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Posts Tagged ‘Experiences’

How can one person “think out of the box?” This should be done
independently, but how? Here’s an example: Cut a cake into eight
slices but you have to make no more than three cuts. Most people will
have trouble coming up with a way to cut the cake. But to solve this,
you have to change the way you look at the cake and how to cut it.
64
One perfect solution is to cut the cake into two equal sizes and put the
other half on top of the other. Cut it again in half then stack the other
half pieces on top of one another and cut them again. There you go,
that’s thinking out of the box.

Another example of thinking out of a box is this: Here are four
words… subtract, multiply, add, decrease… Now which one does not
belong to the group? Mostly people would right away say that the
word “decrease” does not belong. Why? Because all the other three
words are mathematical jargons and the latter is not. Well, that’s not
thinking out of the box, if you think out of the box, the answer would
be the word “add” since it only has three letters while all the other
have six and more. You could give a lot of right answers but the one
that shows more creativity stands out.

The prevailing component in the way our minds work is inserting some
changes from past experiences and processes. Another good sample
is when you are asked two days that starts with the letter “T”. Your
answer would probably be Tuesday and Thursday. Hey, how about
Tomorrow and Today? Well, that is out of the box all right.

Companies try to test a new product and are sure they are getting a
design at a reasonable cost. They look at things in the business and
think that objectives will work just as planned. But these things sound
monotonous already, for they only think using the past as patterns.
Patterns are helpful since they help finish tasks such as driving, eating
or drinking. However, these are the same patterns that make it hard
for people to think out of the box and create alternative solutions to a
dilemma especially when challenged with unwanted data.

One important move to break the pattern is trying to reverse patterns,
designs or solutions and arouse new interest. Take thing as they are
and turn them inside out, upside down, or simply turn them around
and you’ll be surprised with the result. This was Henry Ford’s personal
experience. His conventional plan was to just “bring people to work.”
He tried to change all this into: “bring work to the people.” This plan
generated more revenues.

Another way to bring out other solutions to simple problems and
situations is to not think about the subject. If you want to bring about
something more creative, think not of the part of the problem itself,
rather, think of people or subjects in motion and then use the abstract
formation or design as a stimulus for a new design.

But to think out of the box, never shy away from the fact that some of
your ideas could really be crazy enough. This could break rigidity of
thinking and present a way to sift the harebrained and irrational. This
gives the thinker more freedom to think out of the box and reinvent
things in way they have never been arranged before. What you could
do is list several odd or absurd ideas about a certain problem.
Letting go of the question will release the stress you are undergoing by
trying to squeeze the creativity. Once you let it go, all the power of
the universe is free to find a solution and the solution will come to you
when you least expect it.

In much more real life scenarios, you could think out of the box for
fun. You can practice fun trouble-making stuff without hurting anyone
by saying or doing the unexpected. But make sure that you do this
first to persons you already know to avoid conflicts and negative
confrontations. Say, a buddy asks for the time, automatically you
would look at your wrist watch which is a result of the stimulusresponse
theory. Thinking out of the box, why not say something
crazy like, “Oh it’s time for a vengeance,” then head toward the door.
Watch their reaction as they go into total confusion and trance as you
have totally mixed things up in their heads and interrupted their
thinking pattern. (Don’t forget to apologize afterwards)

Thinking out of the Box or usually known as creative thinking seeks to
design new and really creative arrangement of elements to produce a
work of art. Being an out of the box thinker can be a rewarding
profession. This is dangerous, but it could be one of your strengths in
no time. If the herd is going to the right, you go the other way.
Remember that you could be genius in your own way. Your thoughts
come from deep reaches and these totally different ideas are clever
enough to make a difference in the end. Being creative and out of the
box is wild sometimes, but could move you through growth and selfdevelopment.
You’ll be surprised at how easy and differently it will be
for you to fix and try to solve things away from the tried-and-true
habits. Let your thinking out of the old box be your guide to a new
and better, wonderful approach to life.

Looking for a job in any field, especially for a beginner, has always been challenging – beginners have to overcome their own insecurities, at the same time that they learn to navigate the marketplace and follow promising leads. Here are some of the most important things that you can do to speed up your job search:

Prepare a good resume and cover letter

Most people do not understand the purpose of a resume – it is not to get you a job. It is the interview and subsequent meetings that will convince the prospective employer to hire you.

The resume’s main purpose is to open the door and get you that interview. But now you need to consider the employer – he or she is busy, has little time to review lots of resumes, is probably confronted with many many resumes, most of which are from people who lack the proper qualifications. So how will a resume convince the employer to call you for an interview.

