How HR Experts Can Help Employees Defeat Imposter Syndrome

How HR Experts Can Help Employees Defeat Imposter Syndrome It may not be the most glamorous job in the world, but there is an element of flair to working in human resources. People aren’t reducible to simple numbers or even facts, so recruitment requires a certain amount of insight, instinct, and imagination. Human resources professionals need to imagine how each candidate will fit into the role and the team for which they are proposed. Occasionally that means picking a candidate out of leftfield. Perhaps someone with less experience than the written job description states, or somebody whose academic background is less traditional than that to which your business is accustomed. This recruit may even surprise themselves by getting the job. But an employee doesn’t need to be an unconventional fit for the job to suffer from imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome can affect the most successful of people, and it is based on subjective worry (often brought about by social conditioning) rather than on rational reflection â€" even though it may feel like a rational reflection to the person experiencing it. The condition affects just over half of men and two-thirds of women, and as its pioneering researchers have pointed out, the difference is in a big part to do with the way that we question and undervalue women in western society. “Certain early family dynamics and later introjection of societal sex-role stereotyping appear to contribute significantly to the development of the impostor phenomenon,” wrote Clance and Imes in their groundbreaking paper in 1978. “Despite outstanding academic and professional accomplishments, women who experience the imposter phenomenon persists in believing that they are really not bright and have fooled anyone who thinks otherwise.” Given that you can’t undo centuries of patriarchal gaslighting, and indeed that you employees are reasonably likely to suffer from imposter syndrome regardless of their gender, what can you do to help somebody that seems to be suffering from this phenomenon? To some degree, as a human resources pro you are in a better position than a regular therapist or support group to help an IS sufferer. That’s because traditional ‘sharing’ approaches are not always the most effective way to cope with the issue. It’s very hard to convince someone with IS that they’re not an imposter â€" because they tend to assume that they’ve inadvertently fooled you into thinking they’re more talented than they are. But in HR, you have experience of and access to evidence of your employee’s abilities and successes. You’re also ideally placed to trace the disparity between an employee’s performance and their state of mind. In other words, if they don’t know or don’t speak up about imposter syndrome, you can help them to identify and take steps from there. A new visual guide to imposter syndrome from resume.io contains an excellent flow chart to help you and your colleague to identify the problem if it exists. It’s worth making this resource generally known to your crew, too, in case they prefer to keep their worries to themselves. The guide also expands on some of the ideas of Dr. Valerie Young, a former sufferer of imposter syndrome who has since created an educational framework to help people to recover. Young says that because everybody has their own definition of success, each IS sufferer goes through their own version of the syndrome when they fall short of their expectations â€" so we need different approaches to defeat the condition. Further, Young has identified five flawed definitions of success that are commonly held. The visual guide from resume.io offers some ideas on how to cope with each category. Whether your troubled employee rose to their position by an unlikely route or they are a textbook success story, their imposter syndrome is best dealt with by a change of mindset. Once they’ve conquered IS, they can get back on the ladder and you can help them work to achieve even greater things. About the author:  John Cole writes on behalf of NeoMam Studios. A digital nomad specializing in leadership, digital media, and personal growth topics, his passions include world cinema and biscuits. A native Englishman, he is always on the move, but can most commonly be spotted in the UK, Norway, and the Balkans.

Professional Resume Writing Jobs

Professional Resume Writing JobsMany people have heard of and are searching for professional resume writing jobs. The demand for the services of professional resume writers is increasing day by day. So, if you are looking to be a writer for resume writing jobs then read on for some information on how to write a great resume.A resume is the letter that you send when you apply for a job. It contains your objectives, educational qualification, work experience, special talents and experiences. There are various different types of resumes and hence it is important to choose the one that best suits your requirements. You can get the resume in the forms of paper or online. It is imperative to be able to write a resume that will stand out from the rest.There are some things you should look out for while choosing a professional resume writer. The most important thing is to choose someone who has years of experience in the field. One needs to know about his past work. Also, the person must hav e extensive knowledge about the field of job you are applying for.You can choose a professional resume writer either through referral from friends or from colleagues. However you should always choose someone whom you know to be reliable and trustworthy. Another way to find a good professional resume writer is to find one who is associated with a particular firm. In this way you can hire him without any doubt.You must also ensure that the resume has the appropriate skills. You should make sure that the skills in the resume match your qualification. Also you need to choose a resume that clearly highlights the skills you have and exactly where and how you got them.Apart, from finding a professional resume writer you need to go for the meeting and make sure that the candidate has the required skills and knowledge. You can also try and interview the person. It is also better to keep the following points in mind while hiring a professional resume writer.The interview is a good way to chec k the potential candidates. Though you can also do it online but in such a case it becomes difficult to find out the right candidate. By interviewing the candidate you will be able to know how he/she would solve the problems that you might encounter. You can also be sure of knowing the candidate's work ethics, previous records and financial status.Professional resume writing jobs can give you a chance to showcase your knowledge and skills in front of a lot of employers. You need to go through the entire process carefully and select the best one.

