Top Resume Trends for 2017

Top Resume Trends for 20172017 offers great opportunities for all job seekers both actively searching, and for those passively looking for new job opportunities. The average job search can take around six months, so if you want to change jobs this year, its definitely time to get serious about the process. The more work you do now on yur resume and application package, the less work youll have to do laterand the more flexibility youll have if a great opportunity suddenly comes along. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Resumes and job searches dont change too drastically year-to-yearmeaning, you likely wont need to suddenly learn how to make a hologram resume for your next job. What does change is the following areasTechnologySkill trendsEconomic realities and available jobsThe last one, well, theres only so much you can do about that. Unless you are the Chairperson of the Federal Reserve, or in a similarly major position of power in the eco nomic sector, its unlikely that youll be able to sway how much leeway companies will have to bring on new talent and fill existing openings. Its mucksmuschenstill an important factor to keep in mind when you think about your near-future job hunt, thoughknowing the general health of the economy and how your industry is doing in particular can help you decide when its time to get out there and look for a new job, or hold back and see if things are brighter in a few months. If you need a new job regardless of the economy or how many openings there are in your field, its still important to know whats going on.The other two (technology and skills trends) are areas you can seize upon to get your resume ready for 2017 and beyond.To get a quick start,you can also download free templates from our Resume Library to get started on your resume creation. What to Include for Your 2017 ResumeSocial Media DominanceEvery person is a brand these days, and that trend will continue to grow stronger in 2017. Make sure yours is in great shape as you look ahead to the next year. Your resume should include links to your career-relevant social media profiles, like LinkedIn, or Twitter if you use it to talk about things related to your field. You can slip those right into the header, where you put your contact information.Jesse Myname21 Jump StreetNew York, NY 88888JesseMemaildomain.comLinkedIn www.linkedin.com/JesseMynameTwitter www.twitter.com/JesseMynameThoughtsIf you use your accounts primarily for personal stuff, dont include them on your resume. And if you really dont want hiring managers or recruiters poking through the Facebook page youve had since you were young and making incredibly questionable choices in friends and photo ops, make sure those accounts are set to private. Even if you dont provide direct links, you can assume that people will do a Google search on your name, and you dont want any preventable issues to come back and haunt your 2017 professional self.In additio n to any social media cleanup, you can start building up your professional social media presence. If you dont have active social media accounts, start them Create a Twitter feed, and start following movers and shakers in your field. If you dont feel comfortable creating your own content yet, you can still retweet others or post links to interesting (andagainwork-appropriate) links. If you have accounts but have let them anliegen by the wayside (of which I plead guilty), theres no time like the present to get them back up and running with current content and an updated profile. Its all about increasing your visibility as a solid professional voice.Your Vast Tech KnowledgeThese days, theres an online tool or an app for just about everything. Know what apps and programs are hot in your field right now, but also keep an eye on trends that are just starting, or just picking up speed. Blogs are a good resource for trends, and in addition to any blogs or publications that are specific to y our industry, places like Forbes and U.S. News are handy resources for whats happening now, and whats coming along soon.Once you know the tech thats most relevant to your field, you can get more familiar with them and then add them to your resume. Technological skills and mastery are hard skills, and should get their own section on your resume. Youll want to include bullets for all of the systems or programs youve worked with, as well as any apps.Evidence of Emotional IntelligenceOne trend thats been emerging in hiring, and will continue to grow, is the hunt for emotional intelligence. Remember, companies arent just hiring people to do a jobtheyre also hiring a colleague. Emotional intelligence is kind of the web of soft skills/people skills that you bring to the table. Its important to employers because theyre looking for a team member, which means they have a vested interest in finding candidates who not only have the skills and experience to do the job well, but also to work with other team members, clients, etc.So how do you demonstrate your emotional intelligence on your resume? When listing your skills as bullet points, provide a brief example of how you put that skill into play. For exampleManagement skills Led a multi-city team of sales reps to an 8% increase in overall sales.Communication skills Messaged quarterly revenue reporting to internal stakeholders and clients.Team-building skills Hosted on-site training sessions for new hires, and spearheaded the creation of an in-house mentoring program.Your resume wont provide too much space for stories, so keep the bullets short and to the point. You can come prepared with more anecdotes and examples of your soft skills once you have an interview.To get a quick start, access our Resume Library to download resume templates to help you create the perfect resume.What NOT to Include for Your 2017 ResumeToo Many Bells and WhistlesYou might be hearing all sorts of things about how everyone is going to have a video resume soon, or a fancy graphic resume. Those may be moving somewhat ahead of the holographic resume I mentioned earlier, but at this point you really dont need to worry about fancy formats. Unless youre a graphic designer, theres really no need to go out and cute-ify your resume.And right now video resumes are best for actors and reality show auditioners. Unless you fall into either of those categories, the classic resume document is best. But the good news is that you can play around with styling and templatesAn Objective/Summary StatementThe simple objective or summary statement (a one-liner outlining your experience/goals and their application to the job at hand) is actually a pretty controversial debate.Theres no hard and fast rule with this one, but if your leaner, meaner resume for 2017 looks better without, you shouldnt feel obligated to include that statement. Just make sure that your bullet points are very strong, and convey the specific homilie you want the reader t o get.ReferencesThe days of appending a list of names and contact information to your resume are gone, my friend. Its pretty well understood by potential employers that if you get to the next level (interview, background check, or other vetting) that youll pony up the names of people who will vouch for your awesomeness. Theres no real need to provide that up front, unless the company or job description specifically asks for it. You also dont need to include a line about references being available upon request. Its kind of redundant, and it takes up valuable space on your resume. So take that line, and add another concrete skill or experience bullet that further illustrates how great you are for this job.As you get ready for your 2017 resume, the main thing to keep in mind is that you want to expand your horizons with new skills, and show that youre plugged into changes and shifts in your own industry. Those come faster than ever these days, so the more you can show your nimbleness w ith new skills and social media, the better youre positioning yourself for a very successful career year.Example resume templates for different jobsHow to Write a Perfect Customer Service Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Administrative Assistant Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Retail Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Teaching Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Human Resources Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Food Service Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Construction Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Internship Resume (Examples Included)How to Write a Perfect Receptionist Resume (Examples Included)For more resume templates, access our Resume Library.

