was already prepared to offer Mitch a chance. He started the job the next Monday. If you’re spending lots of time on your resume and online applications, here’s a tip: spend more time on your network. Follow my three rules of networking: Do a great job where you are; treat every day as an audition for your dream job. Because it is. Stay connected to people you respect and like, and help them out when you can. The career karma you create will come back to you. Do your homework and be ready when opportunity knocks. Your dream job may be just one connection away. Too many jobseekers ask their resume to do the work of their network. When it comes to getting results, it’s not even close. Ask Mitch.

10 Proven Qualities of a Top Performer

10 Proven Qualities of a Top Performer A few months before Albert Einstein unexpectedly passed away, William Miller, an editor for LIFE magazine paid the genius a visit on a personal errand. William’s son, Pat had recently become bogged down in a sort of “philosophical nihilism,” asking himself what significance there was to human endeavor if the universe was dying? Trying to inspire his son and encourage him to make a difference in the world, William sought out an old acquaintance of Einstein’s, Professor William Hermanns, in hopes that the professor could connect his son Pat, with his hero Albert Einstein. William Hermanns had an interesting life himself: he had volunteered for World War I, lived through the Battle of Verdun, been captured and imprisoned for three years by the French, and afterward became a poet and fugitive from Hitler.   And now Professor Hermann was a friend of Bishop Fulton Sheen and, just so happened, was planning on stopping by his old friend Albert Einstein’s house to get a statement about “the latter’s concept of God which the bishop might use on his television program.” And so Hermanns agreed to allow William and his son to come along. Unexpected, the threesome showed up at Einstein’s door on 112 Mercer Street, to see if they could get a few minutes of the scientist’s time. After a small discussion with Einstein’s secretary about Dr. Hermanns’ old acquaintanceship with Dr. Einstein, they were allowed to join Albert at a table for tea. Dr. Hermann and Dr. Einstein discussed religion, but at one point William broke in to explain his son’s struggle, “[Pat] can find no reason he should strive to achieve.” Einstein turned to Pat, and then proceeded to respond in a thoughtful conversation.   As they were preparing to leave, Dr. Einstein closed, saying, “Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.   He is considered successful in our day who gets more out of life than he puts in.   But a man of value will give more than he receives. And so we fast forward fifty years to today. The Meaning of Value Value. It’s a word we use to measure the worth of a person, thing or experience.   It’s the “regard” that something is held to deserve. But the way we measure value is never quite consistent. Sometimes something is valued because it is rare or difficult to acquire. Sometimes we value something for its functionality, utility, and purpose. And sometimes we place value on something… because of its beauty. Yet, the way we value people, in the business sense, is not too different. We value people with exquisite skills that take years and dedication to develop.   We value workers who can fill a gap in our business needs.   And sometimes, we value a person for their pretty face. And then, we take these values and lump people into silos accordingly. We have slackers, procrastinators, and underachievers.   We have those who just get by, tread water, and do what’s required.   And finally, we have the cream of the crop. The best of the best. The pick of the litter. The elite.   The finest. The top performers. But there’s a problem. No one wants to be an underachiever.   No one wants to be average.   And I know, for the most part, we all try to rise to the top. So why are we not all there? What stops us from being top performers too? Maybe it’s that we don’t know what top performers look like.   Maybe we just lack the motivation to get there.   Or maybe…it just feels unreachable. As a company that’s helped thousands of professionals develop their careers; we’ve found certain qualities that differentiate the top from the bottom. The good news is that each of these “traits” can be learned and developed. The bad news is…it takes work.   And it probably won’t happen overnight.   Just remember Einstein’s thoughtful advice to young Pat, “He is considered successful in our day who gets more out of life than he puts in.” So as you go through our list, consider which qualities you currently share, which you’d like to develop, and which will help you get more out of life. Without further ado, here are the 10 qualities of a top performer. 1.   Self-Awareness Anthony K. Tjan, author of “Hearts, Smarts, Guts, and Luck said, “There is one quality that trumps all [when it comes to bringing success].   That quality is self-awareness.   Without self-awareness, you cannot understand your strengths and weaknesses, your ‘super powers’ and ‘kryptonite’. Leaders and other top performers who have self-awareness have an incredible advantage. They are aware of what motivates them and their decision-making.   They take that awareness and apply it to how others are motivated. They know what types of work activities will leave them feeling fulfilled and accomplished as well as which will eventually lead to burnout. They can manage their time better since they are less likely to pursue the types of work that they are not naturally inclined to perform best at.   And they will avoid getting in a position that sucks their energy dry from doing unsustainable work. So how do you become more self-aware?   Here are three things Tjan suggests. 1. Take an aptitude test such as DISC, Myers-Briggs, Predictive Index, or StrengthsFinder.   