Believing in yourself is the key factor to creating an environment in your daily life where you can flourish both personally and professionally. When you believe in yourself, your skill set, abilities and self-confidence level will know no bounds. Individuals who believe in themselves have an innate comprehension of the value that they have to offer others in their world. As you continue to move in this “self-belief”, you will grow and develop as a person. In turn, your self-confidence level will enable you to accomplish great things. The more you achieve in your life, the more risks you will take—thus increasing your rewards. This article will address several factors involved in how you can start believing in yourself.
Evaluate Your Abilities & Skill set
The first step involves evaluating who you are as a person in regard to your abilities and skill set. You may never have taken an in-depth look at what you can do and the value you bring to the workplace. As you evaluate your accomplishments, take a look at what abilities and skills brought you to a place of success. You may even discover some hidden talents that you didn’t know you had. After you make a list of your abilities and skills, review each one and own them. You will feel more empowered and receive a boost to your self-confidence level.
Accept Who You Are as an Individual
After step one, your self-confidence level should have risen. Now it is time to begin to accept who you are as an individual. If you cannot accept yourself—as they say, warts and all—you will not be able to fully believe in yourself and achieve your optimal level of success.
Not accepting yourself means that you are rejecting some aspect of your personality, physical appearance or skills and abilities. Much of our self-confidence level (whether high or low) has been developed through our formative years as young children and adolescents. Focus on your positive attributes and learn to accept who you are, making improvements on any negative aspects of your personality or behaviors.
Cultivate a Positive Environment
This step begins with adjusting your perspective so that you focus on the positive areas of your current life situation rather than continuing to focus on the negative aspects. Cultivating a positive mental outlook impacts your daily personal and professional environment. Additionally, you can cultivate this positive environment and begin to believe in yourself by inviting encouragers into your inner circle. For example, don’t spend too much time with negative people. Surrounding yourself with outside negativity will negatively impact your efforts to cultivate a positive environment in your life.
Challenge Yourself Each Day
If you do not continually challenge yourself to become a better person, it will be easy to fall back into negative thought patterns—and then stop believing in yourself. The first part of this step involves challenging yourself each day. For example, seek out opportunities each day where you can grow and develop as a person, both in your personal and professional life. Speak to your manager with regard to your desire to grow and develop in the workplace. Ask to become part of new projects that will challenge you to better yourself. Additionally, continue to cultivate an appetite for learning, whether by attending continuing education classes, reading self-development books or learning from other individuals.
Become Your Own Person
This final step involves setting goals and personal expectations. When you set goals, you are more liable to actually achieve them, than if you hadn’t set any in the first place. Start small with immediate goals, such as beginning to implement the first two steps discussed in this article. Write down your short-term and long-term goals as well. Additionally, evaluate your personal expectations throughout this process.
Remember that you do not have to live up to anyone else’s expectations for your life. Be confident in who you are, your goals and expectations. Finally, do not compare yourself to other people as you journey through this process. Comparing yourself to others will only serve to derail you from your goals. You can only measure yourself against your own goals and expectations.
Source : http://www.careeraddict.com
CV Writing Tips
By Kennedy Okoth,
When reviewing applications for a particular position, the employer will give precedence to the CV’s that have similar requirements with the task that accompany the position.
Therefore, it is important for an applicant to review the requirements of a position listed under the “Job Description” and try as much as possible to match them.
When doing that, here are some of the key areas to pay attention to.
1. State The Position You Are Applying For.
When making a new application, make sure your objectives are in line with the job. This means that it must indicate the position you are applying for. For example, I am seeking an entry level position as an Accountant.
2. Be Truthful In Your Application.
As bad as you would want a particular job, fabricating the truth will not get you the position as this would be discovered sooner. Make sure to state only the facts in your application. For example, you should not state skills that you do not have.
3. Do Not Apply For Positions that You Are Not Qualified For.
Most applicants always tend to apply for positions they are under-qualified to hold. This should be avoided as it will only serve to discourage you lower your self esteem from the lack of responses.
4. Make Sure You Meet At Least 80% Of The Requirements.
According to Justus, an Account Recruitment Manager at Corporate Staffing Services, it is advisable that you match at least 80% of the requirements in the job descriptions with the ones you have.
“This increases your chances of you being shortlisted,” he says.