My Hope for a Migraine-Free Life Depends on the Data

My Hope for a Migraine-Free Life Depends on the Data Imagine your daily life like a faucet of running water. You have a flow of information coming into your mind traffic lights, the smell of the barbecue distributionspolitik across the street, or the sound of a whirring dishwelchesher. You can only process these inputs as fast as your mind can handle, and it comes at you all day long. Your brain makes decisions based on the information you receive, past experiences with that information, and any other risk-assessments built into your consciousness.Now, imagine the flow being turned up like a firehose. The smell of perfume from the previous person in the elevator courses through your body and sends pain running down your spine, causing your stomach to lurch. Fluorescent lights in the office make your eyes feel like they are melting into the back of your head. The caring touch of your loved one while asking in a normal volume, are you okay? feels like hundreds of static shocks on your skin sending you reeling to regain your center. You can literally feel your environment, and every sensor in your body is feeding back excruciating pain.This is a migraine attack.Little is known about the causes and biological patterns behind migraine.My parents tell me that when I was about 5 years old they rushed their screaming daughter clutching her head to the ER. They were thinking the worst, only to find out it was a migraine attack at a very young age. Unfortunately, there was little they could do other than to see a neurologist and administer childrens Tylenol. From a young age I became educated on living with the6th most disabling illness in the world.There is very little known about the causes and biological patterns behind migraine. Right now, there are only theories ranging from issues in the central nervous system to abnormalities in brain chemicals none of which has resulted in any kind of cure. That is, aside from the countless cures from speciality chiropractors , herbalists, and acupuncturists where Ive unsuccessfully invested resources.Why elend? the solutions that come from data analysis.Recently while attending aTEDIBM event in San Francisco I felt empowered to hear from so many intelligent minds facing some of the most daunting challenges in the world teen suicide, humanitarian crises, climate change who, instead of feeling overwhelmed with fear of failure, asked themselves why not? and began crafting solutions.One of the speakers,Eleftheria Pissadaki, PhD, a computational neuroscientist who now deploys her skills in IBM Research Yorktown Neurobiology department, spoke about her journey in studying people living with Parkinsons Disease and examining why neurons die, especially those with higher dopamine levels. She used a data set from patients to studypersonalized medicine and the possibility of turning off neurons when they get tired so they dont die, thus preventing the symptoms or possibly even the progression of Parkinsons Dise ase.Tapiwa Chiwewe, PhD, a research scientist at IBM and an environmental problem solver, was frustrated by oppressive pollution while driving to work in South Africa. So he created an AI-enabled program using a combination of forecast data and data from ground sources to create an air-quality forecasting program. The forecasting program gave citizens information on where to live and how to get around, and enabled Chiwewe to partner with city development officials to make positive changes in the ever-growing urban sprawl. Instead of sitting in his car on his way to work breathing in the smog-dense air, Chiwewe, who initially felt helpless against such an immense challenge that seemed unrelated to his engineering background, decided to take action.Data is the backbone for making decisions and its importance keeps growing.All of the speakers had something thing in common they useddata and technology as the foundation for their solutions. Its no surprise that as we use data as the bac kbone for making decisions and creating solutions, both the importance and volume of the data will grow exponentially.In Chiwewes case, where on-the-ground data collection is vital for real-time AI processing, Edge computing is becoming a larger and more critical part of the technology ecosystem. Thats especially important in humanitarian or health care solutions where critical data is needed on the ground much faster than traditional datenwolke infrastructures can provide it.In my case, part of living with migraine is equipping myself with the data I need to make decisions. I use an app to track the frequency and severity of my migraines, in combination with a food journal and weather app so I am informed about what foods or environmental changes may trigger a migraine. Through what feels like endless experimentation and analyzing lots of raw data in Excel sheets, Ive found that too much sun, dry heat, pollution, alcohol, several types of nuts, hotel air circulation, floral scents, blue lights, less than 6.5 hours of sleep, high-pitched sounds, too much processed food, dehydration, and secondhand cigarette smoke are a few of the things I have to navigate if I dont want to be rewarded with a complimentary ticket to migraine town, as I like to call it.Health records, real-time biofeedback, and environmental dataFor example, Im currently participating in a clinical study which requires me to wear an activity tracker. In the future, I might wear an activity tracker or other wearable devices that use AI to combine data from my health records, real-time biofeedback, and environmental data to send me proactive alerts for example, to alert me that a severe heat wave is approaching, or to advise me that due to various other factors or warning signs, I should pass on the bread basket at my upcoming work dinner.In the future, in addition to having AI-enabled programs that can process much of the kitchen faucet of information for me while I sleep, I hope to have the oppo rtunity in my lifetime to take advantage of personalized medicine that utilizes my unique chemistry to deliver a precisely tuned amount of Imatrex, so I dont feel like a hungover college student the next day.All my aspirations for living a migraine-free life will depend on the availability and reliability of data in the healthcare ecosystem. The solution is out there and ready to be found it just needs the right person to say, why not?--This article originally appeared on Seagate.com and was republished with permission.Fairygodboss is proud to partner with Seagate. Find a job there today

