Career Change Success From Hospitality To Nonprofit - VocationVillage

Career Change Success From Hospitality To Nonprofit - VocationVillage If you are considering a career change, one of the smartest things you can do is study the actions taken by people who are career change success stories. Recently I interviewed Leah Krieger, Executive Director of the Centerpoint Institute for Life and Career Renewal in Seattle. Krieger made a career change from hospitality into nonprofit management. She took some big career risks that paid off. Here is my interview with her: You moved from being a Spa Director in the hospitality industry to being Executive Director of a nonprofit that helps people with career and life renewal. Please share with us how that shift happened.When I left my Spa Director job, I took a sabbatical that lasted several months. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do next but I knew I needed to leave the job I was in. I was lucky that I had a little bit of savings to last through the summer and I had a supportive spouse who was willing to make financial sacrifices if it helped me get to a better place.I thought by doing daily yoga and getting quiet, the career answers would come and I could get some energy and focus back, but that didnt happen. While it was purifying to walk away from my first career, I still didnt know what to do next.The whole summer passed and things were getting to the point that I was considering whether I needed to go get a job at Target stocking shelves or something, just to bring in some income. I k new I had a purpose, but I hadnt found it yet.My father-in-law was very concerned. He thought I was taking too much risk and that I should go back to school. I had gone straight from high school into the hospitality industry and worked my way up for 15 years. I didnt have a college degree so he thought maybe I should go get one.I had insecurity about lacking a college degree but I also felt that I had learned more through real world experience than I would in an education setting.My father-in-law is a trauma counselor who refers people to Centerpoint for career counseling so he suggested I sign up for their career decision-making classes. I went to the orientation and I was in awe that a place like Centerpoint existed in my city but I didn’t even know about it before. I loved their mission and the group format of their offerings.I signed up for classes and planned to start them when I came back from a three week trip. After I returned but before I started the classes, I received t he Centerpoint newsletter and saw that they had a job opening for a Front Desk Manager. I applied and landed the job. It was way below my skill level and previous income but I decided to do it, anyway.How did the job go?It was humbling that I wasnt earning the same amount as before. At night  I parked cars when I needed extra money.I got paid to get exercise because when you park cars, running is part of the job. I also got to drive some really awesome cars.Some days I would park cars until 1 am and then come in to work at Centerpoint that same morning. I put my pride on the shelf and did what I had to do with the prize in mind of finding my true purpose.I made mistakes learning a new career but I accepted that as part of the process. I took on more responsibility and evolved the Front Desk job into a Client Services Manager position but I knew I was capable of more. Within a year, I told Carol Vecchio, the founder of Centerpoint, I either need to start excelling here or I will have to go do something else. Vecchio replied, I’m glad you brought this up because I’d like to talk about the possibility of you growing into the Executive Director role.” Vecchio had been serving as the Executive Director for many years but wanted to focus instead on public relations for Centerpoint.What are your favorite parts about being an Executive Director? What are the most challenging parts?Centerpoint has been open for 22 years but everything needed a revamp and rebranding. I treat this job as a start up. Ive  reevaluated the marketing, staffing, and operations of the organization.I absolutely love this job. The creative process is my favorite part. If the organization had already been a well-oiled machine, it wouldn’t be nearly so fun. I  love being challenged and creating something.I have a 5-10 year plan for Centerpoint. I  would love to franchise.My biggest challenge was to change the way I  think. I came from a corporate mentality and it took the first year of wor king with Carol  Vecchio  to strip that corporate mentality away. It is freeing to not be so corporate now. I dont have deep pockets on which to draw. I have  to be careful and effective with any investments made and funds spent.But you know what? I love to go to Happy Hour with hospitality friends and feel gratitude for how different my career and life are now.What were some of the cultural changes you noticed about going from a for-profit to a nonprofit work environment?In my corporate life, I focused on making someone else money. In my  nonprofit life, I focus  on mission, accessibility, impact, and keeping the doors open.Community is huge in the nonprofit world. Many corporate environments don’t have a strong sense of community because people are pitted against each other in competition. In many corporate environments, lip service is paid to teamwork, but then the compensation structure encourages backstabbing and blaming.By contrast, in the nonprofit world, people help each o ther. I created a new Board for Centerpoint. First I spent six months reading everything I could about boards and best practices. Then I started talking to other Executive Directors, even people I didnt know. I called them up and said, You dont know me but Im a new ED and I would love to talk to you if you are willing.Without exception, the other EDs were lovely and informative. Some of them became true mentors and a huge source of support, giving me tons of information and help.Nonprofit is a truly different world.Youre probably convincing a lot of my readers! In your opinion, what are the best ways to seek nonprofit jobs?There are recruiting firms that specialize in helping people find nonprofit jobs and if they are sourcing for something for which your background and skills are a good fit, that might be one way. Hagel Executive Search is an example of this type of firm.Also, volunteering is a phenomenal way to explore possibilities and make connections.What advice do you give peo ple who want to change careers and are considering working for a nonprofit but they have no idea where to start?You won’t have a full picture until you live through the change. You just have to get started. I took risks and it really paid off.  I am the happiest I have ever been. I love my job and I am madly in love with Seattle: the diversity, culture, people, music, and food.When you change careers, you are walking away from something and you could end up in greener pastures but you could also crash and burn. If that happens, you pick yourself up and keep going. Find your fit. I lived in Scottsdale, AZ, and Orange County, CA, before I moved to Seattle and the fit is much better for me in Seattle.99% of my family and friends thought I was insane to leave my corporate career, but I was determined. I said in my exit interview, “I would rather bag groceries than not take the risk to find my happiness.”At Centerpoint we tell people, Take a B job to get to your A job.Get support f rom somewhere…if not from your family. Find a group of supportive people like we offer at Centerpoint. Negative feedback from family and friends can hold you hostage.Even if you have only a vague idea of what you want to do, research, read, and talk to people. You won’t know in the beginning what the outcome will be but start exploring.The two components needed are research and community. The career transition is all about how brave you are.Are there any common themes you see in people who successfully change careers vs. people who dont succeed?I have a front row seat in watching hundreds of people go through a transitional process. They physically look different when they walk in versus when they walk out. I do the free introductory orientations where I talk about the program. When they walk in, they are lost, confused, and depressed. Their self-esteem might be really low, they seem defeated, and this feels like the last resort. I see anger and tears.We create a very safe envir onment so people feel heard and understood. People sign up for one day or eight week programs or individual programs.When they walk out, their head is up, they are making eye contact and their eyes are clear, they look more confident, and they are excited and energetic and ready to tackle the world.I don’t meet many people who aren’t successful. The hard part is putting the action steps in place and implementing them. If people aren’t successful, it is often because they are trying to make progress in isolation, with no accountability. It is easy to get stuck or give up if you don’t find resources to help you. Even if you don’t have a lot of money, we don’t turn anyone away. You just have to be ready for it because it takes work.In your experience, how long does it take for most career changers to transition from one path to the next?The bigger the first career, the longer the transition. This can take years. These are the people who need support the most.Some changes ar e quicker but people should be prepared for it to take awhile.Centerpoint says, We will help you find your passion and purpose. But you might not be able to find either of these until you have grieved what you are leaving.Our Navigating Change workshop is very good.April 7 is the day I left my first career. Now I celebrate it like a second birthday.Any other advice or observations you want to share with us?Visit Centerpoint on the Web if you are interested in our services.Thank you, Leah. Congratulations on your new career and for all the great advice in this interview.  If you found this article helpful, please share it!

