Brie Hobbs

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Brie Hobbs

The Unexpected Detail that can Kill a Job Opportunity in One Second or Less

By Brie Hobbs on Tuesday, January 12, 2010

You’ve crossed the “t’s,” dotted the “i’s,” precisely followed all the do’s and don’ts, and your professional résumé is now a testament to your abilities, strengths, and experience. You’re certain your résumé is the shining example that all other résumés should imitate. Still dizzy with the pride of your feat and the vision of job offers sure to come, you quickly complete an online job application and submit your piéce de résistance.

Moments later, in an e-mail inbox far, far away, a hiring manager deletes your submitted résumé before the Outlook e-mail alert fades from their computer screen. With one glance, they’ve eliminated your carefully prepared résumé and the possibility of your employment. So, what went wrong?

While it takes them only 20 seconds to review a résumé, an inappropriate e-mail address that does not reflect professionalism can end a job opportunity in a split second. A clever, witty, funny, silly, or even flirty e-mail address on a job application or résumé submitted online or in person is often perceived as unprofessional. But in a digital age, your résumé is a potential employer’s first impression. And, first impressions are notoriously difficult to change. Hiring managers spend an average of only 20 seconds reviewing a résumé before they choose to discard it or keep it for further review. Your e-mail address is a reflection of you. Your résumé may never make it out of the inbox if it looks like spam. So, it’s important to have a professional e-mail address when applying for a job. If possible, choose an e-mail address that contains your name, like john.smith@emailaddress.com.

Maybe you’ve had your clever e-mail address since the days when AOL still announced “You’ve Got Mail.” Maybe it took days upon days to come up with that address and you’re loathe to part with it. If that’s the case, keep your clever e-mail for personal communication and open a professional one for your job search. You can even have your e-mails forwarded to your preferred address. Is it worth risking a job opportunity for the sake of a clever e-mail address?

No detail is too small to overlook on your résumé. So, make sure your e-mail address is appropriate and professional when applying for a job.

At Work Cube Life The Daily Grind

Even the Best Job Has Its Bad Days

By Brie Hobbs on Friday, January 8, 2010

Last year, Ben Southall beat out 34,000 other applicants in a competition for the “best job in the world.” The job was a six month assignment to explore and blog about the Great Barrier Reef Island off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia while earning a cool six figure sum.

Since July, Southall has been hard at work living in paradise, strolling the beaches, exploring the wonders of the sea, scuba diving, surfing, sailing, and having breakfast with koalas. But, last week while on the job, he was stung by a Irukandji jellyfish, proving that every job – even the very best job – has its ups and downs.

Found mostly near Austrailia, Irukandji jellyfish are miniscule to the human eye but extremely venomous. Despite their size, they pack a powerful and sometimes even fatal punch. Fortunately, Southhall has fully recovered from his injury and is back on the beach for another day at the office.

Whether you’re being stung by a venomous jellyfish, dealing with an annoying coworker, being buried under a load of paperwork, or having to let someone go, every job has its bad days. These days are not a lot of fun, but they are an opportunity to learn, develop, and grow personally and professionally.

Dealing professionally with an annoying coworker can teach you how to respond tactfully in difficult situations – a must for developing management skills. Tackling the paperwork that is stacking up can help you learn to prioritize, and manage your tasks and time. And, if you’re paying close attention, it can even teach you when to ask for help or direction. A dangerous jellyfish sting taught Southhall to always wear a stinger suit when in the Australia waters.

The bad days can help prepare you for future obstacles and challenges. They can force you to diagnose inefficient areas in your work processes to adjust and avoid future pain. Bad days help you recognize and appreciate the good ones. After all, what would good days be without bad ones to compare them to? So, the next time you’re faced with a bad day or even a number of bad days, take a deep breath, and focus on what you can gain from it.

Resumes and Cover Letters The Job Search

Give Back and Add Holiday Cheer to Your Résumé

By Brie Hobbs on Monday, December 14, 2009

If you’re looking for a job this holiday season, now is the perfect time to spruce up your résumé with community involvement. A résumé that illustrates activity and involvement outside work demonstrates a well-rounded individual with a diverse range of skills, talents, and background. All of these characteristics could help you stand out like a brightly lit Christmas tree in your next interview.

Community involvement not only establishes your character, work ethic, and abilities, it also shows a potential employer you’re worth investing in, that you have history, interest, attachment, loyalty, and care within and for your community. Traits that also translate to a good employee. As an added bonus, volunteering for a local charity or at an event is a great way to network and give back. And what better time to start giving back and brightening your résumé than in the season of giving?