3 Ways High-Performing Users Are Getting More Out of Video Interviews

3 Ways High-Performing Users Are Getting More Out of Video InterviewsVideo vorstellungsgesprch technology is mucksmuschenstill relatively new. Our recent research with HR.com revealed 52 percent of the 526 companies we surveyed are using video interviews. And just over half of those organizations started using the tool within the past two years.As a result, there arent (yet) many video interview experts. A lot of hiring kollektivs are still trying to determine what works best for their company. This means understanding what differentiates high-performing video interview users from those who are still figuring things out gives you a significant advantage in talent acquisition.For this reason, we dug into the data and found what sets high performers (those who report feeling comfortable with video interviews and rated the technology as Good or Excellent) apart from other users. Here are three ways high performers set themselves apart and how you can apply their strategies to improve yo ur video interview experienceThey use a dedicated video interview platform.There is a big difference between using a dedicated video interview platform and interviewing via Skype or Google Hangouts. Dedicated platforms were created specifically for hiring and high performers understand this nuance. In fact, 45 percent of high performers use a dedicated platform compared to just 17 percent of low performers.Their success and satisfaction come from using technology that provides more options and takes hiring tasks off their plate. For example, dedicated platforms foster collaboration, assist with scheduling, and maximize employer branding. These benefits let HR and hiring professionals focus on other pressing responsibilities.How to be a video interview high performerOne of the hardest parts of talent acquisition is balancing personalization and automation. Everyone wants to save time but not at the cost of the candidate experience. With a dedicated video interview platform, you can e mbed videos about your company into automated communications so youre getting the best of both worlds.Instead of sending a templated email thats just text, include video messages from leaders. Record a short welcome video from the CEO to show candidates company leaders are personable and available. This creates a candidate experience that resonates with job seekers but doesnt require separate technology or consuming a great deal of anyones time. In their own words, have leaders briefly talk about topics such asLeadership styles in the organizationThe company missionTeam dynamicsWhy theyre proud of the companyThe companys future directionWhat they value in employeesUse videos of company leadership to balance automation and personalization in the hiring process.Click To TweetThey use one-way video interviews.Many video interview users dont take advantage of one-way video interviews. They only use live interviews to evaluate candidates who live out of town. While video interviews provi de more information than phone interviews and are more convenient for everyone involved, one-way video interviews allow you to more quickly and efficiently assess candidates. One-way video interviews enable candidates to record their responses on their own time and your team is then able to review and collaborate later. Twenty-three percent of high performers use one-way interviews, compared to 12 percent of low performers.How to be a video interview high performerWhen using one-way video interviews as an early screen, look to discover information you cant get from a resume or application, such as indication of cultural fit. Identify aspects of your company that unite your employees. Then form questions that reveal if these traits or values resonate with candidates.These qualities or interests dont have to relate to what your company does directly. Youre looking for clues a candidate will fit in with the rest of the team. Consider how various factors play into your company culture, for exampleIf your office is full of Harry Potter fans, ask candidates what Hogwarts house they would be in to gain insights about their personality.If your company values community service, ask what organizations candidates are involved with to see what social issues matter most to them.Ask candidates about the accomplishment theyre most proud of. Watching how and when they light up recounting their story reveals what motivates them.They create a video interview library.Sourcing candidates is time-consuming and frustrating. Video interviews allow you to build a qualified talent pool that only your organization can draw from. In fact, when asked what the advantages of video interviews are, at least one in four high performers said having video logs for future reference.When you receive a video interview from a skilled candidate who isnt right for your current opening, file it away for later. If the perfect role opens up in the future, you can reach out to that candidate and get them started with the hiring process.How to be a video interview high performerGive your hiring managers access to all your saved video interviews. Even if the candidate applied for a position with the customer service team, they could be a great fit for the sales team. Make sure you have clear notes on each candidate so your hiring manager can easily see if the individual shows high potential for their open role.Include the following information in your notes about candidatesAll high-value experience and skills, not just the ones relating to the original positionHow far the candidate got in the hiring processAny feedback you gave the candidate to see how much theyve developedWhat welches most impressive about the candidate as an individualOld video interviews help you find the candidate you need for a current vacancy. hiringtipClick To Tweet___

This is exactly how many sick days you have taken on your couch during its lifespan

