If you’re in the market for a new job, a new offer to wave in front of the boss’ nose, or genuinely wanting to test the waters – it’s worth knowing a few things about the job market, and what you can do to get noticed by the right people.
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Firstly, about 80% of available jobs are never advertised – most roles are filled from referrals, recruiter database scans, and digital talent hunts using Linkedin. US stats show that around 93% of companies use LinkedIn for recruiting
 
Someone at the Auckland based company Consult Recruitment did their Masters thesis on LinkedIn’s role in recruitment and selection procedures (it says ‘default admin’ but I’m sure it’s a real person). They found that in New Zealand, around 70% of recruiters and hiring managers use LinkedIn to source top talent. For many, it’s their first (and increasingly only) port of call, after their own database.
They also point out that this is 70% of hiring managers and recruiters across ALL sectors - from unskilled labour right through to executive level.
 
They also drive home a very good point … if recruiters can’t find you, then you have just missed out on a new opportunity.

Yes, being on LinkedIn is one thing. A very important thing. Being on there with a strong profile that reflects the role you’re looking to get, is just as important!
 
Here’s the detailed overview from LinkedIn on how to do it.

But it’s way nicer to watch the vid from Millenial LinkedIn expert Michaela Alexis:

Your turn, switch the 'knowing' into 'doing' ... 

1. Get yo'self on LinkedIn
2. Update your profile to suit their algorithm in 2020 (see the two links above on 
3. Updated it as you gain new skills or want to move into new areas
4. Be active on there – genuinely so though, like, follow and comment on things connected with your career goals

A good friend of mine who also happens to be a creative and respected marketer Mark Godenho posted on LinkedIn recently - a link to this HBR article The Art of Blooming Late, along with the words “it's been an interesting journey for me ... what's your journey been like?” and his career pathway.
 
I replied (to help his LinkedIn algorithm and just to see what mine looked like). It’s a little unpredictable! But as the late and great Steve Jobs said:

Mine goes a little something like this …

​Nanny - trade based Mechanical Engineer – Account Manager - Product Manager - Project Manager - Strategic Sales – Area Retail Manager - Head of Marketing – Tech Business Manager – Head of Strategy and Marketing – (mid life crisis phase: Volunteer – Traveller – Founder) back into it - GM Attraction Economic Development - COO Tech Startup - Founder x 2 - Strategy and Marketing Consultant - Governance/Independent Director - and now a Founder again and aiming for published Author. ​

It’s been an unpredictable, winding and super interesting road for a farm girl from Southbridge, who got suspended from Boarding School I tell ya!  There’s no way I could have ever even dreamed of some of the responsibilities I’ve had, the travel and places I’ve been and the incredible people I’ve met.

If I had to unpick it, there was a theme of having a ‘north star’, some far off goal of how I wanted to work and what impact I wanted to have, and a promise to myself to say ‘yes’ to cool shxt that came my way that in some way might align with that north star.
 
A few of those yeses, with hindsight, should have been a no, but I don’t really believe in regret as each one either …
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• showed me that direction wasn’t right and bounced me back onto the path I needed to be on
• taught me some skills that have since been invaluable
• tested me and built resilience
• connected me with elements I love or areas I want to do more in
• connected me with some amazing people
• gave me moments of clarity

 
Sounds magnanimous now, but I assure you, the three roles I’m thinking of, as I was living them there was a lot of stress and swearing! Time and perspective do wonders. If anything though the thing I would have done sooner was leave as soon as I realised I was really off track.
 
“If you’re not working toward reaching your unique potential—as Mozart did—it’s normal to feel dissatisfied”
 
Reading that HBR article this part also stood out “The philosopher John Kaag, author of Hiking with Nietzsche, agrees. “The self does not lie passively in wait for us to discover it,” he writes. “Selfhood is made in the active, ongoing process, in the German verb werden, ‘to become.’” So taking those chances, saying yes, being bold and spending a little time outside the comfort zone is important.
 