Not sure where to start? Begin with your passions and interests. If you are a runner, consider organizing or volunteering for a local Santa run. If you like working with children, get involved with your local children’s hospital or an organization like Toys for Tots. An energetic and outgoing individual who isn’t afraid to bust out an a cappella carol is everyone’s favorite Salvation Army bell ringer.

The sky’s the limit, so start with something you enjoy and care about. It’s a great way to make someone’s day brighter, and make your résumé shine like tinsel.

Job Interviews Resumes and Cover Letters The Daily Grind The Job Search Work/Life Balance

The Difference a Day Makes

By Brie Hobbs on Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Today’s my birthday. It’s not a milestone birthday like sweet 16, 21, or the hill surpassing 50. It’s just a regular, somewhere-in-the-middle birthday. In fact, it seems fairly insignificant as far as birthday’s go, but to tell the truth, I’m a little sad to see the additional candle on the cake.

I’m not worried about getting older. I’m old enough to know that aging is a natural part of life, and much preferred to the alternative, as the Curious Case of Benjamin Button so strongly convinced me. I just thought I would be a little further along when I got here. I thought I’d be a little more grown-up for this “somewhere-in-the-middle” grown-up age.

Have you ever gotten somewhere only to find your destination did not meet your expectations? Maybe the endless opportunities you expected to greet you after college aren’t quite so infinite. Maybe you thought you’d have a different job, a different title, or an entirely different career. Maybe this year, instead of retiring off your 401(k), you’re faced with rebuilding it. Maybe you’ve discovered that being your own boss is more overwhelming than freeing.

Life is rarely everything we expect it to be. It’s unpredictable and changing. It has turns, twists, and forks in the most unexpected places. While we can’t foresee the outcome of our future, or even the outcome of tomorrow, we can take steps and choose paths that shape and change our lives.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best thing about the future is that it only comes one day at a time.” So, if today you’ve found yourself somewhere unexpected, or a little off course, take it in stride, and start changing your life one day at a time. Don’t wait for the beginning of a new year, or a milestone birthday, start today.

Start small. If you’re looking for a job, send out one more résumé today than you did yesterday, write one more thank-you note to a potential employer, or call one more contact for a possible job opportunity. If you’re rebuilding your savings or 401(k), begin by forgoing your daily Starbucks stop or canceling your cable. If you’re an overwhelmed entrepreneur, use temporary staffing to help lighten your workload, simplify a process, or take a well-deserved day to just clear your head.

Today’s a new day. Every passing moment your present meets your future. So, make each day count, and it will make all the difference. You may not be able to predict your future, but you can certainly shape it.

Dress for Success Job Interviews Resumes and Cover Letters The Job Search

3 Risky Job Search Tactics

By Brie Hobbs on Wednesday, October 7, 2009

With the national unemployment rate reaching 9.8% in September, competition in the job market feels fiercer than high school cheerleading tryouts. With all that opposition, it’s important to stand out from the crowd. But, standing too far out can be risky business. So, before you resort to a showy song and dance routine (unless of course your next interview is on Broadway, in which case, break a leg) or any of these three job search tactics, make sure you weigh the risks so you don’t set yourself too far apart in your next interview and risk losing the job.

1. The unconventional résumé. Non-traditional résumés like website portfolios, podcasts and video résumés might be the wave of the future, but not every business or industry is suited for them. So, whatever résumé form you choose to submit, make sure it’s smart, relevant, and effective with your industry and audience when you interview. If you do use an unconventional résumé, consider pairing it with a traditional one for more conservative fields.

2. The statement wardrobe choice. First impressions are made within three to five seconds, so what you wear says a lot about who you are. A Lady Gaga-sense of style may win you rave reviews at fashion week, but professional dress is more appropriate for most interviews (unless you’re applying for a job as a stylist). While you should always be yourself, be a toned-down version of you in the interview, especially if you’re the type to rock fuchsia pumps or a yellow bow tie. Before your interview, learn about the company culture and atmosphere to determine how you should dress.

3. The overly confident boaster. Confidence allows potential employers to see your ability, enthusiasm, and drive. It’s important to present your past experiences and accomplishments with assurance. But, when you discuss your successes and achievements, be sure to give specific and quantifiable examples. And, back your examples with solid references who will do the talking for you. You run the risk of seeming pretentious and arrogant if you give only vague statements of your triumphs.