These assessments often unclutter the complex personalities, behaviors, and motivations that make us unique, so you can start focusing on the areas that best reflect who you are at your core. (We offer one of these assessments here). 2. Watch yourself and learn.   Peter Druker put it this way.   Whenever you make a decision or take a key decision, write down what you expect will happen. Nine or 12 months later, compare the results with what you expected.   Looking back on what worked and what didn’t will help you make better decisions moving forward…and teach you something about yourself. 3. Be aware of others.   Don’t just think of your own strengths and weaknesses but consider the talents and short comings of others.   What do your team mates do better than you?   What kinds of tasks are they unmotivated by? Being more aware of others will help you think upon your own abilities and desires, which you can then turn to become more productive and effective as a top performer. 2.   Values Back in January of 2011, a Southwest Airlines pilot made an incredible career threatening decision…because of his values. One of the passengers expected to board the plane was a grandfather who’s grandson had been brutally injured by a criminal and would be taken off of life support the following morning at 9:00am. The emergency of the situation had left the grandfather with little time to prepare for the flight and although he had arrived 2 hours early to LAX he was still going to be late for his flight.   As he tried to explain his situation to the TSA, Southwest Employees, and other customers…no one seemed to care. When he finally left security, he grabbed his computer bag, shoes and belt and ran to the terminal in his socks. All this time the pilot held the plane from 11:50 to 12:02, despite security concerns and schedule pressures. As the grandfather arrived, the pilot simply responded, “They can’t go anywhere without me and I wasn’t going anywhere without you.   Now relax.   We’ll get you there.  And again, I’m so sorry.” It’s hard to say what anyone would have done in that situation, but we can all agree that this pilot stuck to his values. Instead of scolding their pilot for not following procedure and causing delays for thousands of additional customers, Southwest responded accordingly, “We are proud of our pilot, a man who clearly understands that taking a child off life support has consequences that run deeper than a flight taking off late.” As this story illustrates, one way to rise to the top is to stick to your values.   Any ordinary employee could have followed business as usual, but this one risked his job so that a grandfather could be with his daughter and grandson in a moment he would never be able to get back had he missed it. 3.   Networked Brian Uzzi’s foundational networking article “How to Build Your Network” says there are three unique advantages networks bring: private information, access to diverse skill sets, and power. “These days, public information is easily available from a variety of sources, including the internet, but precisely because it is so accessible, public information offers significantly less competitive advantage than it used to. Highly diverse network ties can help you develop more complete, creative, and unbiased views of issues. And when you trade information or skills with people whose experiences differ from your own, you provide one another with unique, exceptionally valuable resources.” The last advantage, power, comes from your ability to connect people with win/win relationships.   Someone who has access to these kind of resources will go far in their career. 4.   Confidence The great thing about confidence is that when you have it; dangers become opportunities, obstacles become innovations, weaknesses become advantages, and setbacks become breakthroughs. It’s no wonder why this is a quality found in top performers. So what’s the secret to building confidence? Amy Gallo, editor at Harvard Business Review gives the following suggestions. 1. Prepare.   Just as you practiced piano hours and hours before ever performing at a recital, you can follow the same concept for any other areas you lack confidence. 2.   Get out of your own way. It’s okay if you don’t know everything.   It’s impossible to be above average in every element of business. Once you accept your shortcomings and allow yourself the opportunity to create something greater in yourself, you’ll find confidence is just around the corner. 3. Get feedback when you need it. If you’re anything like myself, sometimes you’re your own worst critic. Getting honest, informative feedback can validate the results of your hard practice.   And you’ll feel assured in your abilities and the improvements you’ve made. 4. Take risks Many people don’t know what they are capable of until they are truly tested. Sticking only to your tried and true strengths can be a hinderance to your career growth.   Find opportunities that are new to you, but still in your wheelhouse and you might surprise yourself what you are capable of achieving. 5.   Gratitude The Wall Street Journal reported some interesting statistics in their article, “Thank You. No, Thank You: Grateful People Are Happier, Healthier Long After the Leftovers are Gobbled Up” In it they stated, “Adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections and more happiness than those who do not, according to studies conducted over the past decade. Theyre also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy or alcoholics. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly and have greater resistance to viral infections.” What’s a good exercise to develop your gratitude? Sean Achor, a positive psychology researcher and speaker recommends listing three things you’re grateful for over the next 30 days. Compare how your attitude has changed from before to after the experiment.   I think you’ll be pleased. 6.   