This is exactly how many sick days you have taken on your couch during its lifespanThis is exactly how many sick days you have taken on your couch during its lifespanYour couch has been through a lot.The average American couch is around six years old and not only harbors the loose change that falls from your pockets but also plays a role in emotional therapy and nursing you through sick days, according to new research.In a survey headed by OnePolll for Rove Concepts, researchers looked at living situations of 2,000 Americans to find how long homeowners expect living appliances to last and how they could improve their living spaces.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreHome is where your couch isAnd it turns out that many of lifes moments happen where your couch sits. The average American couch is six years old. Its been used 36 times for naps, 32 times as a social space with family an d friends and 21 times for sick days, according to the data.The study also found how the average couch has been cried on 17 times and holds around nearly $2 in change between the cushions.Seventy-percent of Americans polled viewed their couch as comfortable, despite more than one-fifth complaining about the sofas appearance and how its outdated.The furniture you select are a reflection of how you want to feel in your living space. unterstellung pieces become a part of the everyday moments that truly make a living space your home, a spokesperson for Rove Concepts said.Furniture adultingWhether its Ikea or some other supplier, investing in permanent pieces of furniture is largely seen as a step toward adulthood. Participants in the study said at age 28 was the right time to invest in more permanent home pieces. Those types of appliances were considered mattresses, bed frames, coffee tables, dressers, and other furnishings, according to the study.A high-quality piece of furniture trans cends function and becomes an essential part of your life for years of lasting memories, the spokesperson added.A recent study found that Americans spend nearly a third of their day sitting down, with US teens averaging the most at eight hours.If youre debating on what your first - or next - grown-up purchase should be, heres how participants decided on their furnishings, according to the survey and check out the video below.Dining table36%Dining chairs 35%Couch 34%Mattress 31%Bed frame 30%Coffee table 26%Dresser 26%Arm chair 25%TV stand 24%Sectional 22%Night stand 22%Side table 20%You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will ersatzdarsteller your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

People who eat this type of breakfast tend to make more money

People who eat this type of breakfast tend to make more moneyPeople who eat this type of breakfast tend to make more moneyA hearty breakfast might be a thing of the past.More and more Americans are skipping breakfast, opting to pass what many consider the most important meal at least half of the week, according to a new study, conducted by OnePoll.The average American isnt grabbing a yogurt every day or even munching on eggs - Americas favorite breakfast food - for most of the week, as Americans have breakfast just three times a week.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe poll looked at the eating habits of 2,000 Americans, specifically looking at the preferences and behaviors among breakfast eaters.When Americans actually want to eat breakfast, well more than half preferred eggs for breakfast. Fifty-six percent were satisfied with just coffee and just a little over half said cer eal was their go-to.Others enjoyed breakfast sandwiches (46%) and bacon (42%).Whether youre in a rush or simply cant stomach food early, skipping breakfast has been proven to have its disadvantages health-wise. A study in 2017 found that people who skip their first meal of the day have been associated with having higher cholesterol levels or even being heavier.Researchpublished earlier this year even linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular-related death.One expert recently told Ladders that skipping breakfast isnt the right move.Skipping breakfast is associated with increased disease risk - not only obesity but diabetes, heart disease, and just lower dietary quality, said registered dietitian Sharon Collison.The habits of breakfast eatersPeople who work in law, hotel and food services, and technology were found the most likely to skip breakfast daily, according to a recent study.As for people who do eat breakfast and prefer a savory type (like an egg), the study found they te nd to make more money, be night owls and prefer cats over dogs. If you prefer a sweet breakfast like a doughnut you tend to be a morning person, like romcoms and are a dog person.Check out the infographic and watch the video below.

