Let’s say you are no longer happy with your current work, but you cannot just lose this job right now for all the right reasons. What will you do?

Well, the answer is simple. Get your feelers out!

Here are 5 effective ways of getting your feelers out if you are on the lookout for new job opportunities. 

1) Post your CV and resume online 

You may begin your passive job searching by posting your credentials online.  This is one of the easiest ways to explore professional possibilities as hundreds of recruiters, HR professionals, employment firm representatives and headhunting specialists view them. Through this also, you may easily let these individuals know your qualifications. You have an option of posting your credentials confidentially. 


2) Create your own company wish list

You might already have a list of target companies that you want to be a part of. If not, you may look at Fortune magazine’s best firms to work for list that it releases annually. You may visit the company’s site and simply click the career tab to check the current job postings that match your qualifications.


3) Join your choice of network or community

If you’re not already done so, you must start joining professional networks now. One of the most popular networks for professionals is LinkedIn. Afterwards, you can make job inquiries to the firm owners and other professionals.  You may ask for contacts, so you’ll have something to start with.

4) Subject yourself to informational interviews

Since you are not in the market formally, you may simply seek informational interviews. As a jobseeker, you may arrange an interview with a career specialist. The goal of informational interviews are not seeking for employment, but rather asking for helpful advices. With these interviews, you may gauge how attractive you are as a candidate for a particular job.  


5) Conduct follow-ups

You have to update your CV and resume and network and follow-up your network and informational interviewer. In this way, you may keep your credentials relevant and your network progressive while highlighting what you can offer and contribute to any firm. 


For passive job searching, some of the important aspects that you must remember are putting out feelers and networking.

Finding a new job is a process that requires patience, passion and drive more so since you need to constantly sent out emails and make phone calls. Through these, you may definitely land the career that you always want, so don’t be afraid to put your feelers out.  

​#jobsearch #newjob #newopportunity #findwork #consulting #careeradvancement #networking #socialmediamarketing #job #employment #findemployment ​#jobopportunity #employmentopportunity

If you are to ask anyone- if they would like to be successful, then ofcourse they would say yes. In fact, if you are on our website reading this article, then you are definitely looking at upping your game and achieving your goals and ambition. 

The question that comes up is- what stops most people from achieving success? Is it merely a luck factor? Not really- as they say, fortune favors those who work hard. But then again- this is not working about working long hours or doing tedious, undesirable tasks… this is about working hard-strategically and with a definite purpose.
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Not many people have a clear sense of purpose for what it is they are doing, why they are doing it and what it is that they actually intend to achieve by their action.

Strategy is one of the most touted words in the work environment. Working SMART and using the 5-Ws principle is recommended, but few understand them, leave alone actually following those principles!! Also, many people think of SMART methodology with respect to managing projects, not conducting any and every activity… 

Remember that all the key activities that you perform make up your day and ultimately your life. So, conducting ‘strategically selected’ actions is crucial to leading a successful life.
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Ask yourself these five key questions about every major activity you do, and you will find a drastic improvement in your rate of success.

1. Why are you doing this? - i.e. what exactly do you intend to achieve/accomplish by doing this activity. If it is something tangible that you can actually measure, then even better.
2. How do you intend to conduct this activity? Do you have all the required tools and knowledge to complete it in minimal time and effort (most efficiently)? 
3. How does this activity fit into the bigger vision?
4. When will you consider this activity as ‘complete’. Define your success-criteria for this activity- i.e. when will you think of an activity as complete.
5. How will you celebrate your accomplishment?

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Question 5 does not seem important when deciding which activity to conduct, but you need to have as much clarity on how you will celebrate as you do about the activity itself. 

Always, take some time out to celebrate your accomplishment. Not- just when you do something big, but even your small achievements. This helps to enhance your enthusiasm and also makes you look forward to completing the activity that you have taken up…

Be clear about your reason for doing something and then enjoy the process- your actions and the results.

​Sandhya Bhat MSc, CSSMBB, CSSE has developed several new (under patent filing) and enhanced existing strategic methodologies to improve technology and human capital utilization, produce greater ROI on investments and streamline service delivery. She is an acclaimed author, speaker, a sought after thought leader and an avid world traveler.

​#strategicthinking #settinggoals #successcriteria #activityplanning #workingsmart 

Just today, I was reading an article on CNN where a tourist from New York was arrested in Hawaii after he posted beach pictures on Instagram, when it seems, he was supposed to be in quarantine. 