Communication Skills When was the last time you heard someone complain because a leader communicates too much or too effectively? Didn’t think so. The foundation of any business relies on your ability to convey ideas clearly and efficiently.   It’s a skill that carries incredible advantages for those who hone it well. In fact, when LinkedIn surveyed 7,000 professionals globally and found that 84% of them believed in career luck; and “having strong communication skills” was the top factor they contributed to that luck. Great communicators employ three things in their messages. 1. Credibility: Before others will even begin to listen to you, you need to give them a reason.   You can do this through sharing stories, case studies, and displaying integrity. 2.   Emotion: People need to know why they should care.   How are you planning on connecting to your audience?   This is why many public speeches start with a joke or anecdote to build that connection right at the start. 3.   Logic:   Emotion is a necessary part of connecting, but it takes logic to convince.   Data and proof will help ease concerns and build trust in your communications. 7.   Humility Dale Carnegie wrote, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.” Top performers recognize their success often came from the help of their teams, network, friends, and family.   The self-made man is a myth. A fascinating study that looked at personality traits of 1,000 of the top business to business sales people from leading companies found that despite the conventional stereotypes that successful salespeople are pushy and egotistical, 91 percent of the top salespeople had medium to high scores of modesty and humility. Humility comes with a number of benefits.   Because you are more down to earth, people tend to relate to you more easily.   And because you don’t toot your own horn every time success finds its way to you, others like you. 8.   Innovative Innovation is a lot like magic to the business world.   It’s the key to solving vexing social problems, spreading new “innovative” products virally across the web, and once you lose it…you are doomed. Blockbuster, Borders, Polaroid, Kodak, Xerox, and Palm are all examples of companies that have suffered major casualties because they failed to innovate. What once were giants are now replaced by companies like Google and Facebook, which didn’t even exist 10 years ago. So it’s no wonder that innovation ranks highly on the list of traits top performers possess. 9.   Strong Willed and Competitive In the same study mentioned earlier about humility in top performers, they found most top performers lacked discouragement. Top performers were able to “handle emotional disappointments, bounce back from losses, and mentally prepare themselves for the next opportunity to compete.” For many, becoming a top performer meant experiencing a number of failures along the way.   Having the determination to get through it is what set one group apart from the other. 10.   The Ability to Inspire, Engage Empower And lastly, top performers are known for their charisma and ability to inspire. When a company needs to get their staff on board a new initiative, when a manager has to greet an exhausted and demotivated team, or when a brilliant but underperforming subordinate needs to be realigned; the one and   only person who can do all these jobs is the charismatic leader. Brilliant CEO’s have been hired and fired on this trait alone. And I know, not all of us can turn on the charm at the drop of a hat, but you might consider at least looking into it. Conclusions Today you have learned ten ways you can add more “value” to this world.   Becoming a top performer isn’t about destroying your competition or taking short cuts.   It’s not about chasing success or changing who you are. It’s about the small steps, the simple shifts, and giving your talents and abilities the attention they need to perform at their fullest. And so I close how I began with the advice of Einstein. “Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.   He is considered successful in our day who gets more out of life than he puts in.   But a man of value will give more than he receives. This article is provided courtesy of Balanced WorkLife Company with the permission of Mini-Storage Messenger magazine. © MiniCo Insurance Agency LLC. All Rights Reserved. It is not intended for further reproduction/distribution without the exclusive permission of MiniCo Insurance Agency LLC. Sources: Beck, Melinda “Thank You. No, Thank You: Grateful People Are Happier, Healthier Long After the Leftovers are Gobbled Up” Wall Street Journal. November 23, 2010. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704243904575630541486290052.html?KEYWORDS=Grateful+People+Are+Happier+Healthier+Long+After Elliot, Christopher. “Southwest Airlines Pilot Holds Plane for Murder Victim’s Family.” January 10, 2011. http://elliott.org/blog/southwest-airlines-pilot-holds-plane-for-murder-victims-family/ Gallo, Amy “How to Build Confidence” Harvard Business Review. April 29, 2011. http://hbr.org/2005/12/how-to-build-your-network/ar/1 Life Magazine, May 1955, “Death of a Genius”. http://books.google.com/books?id=dlYEAAAAMBAJprintsec=frontcoversource=gbs_ge_summary_rcad=0#v=onepageqf=false LinkedIn. “How LinkedIn Research Reveals Eighty-Four Percent of Professionals Believe in Career Luck” March 13, 2012. http://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2012/03/13/470652/249022/en/New-LinkedIn-Research-Reveals-Eighty-Four-Percent-of-Professionals-Believe-in-Career-Luck.html Martin, Steve. “Seven Personality Traits of Top Salespeople”. June 27, 2011. http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/06/the_seven_personality_traits_o.html Tjan, Anthony. “How Leaders Become Self Aware.” Harvard Business Review. July, 19, 2012. http://blogs.hbr.org/tjan/2012/07/how-leaders-become-self-aware.html Uzzi, Brian. “How to Build Your Network.   Harvard Business Review. December 2005. http://hbr.org/2005/12/how-to-build-your-network/ar/1

