1 Easy Way To Create A More Powerful Cover Letter

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

It’s simple – just search your cover letter for the word “get” and replace it with the word “give” then adjust the sentence to be relevant from a “giving” perspective vs. a “getting” perspective.  Let me explain further…

 

The last thing you want to create is a cover letter that goes on and on about what you want to GET out of a particular organization or job – (i.e. “… your company seems to offer so many opportunities for me to expand my skills and experience…”).  Instead, the tone of your cover letter must convey that you want to GIVE others what you have to offer – your knowledge, skills, experience and natural abilities.

 

Even if you don’t yet have lots of knowledge, skills or experience, offer what you have to give – your education, your natural abilities, your motivation, and your observation of how your interests and values are a match with the organization’s – (i.e. “… I am a recent graduate of name or school with a degree in major who is ready to contribute a natural ability you have…” OR “…your company mission appeals to me since I am dedicated to leading/teaching/enlightening others about use words from their mission statement that appeal to you …”). 

 

Powerful cover letters offer information about you – but info about you is way more powerful when it’s worded in a way that showcases how YOU may be relevant to the organization and those they serve.  Here are a few more ways you can pump up the power on your cover letter – in a “giving” way vs. a “getting” way (of course!)…

 

  • Why you’re interested in the organization and/or line of work you are pursing – write about how you discovered your passion for/interest in the line of work you are pursuing and/or why you are a fan of the organization you’re applying to (i.e. “… I first discovered my passion for describe the line of work when describe when or how in a brief statement…” OR “… I most admire that your organization describe what they do that you most admire/respect and how you see it to be different from other organizations who do what they do…”).  
  • What you can be relied upon for time and time again – write about opportunities you naturally notice and take advantage of in relation to your personal qualities and how that benefits others – (i.e. “… I continually seek out opportunities that enable me to contribute my natural ability to describe a skill or ability you have which enables others to describe how others benefit when you share your skill/natural ability with them…”).  
  • What you have learned in past job experiences – share your most cherished lesson from a past experience was and how you regularly apply that in your career or life  – (i.e. “… at company name I learned how to something you learned to do or a way of being you learned is effective and appealing to those you serve and how you observe that to impact others favorably...”).  

 

A good cover letter always closes by expressing excitement to speak with them…  (i.e. “…It would be an honor to talk with you about the possibility of contributing to your team and aligning with the mission of the organization…”).  Everyone likes to feel like they matter to others – organizations and bosses are no exception – let them know you are excited to meet with them, to learn more about them, and to see if it would be a good opportunity for both of you to align – for the benefit of those served by the organization.

 

Breakthrough! Inspirational Strategies for an Audaciously Authentic Life

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment
  • How often do you think you know what you want but never see it come to fruition?
  • Do you ever feel that you exhaust yourself trying to get where you want to go – that you just don’t have the stamina to persist with your ambitions?

Well, if you could use a boost in your decision-making power then you will be interested to hear the interview I gave recently to blog talk radio host Andrea Ruchelman of Run to 1 Coaching on her show “Gaining Perspectives”.

In this interview I take you deeper into the chapter I contributed to the Amazon best selling book Breakthrough! Inspirational Strategies for an Audaciously Authentic Life!  

Learn the secret that New York Times bestselling authors Janet Bray Attwood, Marci Shimoff, and Chris Attwood and 19 other experts (yes – I am one of the contributing authors!!) know: you can consciously create the life you’ve always wanted.

In this book you will find 22 strategies using wit, deep-insight, and heart-centered wisdom to empower you with the knowledge, tools, and motivation to create a life of abundance, happiness, health, and love. Covering topics from career to relationships to personal transformation, this international dream team of authors will show you how you to finally breakthrough and live the life you were born to live.

No matter what your circumstances, there is a way to make a change, and this book will be your guide. You will find the inspiration and tools to create a life that is audaciously authentic in every way.

Enjoy my interview about my chapter (lucky chapter 7 – entitled The Deciding Factors: Three Ways to Boost Your Decision-Making Power) here – https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/gaining-perspective-andrea/id665642861?i=266114464&mt=2

Buy the book here – http://amzn.to/1g36Adf

By the way…

The net proceeds from this book are being donated to The David Lynch Foundation – Healing Traumatic Stress and Raising Performance in At-risk Populations.

Help! I hate my job! – part 1

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

This week I want to share with you more content I am working on for my upcoming book Caged In My Cube:  The Turnaround Guide for Loving the Job You Hate.  Plus, this post is full of coaching insights I give my clients who say “I hate my job” they hate through my Success Readiness Bootcamp.

So, for those of you who say “I hate my job” but you want to love your job (so appropriate with Valentine’s day coming up to talk about loving our work)… I have some good news for you…

Aside from already being in a job you love, the second best place to be in your career is in a job you hate.  (The worst place to be is in a job you feel lukewarm about).

