Simply Hired Blog

Simply Hired Launches in Portugal

Today, Simply Hired continues to expand its international presence by introducing a new localized job search site for Portugal (www.SimplyHired.pt). Portuguese job seekers will now have access to over 50,000 jobs, and will receive a personalized job search experience through the Who Do I Know?® LinkedIn integration. 

Simply Hired now has localized job search sites in 24 countries across six continents.

For more information, read the full press release about SimplyHired.pt. 

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Hoje, a Simply Hired, dando continuidade à expansão de sua presença internacional, apresenta um novo site de busca de emprego com versão em português para Portugal (www.SimplyHired.pt). Os portugueses que procuram trabalho poderão agora ter acesso a mais de 50.000 empregos, e terão uma experiência de busca de trabalho personalizada através da integração com o Who Do I Know?® LinkedIn.

A Simply Hired possui agora versões de sites de busca de emprego em 24 países nos seis continentes.

Para informações adicionais, leia o comunicado à imprensa completo sobre o SimplyHired.pt. 

Choosing Self-Employment: Five Questions that Will Help You Choose the Right Business

By Dee Adams

If you've ever dreamed about starting your own business, you are not alone. There were almost 9 million self-employed workers in 2010, according to statistics compiled by Challenger, Gray, & Christmas. Each year, a percentage of the workforce trades in their 9-5 jobs for the entrepreneurial life, but some workers start a sideline business to supplement their salaries.

Business startup cuts across all socio-economic groups; from managers, executives, and professionals to blue collar workers. Success stories include:

• A Harvard graduate with a degree in mathematics and economics who left management consulting to pursue her passion for desserts. She started a bakery and Café, and began writing cookbooks.
• A Ph.D. in political science from University of Chicago who opened a motorcycle repair shop.  He wrote a book about the value of working with one's hands.
• A web designer and consultant fired from her job because of her personal blogging. She built a lucrative home-based empire with her mommy blog.
• A firefighter who invented better fire safety equipment for the consumer and industrial marketplace, and created a multimillion-dollar venture.

But, for many other would-be entrepreneurs finding the right startup is challenging.

Many issues may cloud the process, and certain questions asked and answered in the pre-planning stage can pinpoint conflicts and problems, and their solutions.

Here are several important questions:

Do you know how many aptitudes you possess?
Aptitudes are inborn natural talents and should not be confused with acquired skills. Each person has an average of six innate skills, some unused and some hidden.

While a percentage of the population may be able to determine their own aptitudes by self-assessment, most people are not aware of their full potential, according to writer Margaret Broadley. Over a 40 year period, Broadley documented the work of the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation, a nonprofit organization specializing in the scientific research of human abilities.

What are your least favorite skills?
Create a checklist of work tasks that you dislike and have trouble executing.

What feels more comfortable, introverted or extroverted personality traits?
Make a checklist of your actual patterns of behavior in work and social interactions, not what you believe your traits are.

Note: Some people adapt their personalities in order to fit into social or working situations and may have an opposite personality from the traits that they often exhibit.

What is your motivation for choosing self-employment?
Using a single sentence, describe why you want to be your own boss.

What is your history with money?
Your money history includes your family's relationship with financial issues, the messages you learned as a child, and your pattern of behavior and attitude toward money as an adult, which may be reflected in your current credit history.

Summarize your answer in two or three short sentences.

Socio-economic factors, like the state of the economy, the ability to borrow money, or to easily relocate have an impact on the number of people who pursue entrepreneurship each year, but many aspiring entrepreneurs ignore national economic trends in pursuit of their dreams. Those who succeed keep their risks low, and instinctively review their personal development homework beforehand.

What other issues are standing in your way?

 

Dee Adams is the author of Finding Your Niche: Discover a Profitable Idea for a Business at Home—or Elsewhere, and a new online class. For free excerpts, visit her blog at http://www.nichecreativity.com.

