Posted on

Highlands – Data – Resume’

How important is data on a resume’?  It’s a question people do not ask themselves often enough when creating or updating their resume’.    Think about it.  If the average hiring agent spends less than 6 seconds scanning a resume’, what catches their eye?  What creates meaningful impressions to move you forward in the process?  

  • Data is king and can provide power for how you communicate and substantiate information.

Back in 2008 when the stock market tanked and millions were left without jobs, hundreds and even thousands were applying for the same jobs.  It became prevalent to embellish a resume’ with non-factual information.  Anything to get a foot in the door.   It backfired on thousands of people. 

  • Authenticity is the name of the game today and understanding yourself and how you fit with a company is vital.

Regardless of whether there is a pandemic, market crunch, or any other influencing factor on the employment rate, a factual and well communicated resume’ wins the game.  So how do you influence your chances to win the game?  Use your data.

First, for those of you who have taken a Highlands Ability Battery, your profile has key information for you based on the job you are applying for and specifics in the posting for that position.  Matching your data to a company’s needs and verbalizing that in a Summary Statement can power you ahead in the applicant pool.  Using that information in an interview can demonstrate your ability to understand self, working with others, the mission of a company, and relate it directly to outcomes.  Boom!

Second, review your resume’ and consider any of the bullet points you have identified and whether there is a relevant number associated with that responsibility?  If so, include it!  Including numbers in your resume’ helps guide the eye of the hiring agent and it provides a data point for which they can verify your performance both with you and potentially with a reference check. 

Third, have someone else review your resume’ before you send it.  Yes, you can spell check on the computer, but does the information make sense?  Always have a second set of eyes look it over before you jump into the pool!

Need more resume’ help or want to take a Highlands Ability Battery? Contact me.

Posted on

Gifts

Christmas, Hanukkah, birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, there are so many opportunities for giving and receiving gifts.  But we also carry gifts with us all the time.  You might think of them as talent and readily see them in other people.  The reality is, everyone has talents or gifts but not everyone has discovered them.  In fact, it’s not unusual to believe that we have only one talent.  Again, the reality is we have multiple talents. 

For superstars, it’s not hard for us to identify their singing, athletic, or cooking stardom.  Listen to a great speaker and their talent is immediately on display.  Become engrossed in a talented actor’s character portrayal and their gifts are revealed.  Even the confidence we get from a visit to our doctor is in part due to our assessment of their talents, and certainly when we run our hand over a beautiful crafted piece of wood we can feel the result of an individual’s talent. 

Sometimes talents or gifts are the art of problem solving, leading groups, speaking in public, working with one’s hands, mediating opposing sides, the list is endless.  So how do people discover their gifts?  Why do some people struggle to find theirs?  The truth is, it’s kind of like snowflakes, we’re all different and we discover those gifts differently and therein lies part of the beauty of our diversity.  But when you are struggling to find your path and your gifts remain a puzzle it is hard to embrace that diversity.

The Highlands Ability Battery can be a game changer.  As an assessment, its purpose is to identify and shine light on an individual’s abilities and provide understanding as to how those connect and ultimately tap into the natural gifts.  It also provides a network of understanding how a path chosen today may evolve into another path 10 years from now based on work force changes, natural abilities and a changing individual.  After all, who we are at 22 is not who we are at 52.  Our skills evolve, interests change, and opportunities present themselves based on where we are, who we know and how we’ve grown. 

Struggling to find your purpose, your gifts, your path?  Want to know more?  You can visit the Highlands Company website here or reach out to me at my website here to learn more.  After all, knowledge is power. 

It’s a beautiful time of year to celebrate your gifts!

Posted on

Scary Times II

In October 2011 I posted a Blog titled Scary Times.  It was a play on Halloween and the issues facing seniors in high school as they navigated the world of changes ahead…college, work, sports.  Issues that were relevant. Perhaps scary, but also exciting.  Fast forward to today, Scary Times II.

Scary Times II is certainly not aligned with Halloween this time, and it is not targeting seniors in high school.  It targets everyone.  Those in high school as a sophomore or older, college students, and those in the work world already.  COVID-19 has made our world a very different place.  As a result, it has caused all of us to rethink how we interact with each other,  how we address learning, and how we continue in the world of work.  Yes, it is scary.

But, Scary Times can encourage us to spend time reflecting, to engage, educate and empower ourselves to move beyond where we were and into something more.  Who    are    YOU?  Are you an Extrovert?  Do you need diversity in your work, interactions with others, and a common goal?  Are you an Introvert? Need more time to yourself for reflection and recharging?  Are you diagnostic, analytic, experiential or consultative in your Problem Solving style?  How does that fit in your world of work?  If you are not sure, maybe it’s time to find out the answers to these and lots more questions that can guide you in your next steps.

The world of work is changing more rapidly that anyone expected.  Will you be ready?  Now is the time to take a Highlands Ability Battery and find out your Best Fit opportunities.

 

Posted on

Power in Your Dreams

Did you dream of being a fireman, football player, or a teacher?

Who asked you what you want to be when you grow up? What is “Grown Up”?

Did you ask yourself?

Do you still have that dream? What’s next?

There is POWER in your dreams. I’m talking about the dreams in your heart. When you think about what you want in your life and how you are going to get there. What is it that makes you excited?

Dreams motivate us forward, keep us from being “stuck”, and at times propel us in directions we may never have imagined. But dreams have to be backed up with action. Sometimes those dreams are not clear and require action like peeling an onion, exploring multiple layers. And sometimes, when dreams are realized or achieved, we find ourselves asking “Now what?”

Dreams keep us engaged in life. Whether it is a dream about a career, a dream to travel somewhere on a bucket list, meet someone you hold in great regard, skydive, climb a mountain, sit on a beach, write a book, start a business…….dreams keep us engaged. That drive within a dream is the power that keeps us going.

Where is your power? What is your dream? What’s next?

 Love what you do!