The success sacrifice - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

The success sacrifice - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Your role may be thankless, But if youre willing to give it your all, you just might bring success to those who outlast you. To get what we really seek in life, we must have points of sacrifice. By sacrifice I mean, giving up one thing, in order to obtain another. For example, if you strive to get a promotion at work, you may sacrifice precious hours you might have spent with a loved one. This is in fact an opportunity cost in itself because in order for you to attain an opportunity, there is a cost associated with it. Costs usually account for time, money, effort and endurance and benefits can range from a promotion to a successful relationship. To make things truly work out, one must lose out on one opportunity. You might be saying to yourself right now Ive never had to sacrifice. I will counter this thought by explaining to you that the event of even attending a college is a sacrifice and you must endure four years of hard work to either progress into graduate school or get a superior job. Instead of going to college, you may have stayed stationary at home or took up a moderate job that barely pays the bills. Have you ever driven lengths to see the woman you love? A relationship in its essence reflects sacrifice and builds off this element to be successful. If two people are willing to sacrifice to be with each other, then it must be true love. If you are willing to put in the effort to graduate at the top of your class (as a sacrifice) then you will attain a superior job. As a rule of thumb, the more you sacrifice early in life, the more benefit you will receive later. This is a judgment call that you must make. I interned eight times throughout the past 5 years, as a sacrifice and because of that sacrifice, I claimed a job that fit both my expectations and requirements. The sacrifice here was time and effort and it paid off. If you have the determination and are willing to work for something and sacrifice, you will get what you want.

What To Consider With Environmental Resume Writing

What To Consider With Environmental Resume WritingEnvironmental resume writing is definitely one of the most important things that you need to put in place to ensure that you can get the best job and bring home a pay check for yourself. There are many things that you need to consider in your resume writing, and you need to make sure that you do them right.You need to avoid any human error when you are trying to write this document. This means that you should never be using your own name when it comes to your resume. Never go by what you think will get you a better position.You will want to find out as much as you can about the company that you are applying for. Find out everything that you can about it and what it does. Be as complete as you can in your resume writing.You will want to make sure that you know exactly what kind of people you are dealing with in any company. Are they a team of co-workers or are they an individual? Do you want to deal with just one person or do you want to deal with several? These are all things that you will need to consider when you are dealing with the resume that you will be sending out.You want to make sure that you have written something that is going to get the attention of the person that is reviewing your resume. The person that you are dealing with is going to want to know that you are serious about getting this job. They are going to want to know that you have the knowledge that is needed in order to get the job done. Make sure that you understand what they need.Be sure that you write your resume in such a way that it is going to be difficult for the person to not keep it. You will want to keep your resume as appealing as possible so that you are going to be successful. When the person has received the document in the mail, they will want to look at it again.You will want to make sure that you make the resume look great. You can go online and find plenty of samples that are designed to show you how to make sure that your resume looks its best. There are many tools that are available for you to use to make sure that you are going to be successful when you are dealing with the resume writing that you are going to be doing.You will want to make sure that you make the resume as appealing as possible. You will want to make sure that you are looking for the best possible position that you can find in order to make sure that you get the best opportunity that you can possibly get. You will want to make sure that you get the resume that is going to get you the best job and the best pay out there.

Death and grief - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Death and grief - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog From an article in Fast Company: Philosopher and consultant Peter Koestenbaum spends his days exploring truly big questions that have never sounded more relevant. Here, he reflects on what the shock of death teaches us about leadership and how to move forward without forgetting. For another way to view it, check out Harrison Owens concept of griefwork, which is the process that we as humans go through every time we encounter change. Theres a brief description here, and more in his book Expanding our now. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Want to understand others Imitate them! - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Want to understand others Imitate them! - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog According to this article, there is a very concrete, neurological link between empathy (the ability to identify with other peoples emotions), and the tendency to imitate others. A team at the University of California has conducted an experiment that used Magnetic Resonanced Imaging (MRI) to measure brain activity in subjects who were either observing other peoples facial expressions or imitating them. The areas of the brain stimulated by these two activities were found to be similar, but when the subjects were mimicking the expressions, there was an increased activity in the parts of the brain responsible for regulating emotions. From the article: Even if someone has suppressed most of their ability to empathize, Iacoboni says, anyone can become more empathetic. If you want to become more empathetic, you have to try to look at how people act and move their body and their face. Try to mimic it a little bit, and you will feel internally what other people feel. This seems to validate one central tool of NLP, which is to create a rapport between the practitioner and the subject, by mirroring the subject. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related