How Employers Use Social Media to Screen Applicants

How Employers Use Social Media to Screen Applicants We all know recruiters use social media to screen candidates on a daily basis. But how are they doing this? The good folks down at Reppler  recently conducted a survey of 300 professionals who are involved in the hiring process at their company to understand the use of social networks for screening job applicants. The results of this survey are shown in this infographic below. Takeaways: Whether you like it or not, hirers are using social networks to screen job applicants. This means it is important to carefully manage your image on these types of sites. Facebook and Twitter are being used a lot to screen job applicants. On Facebook and Twitter, we believe hirers are trying to get a more personal view of a candidate, rather than the resume-like view they will see on LinkedIn. Hirers are looking at the social networking profiles of candidates very early in the process. This means that job seekers need to have their online act in order before they begin looking for a job. The bottom line is that it is important for users, whether they are looking for a job or building up their professional reputation, to manage their online image across the different social networks they use.

Chicks on a Plane - Top 10 Tips for Business Travel

Chicks on a Plane - Top 10 Tips for Business Travel This one is for all you ladies out there  who travel for business.   Some love it, some hate it, but sometimes, the only way to get the job done is by hoppin on a plane.   Last week I successfully completed a quick sales trip to Texas and would like to share a few key reasons why it rocked with you fabulous people. Here  are my Top 10 Business Travel Recommendations: Pack it In.    Leaving the office is tough.   Pack in as many meetings as possible in a single trip leaving yourself an hour between each for travel.   Mapquest is key.   Its amazing how much you can accomplish in a single day if you plan it correctly. Prep Your Peeps.   If you are bringing peers along to meetings, make sure they are informed of the background and purpose of the meeting before it takes place.   I create documents with background, goals, and opportunities to my peers before each meeting. Solo night.   Before your big day of meetings or after, take the night to yourself for dinner.   You are on all day and decompressing is necessary more than you think!   Tell your friends or peers you are taking it easy solo instead of going to happy hour.   They will forgive you. AM workout.   Wake up your brain and workout before your meetings.   A 20-minute sweat session will energize you for the long day ahead. Connect.   How often are you seeing these people face to face?   You are typically emailing and on the phone.   Use this time to CONNECT and learn about their families, hobbies, and interests. Notes.    Yes, look at your business partner or client in the eye but dont forget to write down the takeaways and actions from the meeting.   My mantra: Meetings dont mean  a thing  unless you follow-up.   You have nothing to follow-up on if you dont write it down. What to Eat.   Eat an omelet with berries or oatmeal for breakfast.   Eat a salad with protein for lunch.   Bring almonds in case you get hungry in between meetings. What to NOT eat.   Dont eat anything greasy or carb-heavy for breakfast or lunch.   Nothing worse than a food coma during meetings.   Dont just east fruit for breakfast.   You will be starving by 10am and crash from the sugars. Same day follow-up.   Be the person who holds  others accountable and follows up right after the meeting.   Sure, you are in the airport.   So what?   You can crank out the Thank Yous and this is what you promised me emails while you wait for the plane. WiFi.   Buy it.   Use it.   Check and respond to critical emails, write follow-ups, act on immediate tasks from your meetings.   Its worth the $7 bucks. Business trips are powerful!   Face-to-Face interaction is critical for building long-lasting trust between peers and clients.   I challenge you to get out there and meet the people youve been emailing with for the past 3 years in person.   Email is overrated ??

How to Use Resume Writing Skills to Improve Your Job Prospects

How to Use Resume Writing Skills to Improve Your Job ProspectsA resume is an essential document and resume writing skills are one of the most important resume writing skills to learn. If you don't have a good resume, you may find yourself out of a job. People look for your experience, qualifications, education, etc. This will be one of the first things employers will notice.It is no wonder that many people overlook the importance of resumes. Many employers think that resumes are just going to disappear after they have been filled out. They never expect that there will be a problem if they do not receive one back.Resume writing skills can be learned, even by those who are not very experienced. The key is to take the time to learn all of the skills that you need to make a great resume. You will want to write a resume that highlights your professional skills and accomplishments. Your first step should be to pick a topic and see if you have any experience or knowledge on that topic.Then you should look for sample resumes that will help you see what a resume should look like. Start with the least technical resume skills and move up to the more technical ones. You may even want to take some test jobs to see how well you do in writing resumes.In order to make your resume as impressive as possible, you should start by listing all of your skills. Don't worry about spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, or outdated information. If you know what you are doing, then you can edit this information and make it look neat and professional. But if you are not sure, you will want to get some professional help.Now that you have a list of skills, you should give them some focus. While it is nice to have everything listed on one page, don't limit yourself. Use bullet points and bolding to make each section stand out. Make sure that you include your highest level of experience and education, and this is the section that will make the most impression. Include all of your skills and ac complishments together.After you have listed all of your skills, you should summarize it. It is important to tell the reader something about what makes you a good candidate for the job. Some of the topics that you may consider including your interests, the work you have done, your hobbies, etc. Don't be afraid to share some stories about your experiences in order to give some insight into your personality. Tell the readers why you are the best person for the job and why they should hire you.Remember that you want to look as good as you can on your resume. If you are self-employed, you should keep that in mind when writing your resume. You should take the time to add some flare to your resume and improve your skills as a professional. This will make you look better and save you from looking silly on the front of your resume.

