You'll be surprised at how differently you'll hear things as an active listener. If you follow these tips, you'll not only become an active listener, but a better communicator as well.

If you want to know how to become an active listener you will need to learn certain traits about listening as a skills. Listening is a great skill to develop and it can improve all areas of your life. People love to talk and are always looking for someone to listen to them. Below are tips to facilitate active listening examples in daily life.

1. When listening to someone your goal should be to understand their point of view. Listen to everything they say before forming your own opinion, and remember that you do not necessarily have to agree with them. Everyone deserves, and should form, their own opinions on various topics.
2. Paying attention is the next trait. If you don’t pay attention you will miss out on important information. Always be aware of what is going on with the person who is speaking, and don’t forget to pay attention to your surroundings.
3. The action of making eye contact with the person who is speaking, shows them that you are paying attention. If you start looking around you, you are giving them the impression that you are not interested, or have become bored.
4. Try to look at their point of view and ask yourself if they might be the person who is right.
5. ALLOW the person to finish talking. This often takes a little patience, but it can be helpful for both sides. First the person talking can vent their opinions or frustrations. Secondly it helps the listener to fully understand the issue at hand.

A good listener will also think before responding back. Again they often ask what if this person is correct in their way of thinking. People have the bad trait of speaking before thinking and this can lead to all kinds of awkward or difficult situations.

It is perfectly normal for your brain to want to respond quickly, stop yourself and think before you speak!

Sometimes it can be hard to stay focused on a person, it is normal to want to look away. If you find yourself doing this try nodding to the person or making direct eye contact with them. This signals to them that you are paying attention. If you really need to look away for a second, then muffle a cough behind your hand!

Other tips that you might want to use to show that you are paying attention include:

• Saying the person’s name now and again, when you speak with them
• Using facial expressions
• Using body language

Put these five traits into play consistently and you will become a much better listener for it. 

SOURCE: https://www.market-connections.net/blog/listening-as-a-skill

​Did you know there are common products you are highly familiar with, that came about by mistake? These are products that came about in trying to invent something completely different.

This information may sound trivial, but it can be useful during job interviews when you are asked to talk about mistakes you have made a work. 

​The United States government needed rubber during World War II, and it was in short supply. General Electric engineers tried to come up with a rubber substitute and instead came up with goo, which they felt they had no need for. An inspiring business person paid them for the rights to the invention and named it Silly Putty. Plastic egg packaging was used since the release of the product was near Easter time.

​This product was meant to help people with heart conditions. Instead, they observed in clinical studies that men who took the pill became aroused. As you can well imagine, this product didn’t take much to market and became a success practically overnight.

Play-Doh got its start as a cleaning product for wallpaper. When it didn’t do as well for that purpose, the inventors knew a teacher who complained about the clay her students were using in class. It was not pliable. The inventors suggested she try the Play-Doh, and the kids went crazy for it. An entire industry has been built around this product since then.

Organizational behaviorists started talking about job crafting about 20 years ago. Reviewing your job description and daily activities is usually the first step.
 
Use these strategies:
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• Identify your strengths. Think about what you love to do and what you do well. Maybe you excel at analyzing data or closing sales. Success often depends on being able to use your natural talents.  
• Reallocate your time. Are there tasks you want to focus on and others that you wish would go away? Maybe you can delegate some jobs or create systems that will help you to complete them more efficiently.
•  Play games. It’s okay to have fun with your work. Find ways to compete with yourself or suggest a friendly contest with the rest of your team.  
• Respect your limits. Avoid taking on more responsibilities than you can handle. Start with your top priorities and expand your duties gradually.
•  Consider others. Hopefully, you and your boss will agree on the new direction you want to take. However, your preferences may conflict with business needs and your coworker’s routines. Be willing to compromise and work towards mutually beneficial solutions.

Who do you interact with at work? Maybe you can reach out to new contacts and strengthen your current connections. Positive relationships make your workday more pleasant.

 Try these techniques:
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• Visit other departments. Collaborate with colleagues in other parts of your company. Invite them to meetings and propose joint projects. 
• Socialize. Use office events and communications to get to know others on a more personal level. Make time for small talk. Let others know that you care about their interests and opinions.
• Network online. Don't forget about the plethora of online networking opportunities. Review my 5 Strategis for Effective Online Networking and get started.
• Listen closely. Working on your listening skills can transform your workplace relationships. Concentrate on what others are saying instead of rehearsing your response. Ask relevant questions and show your enthusiasm.
• Share feedback. Help create an office culture rich in open and constructive communications. Provide tactful and specific feedback. Welcome input from others and thank them by using their suggestions to make positive changes.

