Overstock was Overstocked 250+ layoffs

Overstock was Overstocked 250+ layoffs This makes me sad. I have had this tab open since yesterday and every time I go to close it, I hesitate. I got laid off just a few months ago. It was really a life-changing, family-impacting event. Our financial plans were abruptly halted and modified. Our health insurance abruptly ended. The company-purchased life insurance (which was not my only life insurance policy) went away. There were other benefits that I was getting used to, but those were, I think, the biggest changes. Oh yeah, I went from being a part of one of the hottest companies in my area, with a great title and being part of a super cool team that (almost) the whole company was excited about.   I lost my title and my position, which for many is their position in the world their whole purpose. This is what is happening to the 250+ people at Overstock. Their lives are about to change in a huge way. Perhaps it will be temporary the market is hot right now and there are a lot of local high tech and funded companies. Some people, because of their hustle and network and skills, will have just a blip in their career path, barely feeling it. For others, though, some will barely (if ever) recover. Listen, companies come and go. I was just looking at someones LinkedIn Profile and every company he worked at was like this: Company name (formerly ______) or Company name (acquired by / now _____). Companies come and go. Good bosses (and bad bosses) come and go. And both of those variables are outside of your circle of influence. A company changing their strategy and focus, like Overstock is apparently doing, is outside of your circle of influence. The impacts are far-reaching for you but you cant do much about it. What can you do? You can do what I call career management. You can be a continuous learner. You can build professional relationships (networking!). You can manage and dictate your personal brand. You can use JibberJobber RIGHT NOW.   You can be proactive in all of this stuff. When is the last time you went to an industry or professional association monthly network meeting? I didnt go, before my Big Layoff in 2006, because I felt like it was cheating on my company. But when I got laid off, none of my loyalty mattered. I should have managed my own career. Because no promise from anyone at my company mattered once I got laid off. You have to take care of you. Just dont wait to long to do it. Overstock was Overstocked 250+ layoffs This makes me sad. I have had this tab open since yesterday and every time I go to close it, I hesitate. I got laid off just a few months ago. It was really a life-changing, family-impacting event. Our financial plans were abruptly halted and modified. Our health insurance abruptly ended. The company-purchased life insurance (which was not my only life insurance policy) went away. There were other benefits that I was getting used to, but those were, I think, the biggest changes. Oh yeah, I went from being a part of one of the hottest companies in my area, with a great title and being part of a super cool team that (almost) the whole company was excited about.   I lost my title and my position, which for many is their position in the world their whole purpose. This is what is happening to the 250+ people at Overstock. Their lives are about to change in a huge way. Perhaps it will be temporary the market is hot right now and there are a lot of local high tech and funded companies. Some people, because of their hustle and network and skills, will have just a blip in their career path, barely feeling it. For others, though, some will barely (if ever) recover. Listen, companies come and go. I was just looking at someones LinkedIn Profile and every company he worked at was like this: Company name (formerly ______) or Company name (acquired by / now _____). Companies come and go. Good bosses (and bad bosses) come and go. And both of those variables are outside of your circle of influence. A company changing their strategy and focus, like Overstock is apparently doing, is outside of your circle of influence. The impacts are far-reaching for you but you cant do much about it. What can you do? You can do what I call career management. You can be a continuous learner. You can build professional relationships (networking!). You can manage and dictate your personal brand. You can use JibberJobber RIGHT NOW.   You can be proactive in all of this stuff. When is the last time you went to an industry or professional association monthly network meeting? I didnt go, before my Big Layoff in 2006, because I felt like it was cheating on my company. But when I got laid off, none of my loyalty mattered. I should have managed my own career. Because no promise from anyone at my company mattered once I got laid off. You have to take care of you. Just dont wait to long to do it.

