How to work smarter

In today’s fast-paced, high stress work environment, it is more important than ever that people work smarter. This does not necessarily mean working longer hours or taking on too much responsibility. What it does mean is managing time effectively, being organized and efficient in work processes, prioritizing tasks so important items are completed early, and making decisions proactively instead of always putting out fires.

One of the biggest mistakes many people make in their work is to believe that organizing and planning take too much time. Instead, a modest investment in time upfront in these areas, can be huge timesavers, and stress savers, as work progresses. The ability to know where things are, know always what needs to be done, and know where resources are to do work, are all keys to success.

Fortunately, there are many excellent tools available for today’s worker to help with time management, organization, and efficient work. Some of the best strategies and tactics to use when working smarter include:

• Creating templates for most common tasks – An excellent way to efficiently complete a frequently occurring task such as a document or other paperwork is to create a template that allows for a consistent setup and use. Learn more

• Configuring outlook folders and contact lists – Outlook is one of the best organizing tools available. Folders are an easy way to organize emails and contact lists make tracking down contacts hassle-free. Learn more

• Keeping your bookmarks up to date – If there are sites that you visit regularly or the are important to find quickly, bookmarking them, or adding them to Favorites, makes it much easier and quicker to access them.

• Keeping a clean desk area and computer desktop – Though some people argue that they prefer to operate in “organized chaos”, the reality is that a clean work space, and an uncluttered computer desktop makes tracking and finding important items much simpler. Learn more

Madonna

Arguably the most accomplished female music entertainer of all-time, Madonna has also been one of the most controversial entertainer’s throughout her long career. Madonna’s musical career broke out in 1983 with her successful self-titled debut album. She went on to produce three consecutive number one studio albums in the 1980s and has had four more since 2000. Surprisingly, it was a different art form that prompted the young Madonna to move from her birthplace and home in Michigan to New York City. Her early interest was in modern dance.

There is no questioning that Madonna made the right choice from a professional and financial standpoint. The “Queen of Pop” is the second best selling female rock artist of the 20^th century and the top selling female artist in the US. With over 200 million record sales worldwide, Madonna’s net worth is estimated at around $490 million.

Madonna has proven to be a woman willing to take risks from her early beginnings in entertainment. According to her, she had never been on a plane before she left home for New York, with just $35 in her pocket. She has taken plenty of risks in her career as well. Her pokes at religion and sexual themes have been part of her staple as an artist, which has sometimes drawn the ire of leading political authorities, including the Vatican. She has also acted in 22 films, though most have been critical and commercial failures. Her most successful film work was most certainly the 1996 musical Evita, which earned her a Golden Globe.

Risk taking is a character trait of virtually everyone who has reached the pinnacle in any career or profession. Entrepreneurs, business people, and entertainers must be willing to take chances to earn the greatest rewards. As Madonna has shown, there are failures that come with risk, but her biggest accomplishments would never have happened if she had not been willing to step out and go after what she wanted.

Barack Obama

Barack Obama is arguably the most recognizable figure in the world as he embarks on his journey as the 44^th president of the United States. Obama’s election as president has been well-documented as the first election of an African-American president in the US. Prior to being elected to president beginning in 2009, Obama served as the junior US Senator from the state of Illinois. The graduated of Columbia University and Harvard Law School held that position from 2004 until November 16, 2008.

Widely considered a president of the people, Obama’s background as a community organizer in his early days was also well-publicized in his run for presidency. Less talked about, though, was his work as a civil rights lawyer and college professor in Chicago. Along with his civil rights work, Obama taught Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago from 1992-2004. Obama served three terms in the Illinois Senate from 1997-2004 before his run for US Senate.

There are many tremendous professional qualities that Obama demonstrates. First, Obama’s election as the first African-American president has helped give renewed hope to the idea that anyone can accomplish great things in the US if they have goals and work hard. Obama also set new standards in marketing in the new media age. Obama was actually named 2008 Advertiser of the Year by Advertising Age, and his so-called “marketing machine”, that used online and social media to reach many new and young voters, is credited for much of his success in building his campaign.

Obama also can credit his strong communications skills for his success and election. Much research among the most successful professionals suggests than communication skills are the number one key to success in most any profession. Obama’s charismatic charm and captivating speech helped him garner attention from previously apathetic voters. Communication skills can be developed and improved by anyone who wants to maximize their opportunities and potential.

Retire Your Resume – TheLadders.com Article

I was just sent a great article by Mark Cenedella at TheLadders.com. Provides great insight in how different a resume can promote and marketing your core skills.

Last week I told you about the biggest mistake people make in their job hunt: writing their resume from their point of view.

This week, I’d like to share with you two “before” and “after” resumes to show you what I mean:

Take a look at Robert Jetté from Pleasanton, California. He’s kept on the move over nearly 30 years in business. Great jobs, big achievements…but the resume he brought us didn’t have any of that energy.

The first thing we needed to do was fix the tired language: his old resume started, “Accomplished senior executive with a strong track record of successful…” Yawn.

Now he’s a “Driven, analytical, astute and business savvy executive level financial strategist with 28+ years experience in investment management, wealth management and trust services.” Which Robert Jetté would you want to talk to?

Robert Before
Robert After

Then there’s Ben Prozinski, an IT star who didn’t give hiring managers a clue about why they should care. His resume began midsentence – he had nothing above his work experience but his name and contact information!

And Ben’s job descriptions, the meat and potatoes of a resume, were more a series of thoughts strung together that did not tie-in to one another at all. He “executed and lead onshore and offshore projects,” “drove integration and performance management” and “Facilitated successful exchange between leadership, business and technical stakeholders.” This was nearly all he explained about his most recent job! That who-cares stuff will not get you calls, folks.

Now Ben’s resume not only paints a clear picture of what he did, but also lists the value that he added and gives the reader a reason to pick up the phone and call him for an interview.

Ben Before
Ben After

Well, Readers, I hope that gives you some insight into the difference between writing your resume like a product manual or having a professional write it for you like a great advertisement.