Productivity Systems Don’t Suck, But Sometimes I Do

Few would argue that Merlin Mann is the Godfather of GTD/productivity blogging. About a month ago he posted Four Years and followed it up with Time, Attention, and Creative Work. If you haven’t read these, please do so now… It’s good stuff.

What do you think?

I look at both of these posts in a positive light. They are sobering reminders of how our personal productivity systems are nothing more than a means to an end. Why we produce boils down to reasons that live deep inside of us. I focus on being productive because my personal goals and commitments require me to get a lot of things done in a short period of time. I am passionate about productivity systems because they allow my over-achieving, over-estimating self to get closer to achieving my goals faster and with minimal affects on my health and overall well-being.

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October 24, 2008 | Filed Under GTD, Productivity, Productivity Pr0n, Success | Comments 

Get a Job Interview: 5 Tactics for Drastically Increasing Your Odds

Source: www.cnnflickr.comThe recent financial turmoil has created a situation where unemployment could be a problem for quite some time. The good news for the unemployed is that there are tangible things that you can do to increase your chances of getting noticed for the jobs that are available.

Sure, jobs are going away, but jobs are also always being created. Increasing unemployment numbers just mean there are more of the former. Hires are still happening everyday. Plus, jobs are being recycled at companies all over the country. For example:

  • People move for a variety of reasons and have to resign,
  • People screw up and get terminated,
  • People get pregnant and quit to raise their children, etc. etc.

Oftentimes these are all people who (should) have been providing a vital function to the organization they worked for and that organization will look to fill the void that they left behind.

I recently ran a job ad for a “recycled” position and received hundreds of resumes, literally. I’ve never seen anything like it. Some applicants were so over-qualified it bordered on ridiculousness, yet when we called they were grateful just to hear back from someone.

This post is not about how to write a great resume, there are plenty of resources out there for that. What I hope to do today is to give you insights into the mind of someone who has been responsible for making hiring decisions in this job market. My goal is to help you get you in front of as many potential employers as possible. Here goes:

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October 14, 2008 | Filed Under Career, Success | Comments