6 reasons youre not getting hired and how to fix them

6 reasons youre bedrngnis getting hired and how to fix them6 reasons youre not getting hired and how to fix themFinding a job is not an easy task. Its especially frustrating when youve sent out resume after resume and havent landed the dream job youve been working so hard for. It may be time to reflect on the real reasons youre not getting hired and how you can fix them so you can finally land a job you love.1. Youre overqualified or underqualifiedRecruiters and hiring managers expect your experience, strengths, and skills to align with at least 1/2 - preferably 3/4 - of those listed in the job posting. So honestly ask yourself, are you applying for jobs that are above your area of expertise? Or are you beginning to feel desperate and just about ready to accept any offer, even one well below your pay grade?Solution It is your job as the candidate to show how your previous experiences line up with those outlined in the job posting. Use language found directly from each individual jo b posting, then relate it back to your own experiences and skills before applying. If your resume doesnt clearly show how youre a good fit, youre not going to get calls.2. Your resume needs some TLCWith recruiters only spending a handful of seconds on the first pass of a resume, your resume game needs to be on point and immediately catch their attention.Solution Start your resume with a brief summary that quickly highlights how youre the perfect fit for the company and position. Use the remainder of the page to focus on the value and results you have delivered over the course of your career. A majority of this should be done using accomplishments.3. Youre submitting your resume and not doing anything elseSubmitting your cover letter and resume is not enough. Every application you submit should be coupled with extensive company research and networking, as networking accounts for upwards of 85% of new jobs.Solution Each time you apply for a job, seek out five people at the company who hold similar positions to the one youre applying to. Send a friendly message and dont be afraid to reach out to them by setting up a networking call or coffee meeting to learn more about the company and the work they do. You have nothing to lose and might just get yourself a reference - or job.4. Youre networking passively or overly aggressiveSending your resume to a recruiter or hiring manager with the message, Attached is my resume. Please let me know if you have any positions available is passive networking.Proceeding to then connect with them on multiple forms of social media outside of LinkedIn is overly aggressive networking - and honestly just a bit creepy.Solution You need to play an active role in your job search. Networking takes time, energy and effort as you work to develop two-way relations. As a job seeker, you need to put in just as much work as the recruiter or hiring manager.Follow the companies you are interested in working at and reach out to employees to get a real glimpse into the companys morale. And dont be creepy5. Youre in need of some honest feedbackIf youve followed all of the above steps and still arent landing interviews, youre likely in need of some honest feedback.Solution Seek out a mentor or coach who can give you the advice you need to hear, not the advice you want to hear. While family and friends can serve as great support systems, they are not the objective lens you need. A mentor or coach can work with you to identify obstacles and remove roadblocks during your job search.6. Youre blaming it on bad luckWhile luck is involved in any job search, the role it plays is small. A vast majority of job search success comes down to hard work and effective job searching methods.Solution Focus on the aspects of the job search you do have control over - updating your resume and cover letter, leveraging LinkedIn and networking, seeking out mentorship and coaching, and preparing for your interviews.Kyle Elliott, MPA, CHES is the Care er Coach behind CaffeinatedKyle.com where he helps people find jobs they LOVE (or at least tolerate). He loves coffee (if you couldnt tell), writing, and eating the same thing at different restaurants.