Corporate America Your Hiring Processes Are Branded As Broken! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Corporate America Your Hiring Processes Are Branded As Broken! - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Look at it from almost any perspective and there is only one conclusion that can realistically be drawn about the hiring processes currently prevailing in Corporate Americaâ€"they are sadly broken and essentially out of sync with the realities of the current labor market pool.  What’s worse, most companies don’t even seem to have any genuine awareness of this fact! Nearly every week, I hear companies tout the “greatness” of their hiring processes, and how these processes are designed to (among other things) “hire only the best.” I hear companies talk about their “talent acquisition strategies,” or make claims such as, “talent wins” and “the greatness of our company is built on the greatness of our people,” ad infinitum. Now, juxtapose such claims being made daily by hiring companies with what even exceptional talent (both employed and unemployed) have to say about current hiring processes. Here is what one exceptionally talented job hunter recently told me: “Skip, trying to find a new job today is a depressing, demeaning, utterly miserable experience,” she said. “And it’s an experience that I hope I never have to go through again and one that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.” Then, to even further underscore the extreme disconnect between those seeking (or available for) new career opportunities and those doing the actual hiring for these new opportunities, consider the lament (paraphrased) I regularly hear from hiring managers: “We just can’t seem to find enough good people.” How can these two groups of people, i.e., job seekers and those who hire them, be seeing things so vastly differently? Let me begin answering that question by citing an email I received this week from Douglas Gordon, a professional in my LinkedIn ® network. “Question for you, Skip,” he wrote. “I’ve always held the notion that a good salesperson should be able to find me and sell himself/herself without the need for a recruiter. Im not saying that recruiters arent valuable, but why wouldnt a person looking for a job in my area just contact me directly?” A very good question and one that I hear in one form or another rather frequently, i.e., why doesn’t a job seeker simply go right to the source? Its also a question that goes right to the heart of the matter concerning one of the major problems with current hiring processes. Unbeknown to most people, including hiring managers, is that the prevailing hiring processes in America effectively target only 17% of the available talent, i. e., those actively (or semi-actively) looking for a job. The remaining 83% of the talent pool may not even be aware of new career opportunities, let alone take the initiative to actively seek out a particular hiring manager or company! To gain a better understanding of the entire job candidate pool, let’s take a look at the overall make up of the pool: 145 million employed people in the US + 14 million unemployed people in the US = 159 million available people Now, let’s take a closer look at the various subsets within the TOTAL pool of 159 million people: “Active” Job Seekers (9%) The ranks of the currently unemployed make up about 9% of the total available talent pool and are therefore deemed to be the “active” job seekers. They network and they apply online. While at least some of these job seekers can afford to be somewhat selective, generally, those in this group are simply “looking for a job”â€"any job. In addition, Lou Adler, of the Adler Group (www.adlerconcepts.com), has done extensive research which breaks down the labor pool into even more precise, more meaningful segments: “Semi-Active” Job Seekers (8%) 8% of the currently employed are also doing heavy networking and routinely applying online. People in this group generally fall into one of the following categories: Unhappy at work. Need to move for a family or personal reason. Don’t like their boss. Aren’t performing well. Sense their current position may be in jeopardy. Are with a company whose future may be in jeopardy. “Semi-Passive” Job Seekers (55%) These employed people are NOT job seekers. They . . . Have a good job, so they don’t respond to job postings. Do not post their résumés online. Do not take calls from third-party or corporate recruiters “pitching a job.” May or may not network, but will consider career moves to advance career growth. They are “crazy busy” performing their current job with excellence, often with your competitor. “Passive” Job Seekers (28%) This group will not budge at this point in time because they . . . Have just started a new job. Are getting ready to retire. Are geographically bound due to family or health issues. Have some type of “golden handcuffs.” Are just so in love with what they are doing that any change is out of the question. This more in-depth look at the make up of the total available talent pool goes a long way toward gaining a better, more thorough understanding of just how totally out of sync current hiring processes are with the realities of the talent pool. As I’ve already indicated, since hiring companies are effectively targeting only 17% of the total pool, vast numbers of potential job seekers are not even aware that new career opportunities exist. And certainly most hiring companies aren’t making any effort to make them aware. So, is it really any wonder, then, that companies can’t find “good people” for their new jobs? Likewise, it is really any wonder that “good people” are not even considering new career opportunities? Obviously, the only effective way to reach those potential candidates in the labor pool segments other than “active” or “semi-active” is to proactively target and then recruit them. Just as obviously, of course, this is where a good “headhunter” (or a good corporate recruiter!) canâ€"and doesâ€"play a vital role. However, as long as hiring companies continue to play the largely passive role they currently are playing, and as long as they continue to maintain their narrow candidate focus, good companies are going to continue to lose out on “good people.” Equally importantly, “good people” are going to continue to lose out on new career opportunities. NEXT WEEK: A look at how some current corporate hiring processes/practices are spelling failure for both the hiring company and job candidates. Author: Skip Freeman is the author of “Headhunter” Hiring Secrets: The Rules of the Hiring Game Have Changed . . . Forever! and is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The HTW Group (Hire to Win), an Atlanta, GA, Metropolitan Area Executive Search Firm. Specializing in the placement of sales, engineering, manufacturing and RD professionals, he has developed powerful techniques that help companies hire the best and help the best get hired.