5 Questions to Ask Before an ERP Upgrade

5 Questions to Ask Before an ERP Upgrade5 Questions to Ask Before an ERP UpgradeEnterprise resource planning (ERP) is by far the most commonly used financial ordnungsprinzip in North America. More than three-quarters (78 percent) of U.S. organizations and 90 percent in Canada rely on an ERP system as their primary financial system, according to Benchmarking the Accounting Finance Function from Robert Half and Financial Executives Research Foundation (FERF).Popular and integral though they may be, upgrading these tools can cause headaches for finance executives and their staff. Often this is due to companies failing to ask themselves and their staff essential questions before choosing and designing a worry-free ERP system.Before you invest a cent in an ERP upgrade, ask these five critical questions.1. Whats the goal?Discuss with your financial managers what you want to accomplish with the new system. Which processes are you attempting to streamline? Are there any steps in your curren t system you want to eliminate?Keep in mind the ultimate goal is to simplify and automate the work while removing unnecessary or repetitive processes.2. What training is necessary?Determine what type and how much training and development will be needed. Also identify which employees will receive the initial training and then train the rest of the staff.3. Who will be involved with the product selection?Consider which staff members will need to take time away from their normal duties to compare vendors, analyze various products and make the final decision on the product design. The members of this committee should ask for input from the rest of the staff about what features the system should include.4. Should we choose a cloud-based solution?Before you settle for a traditional ERP system, consider the viability of a cloud-based computing vorkaufsrecht. State-of-the-art solutions offer real-time upgrades and often cost much less than maintaining your own system in-house.If you are hes itant to move such an important function into the cloud, you also could look at a hybrid approach. This option allows users to extract certain data from the cloud for reporting in other applications such as Microsoft Excel.5. Do we have the staff needed to handle the transition?If you want an ERP upgrade to be successful, its important to designate and prepare a team of experienced and committed staff members to handle the transition. If you dont have personnel with the requisite expertise or enough staff to handle this daunting task, you can bring in consultants with experience in ERP implementation.ERP upgrades often fall flat because financial executives did not address critical concerns pre-implementation. Before you commit to and invest in this major initiative, be sure you have all the answers you need.Are you interesting in learning more about how companies use on-premises or cloud-based ERP solutions as their primary financial system?GET THE BENCHMARKING REPORT

