I used to blog quite a bit, but not so much lately. I do try to keep an eye on keeping things up-to-date, though. I just went through the links on the resources page, and I’ve removed all of the 404s. A few of my non-profit faves are gone, but there are many still there. I have more to add, and hopefully I will get to those soon. In the meantime, feel free to share your favourites, and I will happily check them out and possibly add them to the list.
Category Archives: life
Updating blog post links
I was just checking out some of my previous blog posts, and I noticed that some of the links to resources have changed. Notably, a lot of the links for Charity Village and Volunteer Canada articles and resources no longer work. I believe both sites have been redesigned to some degree in the last couple of years, so the broken links make sense. But it really bothers me. So I am going to undertake updating the links on each post on my blog. I have already updated the last 20 posts. I should be done by the end of November. In the meantime, my apologies for any inconvenience.
Image credit: From CountyWebsite.com and their article “You’re only as Strong as your Broken or Missing Links” by Reba Winstead, July 2013
Update: November 25: I have finished this little project. I was surprised at how much content doesn’t exist anymore, especially around net neutrality. But I managed to correct many broken links without losing a lot. It was actually an interesting journey — going back to blog posts from 2008. A nice trip through time, even if only a short one.
Job Search Resources
As some of you may know, I finished my time with the Community Radio Fund of Canada a while back. After taking some time off, I’ve been back at it, looking for a new path. I have come across some great links to articles that made me think about creating a new resume, preparing for interviews, and even figuring out how to find my own way. I have also added some job search links (approximately 30 links) to my resources page.
Job Search
- Nine Questions to Guide Your Job Search (by Laura Gassner Otting, Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group): I found this article useful before I began creating my new resume. What are my skills? What is transferable? What motivates me?
- 7 Secrets to Getting Your Next Job Using Social Media (by Dan Schawbel, Mashable.com): I’m not sure that I can fully embrace Dan Schawbel’s notion that “90% should be concentrated on the following seven social media secrets,” but these are still good ideas to incorporate in your job search activities.
- How to get a job past the age of 50 (by Thomas Hart, Undercover Recruiter)
- Ottawa Integrated Local Labour Market Planning: An Ontario Government initiative, OILLMP is all about analyzing and synthesizing labour market information. Not in Ontario? Check out the Working In Canada site to get labour market information for your province, where their “Labour Market Bulletins provide an analysis of the local labour market and an assessment of local employment-related events.”
Starting Your Own Business
- 7 Steps to Creating a Winning Coaching, Consulting or Service Business (by John Jantsch, Duct Tape Marketing): “The following seven steps offer a road map for creating a winning practice.”
Creating Your Resume
- Three Things You Must Include on Your Resume for a Nonprofit Job (by Joanne Fritz, About.com): Three great tips, for sure, but there are other useful resources at the bottom of the page.
- Resume Writing – How to Write a Masterpiece of a Resume (resource published by the Rockport Institute)
- 36 Beautiful Resume Ideas That Work (by Jacob Share, JobMob)
- 9 Dynamic Digital Resumes That Stand Out From the Crowd (by Sharlyn Lauby, Mashable.com): Definitely not for the design faint of heart, but they are inspiring, nonetheless.
- How to Make a Visual Resume with PowerPoint in 3 Steps (by Jessica Drew, MakeUseOf.com)
The Interview
- Marketing your ability: Part II – The interview (by Cynthia J. Armour, CharityVillage)
- How to Limit Your Mistakes During a Job Interview (edited by TVLesson, Tryme2, Maluniu, Teresa and 11 others at wikiHow)
- What Interviewers Wish They Could Tell Every Job Candidate (by Jeff Haden, Inc. Magazine, posted on LinkedIn)
- Focus on Interviews: A guide to marketing yourself (PDF) (Government of Canada publication)
- MakeUseOf.com’s 5 Sites With Job Interview Tips To Help You Ace Your Interview (by John McClain, MakeUseOf.com)
- How to avoid being told, ‘You’re Fired.’ (by Colleen Clarke, Workopolis): Inspiration pulled from The Apprentice, these are some tips to keep in mind in preparing for an interview.
- Career Q&A: Preparing for a phone interview (by Nancy Ingram and Christa McMillin, CharityVillage)
- Nonprofit Hiring Tools: Sample Interview Questions (by CharityVillage)
- How To Ace The 50 Most Common Interview Questions (by Jacquelyn Smith, Forbes)
- ‘Why Should I Hire You?’ and Other Favorite Interview Questions (by Mary K. Pratt, Computer World)
- Top 20 Most Challenging Job Interview Questions (by David Pye, National Bank Clear Facts)
- 14 Revealing Interview Questions (by Jeff Haden, Inc. Magazine)
- Common Job Interview Questions and Answers: a searchable database
- 88 Great Behavioural Interview Questions To Help You Prepare For Your Next Interview! (by K B, InterviewIQ)
- Career Q&A: How to answer questions about salary (by Nancy Ingram and Christa McMillin, CharityVillage)
- Nine Questions to Ask during a Job Interview (by Kas Thomas, assertTrue())
- Ten questions to ask during a job interview (by Andrew Sobel, The Globe and Mail)
- 7 Questions Great Candidates Ask (by Kazim Ladimeji, Recruiter.com)
- 5 Questions Great Job Candidates Ask (by Jeff Haden, Inc. Magazine)
- Smart Questions: Winning the Tie-Breaker Interview (by Steve Harrison, Workplace Insights, Lee Hecht Harrison)
Tips on how to be more productive
Give up.
Procrastinate.
Work less.
Get rejected.
Do an impossible task.
Is your brain hurting? Is there a typo in the headline? These sound more like a ideas for how to get canned. But this article raises some great points.
I’ve been watching some interesting videos on YouTube around how thought processes and the brain works (I highly recommend checking out the BBC show “Horizons” for great programs on intelligence and how to make better decisions … and more, of course). At first I was thinking that this kind of list is more about “tricking the brain” or using reverse psychology. And in one way you can look at it like that. However, what I find more interesting is the concept that, according to some brain-mapping experiments, when one is faced with a choice, the amygdala seems active. This is the area of the brain that deals with emotions. So for me, it is about understanding how my emotions work rather than purposefully playing mind games on myself.
And that is what I like about this list below. It is not about trying to convince yourself that your to-do list is manageable, it is more about how to better manage yourself, your thoughts, and even your emotions.
10 of the most controversial productivity tips that actually work
by Leo Widrich, Buffer
We’ve all heard what makes us more productive. To be more productive, get: Better sleep, better food, better work environment, etc. And I think these tips are amazing and a great focus to have. Heck, we even wrote about most of these and the science behind it here on the Buffer blog.
And yet, today, I thought of changing it up dramatically. It goes nicely with Tim Ferriss’ moto: “To do the impossible, you need to ignore the popular.”
Ummmm, what was my password again?
Wow, it has been so long since I have blogged, I forgot what my password was. That makes me sad. But honestly, I find with all of the Facebook sharing, Google Plusing, and Twittering, I find less and less energy available for my wee little blog here. I barely have time for LinkedIn, either. And Pinterest? What is that? Total Internet overload. Add the email inboxes into the mix, sprinkling in some great TED videos that have come out lately, sometimes it is just easier to turn off all the screens and hang out on the couch with a good book. Although the Fireplace Channel is acceptable. (It exists. It really does.)