With the ever increasing presence of social media applications, it seems like- anything we say or do easily becomes public knowledge… and everyone feels they have a ‘right to express their opinion’, even though in ordinary terms, it could be construed as mean, rude or even legally punishable- defamation!
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Governments in many countries routinely monitor social media activity to not only catch terrorists and other anti-social elements, but also to ensure that their citizens are abiding by the rules and norms of their region. For e.g. it is very well-known that CRA (Canadian Revenue Agency) routinely checks its resident’s public profile and matches it with their tax filing details to ensure their reported income is in sync with their touted lifestyle.

Companies are now checking potential employees’ social interaction to determine their true match with the organization’s vision and work culture. Many individuals have lost an otherwise viable opportunity because the hiring organization was uncomfortable with their social feed or network engagement. 
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Social media is a two-edged sword- on one side, it allows us to showcase our personality, create and express our own unique personal brand, which just until a few years ago, was reserved famous people and pop celebrities. And on the other hand, it leaves us exposed to a constant barrage of unsolicited feedback and demoralizing opinions.

Handle your social media presence like you would handle your own personal brand. If an information is not something that you could share with a casual acquaintance or work colleague, then do not share it with your social network.
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Remember- being aware of your social interaction, will not only help you to build a strong personal brand that you can leverage for your own advancement, but it will also ensure that you do not lose opportunities or get into any kind of trouble with government authorities.

​Sandhya Bhat MSc, CSSMBB, CSSE has developed several new (under patent filing) and enhanced existing strategic methodologies to improve technology and human capital utilization, produce greater ROI on investments and streamline service delivery. She is an acclaimed author, speaker, a sought after thought leader and an avid world traveler.

​#socialmedia #socialnetwork #socialprofile #personalbrand #branding #strategicbranding

With lockdowns and social seclusions, it is sometimes easy to forget that we are in a global marketplace. This is truer, now more than ever!! 
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You could be working at a job or having your own business. There are always ways in which you can expand your reach and widen your horizons. What are some of the concrete steps that you can take right now, at the present time to ensure that you have a wider audience for your skills or product/service?

​#globalmarketplace #careerplanning #StayingRelevantWithTheTimes #ThoughtForToday

Recently I was reading an article on how a large Mayan palace was dug out in Mexico. I love reading about such archaeological finds. These researched finding help to corroborate and further our knowledge that several of the ancient groups that have lived on this earth for many generations before we got here, were not primitive or ‘stupid’. In fact, they were very intelligent and extremely evolved in their beliefs and lifestyle.

On an outward level, it is very possible, they look very different from us- but that is mere appearance.

​We- the so-called modern people tend to have a very arrogant view of our understanding and achievements. But it is very helpful to learn from history. These other ancient cultures were evolved and thriving at one time.

​So, what happened? How did they perish and are now mere remnants from some archaeological finds?

If we follow historical counts (which can be questionable, since every victor tries to re-write history extolling their own positive points) from several different sources to avoid information bias; the one thing that becomes evident is that somewhere these thriving cultures became complacent! 

And ruin thru complacency is not limited to just ancient cultures! We see that happen every day, even in modern times. It happens to individuals and even large corporations. An individual similar to an organization needs to keep themselves relevant- otherwise, very soon they get overlooked and over time they become ‘extinct”!
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It is important for us to keep ourselves challenged in positive ways. To keep reinventing ourselves, creating our own better versions. Making sure that our skills, our accomplishments and our career path is relevant to the changing times.

This also helps us to ensure that we are on the lookout for possible competition, which if not strategically resolved, could easily wipe us out!

So bottom-line is, set aside at least a couple of hours each week to stay up to date on news and information on what is happening in your field of vocation. Find out ways in which you can ‘up your game’ by learning new skills and gathering comprehensive experience. 

And last but not the least, make sure that what you are doing is still relevant- not just to your industry and where it is heading, but also to yourself. After all you are an evolving individual. Your needs will change as you grow older and your individual and family needs will vary over time. 

Your life situations, your likes and dislikes also change over time. Are you still happy doing what you have been doing all along? If not, then maybe you need to start considering some viable options.

You will be able to add true value and feel satisfied doing your work, only when you feel a deep inner sense of well-being and happiness.

​​Sandhya Bhat MSc, CSSMBB, CSSE has developed several new (under patent filing) and enhanced existing strategic methodologies to improve technology and human capital utilization, produce greater ROI on investments and streamline service delivery. She is an acclaimed author, speaker, a sought after thought leader and an avid world traveler.

​#stayingrelevant #jobskills #keepingwithtimes #learninganddevelopment #careeradvancement #relevantjobskills