Like any positive change, job crafting begins in your mind. While tasks and relationships may sometimes be beyond your control, you can take charge of your own thoughts.
 
Practice these activities: 
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• Focus on your purpose. Understanding the reasons behind what you do will make your work more rewarding. Figure out why it’s significant and connect with a mission bigger than yourself.
• Change your attitude. The most important adjustment you can make may be within your own mind. Always remember, your negative attitude impacts your career.  A positive outlook can help you remain content while dealing with tight deadlines or long commutes.
• Seek balance. Remember that there’s more to you than your professional identity. Stay true to your personal goals if you value family time and other personal commitments more than making an additional investment in your job. Define what success means for you rather than comparing yourself to others. Pay attention to your personal responsibilities, as well as your career.

SOURCE: https://www.market-connections.net/blog/job-crafting

When it comes to presenting your resume to prospective employers, you may have wondered whether or not you should update the content or just create a brand new document. It may be helpful to also review the content about what employers want to see in a resume.

This checklist will help you make a more informed decision about when to update and when to rewrite your resume.​

SOURCE: https://www.market-connections.net/blog/resume-update-or-rewrite-checklist 

• ​Connect with your boss. Strengthen your relationship with your supervisor. Effective communication in the workplace goes a long way. Communicate openly and frequently. Maximize one-on-one time and try to adapt to their work style.

1. Focus on shared goals. Make your supervisor’s priorities your own. Helping them to succeed usually benefits you too.
   
   
2. Present proposals. Think creatively and take worthwhile risks. Prepare practical and specific suggestions on how to increase quality and reduce expenses.
   
   
3. Welcome feedback. Ask your boss and colleagues for input about your performance. Learn how to handle your performance review. Practice listening as a skill and listen with an open mind and use their suggestions to make positive changes in the way you do your job. Thank them for their support and let them know they’ve made a difference.
   
   
4. Leverage your strengths. Try to structure your job in a way that allows you to focus on the things you love and do well. You’ll probably accomplish more with less effort.  Build habits that make you a more valuable employee.
   
   
5. Keep your word. Prove that you’re reliable. Follow through on your commitments, especially when they affect the rest of your team.
   
   
6. Exceed expectations. Go beyond your job description. Take on additional assignments. Put your heart into your work and try to deliver the highest quality.
   
   
7. Be helpful. Offer encouragement and assistance to coworkers who are under pressure. You’ll create alliances that may be useful in the future, and you’ll probably enjoy your job more. Take a look at what Dale Carnegie taught us about how to win friends and influence people. 

In the end, remember one reality. Sometimes layoffs are inevitable. Sometimes, the decision has nothing to do with your performance. There is always a solution, even if you are laid off, let go, or fired. Keep that in mind.  

​Are you in need of guidance around updating your resume and wondering about a resume update or resume rewrite? You may feel a bit rusty if you’re just getting back into the job search scene after spending years or even decades at the same place of employment. Or you could be someone who is returning to the workforce after a long-term stint as being a stay-at-home mom. You wonder how the career landscape has changed. Should you dust off your old copy of your resume? Or is it better to start from scratch?
​
Below find some great ideas for how to approach updating your resume to get on the fast track to making that strategic career move that’s right for you. For more resume writing tips and samples, please be sure to visit my job search blog.

What is my vision of the ideal career for me?
Before you do anything, it’s worth giving some thought to the type of work you’re looking for. The internet age brings many more options and directions to go in, as well as increasing competition. So ask yourself: what is my ultimate career goal?

You might start by visualizing the ideal work scenario for you. Do you hope to work for a progressive company that offers flex-time and work-from-home options? Is a part-time gig what you want? The best way to get what you’re hoping for in your new career is to put it out there and see if there’s a match.

The internet brings many more work opportunities that simply were not accessible in decades past because we didn’t have a way to connect or to work remotely. So if you have a career dream, don’t be afraid to get specific in describing it on your resume and cover letter. You can always decide later how much of a concession you’re willing to make based on other factors like salary, location, or an opportunity to break into a new field.

Am I ready for a leadership position?
Are you looking to advance into a leadership role? Perhaps you have acquired many years of experience in your field of expertise. This could be the perfect time to translate those lessons learned into a promotion with the paycheck to match.

One good question to ask: am I already functioning as a leader at my job? Often in a corporate environment, upper management begins to lean on more seasoned employees to carry out some fairly impressive responsibilities and thus drive production.  If the person who is unofficially “in charge” of a team or department does not speak up for that pay increase, chances are there won’t be a big incentive for upper management to move them forward. 