15 Science-backed Tips for Writing Job Descriptions

15 Science-backed Tips for Writing Job Descriptions For many recruiters, hiring managers, or bootstrapping startups, hiring a new person is an incredibly important task. And while that statement may come as no surprise to those who have ventured to do it, the process itself can still have your reeling. Before you even think about the interview process or salary negotiation, you have to worry about things like finding a job posting site that fits within your budget â€"but will still get applicants to see it. You also need to write a description that correctly explains the job so you get quality applicants but also makes it sound appealing so that you actually get people to apply. The layout and content in a job description has been put under the microscope by background screening company EBI. After scouring the web for reports and tests, they put together an infographic that outlines the science of a perfect job description. Here are the main takeaways that you can use to immediately make a difference in your job postings. Job title length:  According to studies, the ideal length for a job title is 50-60 characters. Be specific:  In one test, using a generic term like “crew member” was outperformed by a more specific title of “cashier”. Furthermore, when comparing industry-specific terminology, like saying “CNA” versus writing out “Certified Nursing Assistant”, the industry-specific term got over 40% more applications. Description length:  Keep your main description 4,000-5000 characters long. This is equal to around 500-600 words. Scannable:  Eye-tracking tests show that readers skim the job description portion of the posting. So, when writing your description, avoid long, wordy paragraphs. Instead, use bullet points and shorter lines of text that include important keywords so that the eye picks up on these when scanning. Company description:  When ranking parts of a job posting that people read, the description ranks the longest and thus most important at 26 seconds. The company description is where the user spends the second most amount of time at 23 seconds. People want to know where they are applying and what your company is all about. In fact, 70% applicants in one survey from Glassdoor said that they will not accept a job with a company that has a bad reputation. Salaries:  Money is still an important motivator when applying for a job. With services like Glassdoor.com or Salary.com allowing job seekers full exposure to salary information, providing them with some numbers on your posting has proved important. Studies have shown that putting a salary range on your description can increase the number of applicants by 50%. Place this information near the top of the posting to increase your success even further. Mobile:  The world has gone mobile. The use of mobile devices in Millennials has infiltrated every industry from music to movies. Job searching is no different. 50% of 18-29 year olds use their smartphone to job search. So, what can you do to optimize your posting? The same way that you can optimize your posting to make it scannable also applies to mobile screens.  Remember, you are working with half the length of a desktop or laptop screen on mobile, so even sentences that seem short on a wide desktop screen can be 5-10 lines long depending on font sizes. When in doubt, test it yourself. Completion time:  Depending on the service or job posting, some job seekers are required to apply using time-consuming online applications. Keep this in mind when writing your descriptions and setting up your posting. When an applicant has to take more than 15 minutes to complete the full process, the submission rate drops off 365%. Like the mobile section above, you should always test the process yourself. About the author: Jennifer Gladstone is a news anchor and journalist with more than 20 years of experience in front of the camera. Shes worked in several markets, large and small, and has performed nearly every task needed in a newsroom. As EBI’s Screening News Editor, she keeps EBI’s customers and blog subscribers up to date on the latest screening news and legislative alerts affecting companies of all sizes.