The resume must stand out – there are just too many that look alike for any but the most interesting and powerful to stand out. You need to capture the employer’s attention and interest – your resume needs to make the employer feel that “this” one seems promising.

Make sure that the resume is very clear – you need to make it easy for the employer to pick out what he or she is looking for. List specific skills and experiences that you know the employer is looking for – don’t be vague!

Integrate into the resume any and all experience in the field that you are applying for that you have acquired- even if it was not. Experience in any kind of writing counts for something – and often it is the very “something” that motivates the employer to give you a call.

But simply waiting to hear from a company to which you have sent your resume is counterproductive. Here are some tips:

Use Social Contacts

It’s best to try to spread name out to as many people as possible and to let people know that you’re in the job market; this is the way many professionals find jobs, especially freelance jobs. Use your social contacts as much as possible – today, the internet also provides many ways to expand and reinforce social contacts: social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook, twitter, etc. Make sure that you have a good LinkedIn profile and an impressive resume there – then make a habit of linking to people, correspond with your links, send lots of messages, join groups and make comments or send messages.

The key is to maintain a high profile. You can try to reinforce the internet links with real meetings wherever possible.

Social networking is one of the main ways that professionals get jobs today, especially in hi-tech fields such as programming, technical writing, etc.

Be Proactive

It’s important to realize that you need to actively contact people to get a job – you can’t just send out resumes and wait. Actively contact companies that you have strong reason to suspect have a job opening, or are contemplating one. Many companies do not advertise their open positions right away – if you can contact the company before they think about advertising, you can considerably increase your chances of getting a job.

Where do you get tips about which company has a potential opening? One source is from friends who work in the company – for example, friends may tip you off about an upcoming project. You then simply contact the company directly and introduce yourself as a friend of so and so, and suggest a meeting.

Other ways of finding clues as to which companies are hiring in your field is to follow advertisements for positions that are related to your own. For example, say you are a technical writer and you discover that a software company suddenly advertises for software engineers, programmers, and other hi-tech personnel. This indicates that the company may be starting the development of a new product or product version. Now you make a good guess that the company might be under pressure to finish a lot of documentation related to the project – so you contact them and ask if they are interested in hiring a good technical writer.

Be Persistent
You can’t just say, “OK, I’ve done enough, I’ve sent 50 resumes, that’s it. You need to be persistent. Of course, some people confuse persistence with misguided obstinacy – they send out their resume to one company and then just sit and wait for one company to come through – this is like waiting for the winning lottery ticket. That kind of persistence is just a waste of time and emotional energy.

Real persistence means to keep contacting new companies – you need to keep going and never give up. When you get a “no” from a company, just go to the next one. To put yourself in the right frame of mind to do this, just tell yourself that you have to collect lots of “no’s” before you get a “yes” – every time you get a “no” you get that much closer to getting a “yes”. That’s the reverse psychology that you need to keep going. Tell yourself that if you don’t get 10 “nos” you won’t get a job; force yourself to keep contacting new places. Have confidence when you contact a potential employer – don’t sit trembling in fear, hoping to hear a “yes”. And, avoid contacting an employer again after they have rejected you. I have seen some people contact the same company again and again, as if there were no other companies to apply to. This is a mistake – a completely warped idea of what it means to be persistent.

You can considerably increase your chances of finding a job if you apply the strategies and techniques outlined in this article – be creative, open, sociable, and persistent.

Educator and sociologist Dr. Mati Schwrarcz has been training English speakers as technical writers and marcom specialists for over 17 years. Since then his graduates have become leading writers in hi-tech companies throughout the world.

YEDA Center for Technical Communications

http://www.yedacenter.com

When you have prepared your warm contact list, it will be easier to select the people who you prefer to call first. These are the
people who you think have some information about the job. They may be former employers, colleagues and members of the
professional organization belonging to the same industry. They usually have first-hand, up-to-date and reliable information.

* Calling a warm contact

When you call a warm contact, inform them that you are actively seeking a job. Ask them to let you know if they heard of job
openings you might be interested in. It is better to inform them what type of job you are looking for. And don’t forget to leave
your contact number with them, so they can get in touch with you if they hear of anything. It is also better if you can leave a copy
of your resume with them so they can show or submit it to someone who will be able to help you in your job search.

* Assess yourself before calling your contact
You warm contact may ask about your skills, experiences, abilities, interests, expectations and career goals. You should be
able to talk about these sincerely and you should be able to describe what information you would like to have from your contact.
To help you prepare, you can practice by drafting a script on what to say. That way, you can articulate what you would like to
communicate to your warm contact. Anticipate questions about yourself, so you should also practice
answering questions about your previous job and what you can contribute to the company.

* Ask for referrals
If your warm contact was not able to provide you information that will be helpful to your job search, ask for the names of at
least two people who they think will be able to help you. Ask for their contact number, and if possible, the time which they will be
free to talk over the phone.

* Contact referrals immediately
When your warm contact gives you referrals, they may even call this person to inform them that you will be asking for more information.
Sometimes, the person you were referred to will be calling your warm contact. Therefore, it is better to call your referrals within a few days
after you have spoken with your warm contact.

When you make a call, introduce yourself and inform the person who referred you to himher and how you are related with the person who
referred you. Be polite, but straightforward, in informing the person what information you are seeking.

Networking really isnt a difficult thing to do. With enough practice and experience, you can maximize the benefits that you can get from
networking.

How can one person “think out of the box?” This should be done
independently, but how? Here’s an example: Cut a cake into eight
slices but you have to make no more than three cuts. Most people will
have trouble coming up with a way to cut the cake. But to solve this,
you have to change the way you look at the cake and how to cut it.
64
One perfect solution is to cut the cake into two equal sizes and put the
other half on top of the other. Cut it again in half then stack the other
half pieces on top of one another and cut them again. There you go,
that’s thinking out of the box.

Another example of thinking out of a box is this: Here are four
words… subtract, multiply, add, decrease… Now which one does not
belong to the group? Mostly people would right away say that the
word “decrease” does not belong. Why? Because all the other three
words are mathematical jargons and the latter is not. Well, that’s not
thinking out of the box, if you think out of the box, the answer would
be the word “add” since it only has three letters while all the other
have six and more. You could give a lot of right answers but the one
that shows more creativity stands out.

The prevailing component in the way our minds work is inserting some
changes from past experiences and processes. Another good sample
is when you are asked two days that starts with the letter “T”. Your
answer would probably be Tuesday and Thursday. Hey, how about
Tomorrow and Today? Well, that is out of the box all right.

Companies try to test a new product and are sure they are getting a
design at a reasonable cost. They look at things in the business and
think that objectives will work just as planned. But these things sound
monotonous already, for they only think using the past as patterns.
Patterns are helpful since they help finish tasks such as driving, eating
or drinking. However, these are the same patterns that make it hard
for people to think out of the box and create alternative solutions to a
dilemma especially when challenged with unwanted data.

One important move to break the pattern is trying to reverse patterns,
designs or solutions and arouse new interest. Take thing as they are
and turn them inside out, upside down, or simply turn them around
and you’ll be surprised with the result. This was Henry Ford’s personal
experience. His conventional plan was to just “bring people to work.”
He tried to change all this into: “bring work to the people.” This plan
generated more revenues.

Another way to bring out other solutions to simple problems and
situations is to not think about the subject. If you want to bring about
something more creative, think not of the part of the problem itself,
rather, think of people or subjects in motion and then use the abstract
formation or design as a stimulus for a new design.

But to think out of the box, never shy away from the fact that some of
your ideas could really be crazy enough. This could break rigidity of
thinking and present a way to sift the harebrained and irrational. This
gives the thinker more freedom to think out of the box and reinvent
things in way they have never been arranged before. What you could
do is list several odd or absurd ideas about a certain problem.
Letting go of the question will release the stress you are undergoing by
trying to squeeze the creativity. Once you let it go, all the power of
the universe is free to find a solution and the solution will come to you
when you least expect it.

In much more real life scenarios, you could think out of the box for
fun. You can practice fun trouble-making stuff without hurting anyone
by saying or doing the unexpected. But make sure that you do this
first to persons you already know to avoid conflicts and negative
confrontations. Say, a buddy asks for the time, automatically you
would look at your wrist watch which is a result of the stimulusresponse
theory. Thinking out of the box, why not say something
crazy like, “Oh it’s time for a vengeance,” then head toward the door.
Watch their reaction as they go into total confusion and trance as you
have totally mixed things up in their heads and interrupted their
thinking pattern. (Don’t forget to apologize afterwards)

Thinking out of the Box or usually known as creative thinking seeks to
design new and really creative arrangement of elements to produce a
work of art. Being an out of the box thinker can be a rewarding
profession. This is dangerous, but it could be one of your strengths in
no time. If the herd is going to the right, you go the other way.
Remember that you could be genius in your own way. Your thoughts
come from deep reaches and these totally different ideas are clever
enough to make a difference in the end. Being creative and out of the
box is wild sometimes, but could move you through growth and selfdevelopment.
You’ll be surprised at how easy and differently it will be
for you to fix and try to solve things away from the tried-and-true
habits. Let your thinking out of the old box be your guide to a new
and better, wonderful approach to life.