Once one pays attention to this areas, it makes it easier for him/ her to secure their desired positions and ease the bustle of job hunting.
By Loreen Mwangi
One job opening receives numerous job applications. Therefore being called for an interview is exhilarating and most people tend to oversell themselves. This comes off as being desperate and may not work well with Hiring managers. There is a thin line between selling yourself and over selling yourself.
How not to “oversell” yourself
It is important to take a balanced approach when you market your skills, so that you create a confident and composed attitude. Hide your desperateness and present your skills in a professional way.
It is reasonable to show that you are optimistic for the future and highlighting why you find that position fitting for your career progression.
However, avoid using terms that describe your previous duties as unbalanced or unrealistic. Find a way of describing your experience without giving exaggerated points that may make the interviewer doubt you.
Keep your points short and precise. Don’t make up stories to prove how competent you are. Your skills and experience is enough to market yourself, don’t go overboard with false stories.
It is understandable that the fear of failing in an interview can make someone terrified. Instead of keeping your mind focused on losing the job to another candidate, focus on being exceptional, make the most of your skills.
Composure goes a long way in keeping your confidence during the interview. Being confident in an interview helps you maintain a balance when answering the questions.
You will be able to respond well without coming off as needy. Another way hiring managers can detect a desperate candidate is if you agree with everything they say. Impressing the panel is always the intention of every candidate.
But, being agreeable even when you have a second opinion is not a good sign. Employers need people who are critical thinkers, not just doers.
Voice your opinion if you disagree with something, as long as you do it in the right manner. Don’t be harsh, inconsiderate or rude.
Lastly, don’t be quick to make decisions. If starting the job in one week does not work with you, then make a point of telling them.
Don’t commit knowing you will not be available by the time they need you to report to work. Again, be reasonable, don’t tell them you’ll be available after 2 months, when you know they seek to hire immediately or after 2 weeks.
By Loreen Mwangi
If you are like me, then you can relate to the many times you’ve applied for a job you have no experience in. Most people, especially, fresh graduates apply for jobs they are under qualified or plainly unqualified for.
Most young people have limited or no experience when it comes to specific job duties. Lack of experience is a challenge considering employers seek only to hire people who have the understanding and knowledge of an industry.
However, it’s not hard to remove the under qualified tag and make the most of the transferable skills you have.
How To Apply For A Job You Are Not Qualified For
Justus Ngetich, a Recruitment Account Manager at Corporate Staffing Services, gives an insight on how to apply for a job you are not qualified for.
“ You might not always have the qualifications required, but make sure you possess certain skill sets that the job requires. Such sought after skills are: great interpersonal skills, team work, hard working and, leadership skills.
Write down your transferable skills on your CV. In terms of the cover letter, explain how your skills fit the position you are applying and how those skills make you a valuable asset to the company.”
Justus continues to explain the importance of listing unpaid experience that you possess. Internships or volunteer work are some of the areas you can get such exposure. Some companies have great internship programs where individuals can better their skills and learn more about the industry.
When you are new to the job market, internships offer you the best experience you can present to an employer.
Lastly, Justus points out the value of applying for management trainee programs. Most big companies have such programs that offer young people the exposure and training than can be applied in the job market.
Make a difference in how you make your applications.
Lack of experience should not discourage you from applying for jobs, on the other hand, it should motivate you to find available avenues to better your skills.
By Kennedy Okoth
“I just graduated from campus and don’t know how to express my capability when writing my CV, how should I go about it?” Asks Penina Njeri.
This is one of the challenges that face most graduates once they are done with their college education and are seeking for employment.
Here are some tips to guide you in structuring your CV at this level.
CV Writing Tips for Graduates in Kenya
1. Lean Towards A Simpler CV Version.
“At this level, it is advised to keep your CV simple, since you do not have the experience yet,” says Mellodee, a professional CV writer at Corporate staffing. In this case, they will be putting emphasis on their other outstanding qualities.
2. State A Clear Objective.
When stating your objective, make it simple and direct. Since you are aspiring to start your career state what you want to do or why you are applying. For example, “Seeking an entry level position in accounting.”
3. Include your Internship Experience
That three month attachment period in your second or third year in college is not insignificant, on the contrary, it means a lot in selling yourself. It might be short but it served to expose you to the industry you want to join
4. Highlight Your Educational Qualifications.
Highlight on your qualifications and in cases of exemplary performance, make sure you include it. This may be in the form of honors in your performance.