A good leader knows when it’s time to advocate for oneself. So begin by typing out a list of leader-type responsibilities that you’ve been entrusted with at your workplace. Are you in charge of scheduling, team building, and project management? Do underlings report to you? Have you spent a fair amount of your work experience training new employees? If so, then this list of accomplishments should fit nicely into its section of your resume. If you label it as “Leadership Roles” then bullet out the points, you’ll be giving your potential employer an easy way to zone right in on your capabilities as a manager or director of a team.

Of course, you may not feel ready to serve in a managerial capacity, and if that’s the case, then you’ll want to structure your resume accordingly. Instead of highlighting a “Leadership” area, you might instead bullet out a list of your career skills and strengths. Hiring managers want to get right to the meat, to see if the skills you offer will be a good fit for the role they’re looking to fill.
Some common questions to ask yourself in this case include:

What am I good at?
Maybe you’re someone who works cooperatively on a team. Perhaps analytical thinking is your strong suit. You might work best independently, or you could be a rapid producer. If you have trouble coming up with ways that you excel in your work, then do this. Imagine that you are your own boss. How would your supervisor be likely to list your strengths?
Some of your career strengths could be:

• Team-oriented
• Excellent attention to detail
• Positive communicator
• Works well under pressure
• Organized and efficient
• Big-picture thinker

There are many more possibilities if you’re looking to bullet out your strong points to get the attention of a hiring manager. If you’re still having trouble, head to Google and type in “resume samples” to get an immediate return of any number of resumes that can help you come up with a fresh description of you and what you do.

Does your experience translate to the digital world?
If you’re looking to compete in the current career market, then don’t forget to count your proficiency with the latest apps and gadgets. You might be one of the many small business owners who have taken on the role of online marketing manager for your company, or your family business. Don’t be shy about including this on your resume, and don’t take your skills for granted.

Sometimes it helps to talk with a friend or colleague who can ask the right questions that remind you of your unique skills. Maybe you manage an email newsletter online. Perhaps social media promotional campaigns and digital marketing has become something you’re good at, thanks to your real-world experience.

Even if you’ve been out of the “career world,” you should know that online skills are in high demand due to the nature of the online market. Many companies may be struggling to catch up in developing a website presence. Your skills that you learned by way of the “school of hard knocks” could just land you that new position you’ve been dreaming about along with the salary and benefits package you’ve been hoping for.

If you think about it, your resume is just an advertising tool designed to get you noticed by the right hiring manager or a business owner. So now that you’ve given a run-through to the more important questions like your vision of the perfect career and what your strengths and skills are; let’s talk about how to retool your resume to attract the right people who already want what you have in the way of career background and proficiency.
 
Begin with awareness of your future employer’s time or lack of. The longer it takes for the hiring manager to figure out what you’re good at and whether you’re a right fit for the position, the less likely they will be to contact you for an interview.
 
So get into the skimming frame of mind. Imagine that you are the person sorting through the pile of applicants. What types of things will help your resume stand out and offer easily-absorbed information:
 
Concise headings
In marketing, the headline does the heavy lifting to attract readers who will then want to know more. So use the available space to include headlines that speak directly to your future employer.
 
Keep it to one page. A resume that’s more than one page is more likely to be lost in the shuffle of a busy work day. So be brief, and try to keep things to a single page. You will have a chance to explain yourself in detail during the interview process. For now, choose the words that they want to hear most.
 
Short paragraphs. There may be a temptation to include lots of detail on your resume, especially if you've acquired a lot of experience and years in your field.
 
Brief, bulleted points
If at all possible, bullet out your ideas on one line apiece. So, if you’re conveying a series of steps that you completed for a long-term project, then be sure to go back and shorten the text to be as succinct as possible. It may help to consider a resume and cover letter checklist.
 
Give your resume a spin
Generic is boring, and these days you’re competing with the entire world. So don’t be afraid to be bold with your resume. Learn how to make your resume stand out. Think about the type of career that would get you excited to wake up to a new day on the job. Do you hope to work for a more progressive company? Then how about tucking in a phrase like “Forward-thinking” in your career objective. Values are also important nowadays. If you have specific beliefs such as equality, being kind to the planet, supporting working families, wellness in the workplace environment, or any other type of currently trending words that will pique interest, include these as part of your objective or as one of your strengths.
 
If you have a lot of room on your resume or perhaps on your cover letter, you might even offer a brief “ideal career wish list” that could get hiring heads turning in your direction. But if this is too radical for you, that’s okay too.

When it comes to personal branding and self promotion, alwyas keep in mind that your approach to landing the ideal job will depend on whether the type of worker and person you are is a match for the company that will hire you.