6 Tips for Reinventing Your Career

By Ruchira Agrawal

The times we live in today are very different from just 10 years ago. Job security and staying in the same career for your entire life are almost a thing of the past. Most people will change careers between 5-7 times in their lifetime according to recent studies.

Why would someone want to change or reinvent their career?

1. Losing enthusiasm for the work – After you spend a number of years working in one field, you begin to feel a loss of connection with your work. This sometimes happens with high-achievers
2. Need for personal fulfillment – Your work just doesn't feed your soul; it doesn't bring any fulfillment or satisfaction. You may be good at it but it doesn’t align with who you are. This mostly happens around mid-life for people.
3. Personal aspirations aren't aligned with work anymore – People grow and change and so do their desires, goals and aspirations. Ten years ago, perhaps something else was important and now your needs have changed. Work can then starts to become a barrier rather than providing fulfillment.
4. Circumstances – Perhaps the industry you were involved is stagnating or even dying. Or you have crossed a certain age and jobs are tough to come by. Circumstances such as these may also put somebody in a position where they think about reinventing their career.

Reinventing your career is really about your personal journey of self-discovery. Whatever your reason for wanting to make a change, the desire to do it must come from within. The desire to take charge of your career and life should be there as well.

Here are 6 important steps to bear in mind that will give you a head start:

An open mind – An open mind–like a blank slate with no pre-conceived notion of what you can or cannot do–serves very well as you look for a career that's new and different. Explore your options by reading about them and talking to people, try to just absorb everything instead of judging things right away. Don't be afraid of the "New". This will help you expand your mindset.

What will I be when I grow up – If you had a childhood dream, something that you always wanted to do and couldn't, this is a time to connect with it.

Passion, abilities, needs and values – Often running our lives on auto-pilot, we forget what our interests are, and this is a great time to remember them. What really grabs your interest? The best way to reinvent your career is to first discover what you really want to do and then excel in it by becoming good at it. Pay attention to everyday things and events however miniscule they may seem–your answer may be hidden there. Do people come to you for advice automatically? Are you good at organizing things neatly and effectively and love working with people? There could be things you are already doing and enjoying, but you may not have paid attention.

Don't forget to use your intuition – Your intuition is such a versatile tool and it can be easily used in both personal and professional situations. As you are trying to look for answers, let your instincts guide you.

Applying the same discipline as your corporate job – Once you've identified what you would like to do, start learning so you can move into it. Don't be afraid to take courses or get help from experts in the industry. Speak to those who have already blazed the trail before you.

Fear is not your friend – Once you've identified your likely choices, then it's time to take action. This can be frightening and often makes people freeze and stay in one place. You have to identify your fears – failure, the unknown, and so forth, and realize that they are not realistic. It's true that there is no guarantee for the future but that shouldn't stop you from taking forward steps.

Change and reinvention should be an exciting prospect as you are looking towards your bright future.

 

Ruchira Agrawal is a Personal and Professional development Coach, Mindset and Intuition expert, Author, CEO of InnerVeda Communications. She works with individuals who are at a life and career crossroads looking to change careers discover their Right work. Her eBook- Before You Launch Your Business: How to decide if being an Entrepreneur is for you is available at Amazon’s Kindle store. For her coaching programs and services, please visit her website: www.innerveda.com.

BRANDED - in the Right Way

By Jessica Pierce

Branded – is that a good word?

In today's job market, it absolutely is, as long as you have done it right! When you think about your brand, what comes to mind? Is it your look, your expertise, your energy… or maybe your mind is completely blank.

It's time to make sure you have a stellar brand. Companies want to hire people who know who they are, know what impact they can have and know their own expertise.

The first step in having a stellar brand is knowing the answers to these 3 questions.

    * Do you know who you are?
    * Do you know what impact you can have on a company?
    * Do you know your expertise?