If you are hating your job (and if it’s not due to anything that could be illegal or immoral), then you simply have lost connection with how that job enables you to contribute on the level you want to – you may not be able to describe what or how you want to contribute – but you certainly feel the sting of the disconnect between your talents, abilities, ambitions and what you believe it takes to be valued in your job.

Feeling “I hate my job” is a wake up call to either reconnect with what it means to work from a sense of purpose and to discover what you have to give to others and maybe even to “move beyond” the opportunities your current situation enables.  It’s time for you to simply give more of what you have to give and to free yourself of concern that giving what you have to give will get you in hot water somehow.

Maybe what your feeling isn’t that deep at all.  Maybe you simply see your job as a source of income – PERIOD.  And you would highly prefer to collect that paycheck doing something you enjoy, in an environment and with people that don’t want to make you puke the night before you return to work for the week.

Either way, the truth is that if you want to love your job – either to feel connected to a sense of purpose or to just enjoy earning a paycheck in peace – whether it’s in the job you already have or a different one, you must first change your energy – your attitude – about the job you have.  If you don’t, then you will probably just stay stuck OR land in another job that eventually won’t fulfill you either.

The attitude you hold when you do your job is mirrored back to you through your perception of your job situation – as it will be with the next situation you land.  Initially it may be great, but if you have any unresolved issues about your work and the opportunity it provides for you to express your talents and abilities, your happiness won’t be sustained – especially if the new job doesn’t easily connect you to an internal sense of purpose.  

To find your purpose despite working in a job you hate change, you must first change your focus from looking for gratification from external sources to an internal discovery and connection with what you have to give to others and mix that with gratitude for the opportunity to give it (from what you get for your potential to give to what you actually DO give).  When your attitude changes, which it will once you are fueling it from your internal connection with purpose and gratitude to be able to give it, your energy will no longer align with a situation that is not a good match for what you are giving.  You will much more easily find yourself noticing opportunities that are in need (and will appreciate) what you happily and easily give.

The Success Readiness Bootcamp created by indigoforce is an excellent way to discover what you have to give to others!  Which, by the way, I am so happy to announce that I just finished creating a do-it-yourself version of The Success Readiness Bootcamp.  So if you are in a job you hate or if you are just confused about what to be when you “grow up” you can get the same great program I lead my private clients through at a more affordable price – just email me at info@indigoforce.com and let me know if you want more details – plus, we can schedule a free 1 hour consultation so you can determine if the program is right to help you figure out your next career step.

 

Career Choice Mistake #2 – To Settle

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

Is it possible to use a common process for finding an ideal mate for finding a job you can love?  Let’s explore that as we consider a second career choice mistake people commonly make…

 

Career Choice Mistake #2 – To Settle

 

For finding love in a relationship this might look like – committing to someone who doesn’t match your criteria for an ideal mate

 

For finding love with your work this might look like –  accepting a job that doesn’t match your criteria for an ideal job

 

You know how when someone is looking for an ideal mate they might create a “wish list” of all the qualities they want in an ideal spouse or life partner.  Maybe you’ve developed one of these lists for your ideal mate.

 

A brief example of things people include on these lists might look like this:

Kind and considerate

Good looking

Well educated

Makes good money

Likes to dance

Funny

Lives within 50 miles

etc.

etc.

 

As you can imagine, these lists can get quite long depending on how well in tune people are with their vision of “ideal” in a partner.  People might approach creating their list in different ways.

 

One way might be to say to yourself “This will be fun, let me include EVERYTHING I could think I’d ever want in a partner.”  Then if their partner takes too long to show up, they might become willing to settle for most of the things on their list.

 

Let’s imagine how sad it can be to scratch things off or compromise on even a brief wish list…

 

Kind and considerate  isn’t physically abusive

Good looking weighs less than 300 lbs.

Well educated knows the months of the year – and in the right order

Makes good money  earns income legally

Likes to dance  won’t roll their eyes when I watch “Dancing With The Stars”

Funny  not a mean drunk

Lives within 50 miles  is from Earth

 

… and what would you scratch off your list?  Similar likes, senses of humor, attractiveness?

 

But why settle?  Are you afraid you won’t ever get what you want, do you fear time might run out, do you think you don’t deserve everything you can imagine?   Do you think “if I have less criteria, I will get results faster?” – don’t be fooled into thinking that the more precise you are, the harder it will be or the longer it will take to get what you want.

 

When you settle you’re demonstrating that you don’t trust God/the universe to deliver or yourself to handle the responsibility of what you imagined.  This thinking is neither a good idea, nor is it true.  It robs us of our hope, self-esteem, and energy to take advantage of opportunities that can give us a more vivid experience of what we want.  As I tell those I coach, once you can imagine what you want, you already have it – you are just at the beginning of a fuller and more vivid experience of it.  And if you can recognize an opportunity, you are ready to take advantage of it.

