Wednesday, November 27, 2019

5 Secrets to the New USAJOBS Applicant Pages

5 Secrets to the New USAJOBS Applicant Pages5 Secrets to the New USAJOBS Applicant Pages5 Secrets to the New USAJOBS Applicant Pages5 Secrets to the New USAJOBS Applicant PagesUSAJOBS just got updated as of 8/20 You will see new colors (green, gray and black), new bold screens, flow and even new language, i.e., Unique Hiring Paths, Advancing, Paused, Stopped, Unknown Results + No More Dropdowns I like the changes and the new language And I like the all new Homepage / RESULTS page This is an exciting page And could be encouraging for federal jobseekers. I especially like the advancing list. If a federal jobseeker does apply for 3 to 5 positions per week, they will see a lot of activity in their advancing list. This could be a fun screen showing results and a top page transparent support for the federal job search campaign.By Kathryn Troutman, Federal Resume Guru1. New-designed Profile Homepage is also your New USAJOBS Application Tracking Page Kathryn has submitted 113 applications Ho w many positions have you submitted for? Check it out now Your USAJOBS applications are filtered in new lists Advanced, Paused, Stopped and Unknown results This page also shows how many applications you have submitted (113) how many Saved Jobs (4) and how many Saved Searches (10) you have set up for your federal job search campaign.2. Introducing New USAJOBS Applicant PROFILE page Profile page shows the main sections of the USAJOBS webpage clearly. No mora dropdowns. The pages are clear on the left.3. Introducing ADVANCING and the important bottom linksin the Applicant pages are almost hidden. This is where you are going to find the former Applicant Status page. This is now called ADVANCING under a Job Application list. You can also click on PAUSED or STOPPED. The Application Status Page was one of my favorite pages. It is now GONE. Replaced by Advancing page.4. NEW COMBINATION DOCUMENTS RESUMES PAGEYou can upload documents and resumes on the same section. The RESUME page is gone CHECK OUT THE NEW INVITATION TO UPLOAD OR BUILD YOUR RESUME Very Subtle NEW GRAPHIC TO BUILD YOUR RESUME OR UPLOAD YOUR RESUME (the resume builder did not change)5. New UNIQUE HIRING PATHSThis is the former Special Hiring Programs. Now these are UNIQUE hiring pathsCheck out the new look and pages for your USAJOBS account todaySAMPLES IN A BOOK? If you want help with writing your federal resume, you can check out the best federal resuems for your federal resume builder or upload system The Federal Resume Guidebook, 6th edition will help you with keywords, qualifications, specialized experience, KSAs, and the questionnaire Get help with the content Kathryn Troutman, Author, Federal Resume Guidebook, 6h EditionUSAJOBS RESUME HELP? If you want a quote for a USAJOBS Federal Resume. A resume that will match a specific USAJOBS announcement, including the keywords, specailized experience, the KSAs and the Questionnaire. ComPlete our Client Intake Form for your request.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Embrace your Uncertainty and Take the Plunge

Embrace your Uncertainty and Take the Plunge Embrace your Uncertainty and Take the Plunge The first phase is one of fear and doubt regarding the uncertainty of such a major change. But once you recognize the fear for what it is, you can begin to take steps to control it and move in the right direction. If your fear has become overwhelming, you must first try to break it down into smaller partes so that you can understand the root cause. Try this exercise to try and get a better grip on the cause of your uncertainty Write or type out any fears that you have already identified. ansicht may include financial fears, personal insecurities, or fears about potential lifestyle changes brought about by a career change. Next to each fear, figure out the underlying cause that is making you afraid. Write it out in question form so that it can be addressed later. Now, write out the uncertainties involved with each fear.Phase stage two involves overcoming your fears by addressing them head on. B y forcing yourself to visualize your fears through writing them out and addressing them, you will gain confidence in the future and find opportunities in the very things that you fear. The object of this phase to answer each of the questions you posed yourself in the prior phase. Think of ways to solve the problems within each fear by creating ways to work around them. For example, if you asked yourself how you would survive between jobs with no income you may respond by cutting expenses or taking on a side job.Once you understand your fears and have create steps to overcoming them, all that is left to do is act. Your perceptions play a major role in how you take action so consider a couple of approaches to taking on your list Try to look at the situation as an experiment. Not everything you try will succeed but only through opening yourself up to risk will you find yourself moving forward in the pursuit of your goals. Learn from your mistakes and react to them and dont be afraid of a trial-and-error approach to life. Dont accept a definition of success created by other people. Make your own definition based on what a successful like looks like to you. For example, if part of a career change involves receiving less pay consider the role of money in your personal definition of success. Sure, many people think money is an accurate gauge of success but that doesnt mean it will make you feel successful. Eating and paying the bills is one thing, but beyond that, it is up to you to decide your priorities and values. Would you rather have extravagant vacations and designer clothes or a job that you love? In order to answer that, you must define what success means to you and whether any tradeoffs made during the transition are acceptable within that definition.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

How to Finally Stop Procrastinating Forever

How to Finally Stop Procrastinating ForeverHow to Finally Stop Procrastinating Forever Who among us hasnt put off a presentation until the night before it was due, or departureed a project weeks after you told yourself you would? Everyone falls victim to procrastination at some point or another, but if its happening enough to affect your quality of life or work performance , its time to think about changing your behavior.The good news is, theres reason to be hopeful. Even lifelong procrastinators can overcome decades of badeanstalt habits with the right attitude and strategies. Of course, this is much easier said than done - but weve identified a few tips and tricks that will make it a whole lot easier.Whether youre a born-and-bred procrastinator or its just recently surfaced as a bad habit, the following expert tips will help you nip procrastination in the bud for good.Its difficult to solve a problem when you dont understand whats behind it - otherwise, your atte mpts to reconcile your behavior may amount to nothing more than a Band-Aid solution. Take a good hard look at yourself and your habits to determine why you procrastinate. One of the most common reasons is fear, experts say.Sometimes its a harsh inner critic or perfectionist that spews negative thoughts like, youre not good enough or youre going to screw it up. If you havent developed a ordnungsprinzip or method for pushing through those sticking points, it can be hard to get anything done, says psychotherapist Tom Bruett .Other times, doing a task youre not looking forward to can just feel downright painful - literally.Research has found out that when you are ready to start a perceived-as-unpleasant task, the actual pain centers in your brain light up, shares Dimitris Gkiokas, founder of The Metalearners . It is only natural that your brain, at that moment, makes its best effort to avoid the task and the pain it is what it is programmed to do.No matter whats driving your procrast ination, understanding it can inform which strategy will best help you address the issue.If this is your first time trying to tackle procrastination in earnest, there are a number of small changes you can make in your daily life that can have a big impact.Get Organized As a stubborn teenager, I used to refuse to use a planner, insisting I could keep track of everything in my head. It was only when I started really tracking my to-dos in college that I realized how silly that was - being organized helped me stay on track. Whether it means keeping a list, writing on Post-Its or a productivity app , find something that works for you, Bruett says. Write down all your tasks, and tackle them in order of priority.Eliminate Distractions It may seem like a no-brainer, but many procrastinators fail to truly remove themselves from the people, things and situations that divert their attention. Close your email client, shut off any Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn (etc.) notifications, silence you r ringer, shut off the television, etc. If you need noise, play instrumental or classical music, says Maura Thomas , author of Personal Productivity Secrets.Start Small Breaking large tasks into baby steps is a much less intimidating way to tackle a project. Career coach Carlota Zimmerman recommends doing at least two small abroll-container-transport-system each day. Do those two acts and write them down - I encourage clients to keep Action Diaries, so as to have a (paper) trail of their acts, since its very encouraging and empowering, she says. The rush you get from one small win often motivates you to continue your good behavior.Reward Yourself Theres a reason teachers used to put gold stars on excellent tests and essays - those small rewards work Use positive reinforcement to motivate yourself to achieve your goals, Bruett says. If you keep on track for a whole week, maybe reward yourself with a massage or a nice dinner.Lifelong procrastinators might be tempted to roll the ir eyes at the suggestion of using a planner or turning off their cell phone notifications. If youve already been there and done that, try out these more sophisticated tips.Try Stream of Consciousness Working Many procrastinators are, at heart, perfectionists , unable to take action until theyve figured out exactly what to stay or do. But you might be surprised at how effective it can be to dive into a project before youve fully fleshed it out. Thomas suggests taking a stream of consciousness approach, in which you simply start dumping out all of your ideas for a set period of time without pausing to refine, clarify or reorganize. Our brains are much better at creative, strategic thinking and problem-solving than they are at remembering details, and if we clear our mind of the minutiae (mental clutter), the good stuff often appears, Thomas shares.Hold Yourself Accountable If youre the type of person who finds it way easier to fulfill a promise to a friend than a promise to yourse lf, try seeking out an accountability buddy. For added motivation, raise the stakes, suggests Sarah Moe, geschftliches miteinander and money coach at Flauk . Create a deadline with a friend or coach and make the consequences for not finishing the task something you would hate, such as writing them a check, doing your least-favorite chore or cutting yourself off from TV for a week. When you have to own up to the fact to another person that you procrastinated, youll never do it again, Moe adds.Block Your Calendar Been meaning to tackle a particular task for while, but just cant seem to find the time for it? Try scheduling dedicated periods of time in which you are allowed to do nothing but the task at hand. To do this successfully, Thomas recommends not making your time-blocks too long (two hours or less), only blocking off time for the highest-priority items, and limiting how often you do so. Otherwise, youll start breaking those appointments with yourself, and then youll have lost the effectiveness of the technique, she explains.Learn to Tolerate Discomfort In the end, theres no way around it - overcoming procrastination will almost always involve doing something you dont like. Too often, people put tasks off simply because theyre a drag. But if you learn to accept that, you may have an easier time doing it. To change, you need to shift from doing something pleasant, then feeling badly afterward to doing something unpleasant, then feeling better afterwards, says psychotherapist Karen R. Koenig .When one tactic fails you, its easy to get discouraged. You might feel like a screw-up, or become convinced that your procrastination is just an insurmountable part of who you are. But buying into this negative thinking can stop you from overcoming an otherwise totally fixable problem.If you try a strategy to overcome procrastination and it fails, conduct a post-mortem, Bruett recommends. Be really honest with yourself about what didnt work. Where were the exact st icking points? Was it lack of motivation ? Did you have trouble with the system you tried? Problem solve and get some additional support from a coach or therapist.And remember, not everything works for everyone, Gkiokas says. Every person is different and faces different levels of procrastination. You should try different things, and use your experience to identify what works.Most of all, keep in mind that falling off the wagon is normal, and happens to almost everybody at some point.Any behavior change will take trial and error. Account for that and dont beat yourself up if you dont succeed on the first go around, Bruett concludes.