After you know the answer to these questions, take an inventory of your first impressions. Take a look at the way you dress. Does it portray the way you want people to see you? While you are in career transition, every encounter is a possible networking opportunity so dress the part!

The next area of developing a high-caliber brand is to make sure your marketing collateral is professional and portrays your identified brand. Take an inventory of the below items. Are they complete? Do they adequately portray you?

    * Resume
    * Interview Portfolio
    * Social Media (LinkedIn, Twitter, Blogging, Online Resume)

The last step in branding yourself is the way you showcase it when networking. Does your brand come through? Do people know who you are and what you do? When you are networking, you must make sure you are building relationships instead of just handing out business cards. Building relationships is the way people really get to know you. They will remember you for your commonalities, and then your brand will shine through.

People don't remember words, they remember brands. It is important, and it will continue to be important. Job seekers that land are no longer exempt from the ongoing networking outside of their current company. All professionals must continue to network and brand themselves to keep current and active in the job market.

Praying for your landing into the career of your dreams!!!

 

Jessica Pierce is Career Transition Speaker, Trainer and Consultant. She is also the Executive Director of Career Connectors, a community program connecting real people with real careers who have helped over 4000 job seekers in the last 2 years.

Research is Key: 7 Questions to Answer Before Applying to Any Company

By Joanna Riley Weidenmiller

Let's face it: the job market is tough. There are too few jobs for too many qualified people. Simply being able to do a job and fill out an application doesn't cut it anymore. Job seekers need to reevaluate their "get hired" strategy and becoming a world-class job search researcher is a great way to start.

Research tells an employer that the applicant actually cares about a specific position at a specific company. It's one way a job seeker can tell a potential employer that not only are they capable, but they are motivated, resourceful, and smart.

Here are seven key questions any job applicant should answer before submitting an application, resume, or one-page job proposal:

What is this company?

This seems like a silly question. However, in tough times, desperate job seekers are known to "carpet bomb" employers with applications without a second thought about the various companies they're applying to. Visit the company website and learn about the company's mission statement, foundation, executive staff, and most importantly, the products or services provided.

What kind of customers does this company deal with?

Learn about the products or services the company offers and who buys it. If you're hired, these are the people you will be dealing with on a daily basis. Look up customer reviews about the company and see where the problems are. This will also give you something to talk about in your application and interview.

Who are their competitors?

Figure out who the top-notch competitors are. What are the competitors doing similarly and differently? Is there something that the competitors are doing that this company is falling short? You might find that the competitor is a better company to apply to.

What makes this company special?

Google the company to see what other people are saying. How is it doing financially now and over the years? How does it stand out in the marketplace? Look up professional and customer reviews of products and services provided.

What are the employees like?

How big is the company? If you are hired, will you be a one-person department or on a large team? Most importantly, do they enjoy working for the company? Check out LinkedIn and Facebook to find current and former employees to contact. You’d be surprised to learn the dirty truth about your "dream" company.

What are some of the skill/experience gaps within the department that I can fill?

Obviously, if they're hiring, there's a gap that needs to be filled. However, chances are, your company in question doesn't realize exactly which skills, experience, and ideas they need. Beyond matching the job description, ensure that you match that gap.

Who would hire me?

One great way to ensure that an employer won't hire you is to make sure not to know their name. While "to whom it may concern" is a polite alternative to writing a name, it screams generic and doesn't stand out. Most hiring manager's names are easily accessible on LinkedIn, the job posting, or the company website. Go a step further and do some light research on them, you'll have a better idea of who you're meeting.

What other questions should job seekers answer before applying?

 

Joanna Riley Weidenmiller is the CEO of The One-Page Company and is responsible for executing the company’s strategic development plan. Prior to launching One-Page, Joanna was the CEO of Performance Advertising. Joanna earned her B.A. in foreign affairs from the University of Virginia and lives between Beijing, China, and San Francisco. For more information about Joanna and the rest of the 1-Page team, click here.