Why Do E-Commerce Shop Owners Choose The Shopify Platform -

Why Do E-Commerce Shop Owners Choose The Shopify Platform - The importance of having an e-store in the modern day is something that simply cannot be ignored. Online shopping is well and truly booming. People love the convenience and ease at which they can purchase items off the internet. If you don’t have an e-commerce store then you are going to lose out on a wealth of consumers. Nevertheless, it is not enough to merely have a store in place, you also have to make sure it is an effective one, such as Shopify. One of the key components which determines whether this is the case or not is the ecommerce software you use. Shopify vs The Others There are lots of different options at your disposal, such as Venda, Magento, and Volusion. However, more and more companies are turning towards Shopify. This platform is definitely one of the most popular available today. You only need to look at the companies currently using Magento to see that this is the case. There are in fact a whole host of benefits associated with Shopify. However, one of the main reasons why companies prefer this platform is because of the extensive array of fantastic features it boasts. This incorporates marketing and promotion tools, customer service, payment, catalog management, mobile commerce, product browsing, analytics and reporting, catalog browsing, international support, shipping, search engine optimization, checkout, customer accounts, site management and order management, and more. You have everything you could possibly need in order to build and manage a successful ecommerce store. Why Shopify? A lot of companies like Shopify because of the easy and effective admin interface. After all, nobody expects you to be an ecommerce software expert. Yet, it is true that in the modern-day there is no time to waste while you spend months learning the ins and outs of the software solution. Luckily you don’t need to do this with Shopify. It is really easy to get to grips with everything and the level of customization available is not found within any of the other solutions mentioned. Aside from the points that have already been stated, another key benefit of using the Shopify solution is the fact that there are many extension options available. This is important for the customization of your site and ensuring that it is unique. Furthermore, Shopify is architected properly so that these extensions can be integrated in a stable way. For example, if you are trying to run a Shopify dropshipping store, then there are many different extensions and plugins that can be useful to you on the Shopify platform. Finally, Shopify is constantly being updated. This is important because the world of the internet never remains stagnant. Therefore updates and progressions are necessary if companies are to stay at the top of their game and continue to run at an optimal level. New features are being added all of the time and updates always translate to an improvement in performance as well. When you take all of the points that have been mentioned in this article into account it is not hard to see why so many companies are choosing to use Shopify over all of the other ecommerce software solutions available today.

Why Hire a Resume Writing Service?

Why Hire a Resume Writing Service?Most of the time, people need to hire a resume writing service because they lack the skills to write their own resume. They can't even figure out how to spell the first letter of a name or how to sign their name. With this in mind, it's important to be able to select the right writers for your needs. This is especially true if you're looking for a freelance writer that will take on all of your resumes at once.There are so many individual writers out there that claim to be able to fill every position out and spell everything correctly. Unfortunately, many of these writers do not live up to their claims. They are simply untrained. They have never been trained to do this and you do not want to pay them.Quality resumes are the key to getting interviews. Your resume plays a major role in the overall success of your career. When you're unable to get interviews at your current position, it is time to start getting ready for a different career path. What you need to do is give yourself the best opportunity possible to land the job you really want.You can achieve this goal by using the services of a professional resume writing service. This is a much more efficient way to get your job applications in front of a lot of qualified hiring managers at once. You won't waste any time getting your resume completed as soon as possible.Resumes are a great asset when you're trying to land a job. However, you should also be able to use the resume to help land you the job you're looking for. A good resume has to stand out from the rest of the candidates. When you have a good resume, you will get hired quicker and your chances of landing the job will increase significantly.The first step to writing the perfect resume is creating a powerful introduction that you want employers to see. Many people think that they need to hire an expert to create their resume but this is actually not true. They are the most likely to get it wrong.Even if you don't have an expert, you need to be able to create a great introductory statement. There are several steps you can take to make this happen. One way to do this is to hire a resume writing service to do it for you. They have the experience and the tools to make your introduction standout from the rest of the applications.In addition to all of the other tools they provide, resume writing service providers offer one thing. They feed your resume to hundreds of employers to ensure that it is exactly what you're looking for. They will even test it out with a bunch of people to make sure that it will generate traffic for you.