The approach that you take in the “career history” section of your resume will depend on what you’re trying to accomplish. If you’re a person who just wants “a job” and to get back into the workforce, then you may not have a strong vision of what you’ll be doing and that’s okay.
 
If that’s the case for you, it may work best if you take a more generic approach and include as many details as you can in your Career History. Then, as opportunities present themselves or your career vision becomes clearer, you can update your resume as needed. Or, you may just decide to emphasize that you’ve had a varied career experience over the years. This could be the exact type of flexible employee that someone out there is looking for.
 
It’s also perfectly acceptable to have multiple resumes for multiple purposes. You might decide, for example, if you’re looking for either a Real Estate Sales role OR a Catering Chef, that these are two decidedly different career choices, each in need of its own resume development. Your career history can be different for each of these resumes. Simply select the one that applies, as any job opportunities make themselves known.
 
Take a few minutes to run through companies, locations, and dates. In the Career History section, you’re generally expected to make a list of the company, city, state, and dates that you were employed at said location.
 
If you don’t know the exact dates, or if you’re someone who has had many years of experience in the workforce and is now emphasizing leadership capabilities, then you may not need to flesh out the exact months that you worked for one employer or another. The important part is to give the person reviewing your resume a general idea of your career path and the impact of your leadership.
 
Q: What if you owned your own business but are looking to return to working for someone else?
More and more people are trying their hand at a remote career, owning a small business, or working part-time for multiple places of business. You may have been off the radar for a while due to a situation like this. So you might be wondering what to put on your resume in this case.
 
The short answer to this is that if your personal experience or your role as a small business owner wearing many hats has gifted you skills that make you an asset to a corporate or small company’s work environment, then by all means organize this information in a way that presents you in a rightfully positive light.
 
If you have trouble with this, just imagine that you are your own boss. What marketable skills would you describe yourself as having? Indeed, being in the trenches of small business or online business ownership may have bestowed you with some incredibly sought-after strengths that now translate well into other environments or businesses. 

​Now more than ever, hiring managers want to hire people who are comfortable using the latest technology, including operating systems, software, apps, and tools that the majority of users are proficient and comfortable with.
 
So, to assess your digital communication skills, think about all of the tech knowledge you have acquired, both in your job and in your endeavors. It could be customer account management, document creation, photo/video editing, email list management, or any other number of programs. This is a very important differentiator between you and your competition in the job marketplace. Digital proficiency even could mean a jump in salary for you.
 
Even if you feel like your knowledge is basic, that still could put you ahead of another contender. So DO spend some time running through your tech proficiency and listing everything.

​Okay; you’ve done your career outlining homework. You should now have a clear picture of the type of job you want, the role within an organization that you hope to play, the type of company that would perfectly match your ideals, values, and goals, your strengths and proficiencies, and your career history. You’re ready to craft your resume and condense all of this information to one page, if possible.
 
Choose a design
It will be beneficial to browse through resume samples. The style and size of your fonts, and the placement of text, will depend on the industry you’re looking to get a job in. A Real Estate Agent’s resume might have a different look and feel than a nurse resume example.
 
Type out your sections
Now that everything is coming together, you’ll need a template to work in. You can either search for a plug-and-play resume template online, or you can type out everything in a list format to be styled later.
 
Typical (but always optional) sections of your resume may include:

• HEADER – name, title, address, contact info such as email/phone, URL if you have a blog or website
• CAREER PROFILE
• CAREER HISTORY
• QUALIFICATIONS LIST (including your Technical Skills)
• EDUCATION
• AWARDS/ACCOLADES/CONTRIBUTIONS

 
The order of topics listed above can vary depending on where you are in your career. For example, a receny graduate is more likely to list his/her Education before Career History. 

Now that your resume is fleshed out, your next step might be to run it by a trusted colleague or friend who can give you their honest assessment of the information. Ask them their opinion on the following:

• Is it eye-catching?
• Is the information easy to read and understand?
• Will this impress someone in your chosen field?
• What is the overall impression of your competence?
• Did they spot any errors or inconsistencies?

 
After the review of your resume, you can update the information as suggested, if you like. You can also search for similar resumes of people in your field, to make a comparison.
 
Give your resume a final once-over, paying special attention to little things like misspellings, capitalizations, consistent use of punctuation, and special type treatments, such as bold or italic text.
 
When you’re happy with how your resume looks and reads, print it out and go over it again. Have another person proofread. Be sure that your contact information is correct!
 
When you’re happy with the final outcome, you’re all set. Now it’s time to show off your career proficiency to the world, and land that job you’ve been dreaming of.

Source: https://www.market-connections.net/blog/resume-writing-tips-and-samples