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How To Develop A Good Work/Life Balance

Happy people are more fun to be around, have better relationships, and are more engaged at work. In short, a happy employee is more useful than someone who is stressed. Related: Balancing Your Work Life: What’s Your Ratio? No one said on their death bed, "I wish I had spent more time at the office." However, many people live as if this was true, spending time off answering phone calls and checking e-mails, not detaching from work entirely. Long term, this can lead to issues such as excessive tiredness, lack of productivity, and disconnection from people. To ensure you make the best of your time at work and home, good work/life balance ideas include:

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Hitting The Hidden Job Market: Get A Job When There Aren't Any

It’s gets pretty depressing when you have sent off your thousandth CV through a job board and receive the incredibly overused reply, “We were swamped with millions of applications for the role of Rocket Engineer." However, help is at hand! It’s estimated that only 25% of vacant jobs are advertised on the Internet, in classified ads and through recruiters. The other 75% of available jobs exist in the ‘hidden job market.' To access the ‘hidden job market’ is very easy. You only need to make a list of key companies you would like to work for and approach them directly. On many occasions, when you apply to an employer directly, you are demonstrating the exact set of skills an employer is seeking. Mike Marr, Group General Manager of Advanced Security, believes people who approach his company direct demonstrate initiative. “They are prepared to make an effort to get a job and not just send CVs via the Internet," he said. "They have taken the opportunity to seek the potential employer out.” Going direct to the ‘hidden job market’ puts the candidate in the driving seat. You scan the employment market – rather than the job market – and directly approach firms you want to work for. This takes initiative and determination, but it is often worth the effort. While it seems hard work, when you enter the hidden job market, you may also discover that you are the only candidate who is considered for an opportunity. This leaves the field wide open for those who are prepared to put in a little more extra effort.

Watch This Webinar!

Are you ready to get a job? In this engaging webinar, we will delve further into marketing and selling yourself professionally. Do this right, and you will see a real upswing in your application/interview rate! Join us for this special presentation on selling yourself to employers. Presenter: Tom O'Neil, international author, award winning motivational speaker and regular contributor in personal and career achievement. Cost: Free!   WATCH NOW ►   Photo Credit: Shutterstock  

About The Presenter

Featured in the Economist and Harvard Business Review, Tom O’Neil is an international author, award winning motivational speaker and regular contributor in personal and career achievement. He is international author of both the ‘1% Principle’ and ‘Selling Yourself to Employers’, and is also an international contributor (2008 – 2014) to the world’s best-selling personal development guide ‘What Color is Your Parachute?’    

The Importance Of ‘Mirroring’ In Your Cover Letter

When a company advertises a job vacancy, they are effectively saying, “We don’t have someone to do this role — we have a problem!” What is vital is for you to achieve in both your resume and cover letter is the impression that you are the solution. As well as a professional CV, your will need a targeted cover letter. Related: 7 Cover Letter Mistakes You Make When Applying Via E-mail A recruitment colleague of mine recently completed an analysis of the quality of cover letters sent to his consultancy. Out of every 100 candidates, on average:
  • 73% of applicants supplied no cover letter or a brief introduction in the email of one to two lines
  • 16% supplied poor quality cover letters with spelling mistakes and highlighting no relevance to the specific role being advertised
  • 11% provided a professional cover letter highlighting the key aspects from the advertisement and their relevance to the appointment
Therefore, by just creating a professional cover letter, you can immediately position yourself in the top 11% of candidate’s right from the start. This is where “mirroring” the job description is pivotal. In most job advertisements and position descriptions, there is a section highlighting specific characteristics and skills that would be effective in the position. Read through the documentation and summarize what the ideal person would look like. Write your cover letter that shows how your skills, achievements, qualifications and experiences can meet these requirements. Use the keywords in the job description to make sure the parallels are obvious even to someone hurriedly skimming your resume. To be effective in a world of global recruitment, create a “brochure” that sells your skills and makes it clear to hiring managers that you are the solution to their problem.

Watch This Webinar!

Are you ready to get a job? In this engaging webinar, we will delve further into marketing and selling yourself professionally. Do this right, and you will see a real upswing in your application/interview rate! Join us for this special presentation on selling yourself to employers. Presenter: Tom O'Neil, international author, award winning motivational speaker and regular contributor in personal and career achievement. Cost: Free!   WATCH NOW ►   Photo Credit: Shutterstock  

About The Presenter

Featured in the Economist and Harvard Business Review, Tom O’Neil is an international author, award winning motivational speaker and regular contributor in personal and career achievement. He is international author of both the ‘1% Principle’ and ‘Selling Yourself to Employers’, and is also an international contributor (2008 – 2014) to the world’s best-selling personal development guide ‘What Color is Your Parachute?’    

WEBINAR: Selling Yourself To Employers

Sitting down to write your resume, the questions start popping into your mind. How many pages should it be? What format is best? Do you send it in MS Word or as a PDF? Remember the central purpose of your resume —to “sell” you and your skills to the role in question. Imagine if the world’s best golfer wrote their resume stating: Occupation: Golfer Responsibilities: Hit ball Hit ball again Tap ball lightly Tap ball into hole This would not sell them to potential employers! It does not demonstrate their value or achievements. In the same way, your resume must highlight your achievements, not just your responsibilities in your most recent roles. The good news is that defining your achievements is not as difficult as it sounds. Think about specific instances where you made a difference to your organization, and make it clear to the reader. Examples include:

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