6 Myths about Career Coaching 5 Signs You Need One [Part 2] - Cubicle Chic

6 Myths about Career Coaching 5 Signs You Need One [Part 2] - Cubicle Chic 6 Myths about Career Coaching 5 Signs You Need One [Part 2] Career, Career design April 12, 2018 4 Comments [ 6 Common Myths about Career Coaching ]Earlier this week, we talked about what career coaching is, and busted some of the most common myths associated with career coaching. If you know about career coaching but are not sure about it 100%, this post is for you. If you think you know career coaching, click on the link above to see if what you know is 100% true!Now that we have adjusted our understanding of what a career coach is and what career coaching can do for you, let’s talk about how you know it’s time to hire a career coach: 5 Signs You Need A Career Coach: 1. You have a specific goal but you’re not sure how to accomplish it2. You see recurring themes or patterns of problems in your career or work life but you don’t know why they’re happening or how to resolve it3. You know you have the potential to accomplish more but you’re currently not realizing that potential4. You want/need someone to validate the path you have b uilt and hold you accountable for accomplishing your goals5. You feel stuck, lost, uninspired by what you do for work and want to change thatI’ve been writing on Cubicle Chic for 2.5 years, I consider myself somewhat of a career development enthusiast. Naturally, I had to see for myself and actually experience what it’s like to work with a career coach. Meike Hennon at Shinebright kindly offered a 1:1, 60-minute session with me to go over career coaching is done and how she helps her clients. During the session, we explored and discovered what my strengths are and the session was an eye-opening experience. (I finally understood why I always feel the need to document things and hold onto information like it’s going to change my world…)Here are a couple of things that I’ve learned about myself from this consultation session with Meike at Shinebright: According to my personality profile, my strengths are (in this order) Input, Context, Activator, Strategic, and Individualizat ion. This practically means I have exactly the right mix of personality traits to be a blogger. This explains why I keep coming back to blogging. Something I thought was just a hobby has turned into a habit over the last 3 years!I need to recognize when my strengths are working against me. In other words, if I become aware of my strengths and how to activate them and when, then I can play my strengths to the maximum. It would also mean that I will recognize when my strength act against me. For example, people that have the “CONTEXT” strength are usually obsessed information (useful or random), historical data, and WHY things are the way they are. But they also tend to focus on these interest of theirs when they have conversations with people, despite the fact that others may not be interested in what they are obsessed with. I notice I sometimes have the tendency to do this. But I also know when to shut up and talk about what others want to talk about…when I see their gaze sta rting to wander and look away.Other Success StoriesI also asked Meike to share a few of her clients’ success stories. Here are two professionals with different gender, age, background but both found success through Meike’s help as a career coach.   Meike has kindly provided the following two examples from her coaching experience of how career coaching leads to successful outcomes:Client A. Age: 26, female, Sarah (not her real name)Strengths: communication, strategic, relator, input, and empathyJob Change: Transitioned from digital marketing in a big firm to work on a small communications team for corporate execs.Sarah came to me with a lot of anxiety and hated her job. We dug into her strengths and realized her input and communication strengths had brought her a lot of success in crafting messaging and had resulted in success in her marketing role, but  she was unhappy due to  her strengths relator and empathy  in the toxic and competitive work environment.  These aspects of her identity were not being “fed” in her work environment and as an empath, she was suffering and feeling overwhelmed by the toxicity.Within 2 weeks  of our working together, Sarah quit her job and we began exploring career possibilities while still developing her understanding of her strengths. We also discussed how to grow her network in an authentic way that was a reflection of her strengths and how she operated naturally.During this time, Sarah was told of a job opening on a small team that crafted the executive messaging to large corporations. It seemed like an awesome opportunity and she found it through growing her network based on her strengths. We strategized for her to show up and be her best in the interview process. It worked, Sarah got the job. The small team environment was a good fit for someone with empathy and relator as strengths, and the communications aspect of the work fed her other strengths. It was a great fit and tapped into her entire set of strengths.  Cli ent B. Age â€" 47, male, James (not his real name)Strengths: ideation, WOO, arranger, futuristic and strategicJob Change: Laid off from VP of Marketing at a big tech firm and became CEOJames came to work with me after leaving an executive role at a big software company he had worked at for 20 years. During his job change, he was given a career coach as part of his severance package but the coach was very old school. My client knew if he followed the advice of that coach he would end up with the same job he had left. He found me via the WEWORK network, which is where I have my office. James was searching to rediscover his true self in order to find a career that aligned with the deepest aspects of his identity, one in which he could flourish on every level.We dove into his strengths and James blossomed during the development phase. He learned aspects of himself that he had not known before and others that he had pushed down in order to climb the corporate ladder. Within this new foun d knowledge, we determined he was excellent at ideating and curating moving parts, thanks to his strengths ideation and arranger. James also used his Woo talent (winning others over) everywhere he went, making new connections and establishing great connections. It was not long after we determined the type of role as a curator that he was offered and accepted the role of CEO for a technology software company co-founded by two engineers that did not want the stress of being the CEO. James has since found happiness and a level of engagement in his new role that he had previously not thought possible.Disclaimer: I would like to thank Shinebright for extending me the opportunity of a complimentary 1:1 session to understand their career coaching offerings. I am not compensated for writing and publishing this article. And of course, as always, the opinion expressed in the blog post is 100% my own.