Many of you reading this might be starting out on your path or figure out where the hell the path even is, and that’s a great place to be while reading this as hopefully your expectations will be shaped now that it’s rare to ‘know’ with certainty what your calling exactly is and how to achieve it. For many of us, it’s about trial and error, learning about and trusting ourselves and being brave. This article and the story of Joanne at the end sum up perfectly why this book and community called Careering. We often have this idea that a career path, or the path to finding meaningful ‘work’ is like walking along the footpath – clearly marked, enter however you like, stay on it till you get where you want to go. Reality is much more like a snow covered mountain track, slippery, on an angle, some sun blindness and in many places, absolutely no control over what happens next!
 
There’s no easy way to know what’s right, all you can do is know yourself, trust in your ‘north star’ or try things until you find that, and back yourself. Life is for living, be intentional with how you spend your time and energy ... most importantly, enjoy yourself!

​This little question popped up on the Twitter feed this weekend …

​And got the cogs turning. There were the usual responses in the feed about hugging loved ones, writing stuff down, flossing, smiling, sending good vibes to others etc (how many of these are real and how any are ‘aspirational’ and people want to be seen that one? Ah, that’s a whole ‘nother post there!).
 
Here’s the one I came up with. One little gem that I think was taught in a sales course about 20 years ago and what a difference it’s made.
 
“Ask to clarify what they mean by 'urgent' (and that's whoever 'they' are and whatever the context is). It's almost never the same as what you’re expecting, and almost never 'this instant'.”
 
Getting clear on everyone’s expectations also helps with that whole ‘under promise, over deliver’ mission, in a way that doesn’t create undue stress for you too. By getting clear on what someone’s expectations are instead of assuming, you have the freedom to share your reality too and agree on the timing, so both parties are happy. Then it’s over to you to meet that timeline, or beat it. Always easier to do with a week of space to get it done rather than the next five minutes.

​Of course some tasks will need to be done ‘now, now*’, but many don’t and by doing them straight away we’re deciding whatever that is, is more urgent and more important than other things we’re doing. Which isn’t always the case and when it is, let’s consciously choose that.
 
I can clearly recall a time when I was managing one of the company’s top 100 client and they called, with an urgent request. They’re important, they say its urgent, and as the Head of Procurement outlined what they needed, I was trying to listen but really, I was calculating how to make it happen by 5 pm that same day.
 
Drop everything, cancel meetings, focus only on this, deliver everything they’ve asked etc etc. I’d mapped that plan, noted down their needs, read back to him to clarify it. Then … I asked the question “So we’re on the same page, when you say ‘urgent’ what do you mean by this time wise?”.
 
His response “Within the next two weeks”. Wow. We really were on two different pages about what urgent meant in this context. It would have been foolish of me to switch to thinking urgent always means ‘in the next two weeks’ as every context is different, where as the real takeout here is to check. Just ask the question. We love a happy ending and you can probably guess that in this situation, I was able to complete the actions, double check and give really accurate insight, add some extra value and deliver what they needed about three days ahead of their expected timeline, all while managing to do all the other important things on that week.
 
It’s not something I’ve always remembered to do but it’s one that I try to and really encourage you all to give it a go, see if it helps create or protect some space in your days too.

The numbers speak for themselves –“Every night in this country, over 167 women and children are too afraid to stay at home because of family violence.” Right now, these numbers are getting worse. More people are feeling unsafe at home than ever.
 
Headlines like these are real, and confronting:
“Covid 19 coronavirus: Domestic violence is the second, silent epidemic amid lockdown”

And we can’t hide or close our eyes because these stories are hard to read or hear. We have a serious issue here in NZ, New Zealand has the highest rates of family violence in the developed world. This is personal, and it’s one that really matters to us here at Careering.
 
All women, all people, deserve to feel safe.
We passionately advocate for this.
 