When you’re looking for a job, consider each risk carefully. Of course you need to stand out, but in the right way. Be brave by being you in a way that demonstrates your skills, attitude, and character. A sincere job applicant can be the diamond in the rough that employers are looking for.

At Work Career Advancement Job Interviews The Job Search Workplace Relationships

The Mixed Signals Affecting Your Career

By Brie Hobbs on Thursday, September 24, 2009

We live in a world of perpetual communication. On average, men use more than 13,000 words a day and women use nearly three times that amount. We also send and receive information through nonverbal messages such as our body language, posture, facial expressions, gestures, and eye contact. Appearance, style of speech, and voice inflection can further communicate information to others. We communicate at work, at home, in social settings, through social media sites like Twitter and Facebook, through e-mail, blogs, instant messaging, phones, and more, all at an ever quickening pace.

What’s Your Message Saying?

We have a million things to say, and a million ways to say it, but with all that communication, the signals we send can get mixed. Sending mixed signals is sometimes unavoidable and is almost always done subconsciously, but could your mixed signals be hurting your career? What you convey verbally and nonverbally, and how you convey it can affect the way employers and co-workers perceive you. If you’re waiting on a promotion, worrying that you’re striking out during a job interview, or feeling misunderstood at work, it could be that you’re sending the wrong messages.

Understanding Misunderstandings

Misinterpretation is inevitable. Maybe your co-workers interpret your tendency to be introverted as you being cold or standoffish instead of just shy. Perhaps your enthusiasm, excitement, and passion at work make others feel overwhelmed or intimated. A relaxed personality can be interpreted as a lack of drive or just laziness. In your career and in life, it’s imperative to be aware of what you’re communicating and how that communication is received. To know what you’re communicating, you have to see yourself as others see you.

Know Thy Communication Pitfalls

Thomas Fuller once said, “No man is the worst for knowing the worst of himself.” So, while it may be uncomfortable, even a little painful, to learn you have a habit of talking over people and it’s driving your co-workers insane, or that your focused eye contact frightens the administrative assistant until she avoids you like she would a basilisk, knowing you have a disconnect in communication is half the battle. Soliciting feedback from others can equip you with the information you need to communicate more effectively. So ask a co-worker, mentor, respected leader, friend, or even the employer who choose not to hire you to provide feedback on the messages you send, and use that information to adapt your communication styles so you can be more clearly understood. You never know, what may seem like a small change could make all the difference. Maybe your next interview will be a home run, the next promotion a sure thing, or at the very least, maybe that administrative assistant won’t cower in fear from your death stare every time you enter the room.

Career Advancement The Daily Grind The Job Search Work/Life Balance

Is Your Dream Job Taking over Your Real World Expectations

By Brie Hobbs on Thursday, September 17, 2009

As children growing up in the land of opportunity, we’re told to dream big dreams for our future, and we usually do. In a poll conducted by Forbes magazine of children in New York City between the ages of 5 and 12, the most common results for their grown-up dream jobs included superhero, spy, model, firefighter, astronaut, and princess.

While some of us do grow up to be heroes who walk on the moon, fight fires, or gather international intelligence, most of us quickly discover that superhuman abilities are difficult to come by (as are the legs of a model and prince charming, sadly), but we all still pursue that “dream job,” no matter how it changes over time. But what if the dream job you’re pursuing is taking over your real world expectations? Could you be missing out on opportunities, purpose, and gratification in your current position, your job search, or even your future career for the sake of a dream?

For some, the image of becoming one’s own boss who sets their own hours and answers to no one may sound like a dream come true, but successful entrepreneurs dedicate vast amounts of time, finances, drive, and labor to build their business. The eight to five, Monday through Friday work week becomes a forgotten concept as they strive toward their goal. They’re responsible for the welfare of their employees, their family, their business, and the satisfaction of their clients.

Dreams, goals, and visions are imperative to every life, individually and collectively. It is so important to dream big, to have vision, to set goals, to work toward those goals, and achieve new heights, but it’s also important to find knowledge, experience, and value in your current circumstances and to know the realities behind your dreams and what it takes to achieve them. So if you’re dissatisfied at work, find ways to gain knowledge and learn life lessons you can use in every future endeavor. If you’re searching for a new job, consider all your options even if they don’t seem like a straight shot to your dreams. And, if you’re taking steps to achieve your castle in the sky, prepare and plan for the realities and sacrifices that come with it. Relish your weekends, love your life, kiss frogs, be a superhero to your family, and enjoy each and every moment. If you do, you’ll always feel like you’re walking on the moon.