Things to Consider in Writing a Resume

Things to Consider in Writing a ResumeWriting a resume is not that easy, and in order to be able to make use of it effectively, you have to be able to think of all the important things to consider in writing a resume. The first thing you should do is to do some research on your own, if you think that you may be able to write one, because the majority of job seekers do not know what to put in their resumes.Since the job seeker is not going to be employed soon, they will need to get all the necessary information in the resume. Before you can go about writing a resume, you will need to start by determining what your goals are. After you have done this, you can then start thinking of the things that you want to put in your resume.Nowadays, the job search has become quite competitive and it is not possible for every person to get an interview with the company in question. A big part of the job search is based on how well you can write a resume. This means that you need to write it in such a way that it will catch the attention of the hiring manager. So make sure that you will include all the necessary details that will help in determining if the hiring manager will be interested in you or not.One of the most important things to consider when writing a resume is to ensure that it is of the best quality possible. You have to put your best foot forward by following a certain format that would really stand out. If you do not want to end up with a negative feedback from your employer, you need to pay attention to detail.As far as the formatting of your resume is concerned, you also need to be aware of the things to consider in writing a resume. Since your resume is a representation of your skills and abilities, you should not be too informal and must not be formal. You need to try and make the resume interesting and compelling enough to make the hiring manager appreciate your talents.The resume is just like any other document you give to someone; you should be careful of your words. The most common error that job seekers commit is that they tend to write in a very general way, thus making it look as if they have little or no experience. It is very important to describe yourself in such a way that it would give the hiring manager a clearer idea on why he is looking for a particular candidate.Do not be afraid to include the skills that you have in your resume. The resume is not meant to be a list of qualifications that you have. The recruiter will need this information in order to tell if you are capable of doing the job that needs to be done. In this case, the skills you include will determine whether or not you will be hired or rejected.You can definitely expect a big chunk of your time in the job search to be spent in reviewing the resume that you have written. This is a very important part of the process because it will help in making the hiring manager see that you are the right candidate for the job. If the recruiter can see that you have the a bility to do the job, then you will definitely be able to get the job that you want.