Reinvent Yourself Before Your Next Career Move

Reinvent Yourself Before Your Next Career MoveReinvent Yourself Before Your Next Career MoveWhen you cant change your circumstances, consider changing yourself.However humbled youve been by a layoff, whatever savings youve lost in your portfolio and regardless of the size of your homes equity value youre still the one with all the power. When, as now, headlines hammer home what you cannot control, remind yourself of the one thing you do control You.Rise up, opt out, and press refresh. With our economic world in flux, now is a low-risk opportunity to invest in yourself, do some reinventing, and finally collect on the ROI of you. This can be a modest tune up, or a head-to-toe overhaul. Either way, theres value in considering how changing you might change everything.The Cycle of Renewal It Happens to the Best of Us.Reinvention isnt isolated to world economies and Fortune 500 corporations. Its par for the developmental course of adult menschlich beings like you and me. Plato described t his transformative human capability as techne tou biou, the craft of life. Thomas Jefferson advocated revolution every 10 years to re-focus peoples attention. Why not use this mind-blowing span in our nations evolution to your advantage? Make it an occasion to re-focus your attention toward personal revolution.Neuroplasticity Theres Hope, Despite the Brain Cells Killed in College.Brains can help or hurt on the road to self-betterment. Its your choice. You can poke clever holes in opportunities that come your way. Or, you can convince your brain to buy into the Brave New Me program. Medical researchers have witnessed signs that the physiology of the human brain can be changed. Modify your brain patterns, and you alter your behaviors and your life. Routinely talk back to the ANTs (automatic negative thoughts) in your head, and improve brain functioning. Brain scans at the Amen Clinic arent in the cards for everyone. But, there are practical things you can do to jumpstart your personal or professional regeneration.Lets look at an action plan.RRecalibrateEExit to EvolveIInquireNNeed PeopleVVentureEEvaluateNNavigateTTest the WatersR RecalibrateHeres an exercise for the sports-fan. Imagine yourself hovering over your favorite football stadium, with a birds eye view of the entire field. You clearly see yard lines, sidelines, end zones, the bench and goal posts, and all the potential in between. Now, place yourself on the field, where you are today.What is your positioning on the field?Which game strategy have you been employing?Are you close to the goal line and about to score, or have you been busy playing defense?How did you get here? Is this an accepted tischordnung or one you consciously chose? And, once you see your current placement clearlyWhere on the field do you want to be in the future?What is a touchdown worth?How can you tackle and pass to get that ball across the line?E Exit to EvolveGet lost to find out where youre going. Intentionally plan an exit fr om your status quo. Whether its a weekend alone in a rustic Maine cabin, or the time in between my company went bust and what do I do next? carve out some time away, physically and metaphorically.Once you arrive elsewhere, shut up. Get quiet and ask this (gut-wrenching) question If I died today, what is the one thing Id regret not having done? If your current job situation and career plan directly or indirectly hinder, rather than enable, this deathbed desire, you have some editing to do.I Inquire (Like your Life Depends on Data)Become your own RD department. Recall the Delphic Oracles advice? Take inventory of your technical and human skills, your values and priorities. Lay them out like a transparency over the slide show of your life. How do they mesh?Do informal 360 degree feedback sessions. Talk to five people who know you well for 20 minutes each. Ask what about you has the biggest impact on them. Then, just listen.Take a self-assessment like