I'm a certified NLP Practitioner. I know I know - don't ask ...
Or better, it should be said I was. Even if the certification doesn't expire ...
Why? I'll tell you:
At First:
This is great! It will be sooo useful.
Then:
It's not so easy as it looks ...
And then:
I finished this course, and I can barely apply anything. Mostly nothing now, after 10 years ...
I was such a disappointment to myself!
So I signed up for a refresher course now. Because I know there's so much value in skills that enable you being a better Leader, and help your team delivering successful projects easier! Yes - even in technical contexts communication and trust is KING!
I won't bore you to death with the details.
BUT ...
One exercise led me to a crucial realisation! One that changed my mindset and set me up for success. It helped me see there WAS much success already.
And it will help YOU too!
What is it?
Well, I realised I was too harsh on myself. No - this is no woo-woo talk. And believe me I don't let myself off the hook easily.
But a skill-set like this doesn't have to be all or nothing to gain a lot of value.
And I remembered some skills that I got I was actually applying even if I didn't see it. So if I only sometimes apply these things it's still a success and it opens the door and motivation to learn more!
Now that I see it's working and I want to put in more work to improve more.
And I was doing exactly the same when preparing for a new job interview. Stepping from a good place to an even better one. Didn't feel like a titanic effort. Just small iterative improvements.
It felt a was a disaster and no one would consider me.
And you might feel the same too if you are at the beginning of your career.
Now headhunters from the biggest companies in the world are calling me out of the blue to offer a position.
You only need to remember not to compare you day 1 with someone else's day 10,000!
Here's how to do it!
So, I was chatting with a young systems engineer I'm mentoring. Let's call him Sam.
And Sam was in a bit of a pickle. He was like
"I don't want to waste resources updating my CV and LinkedIn page, but at the same time I don't really know what job I can aspire to without having carefully assessed my skills".
Sounds familiar?
Here's what I told him:
1. Just get a move on!
Seriously!
"This can be straightforward, don't overthink it. Just create a first version and forget about form and contents for now. It is a point to start from".
CV:
"A CV is an iterative document, I lost count of how many times I changed and updated it ... But you need to start somewhere".
You can grab a template online, hire a pro, or even dive into the Reddit rabbit hole at r/EngineeringResumes. There are also groups on LinkedIn for this.
"I'd say it's your decision how you'd like to pay to get a suitable CV: pay with your time to DIY it using the many free online resources. Or pay a professional money to make it for you, and you get it much faster".
But you must accept that you WILL PAY anyway!
LinkedIn:
This is even easier.
"Just join, add your name and photo, and it will take you through adding your education and employment through the years. Keep this one too simple: only add the years and job title don't worry about descriptions for now. There: you now have a LinkedIn profile in 15 mins".
2. Keep it simple, stupid (KISS)!
"Again, to start off you don't have to have a full assessment of your skills. Only a chronological listing of your roles and responsibilities, as well as education and contact details".
My first CV?
"It was a disaster looking back. Still, it got me jobs".
3. Tailor it later
"I would worry about an 'adequate' CV when applying to a concrete job. But then you have a JD you can use to refine your CV to make sure it reflect the requirements in the JD. (you need to actually be able to show you have those skills and experience, of course)".
And remember,
"You work around that by using their JD to customise your CV for their specific role. Therefore using their exact wording and terms, reflected back to them. You do the same during the interview".
Bottom line:
"You just need to start. This is the most important thing. And you can then declare it a victory!".
Hope this kick-starts your CV/LinkedIn revamp!
Cheers,
Alex
P.S.:
Oh, I feel I'm forgetting something. Sam also just got ASEP Certified IN SPITE of lacking confidence!
We worked together to make sure he's ready. I have very few spots now but if you're interested getting mentored for certification click here!
P.P.S.:
Any questions? Drop an email.
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Alex Toth, CSEP MINCOSE, IREB RE
Systems Magician
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