Now, we’re supporting Women’s Refuge and gifting a Safe Night too.

​The premise of “Safe Night” is that now New Zealanders are able to book an escape for those who can’t book one for themselves, for someone who really needs it. They’ll get a safe, clean bed, 24 hour security, hot meals, childcare, helpful advice and care from supportive people. Priceless really. And for $20, you can gift one too.  Please do. 

Read more about Safe Night 
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Gift a Safe Night
 

Please visit https://womensrefuge.org.nz/get-help/ or call their Crisisline: 0800 REFUGE or 0800 733 843

Phone them toll free from anywhere in New Zealand for information, advice and support about domestic violence as well as help in a crisis.
They’re there to help you on this phone number 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
​You will be automatically redirected to a female advocate in your region.

While emotions and feelings are quite different, we all use the words interchangeably to more or less explain the same thing – how something or someone makes us feel. There's no class at school, tech or uni on how to untangle 'feelings' yet we're biochemically driven by them.  Last week I  attended a community wellbeing forum last week out in Lincoln as I'm passionate about helping young people. The forum was well attended by community groups, Youth Council, economic development advocates, paramedics, advocates for those with austism spectrum disorder, teachers, school leaders, community care officers, Police Officers, a suicide prevention officer, Ministry of Education leaders, an academic research, and me. A warm, welcoming. diverse, engaged and committed group.

I took a tonne of notes and tools away from the forum. The Rolleston College leaders were strong communicators and very inspiring  as they shared the ethos of their school, their values and they shared some real gems. One that that stood out was that of a ‘feelings tree’, which they use to help their rangitahi identify, understand and communicate how they're feeling.
 
Seems we could all use a tool like this!
 
Whether we are catching up with friends, family, students, teachers, colleagues, grandparents etc, this gives a common platform for saying where we are at.
 
In simple terms, you look at the image of the people on the tree and pick one that represents where you’re at right now. You then talk that through with those around you, sharing why you chose that one, what it means to you and so on, and they can then ask you questions and start a good discussion. Once you've worked through where you're at, be an active listener and move to the next person. Cool huh?
 
​Give it a go!

The original feelings tree comes from the Seeds of Hope Bereavement and Loss Activity Book, which aims to help children deal with loss and/or change through nature. You can download the original tree here, along with some good questions and prompts to use it more widely with those you love, or to even check in with yourself.

We all know the maths ...  
One day has 24 hours, one hour has 60 minutes, so:1 day = (24 hours/day) × (60 minutes/hour) = 1440 minutes/day

The world today is faster, brighter, louder than ever before. We have more information at our disposal than we know what to do with, and we're overwhelmed and overloaded. 

When we know what matters to us, what we value and what our goals are, we can put that front and centre and filter out the 'noise'. Unless being a social media influencer or digital marketing guru is part of that mix for you, chances are social is sucking up valuable time.  

This calculator by Omni is interesting and a little confronting. A good reality check as to how your time could be invested in things that make you smile. 

We all know we’re in the midst of a rapidly changing global economy, and digital landscape. Increasing digital inclusion in a constantly changing environment is tough! A New Zealand Government report “Digital New Zealanders: The Pulse of Our Nation” shows that while an average of 15% of families across the country are without internet access, most of them are packed into low socioeconomic areas.  And by the end of 2022, 87% of Kiwis should have access to ultra-fast broadband (UFB), putting New Zealand among the top five OECD countries for the proportion of the population with access.
 
Worldwide, 71% of 15-24 year olds are online. OECD data shows adults without information and communications technology (ICT) experience, even if employed, are likely to earn less than those with ICT skills.
 
We know that there’s paid growth in new digital jobs and these can be accessed and delivered remotely with access to good internet and the capability to do so.
 
While it seems the overarching infrastructure is well underway, access is only one indicator of digital inclusion, people must also have the motivation, skills, and confidence to go online.
 
Napoleon Hill was said to have come up with the phrase: