So, I did a little research to figure out what those characteristics are.  Turns out the same mental characteristics that make Olympians great can make the average person a career Olympian of sorts.  Do a little self-inventory and see which of these traits you possess already and which could do with a little attention.

Traits possessed by Olympian-level athletes:

High motivation- striving to do better every day, believing that you are good at what you do, and navigating road blocks with determination to succeed.

Perseverance- not quitting after letdowns or setbacks, setting and reaching goals whether easy or difficult, understanding the long-term aspect of your goals and ambitions.

Optimism- understanding the difference between making a mistake and completely failing, always trying again, always finding something positive in each experience, and always striving to learn something new, even in difficult situations.

Self-esteem- having a positive view of yourself, being happy with who you are and who you want to be, wanting to stand up for yourself when necessary, stepping outside your comfort zone with confidence.

Mental toughness- believing in yourself and being your own best supporter, making goals that are aligned with their strengths, preparing in advance, and having confidence.

Positive perfectionism- not worrying about failure, accepting criticism in order to continue improving, setting your own standards and means of achieving them, understanding that failure and criticism are integral components of growth.

Ability to focus- paying attention to truly important things and blocking out distractions, looking for solutions to problems rather than being deterred by them, being able to zero in on the immediate task at hand.

And, because they are also likely to NOT have certain traits, here are traits that are a-typical of successful, high-level athletes:

• Tension
• Depression
• Fatigue (yup seriously, high-performance athletes are less likely to be fatigued)
• Confusion
• Dependency
• Emotional instability
• Passive or submissive tendency

Resources:

Mental Traits of an Olympian

Differences in personality between non-athletes and athletes…

Athletes and non-athletes’ personality profiles

Albert Einstein is famous for, among other small contributions to society, quipping that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.  The Resume Wonders Blog understands that this adage applies to your job search too, and they’ve given you some fantastic ideas for how to radically change up your job search routine to change what you’re doing and get different, positive, results.

So, how’s that working for you? By TheResumeWonders Blog

Moving your Job Search out of Neutral and into High Gear

With love for my clients and true compassion for the job seekers out of work I am writing this post. I understand your pride has been hurt because you thought you were better than a lay off or being let go, some feel they have done all they can by posting their resume on a few major job boards and then expecting the phone to ring, and others in denial, decide to use this time as an extended vacation and do nothing. So, my question for theses scenario’s and the countless others is:

How’s That Working For You?

Is your phone ringing off the hook? Are people tracking you down and begging you to come and work for them? Is doing nothing landing incredible opportunities in your lap? Didn’t think so.

I am hoping this will be a gentle shaking or a splash of cold water to wake you up to the reality that if you want to find a job you have got to be much more aggressive even desperate in your search.

Your search is about you getting a job, how you came to where you are today should not keep you from pushing forward in your search. Excuses, however valid they may feel, are only holding you back. They do not reveal your authentic self and your marketable value.

Disclaimer: Your job search won’t be easy, so expect rejection, uncertainty, and a little fear during the process but work to remain focused on the goal – finding a job. Realize also that it might take a while, but it will take much, much longer if you continue on your current course.

Think of the top 5 reasons why you need a job and what will happen to these reasons if you do not soon find a job. Write that them down and keep them in your wallet, purse, next to your bed, taped to your computer or to the dashboard in your vehicle. Make it a constant reminder of why you must stay passionate about your search.

How do you take your search out of neutral and into high gear? What ever you used to think about the job search – forget it!

Make the search proactive instead of reactive.

Research companies and find several (start with 10-20) that really feel like the type of company you would like to work for. Dig deep and find out about each company’s culture, goals, future plans, current projects and any recent changes, failures or issues that you can help with.

Continue researching these companies to find specific individuals you feel would be beneficial to meet. Use your contacts, networking groups (on and off line) and LinkedIn to find ways to connect with these targeted contacts. Prepare before you make contact with solutions and skills that you can provide to assist each contact and their company to improve, increase or expand their future.

You are doing the research, you are making the calls, you are choosing the companies and you are in control.

See the difference?

So job seekers, try something new if what you have been doing is not working. Not only is this process effective but presents you as a leader, expert in your field, go-getter, someone who knows how to find solutions and get the job done, and Someone Worth Hiring.

Visit The Resume Wonders Blog here.

Here’s something that might surprise you– the number of open positions in higher education has grown 1.8 percent since 2005, according to Newswire. Job postings on HigherEdJobs.com are up a shocking 10.4 percent from last December.

So go ahead, apply to that research job with the professor you liked, or that receptionist position at the university computer lab or the library. It may feel like a defeat “going back,” but you have a better shot at these jobs than those blind Craigslist resume emails.

What do you think- is her experience just really funny, or is it actually realistic?

How April got her internship:

From my friend Bernie and Bernie’s mom, I present to you, Office Lunch Notes.  I don’t know about you, but these reminded me of the awful notes left around dorm rooms from roommates who clearly wanted to punch each other in the face for leaving bowls of leftover Easy Mac on top of the mini fridge.

And to prevent lunch theft in the first place, some fantastic company called ThinkOfThe.com has created Anti-Theft Lunch Bags. 

She then added, intelligently, “It’s kind of like judging a talent show.”

Really, Katy Perry?  American Idol is kind of like a talent show?  Way to show those producers that you understand their product and would be totally capable if they wanted to offer you a full time gig.

So kids, let’s all learn from Katy Perry- the best way to get a job is to throw yourself at employers and dazzle them by thoughtfully describing their product as kind of like itself.  Also, wearing glasses makes you look smart.

(picture credit: mirror.co.uk)

Being Nice Does Matter in Finding Your Dream Job

This week was the kick off of the 9^th season of American Idol.  Every year I say I am not going to watch it, but somehow the show finds its way on to the screen of my television. I tell myself, just the first night… to get a feel for what this season may hold.

I admit that I watched the whole show and towards the end, when there were only a few contestants left, a man entered the room for his very long awaited audition and let the panel see his aggravation for having to wait all day. He had apparently been there for many long hours nervously waiting and was tired and a bit cranky.

Well, he was given a chance to sing but the discussion afterwards quickly grew heated as Kara unleashed her anger on this man. She let him know that he had ruined his chance because of his attitude and character, and would not be going any further in the competition.

Whether I agreed with Kara’s outburst or not, and whether the young man had a good voice doesn’t really matter because the people he needed to impress in order to proceed, were not impressed. He lost his chance with the simple act of complaining.

How many times have you complained or whined to someone about your current situation or didn’t take the extra step to be nice to someone? Do you ever wonder if any of those recipients might have been missed opportunities? What if you were at a networking event complaining unknowingly to someone who knew of an opening in his department that would suit you. He could easily and understandably decide to not share the information with you because he would not want be the one to bring a whiner or downer into his office?

You don’t know where your next opportunity will come from and this should be a good reminder to be nice to others, on a regular basis (or at least until you find a new job). Watching American Idol I heard Simon and the others comment repeatedly when they thought someone “seemed like a genuinely nice person” or “have a really good vibe about them”.

Being nice in your job search and your career does matter. People might not remember your name, or what you were selling but they will remember if they liked you or not. Give it a try!

ResumeWonders.com is a premiere professional and executive resume writing and career coaching service.  Check out their blog for more interesting articles.

Creating a virtual resume is all the buzz lately.  Essentially, you use a website to create your resume, design it, fill in the details, and then it allows you to have it posted online with its own web address for employers to access easily.  You can post a link to it from your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or other social networking sites, and you can respond to job ads quickly by adding a link to your resume in your e-mail to an employer.

So, where do you create a virtual resume gem, and how much is it going to set you back?  The good news is that most resources are FREE at the moment, and there are a few websites you should check out:

CeeVee.com This website was started in Romania in June 2008, and models itself off of the CV or curriculum vitae.  Traditionally the resume of choice internationally, a CV isn’t really asked for much within the U.S. (the main difference is that CVs usually contain personal information like gender, age, citizenship, etc. that you would never put on a U.S. resume).  Luckily, this free and incredibly easy to use resource.  There are only 3 formatting options, but a million ways to do the sections on your resume, and you only put in the information you want other people to see.  I made a supser basic example in case you’re wondering what it looks like: http://ceevee.com/BrieCeeVee/.  If yo’ure looking for something quick and easy, this is your resource.

