Workquest

Be Grateful

2009-01-22T15:23:00.000-08:00

President Obama called for a national day of service on MLK Day.
Did you participate? Or are you out of work, feeling beaten or depressed or worried about being laid off - does everything seem to be going wrong? If you can relate to those feelings than it's time to take some action.
What moves you? What do you care about in your community? Get involved and start to give back because giving back is an important way to remember that there are things that are going right. Every day, write down all the things you are grateful for having happened to you today. Be descriptive of each item. Feel the joy those things bring you. Even if it's something really small like your car started this morning. Be grateful for it. This will help you to stay focused on the positive.
Gratitude is one of the keys to having a successful and fulfilling life. Try the exercise and see what changes it can manifest for you. It doesn’t take very long yet the effects will be life altering. Even after a very short space of time, you’ll find that you quickly forget that you burnt your finger or missed the bus but instead remember the good things that happened in your day. You have now trained yourself to see the positive instead of the negative. You may find that opportunities you never knew existed will begin to appear and you will be ready to take advantage of them.
And while you're doing good works, dont' forget to network! Successful executives are involved in philanthropic ventures - have your elevator speech and networking business cards ready. Make connections while you make the world a better place and you'll feel 100% better about the future!

Stay Positive During Your Job Search

2009-01-20T13:37:00.000-08:00

While perusing the Internet we found a great article from www.theladders.com written by William Arruda about How to Stay Positive During Your Job Search. It's the first article in a three part series that will be featured on www.theladders.com.
Here is the first installment of three articles focused on the positive. Through these words, I share with you essential mindset shifts that will help you put on the rose-colored glasses and see through the ubiquitous negativity so you can be successful in your job search.
Re-live past wins.One way to keep negative thoughts away is to fill your mind with memories of past successes. When you remind yourself of how you rose above a challenge to accomplish something impressive, you have no room in your mind for negative or counter-productive thoughts. Make a list of all your accomplishments – large and small – so when you catch your mind wandering into downer territory you will have visual reminders of what you have achieved.One of my clients made a screen-saver with keywords relating to some of his greatest accomplishments. After ten minutes of computer inactivity, reminders of what makes him incredible scroll across the screen. He told me that every time he would glance at his computer and see one of those words or phrases, it would make him smile.Consider the words from Helen Keller: “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” And ask yourself, “What is my greatest success story?”
If you can’t get out of it, get into it.My friend Todd Wetmore said this to me once and I have never forgotten it: Every time I hear myself saying “I have to …” I change “I have to …” into “I am looking forward to …” To me, this means finding a way to make every situation an opportunity for enjoyment or growth.
I recently “had to” travel to the middle of nowhere (really the middle of nowhere – no cell-phone service and the address of the hotel was not even in the GPS system of my rental car). to deliver a personal branding presentation and workshop. Being the most urban person I know, I was less than thrilled about driving three hours to a place without people, traffic or noise! In fact, I was dreading it. And then I reminded myself that this was going to be a totally new experience for me. I focused my energy on the excitement of working with a new client – Johnson & Johnson – for the first time. I changed “I have to go to the middle of nowhere” to “I am really looking forward to getting to know this new client.” It made the journey from Manhattan to nowhere much more pleasant. Mark Twain was right when he said, “Optimist: A person who travels on nothing from nowhere to happiness.”
What are you looking forward to this week?

Career Advice from TheLadders
· But Have I Mentioned That I’m an Optimist?
· The Secret Excuse: Deactivating Your Weakest Link
· The Seven Secrets of Inspiring Leaders
· Make Me Earn It

Visualize what you want. That which you focus on expands. Certainly this is why Peace Pilgrim hypothesized, “If you realized how powerful your thoughts are, you would never think a negative thought.”
Although it may be easy to lament the tribulations of getting no response to dozens of submitted resumes or the miserable interview experience you had, thinking about how hard it is to find the ideal job will prove you right. It will be difficult. Frustrating. Painful. You will feel the impact of every rejected resume, excruciating interview, or phone call saying they selected someone else. Instead, you must keep the future in your mind. Visualize yourself at your new job. Know what it looks like, feels like and smells like. Make it visceral; keeping the end in mind will help you navigate the job search process with ease and fortitude.
What does it look like at your new office? Give yourself some time each day to daydream. Get comfortable, take some deep breaths and concentrate on your future – your new job. What will you be doing? How will you spend your time each day? With whom will you be working? How will you contribute to your team? The clearer the picture becomes, the easier it will be for you to stay focused on future.
· Interested in hearing more? Contact William.

Six Secrets of Successful WorkQuesters!

2009-01-19T13:11:00.000-08:00

1. Demonstrate Enthusiasm - Constantly. Have an abundance of passion for what you do. You cannot inspire an employer to hire you unless you’re inspired yourself. You can’t fake passion, you either have passion for your WorkQuest or you don’t. Once you discover your passion, make sure it’s apparent to everyone within your primary and secondary circle of contacts.
2. Articulate a Compelling Course of Action.Craft and practice delivering your career vision statement. A vision is a short (usually 10 words or less), vivid description of what your passion is.
3. Sell the Benefit.Always remember, it’s not about you, it’s about them. WIIFM – What’s In It For Me? Your listeners/interviewers are asking themselves, what’s in this for me? Answer it. Don’t make them guess.
4. Tell More Stories.“Tell me about a time when…” is a typical opening line for a behavioral interview question. Be prepared to tell them a story.
5. Invite Participation.Do you research! Be ready to ask questions that show why you want to work for the company.
6. Reinforce an Optimistic Outlook.Sure times are tough, but things will get better. Look for the silver lining. Speak in positive, optimistic language. Be a beacon of hope.
OUR JANUARY 20, 2009 HAS SOLD OUT! Stay tuned to http://www.workquest.net/ for our next class!

Six Degrees of Separation

2009-01-19T12:46:00.000-08:00

Networking online is easy and efficient. These days, it is estimated that over 80% of jobs are gotten by referral. FACT: The ‘Six Degrees of Separation Theory’ truly applies when it comes to job search. Use online social media tools to reach 2nd and 3rd degree contacts at companies you would like to work at!
Be courteous, don’t be a stalker and be professional – but don’t be SHY!