Clean And Declutter For A Fresh New Outlook

Clean And Declutter For A Fresh New Outlook Youve had a long winter.   Youre tired of being cooped up in the house and seeing the same old surroundings. Maybe it is time for a mini-facelift for your home. A little cleaning and decluttering might just be what you need to get your mojo back. I just got done with a little work of this kind and it is amazing how it improves your mood and productivity. But just because you’re on a budget is no reason to neglect your home. Making home improvements can make your home a far more enjoyable place to live, as well as increase market value. If you’re stuck for ideas and still want to make improvements on your home, here are some you can make specifically on a shoestring budget. Clean And Declutter One of the most simple things to do when you’re on a budget? Clean and declutter your space. This will make your job easier too, as you’ll get a better idea of what truly needs to be done. You only want to spend your budget on the essentials! Set aside a few days to have a proper clear out. Be vigilant and get rid of things you haven’t used in a while if you haven’t used something in 6 months it’s unlikely you’re going to use it again. Try to make as much space as you can and your home should feel light and fresh. You could even sell some items and make more money for your home improvements. Photo by Terje Sollie from Pexels Add A Fresh Coat Of Paint A fresh coat of paint is an affordable, fast way to make your home look brand new. You can use a new color if you like, but simply going over a wall with the same color can freshen up your space. Change Up Your Hardware Changing your hardware is simple. You can change your drawer handles, your light fittings,  and anything else you think could be improved. It’s super easy to do yourself and can give you a brand new looking room in a flash. Try it in your kitchen or bedroom and see how you feel! Improve Your Curb Appeal You can’t neglect the outside of your home when making home improvements, and there’s no shortage of things you can do on a budget. You could paint your front door a friendly color to give it a little bit of oomph and make a good impression. Dont forget to mow your lawn and get rid of weeds, and if you’re doing this because you’re selling your home, wash your car, too. You want to give off a subconscious message to potential buyers! If you have more serious improvements to make to the outside of your home, you could look at this Lendkey review to get an idea of whether taking out a loan could be the right idea for you. Your curb appeal is one of the most important things you can work on when improving your home. Know Where To Shop Sometimes, knowing where to shop is the easiest way to save money on things you need in your home. Yard sales and thrift stores can be goldmines for stuff, so try there and see if you find any hidden treasure. Always look second hand before looking to buy new! You dont need to do anything drastic or expensive to improve your home. Simply opening the curtains and adding fresh flowers could make a huge difference!

Richard Branson celebrates employees - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Richard Branson celebrates employees - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Richard Branson recently blogged about the Virgin Stars of the Year Awards and I gotta say it looks like a fun affair :o) Sir Richard sums up his philosophy in this way: I have always believed that the way you treat your employees is the way they will treat your customers, and that people flourish if they?re praised. These are people who have gone above and beyond in their everyday jobs to make a real difference. I was delighted to meet so many interesting and outstanding individuals and reward them for their hard work. The event is always one of the highlights in the Virgin Group calendar and a chance to highlight what we are doing right and also learn how we can improve in the future. This is exactly what businesses need more of and its a consistent practice of happy workplaces that they celebrate the people who do something extra. Weve seen this at workplaces like Disney, Souhtwest Airlines, Zappos, Google and many others. Unfortunately, many workplaces simply dont notice when people do stellar work. In other words, if you do great work you wont hear a word but the moment you screw up or dont perform adequately, you may be punished. Of course we should fix mistakes and help people who are underperforming in the workplace, but we can learn as much (or more) from our successes victories. And thats why celebrating great performance and great people is one of the hallmarks of happy workplaces. Your take How does you workplace celebrate great performance or great people? Do you do it at all? What would you say is the ratio between fixing the bad and celebrating the good? What ratio would you prefer? Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Are cover letters important Cover letter mistakes -