Visual CV If CeeVee.com is sort of the Hyndai of free virtual resume creation sites, then Visual CV is the Mercedes Benz.  It’s all over the news, your college career office might already have this resource for you, and it makes one amazing looking online resume.  It’s not as quick or easy as CeeVee.com, but you get a hell of a lot more options and levels of sophistication with this bad boy.  Here’s an example of what Visual CV can do for you: http://www.visualcv.com/collegegrad.

(cozy cup of coffee and a laptop pic from freelancefolder.com)

Before you attack me for the banner photo, hear me out: It’s the best I could find after image-searching for ten minutes. That’s right, all photos tagged with “sexual harassment” are corny shots of college hazing, or the typical creepy-guy-sneaking-up-on-girl pic.

When you hear the words sexual harassment, your brain is conditioned to automatically envision a young woman subjected to lewd remarks, stares, or even the cliché slap on the ass by an older male superior. But just as recent years have shown us that women can sexually harass their male coworkers, now same-sex harassment — men intimidating and degrading other men in the workplace — is on the rise. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) reports that between 1992 and 2008 the charges filed by men doubled from 8 to 16 percent; and while the EEOC records the gender of the filer but not always the harasser, more and more men are coming forward to say that it was a male coworker who harassed them. Here are some of the cases, separated by ten years, that the EEOC has handled:

- Employees at a Phoenix, AZ, Cheesecake Factory claim that male co-workers fondled them sexually, simulated rape, and even dragged them into the restaurant’s refrigerator in 2008.

- In 1998, Joseph Oncale was working on an oil rig when he was subjected to “humiliating verbal attacks” and even sodomized with a bar of soap.

This is just sick. It’s no surprise that people in the workplace suffer from power trips, but there is absolutely no excuse for abusing another person in the various ways described in this article. Newsweek reports that in most cases men sexually intimidate male co-workers not for sexual reasons, but instead to emphasize their power in the situation. (That said, it’s worth mentioning what Jezebel’s Anna N. points out: this could just be heteronormative thinking that men who make unwanted sexual advances on one another could never actually desire the other person.) Personally, I’m more inclined to believe the power thing, especially with one’s job in jeopardy. That belief that one is inherently better than all other people has led humans to use others’ traumas to soothe themselves.

The piece concludes by saying that there may not be a rise in male-on-male sexual harassment, so much as perhaps men are coming out of the woodwork now that they know that it’s neither taboo nor a rare occurrence. I’m not sure if the writer is implying that women lack that ability, but I agree that it’s good for the victims, as well as we the observers, to see that in some cases the gender pendulum swings both ways.

[Via Newsweek]

[Image source: Psychology Today]

1. Social Media Predictions 2009- Exactly what it sounds like and you can download a sweet .pdf. Hint: Web 2.0 is about passion and quality, not quantity (though that is important, too).
2. How to Blog and Grow Rich- Makes it sound easier than it is, but some helpful tips.
3. Are all Bloggers Journalists?- A very personal and interesting take on this endless debate.
4. How to Give Gifts Unconditionally- A very sweet take on cheap and thoughtful gifts (and just in time for you holiday procrastinators).
5. 8 Job Interview Tips- They are a bit obvious (like looking the interviewer in the eyes), but these gentle reminders are still key interview rules, and this article is nice crash course.
6. How to Update Your Resume- Again, some are gentle reminders, but all are very important. These tips (like preparing a separate resume to tackle salary history questions), are a great place to start if you are beginning to revamp your resume.
7. Personal Branding Lessons from an Advertising Exec- Great tips like, “Define and articulate your vision, mission, and message” and my personal favorite, “Learn and grow professionally.”
8. Top 100 Blogs- If you are trying to get a new job, freelance write or blog, you NEED to be reading these. This is what the world is talking about.
9. 100+ Places to Find a Job- Comprehensive list of sites to find gigs ranging form education to tech. Lists career building sites as well, and explains briefly what they all can do for you.
10. Networking Tips- Been following @DailyCareerTips on Twitter. This is last week’s roundup. My fave: “When asking to network, don’t ask for appt convenient to you ask for a time that is “amenable to them across the next few weeks.” If you are on Twitter, I would follow them!