 

Maybe an alternative approach to creating your list is to make sure that every quality on your list matters for your happiness – therefore no quality becomes negotiable.

 

I am a fan of this approach even though it may be more challenging since it takes more thought and self-clarity.  I learned from my mentors, Janet and Chris Attwood, best-selling authors of The Passion Test, that “when you are clear, what you want will show up in your life, and only to the extent you are clear”.

 

The more clear you are, the more confidently and persistently you will take advantage of opportunities that support what you want and the more quickly you will stop doing things that don’t support what you want.  Getting what you want may not be as instantaneous as ordering a cup of coffee or a pizza, but matters that matter come on God’s/the universe’s timeframe for the benefit of ourselves AND those we will impact – never on our timeframe for our benefit only.  Who we share our love with matters a lot – just as who we serve through our work matters a lot too.

 

So wouldn’t it be great if we found work we loved as much as we love (and are loved by) our ideal partner?  Finding such a job can start with developing an ideal job “wish list” just like you would create an ideal mate “wish list”.  Creating your list involves 3 steps:

Continue Reading

The 5 Stages of Connecting to a Life Calling – Stage 5

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

Stage 5 is Mastery –

In the Mastery stage you feel confident (not necessarily content), with the skills and techniques you’ve developed and you don’t hesitate to offer your expertise to others.

In the Mastery stage you are always listening to others explain their challenges through a filter of what you know so that you can offer your perspective and services as a potential remedy.  You know, that others don’t know, what you know to the degree you know it.  You also know that they don’t need to know everything you know – they just need what they are ready to understand as they face their challenges, get answers to their question, advance their goals, etc.  Understanding what another is ready to absorb to feel satisfied (and not overwhelmed) – that is another sign that you are in the mastery stage of your career development.

Continue Reading

The 5 Stages of Connecting to a Life Calling – Stage 4

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

Stage 4 is the Engage stage.  

Engage is the stage where you get what you do out into the world.  It’s where you pledge or promise to be responsible to regularly serve others the experiences, knowledge, skills and abilities you have acquired.  This can be through paid or volunteer service or just in what you do for others in your day to day life.  There are a few key distinctions to identify with this stage:

1. responsibility to others

2. regularity

3. giving knowledge, expertise and skills that you have acquired (to date)

Being responsible to others means …

…embracing that you make a difference for others.

 

Continue Reading

The 5 Stages of Connecting to a Life Calling – Stage 3

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

In keeping with our blog series on the 5 stages of connecting with a calling, let’s discuss stage 3 – The Prepare stage…

The Prepare stage is where you take responsibility to develop into a professional of the services you decide to provide to others.  Doctors, Lawyers, CPAs and a host of other professions have an exam you must pass in order to practice in these professions.  These exams assure the public that the people performing these jobs acquired the education and knowledgeable necessary to do an effective job for you.  As we know, not every job requires us to attain formal knowledge and skills before we can serve the public.  For most of us, we must take this on ourselves.

Continue Reading

The 5 Stages of Connecting to a Life Calling – Stage 2

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

Continuing in our exploration of the 5 stages of connecting to a sense of calling…

Stage 2 – Alignment

The Alignment stage is where you begin to create congruency in your life.  It’s about putting your thoughts and actions together to ensure your success.  We have all heard the phrase “put your money where your mouth is”.  The Cambridge dictionary defines this phrase to mean “to show by your actions and not just your words that you support or believe in something”.  I couldn’t have said it better myself!

The something that your supporting or believing in is yourself – that vision you discovered about who you are, what you want and what you will give to others and the major, occupation, industry and even leisure activities you decided to pursue because you see that they are a great match to support you in doing what you can easily do for others.  So what’s next is to align your actions – to move towards securing the education or experience you decided to go after.  The 3 best indicators of whether or not you are on track to achieve your goal are:

Continue Reading

The 5 Stages of Connecting to a Life Calling – Stage 1

By Gina Calvano | Leave a Comment

At indigoforce, we believe that everyone will encounter 5 stages in their life-long journey to connect to a sense of working from a life calling.  Over the next several weeks, I will discuss each of the 5 stages.  I’m sure you will relate to being at each of these stages at some time in your life – especially stage 1.

Stage 1 – Discovery

The Discovery stage is where you first notice that you are unsatisfied with your work or your life.  You may begin to question how you’re being utilized and judged for your contributions.  You might project your feelings of being unfulfilled externally – such as onto a boss (“My boss is so unfair, incompetent, uncaring, lazy, unethical, unapproachable, has no clue what it takes to get things done, … fill in the blank.”), or onto your work environment (“This place sucks, is a mess, does things backwards, is so political, is so fill in the blank.”), or onto your actual work (“I hate this job.”  “This is a thankless job.”  “This job is beneath me.”  “A monkey could do this job.”).

Continue Reading