22 Questions to Help Uncover your Best Accomplishments Part 3 of 3-Part Series - Sterling Career Concepts

22 Questions to Help Uncover your Best Accomplishments â€" Part 3 of 3-Part Series 22 Questions to Help Uncover your Best Accomplishments â€" Part 3 of 3-Part Series If you’ve been following this 3-part series, you know the importance of collecting and documenting your achievements on an on-going basis and having a framework in order to best write up your accomplishments. The last tool I can offer is a set of questions that will aid you in identifying and strengthening your list of professional accomplishments. Not all questions will apply to each profession or role, but a non-relevant question may still prompt you in identifying a similar accomplishment of your own. In addition to the following questions, remember to think broadly as professional accomplishments can also relate to training and education, continuing education, recognition, and soft skills as well as communication and leadership skills. What is unique about how you do your job? What does your current boss praise you for? If you have quotas or goals in your current position, are you able to meet or exceed them? Were you hired to meet a particular challenge for the company? Were you rewarded with any additional responsibility? Have you done anything to improve customer relationships with the company? Have you done anything to improve communications, either internally or externally? What teams have you been part of? What are you most proud of? What would your co-workers say about you? What do you enjoy the most? How did you take initiative in your position? What special projects have you worked on? How did you set yourself apart? How did you go above and beyond what was required? What have you done to increase your responsibilities in your current job? Which of your accomplishments are you most proud of? Were you promoted in recognition of your work performance? Did you increase sales or profits? Did you recruit new customers for the business? Did you save the company money? Did you institute any new processes or procedures? Most people are not comfortable talking about their accomplishments and think they are bragging. In job search, it is very important to showcase your talents and skills, so the reader of your resume will be able to capture the essence of who you are and what you can do for them. I hope this 3-part series has been a valuable resource for you.  Need some help implementing some of your accomplishments into your resume? Call on a professional to help! I am available to help you create a resume that will showcase your talents and skills, and help you stand out above your competition.