the Myers Briggs, the Strong Inte rest Inventory, or the DiSC. Note patterns and preferences in your behavior.Remember what is effortless. When have you felt fruchtwein at flow, as Csikszentmihalyi describes? Do your current job and career plans maximize what comes most easily to you?Find your inner hedgehog. Review the three circles of Jim Collins Hedgehog Concept in Good to Great. Flesh out how they apply to your professional value proposition.N Need PeopleOnce you get to a certain stage in life, your ego starts saying, Go it alone. Seeking peoples guidance and support seems weak. Wrong.Networking distinguishes a juggernaut from an average Joe. You already know its a good idea to never eat alone. As youre working up an appetite, draw an historical map of institutions, communities, mentors and bosses. Cast a net from country clubs to your kids schools. Get people on your calendar for every meal you eat this month.Get intimate with 5 people you admire. If you know these folks, get on the phone. If theyre dead, or y ou cant access them, talk to friends, or read biographies. Learn their life stories. Decide your next step by following steps they took to create success.Filter those who build you up from those who tear you down. If theres a loud sucking sound in the room when youre with someone, the black hole of need inside of them is draining your energy. Some people are invested in your not moving forward. Limit interaction with them starting today.V Venture a geistesbildVision might be overused these days, but dismiss it as a trite catchphrase at your own peril. Like the saying goes, You cant hit what youre not aiming for.Review your data. Get clear on what you want. Put it on paperCraft a vision statement. Squeeze your thoughts into one sentence. Put it in present tense, as if youve achieved the vision already. Begin with I am or I haveIdentify 10 action items that bring your vision to fruition.Do what high school coaches told you visualize the win.E Evaluate your Personal Barriers to Entry Strategize to effectively manage or banish barriers. With your sights set on your vision, consider obstacles that stand in the way. You want a path free of threats to defend against.Call it a personal spin on Michael Porters Five Forces Analysis. List what hinders your entry into the market of your dreams. Beside each barrier, brainstorm ways to overcome it.N Navigate with a Co-CaptainCarefully choose a mentor, friend, significant other, family member, coach, counselor, spiritual guide. You are at the helm of this mammoth vessel called life. Your hands are on the tiller. Before battening down the hatches, and setting sail, put someone beside you. An unbiased, second set of eyes, makes the trip more efficient and enjoyable. Youre distracted by buoys and gezeit changes. Good co-captains stay focused on the charted course.T Test the Waters with a SipThe great begins with the small. If Zen Buddhists believe you can find the entire universe in a teacup, surely its worth taking a sip. R ead an inspiring book. Take a weekend seminar youre passionate about. Write a blog. Start a project as prototype for the work youll do in your next iteration. If it feels right, start making waves.In ConclusionHeres what successful reinvention requires, and what it renders. Revamping yourself personally or professionally demands humility and resilience. It starts with differentiation, uncoupling yourself from your context. This is uncomfortable. Your deep limbic system and basal ganglia will get runs for their money. Next, in the integration phase, you merge with new ideas, systems, and people. Fragments of your consciousness, once conflicted, are now ordered and aligned toward one goal.In these uncertain times reinvention solves the question what are you really on earth to do? Having survived the trenches of excavation, you emerge rich. You understand, as Immanuel Kant wrote, It is not Gods will merely that we should be happy, but that we should make ourselves happy.