Are cover letters important Cover letter mistakes - Face facts: Some people will never read your cover letter. The rest of the people may trash your resume if it does not include a cover letter. Others will value the cover letter over all other application materials. Since you cant know for sure which type of employer or recruiter will receive and review your materials, assume the cover letter is a crucial piece of your application package. Dont make these 13 cover letter mistakes and you will be ahead of the game: 1. Forgetting to include a cover letter. For reasons noted, the cover letter is important, especially if the job description requests it. When you leave it off, you may look lazy (at best) or appear to be someone who cannot follow instructions (at worst). 2. Addressing your cover letter generically. Dear Sir is totally out of the question, since it is sexist and To whom it may concern makes it clear that you didnt think it was important enough to try to identify the person in charge of the search. It may be difficult to identify the correct person to address your letter, but you should try. Make a valiant effort to identify a name to include. Contact the company to ask for the correct name and use your Internet research skills to see if you can confirm a specific person to send your letter. As a very last resort, Dear Hiring Manager may not keep you totally out of the running, especially if the company has gone to great lengths to shield the exact name from the applicant pool. 3. Adding your cover letter as an attachment and writing a brief note in the body of the email. If you apply via email, include your cover letters contents as the body of the email you send. That way, it is very easy for the hiring manager to decide whether to open your attached resume or press delete. 4. Sending a boring or terse cover letter. If youre going to include a letter, it might as well be good enough to give you a better chance to land the job. If you send a formulaic sounding letter with nothing more interesting than the fact that you are applying for job No. 123 and that you saw the ad in XYZ.com, you wont pass the cover letter test for those sticklers who demand a cover letter. Make sure you write a letter that is interesting enough to read. 5. Missing an opportunity to make a great connection or to tell an interesting story. Not everyone has a great story or reason for applying for a position, but if you do, use the cover letter to tell it. Was it the company where you launched your career, and you are ready to come back? Say so. Did you always admire the organizations television ads growing up, and now you are applying to help create new ones? Thats a great story, and the cover letter is the place to share it. 6. Being self-centered. The cover letter should not be a note detailing what you want. If you appear self-centered, that delete key is always handy. 7. Including errors or typos in your letter. This is the kiss of death for many job application materials. Even if the job does not require you to wax eloquent regularly or to or create written materials for the company, if you misspell words or send a letter with typos and grammatical errors, its a mark against you in a competitive field. Edit your own note carefully and ask a trusted friend to review it. Read it out loud to be sure you havent left off words or made a typo that spell-check doesnt pick up for example, if youve said, Id be a terrific manger instead of manager. 8. Not targeting your letter. Just as you should target your resume for every job so youre most likely to pass the companys computerized resume screening system, you should also target your cover letter to each position and organization. Include specifics about the company and describe why you are a good fit for their job. Use the job description and information you can find out about the job and organization online to choose the best details to include. If you send the same cover letter to every company, you are missing an opportunity to stand out from the crowd. 9. Writing a novel. No one needs a three-page cover letter, no matter how interesting or perfect the candidate may be for the job. Just as you dont want to be too terse, dont think you need to tell your life story. Write the equivalent of about one typed page at most. 10. Using the cover letter to repeat everything in the resume. While you should make sure to include everything important in your resume (in case this hiring manager does not read cover letters), dont just summarize your resume in your cover letter. Take the opportunity to make direct connections between the job description and your skills. Consider creating three headlines based on information in the job description the employer wants and listing under each topic why you are a good fit. The more you can make a direct correlation between their needs and what you offer, the better your letter will be. 11. Exaggerating. Dont say, Im perfect for the job if you know you are not. Be honest in your cover letter and identify the best matches between your skills and their needs. 12. Being too humble. The opposite of the braggart, who is ideal for every job, the overly humble job seeker may actually apologize for applying and explain the skills he or she does not have for the job. Hopefully, its obvious why the why Im not qualified strategy is less than optimal! You may be applying for jobs that are a reach, and when you do, focus on what makes you a good fit and dont dwell on the negatives. 13. Going overboard with the sell. Unless you are actually applying for a sales job, think twice before including language such as, Ill call you on Friday to schedule an interview. This may be a turnoff for some hiring managers. Is it appropriate to indicate that you hope they agree youre a good match and that you will follow up as of a certain date, but you could lose the interviewers attention if you act as if you are in charge of the process. photo by  robpatrick