5. Extracurricular Activities.
During your stint in college, there are certain activities that are of additional value in as far as your CV and career goals are concerned. That AISEC role you held, that Red Cross activity you participated in, that CIPA role you played all add value to your CV.
Remember to structure all this in line with the career you are applying for. Do not highlight on any achievement, skill, or activity that does not relate to the Job you are applying for.
4 Tips To Get Promotion Faster
By Kennedy Okoth,
“I have been stuck in my position as a marketing officer for the last four years without any prospects of promotion. What should I do?” Asks James Kariuki via email.
Every employee aims to advance in his/ her career rather than stay stuck in their current positions. But a majority of them always leaves it up to the employers to find it in them to initiate the process.
This should not be the case as employees to can trigger their own promotion process. Here are some of the tips to enable you jump-start your promotion journey.
How To Be Promoted Faster At Work
1. Why Do You Want A Promotion?
As an employee, what drives to towards your desired position? What is the main reason why you need the promotion?
This should not be looked at in the perspective of the package that comes with it, but rather the tasks and responsibilities that accompany the position. Are you up to the challenge to execute these tasks? Look also at the educational qualification associated with it.
2. Network
It is really important that you network with fellow employees, both junior and senior, internally and externally. This will help you know who is who within the organization and field set-up.
3. Raise Your Profile If You Want To Be Promoted
When you are seeking a higher position within a firm, being antisocial does not help your case whatsoever. Socialize with your fellow employees through lunch breaks and other available times. Besides doing this, stepping up to challenges within the firm will also boost your reputation as a potential leader.
4. Boost Your Educational Level
Most employees miss out on promotions simply because they do not have the required qualifications in as far as educational background is concerned. Know the required educational requirements for the position you are applying for and
Remember promotion is not achieved overnight but rather over a period of time with constant effort.
Interview Tips
By Loreen Mwangi
Dealing with a big panel in an interview can be intimidating for anyone, especially if the panel consists of senior managers.
Most people find panel interviews unfair, but with the right preparation, you can be able to handle a big panel without feeling ambushed.
Regardless of how you feel about facing a large panel, most large companies use this strategy to see how candidates react when on the “hot seat”. Also panel interviews help them get the right candidate for the job.
So how do you remain calm and composed when you attend an interview with more than 4 interviewers?
How To Handle A Large Interview Panel
1. Maintain eye contact
When yo u enter the room, greet the interviewers. Sit in a strategic position where you can be able to maintain eye contact with all of them. Visually engage all interviewers.
2. Come prepared
Have several copies of your documents. Give each interviewer a copy of your documents.
Always be prepared for the common but important questions such as “Tell us about yourself, Why should we hire you” and all the other obvious questions.
3. Take notes
When it comes to panel interviews, it is important to remember their names. Writing their names down in a notebook can help ease the tension of having to memorize their names.
Once you become familiar with their names, you can be able to address them individually. This goes a long way in connecting with them and eventually having an engaging conversation with each of them.
4. Always Be Calm In A Panel interview
Each panel member has a different attitude and energy. Try and connect with each of them. Don’t be in a rush to answer a question, use a few seconds to think of the appropriate answer before giving a response. Again, don’t take too long to come up with an answer.
Focus on the person asking the question. Make sure your body language does not indicate any form of nervousness as the rest of the team observes your body language and how you respond to questions.
5. Have a question for each interviewer
At the end of the interview, have a question for each of them. Prepare questions that will help you have a better perspective of the company, their standards and policies.
Avoid looking at your notebook when asking these questions, have them flow naturally in a conversation.
Hope your next interview turns out great!
By Loreen Mwangi
It is unfortunate that most people have had to deal with harsh interviewers during an interview. Some interviewers might be harsh by nature or some might be having a bad day.
Others might be unfriendly simply because they dislike you. This can mess with your confidence and make you highly irritable.
Other interviewers pretend to be rude as a strategy to know how you will deal with different characters in the office. Either way, it is important to be prepared if you come across an interviewer who is rude.
5 Skills To Help You Cope With Rude Interviewers
1. Have Self Control
Despite how harsh the interviewer might be, never let that shake you off balance. Always keep your head high and your confidence in check.