Is the Pressure to Perform Killing Us

Is the Pressure to Perform Killing Us Im sitting in my office crying. Im crying because I just read an article in the recent issue of   New York Magazine about a student who plunged to his death by jumping out of an 11th floor window at his school 16 months ago. This is not the first time Ive heard this story. The student attended the same school as my son. The student was distressed over a test he had taken that morning. He cheated on the test because he felt pressure to do well and he got caught. It looks like this student felt like there was no other way out.Im crying because Ive been following the stories of the recent Foxconn suicides and reading the comments from   co-workers who seem to understand why these workers killed themselves, saying life is meaningless. They discuss the 12-hour work days, harsh treatment of employees,   and horrific working conditions at the factory. These workers feel like there is no way out.Im crying because my daughter, who is the same age that the student mentioned above was, came hom e from her school today distressed after doing poorly on a calculus test. She spent an hour feeling like these test results controlled her future; where she would go to college and what she would be able to achieve in life. And for an hour, she felt like there was no way out.Certainly the stories of the student, the Foxconn workers, and my daughter are different, but at their core they are similar. They all deal with the pressure to perform and a feeling of a lack of control. And even though my daughter has gotten over her disappointment and has moved on to other things, it makes me wonder when the next poor grade will crush her spirit. It makes me wonder how she will respond to the pressures to perform in the workplace or the fear of   losing a job.In addition, it makes me think about what the pressure of work will look like in the future, how employees will be judged, and how much control employees will feel they have over their work situation. More employees may be able to work v irtually and control their hours, but advancements in technology will make it easier to monitor an employees every move.Will the future workplace offer employees more power and control or less? Will employees be more productive, happier, and less stressed out or more? Will we still be reading about workplace suicides? What do you think is the future of work?

Employers Dont Care About Your Age

Employers Dont Care About Your Age While I am sure age-discriminatory practices may exist in some circumstance, I am alarmed by the number of older workers who have a paranoia about potentially age-related questions on job applications and interviews.   Alright, maybe it isnt paranoia.   Maybe they are just new to this job search thing.   In either case, I wanted to try to explain a couple of things in this post.   The job application is the employers way of collecting all the necessary information up front. Employers are asking for all the information they will need up front, should they decide to hire the individual. It makes their lives easier.   For example: Social Security number Schools and dates of completion Permission to conduct a background check and/or credit check. These are not discriminatory necessarily.   They are used to   collect data for the employers records, system or future use.   Dont obsess over them, just provide the information if you trust the source is secure and legitimate.   Dont lie, because an online application is a legal document. There IS one question on the application that I hope will come off one day soon (for the sake of the candidate).   I know why it is there, but honestly, I think it is wrong.   What was the salary in your past position. Now, in an interview, you may be asked questions that you assume are targeted at identifying your age.   That is what you think.   Honestly, I dont believe the majority of employers care about your physical age.   For heavens sake, if you are in the interview, they can see how old your body looks. When did you graduate? When they ask for this information, is it because you didnt put that on the application?   If so, they are probably filling in the blanks that HR requires of them. Period.   Many employers conduct background checks (before they decide to hire a candidate, but not before the interview) and one of the things they can check for are dates you attended a particular school.   Weve all heard stories of people who have said they have a degree, but upon further review, found that information to be false (and they subsequently lost their jobs). My hunch is that employers are looking for the correct fit in their organization.   Many times, they dont know how to do this well and sometimes may ask questions that seem illegal or inappropriate.   Dont become defensive or assume that they want to know your age. Consider these possibilities: Is the job entry level?   Does the job require fresh thinking?   Does the job require very current technology skills?   Does the job require someone with hustle or a can do it and will do it without question mindset?   If you know this about the job, and you demonstrate these abilities, then why would your age matter? If you are uncertain about the intent of their question, ask them! Your question is a good one, however, I am unclear how it relates to the position? And honestly, if they do want to peg your age, do you really want to work there? Educating yourself and other job seekers on why these questions might be asked is great.   But please, dont try and read something negative into every question.   It comes across during your interview.   Instead, come from a position of inquiry.   Be polite and tactful. Am I being naive?   Do employers really NOT want to hire someone later on in their years?