What You Dont Know About Resume Writing in My Area

What You Don't Know About Resume Writing in My Area There are some resume writing companies which do not provide expedited services. Personal companies don't have any legal obligations to continue to keep their financial statements public. There are a number of reasons why you must prefer our services. There are few resume services that could compete with that moment. Not all businesses can fulfill your buy essay canada requirements. The applicants who have come with some comprehension of the aims of the company along with bits of information about its competitors are more inclined to find the job. If it is simply one bad review it could be worth doing just a little research as most of us recognize that a few folks just can't be pleased and there's always one difficult customer. Land the job that you want now. The Resume Writing in My Area Trap In just a couple hours, the business contacted me, and asked just a couple more details. If your state isn't allowed the websit e will keep you from registering automatically. Be certain that your resume is tidy. To delight in a flawless interview, applicants should be ready to answer various types of questions. Resume writing is the main step in presenting your abilities and receiving the job that you desire. Also, it aids the applicant create realistic expectations about the interview process and to the true nature of the job he or she's applying for. The next step may be tricky. Writing a resume can be an intimidating task because you have to be certain you include all the required information whilst keeping the document to a manageable size. Our occupation is to present you in how no HR manager can resist, and the remainder is left up to you. In the event you create right. Writing can be a potent kind of self-expression and means of giving birth to a voice on earth. Moreover writers who wish to. Below is a good example of an HTML-coded resume. The occurrence of company websites as well as lots of resource materials online can help applicants prepare for whatever a work interview may entail. Undoubtedly, the use of custom written essays has a lot of benefits, which will be highlighted within the next article. A lot of people don't like their present job or career. There are big benefits of gambling online rather than live games at land-based casinos. You desire an organization that's going to involve you in the writing process. Writing a strong resume is among the most essential actions in the work search procedure, executive cramming all the theirs experience, services and education into one document can be hard and stressful. Or if you prefer to physically get a copy of the finished product. In addition, the library may be used for an applicants preparation for their huge interview.

The Most Overlooked Fact About Resume Writing Military Summary of Experience Uncovered

The Most Overlooked Fact About Resume Writing Military Summary of Experience Uncovered Things You Should Know About Resume Writing Military Summary of Experience Different job postings are likely to have different key phrases, different job duties listed, etc. Target your statements directly for the position you're after and the requirements of the firm. Work experience also needs to be in reverse chronological order. Writing work application is often an intimidating issue. Even within your intended industry, you are going to want to align your resume with the needs of a particular job. When creating your military resume you're going to be concentrating on the ways your military experience can be readily transferred to a civilian job and possible employers will quickly observe the value that you're able to provide their company. Writing general duties is a typical mistake because applicants feel that nursing resembles unique hospitals and departments, but in fact, your duties will differ between different facilities. 1 thing which you ought to do is identify the jobs you plan to fill out an application for. The Battle Over Resume Writing Military Summary of Experience and How to Win It You might also have extra-curricular activities which you didn't list below the Experience section that could be included in a sub-section. Your resume objective is your opportunity to tell a quick story about yourself. Concentrate on Your Goal The best summaries are targeted on one career objective. Whilst you write your summary for your resume, attempt to consider what you want them to discuss with you, and what exactly you desire an opportunity to discuss. The 5-Minute Rule for Resume Writing Military Summary of Experience To commence with, you can analyze the work posting that the business enterprise creating to figure out precisely what is critical to find the positioning. At the peak of your resume, you can provide a statement that summarizes your education al background, your abilities and where you would like to go in your career. If you follow the advice above you are going to have an interesting, compelling resume summary that is likely to make the reader want to find out more about you even regardless of your lack of work experience! Now you need to know how to compose a resume with no experience that's compelling and distinctive, ideal for a high school resume or a beginner's resume for teens. To be a prosperous job candidate in any area, it is helpful to have a comprehensive resume. Useful resumes are excellent for mentioning transferable skills which will be suitable to your brand-new area of work. A significant part writing nurse resume objective statements is tweaking the very first portion of your resume for each and every job that you apply to. While the functional resume format may be an attractive solution for job seekers with very little experience, most employers would rather have a chronological or hybrid resume format. You are able to find three kinds of resumes, each with its own advantages and pitfalls. Savvy resumes are anchored by a comprehensive summary that permits the reader to rapidly find salient info about the applicant. Separate resumes are accessible for assorted disciplines.