If you are asked a question that you find offensive, don’t react in an aggressive or negative way that might contradict your entire personal profile.
Take breadths in between questions as this will help keep you calm. Try as much as you can to stay in a good mood, even if you have to pretend it.
2. Ignore Their Rudeness
Focus on answering the question and less on their rudeness. Don’t answer questions in a careless manner. Maintain your confidence, even when asked an irrelevant question.
Never get into an argument with them. Remember, you are there for an interview, not to win an argument.
3. Have A Sense Of Humor
Maintain a sense of humor. By doing this, you have the advantage of turning the situation to your benefit. You can change a bad question to your advantage and use it to highlight some of your skills that will add value to the company.
4. Be Attentive To Rude Interviewers
Learn to be attentive to pick on statements that you can use as questions later.
5.Don’t Be Easily Offended
Don’t take their comments personally. Learn how to brush things off.
Always remember that interviewers are just like you and me. Despite their personality and nature, treat them like your friends. Focus more on answering the questions than being distracted or intimidated by them.
With these 5 tips you’ll find it easy to cope when you go for an interview.
By Loreen Mwangi
Almost every office has some politics in it. This can be attributed to conflict of interest and differences in opinions. It all boils down to communication and relationships in the workplace, or lack thereof.
There is no point in being scared of office politics as long as you know the appropriate way to handle it. Learn how to master the art of workplace politics without putting your job on the line.
3 Ways To Deal With Office Politics
1. Avoid Crossing Lines With The Management
Never put yourself at a point where you have to go against someone superior to you. Always remember, you have a choice and you don’t have to tag along in politics that can damage your career or make you lose your job.
However, when you feel someone in management is abusing their power, you can have someone else more superior understand your case, instead of building bad alliances with co-workers.
2. Bridge The Gap Between Power Groups
Office politics are tricky, as one being identified with one group can have negative effects on your relationship with the management or your colleagues.
Don’t show alignment to any of the groups, learn to be neutral. This will help you focus on your job and deliver your best.
Develop relationships with people outside your department. This will help you build trust with your co-workers, helping you focus on constructive business objectives.
3. Don’t Get Personal
Office politics can make you angry and frustrated. You might feel like giving someone a piece of your mind. Regardless of how dirty office politics can get, never lose your composure and engage in useless arguments with people.
Always keep your mind focused on what you want to achieve. Learn to ignore negative attitudes and comments.
Instead of feeling angry and victimized, figure out a way resolve the situation, start with your inner circle, the people you are most familiar with, then branch out to other co-workers.
Source:Careerealism.com
Being stuck in a job that is not in line with your career growth will make you end up being disengaged, unhappy, and resentful.
Feeling sorry for yourself will not make you feel better or help the situation
Instead, you can position yourself in a way that will ensure you have amazing job opportunities.
Here’s how:
How to find a job You Love
1: Seek Out Companies That Inspire You
Naturally, if you’re going to get a job that you love, a great place to start is to find an organization that inspires you.
So, it’s time to put on your research hat and have some fun… starting with your values.
Think about what you value most in life. Do you want to have freedom and flexibility in your work? Or maybe you want to be able to walk to your office and spend time with quality people you cherish?
Perhaps there’s a certain problem in the world that’s always bugged you, and a couple of companies are doing an excellent job of solving that problem.
Whatever it is that’s most important to YOU, find a company whose values match your own, and then find a way to get their attention and get the job (which I’ll show you how to do in a second).
2: Create An “Ultimate CV”
Here’s the thing: Only 1% of traditional resumes actually lead to a job offer.
And if you’re applying for one of the “For-Benefit” companies listed in the resource guide above, it’ll likely be even lower.
See, just like you want to find a company that fits your lifestyle…
The best companies to work for want to hire people who fit their values, believe in their mission, and want to work with them. The good news?
It’s actually quite easy to get their attention and get the job… if you know what to do.
3: Use Modern Job Seeking Strategies
The world is changing, and standing out from the ever-increasing competition is a challenge (if you don’t know what to do).
Because the truth is, people are bored of the same old job seeking approaches. They want fresh, real, and authentic job applications from people who genuinely care about what they’re doing.
So rather than submit 100 copies of the same resume to 100 companies you don’t care about…
Find the two or three that you would do anything to work for. And then go above and beyond to get their attention – while focusing on showcasing what makes you valuable to them.
By using some courage, creativity, and passion, you’re positioning yourself as both rare and in demand
Enjoy!
By Elizabeth Benu
“I am confused on which CV format to use since different HR managers prefer different formats. Which is the best way to go about it?” asks Kate Atieno in an email.
Among the many questions that we receive from our readers is the right format to use in a CV. If you are seriously looking for a format that is easy to scan and easy to highlight important data Kenyan employers want to see, then read on
As Melody Mwendwa, a professional CV writer at Corporate Staffing Services confirms, there are three types of CV formats. The good news is that there is a format for everyone no matter your qualifications and experience.
List of Best CV formats preferred by Kenyan employers
The Chronological CV
This format highlights your work experience in the order of the most current experience listed at the top. It has the following sections: career objectives, professional experience and accomplishments, education and additional skills.
A chronological CV format is good for candidates who are experienced.
However, if you are switching careers or are an entry level candidate, do not use this format. Instead showcase your skills in the professional experience section.
The functional CV
This format on the other hand, lays more focus on your marketable or transferable skills. If you have less work experience i.e. a recent graduate or entry level job seekers or you are changing careers or have gaps in your employment history; this is the ideal CV for you.
It is written in the following order: objective, accomplishments, skills, employment history, education and referees.
A functional CV is useful to people with gaps in their employment history, are re-entering the work force, have frequently changed jobs and /or are looking to change careers.
The combination CV
It is a blend of the two above that focuses on your strongest skills and links those skills to your past job history. This is perfect for the recent graduates, career switchers and professionals with extensive experience.
It is divided in the following sections: objective, profile summary, accomplishments, experience, education and references.
Why the combination CV format is most preferred by Kenyan employers
“Kenyan employers prefer the combined format because it gives all details to your career and any skills that the employer might find impressive that would have otherwise been omitted in the other formats were used,” says Ms. Mwendwa.
The success of your job application boils down to how you package yourself: through your words and general appearance of your CV.
You can get away with a few mistakes on your CV or cover letter that the recruiter wouldn’t notice but making a blunder in a job interview will cost you the job and forever haunt you.
Mary Wandera, an Admin Assistant, landed a job this week with but she remembers a silly mistake that made her lose an opportunity in December.
“For the life of me I didn’t know what the company was all about. Not what they did or even who some of their clients were. It was my first interview and I didn’t think any of those things mattered.”
Speaking to Carol Mutuma, a HR practitioner with AA Lodges, she highlights 4 of the biggest mistakes job seekers should steer away from in 2015.
4 Mistakes to Avoid in a Job Interview
1. Not Carrying Relevant Documents.
Ms Mutuma shares that come what may, you should always have with you some vital documents.
“The most important is a fully updated CV, followed by copies of your certificates, any testimonials relevant to the job at hand and a recommendation letter.”
She adds that getting caught without these crucial items can throw off your confidence and make interviewers question your preparedness.
2. Being Desperate
The HR practitioner explains that there are certain phrases and language that are definitely off limits if you don’t want to look desperate
“I’ve seen people who say I will do anything to land a job. This in essence shows the employer that you no longer have credible skills or value yourself enough.”
She advises that, “You have to understand what your value is. At the end of the day the wants to hear, not sheer desperation but a clear sense of what your value is.”
3. Quoting Too High or Too Low is an Interview Mistake you Must Avoid
Speaking of value, how much are your skills worth? 15K, 50K, 1M?
Ms Mutuma feels that most job seekers attend interviews without the right figures at their finger tips.
“That’s why you find that most people end up being underpaid. For a job that’s worth say maybe Ksh50,000, they get paid half of that either because they do not value their skills much or they do not know the market rate for their job position.”
But then again there are those who go overboard with the quotation. “Some interviewees also quote a very high figure thinking that if they do so it shows that they value themselves and perhaps may impress the interviewer.”
4. Failing To Ask questions.
Ms Mutuma remarks that whichever industry you may fall under “What questions do you have for us,” is a must for most interviews.
“For most entry level job seekers, it’s the usual aaaaahs….and the head scratching that comes with it. Most job seekers think they are playing it safe for not having questions for the HR. On the contrary, that is not the case.”
For guidelines, she concludes that your questions to the interviewer should focus on the company, culture, success factors or chances to contribute.