How to be more execution-focused as a leader

How to be more execution-focused as a leaderHow to be more execution-focused as a leaderA leaders job is to keep the gruppe on track. You focus on hitting deadlines and executing projects without losing focus or getting lost in the weeds of decisions, communications and logistics. The ability to execute in this way is critical for every leader.In fact,Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkmanfound that senior managers ranked execution first on a list of 16 must-have leadership skills, as they explain in an article forHarvard Business Review.The good news is, you and your team can improve on execution and become more execution-focused without working extra hours, suggests Zenger and Folkman. Instead, use the following ideas to make small changes within your team and yourself, allowing everyone to do what they need to meet deadlines and stay on track.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreEmpower y our team to make decisionsWhen you provide the training, resources, information and the necessary level of trust for employees to make decisions in their spheres of influence, you teach them how to be responsible and accountable for executing on their own.This allows your team to be more creative, industrious and solution-oriented because they dont need to wait for approval from you to execute when theyre ready. Cisco does this with actionable accountability, which empowers employees to act, while holding everyone accountable to specific, measurable criteria.Kevin Bandy, former senior vice president and chief digital officer of Cisco,explains, To enable actionable accountability, establish clear measurement criteria based on roles and responsibilities. Then enable people to act and challenge the metrics to align to a new business model allowing them to measure that progress.Bandy continues, By developing a core managerial and organizational competency of actionable accountability, y ou will unleash and direct the power of your most vital asset - empowered employees.When you think of meetings Think 20% or 22 minutesThere are many good reasons for meetings - to communicate as a team, abfertigung on projects, brainstorm on new initiatives and more. However, if more than 20% of office hours are spent in meetings, employees have less time to perform their actual jobs, explainsGeorge Deeb, managing partner at Red Rocket Ventures. When employees are tied up in meetings, they have less time to take action and execute, and its your job to make sure thats leidlage the case.To avoid this execution roadblock, Deeb suggests scheduling a one-on-one meeting with each of my direct reports, one meeting with the person managing me and one meeting with my peers to collaborate on needs between departments - keeping those meetings within the 20% margin. To keep track of the time spent, put all meetings on your calendar. At the end of the month, you can tally the time you and you r team spent in meetings and adjust accordingly.If youre still struggling with this challenge, try the 22-Minute Meeting, an idea that came fromNicole Steinbokat Seattle Ignite 9. The idea is simple schedule meetings for just 22 minutes - not 30, not 60. The value being that when youre on a time-based deadline, youre more likely to be productive, leading to less time wasted, and more work done.To make this work,Steinbok recommendsthe following processSchedule the meetingSet a goal-based agendaSend materials 3 days ahead of the meetingStart on timeStandNo computers, except for the presenter and note-takerNo phones, no exceptionsFocus Note off-topic commentsSend notes and action items ASAPThis is a major shift for many, so it may be wise to start with just your team. If you find youre spending less time in meetings and more time executing on plans, bring it to the rest of the company as a simple and free growth initiative.Fine-tune your team communicationA critical element of executi on is communication. While this seems obvious, most companies are not prioritizing internal communication. In the2017 State of Workplace Communications report, two-thirds of respondents had not received a budget increase for communication-supporting technology in recent years. Whats more, nearly one-fifth said that the biggest hurdle was getting senior leadership to see internal communications as a priority.To bring execution to the forefront, you first have to do so with communication, starting with goal-setting and aligning on company priorities - two factors that directly affect your ability to execute successfully. If you cant get leadership on board with new communication technology or internal communication initiatives to make this possible, theres still a lot you can do, with little to no budget, to improve communication among your team.Use the free tools available to youOnline chat tools like GChat make it easy to stay connected with employees consistently. To be execution- focused, you need to be able to move fast, and having a tool for immediate communication at your fingertips allows you to do exactly that.Tell storiesTheCenter for Creative Leadershipsuggests using stories, when applicable, in your communication with employees. CCL notes When you tell a good story, you give life to a vision, goal, or objective. Telling good stories creates trust, captures hearts and minds, and serves as a reminder of the vision. This is a valuable tool for you to encourage employees to act and ensure the project, plan or goals stay top of mind.Encourage feedbackYou can only get better if you know whats working and whats not working for your team. Make feedback a two-way conversation, allowing employees to improve, along with yourself. Set one-on-one feedback meetings each month or each quarter to build this into your team culture.Be creative in your presentationCommunicate your strategy and needs in a variety of different ways. Emails, for instance, can get overlook ed, and someone may be out of the office on the day of your kick-off meeting.Clearpoint Strategyshares an example of how Canon got creative with this Canon USA created Strategy in Action Canon Americas Strategy Playbook. This playbook featured a color-coded version of the corporate strategy map and was designed by a graphic artist who had worked for USA Today. Find ways to incorporate creative ways to communicate.Be more execution-focused as a leaderThe bottom line is this Employees should regulate themselves to meet the demands of their positions. Teams should communicate regularly and consistently. Meetings should be productive, not wasteful. And you should orient everyone, not toward the abstract finish line, but first toward the concrete steps that are needed to arrive there. Use these ideas to take the first steps toward an execution-focused mindset, both for you and your employees.This article originally appeared on SmartBrief.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rit uals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will ersatzdarsteller your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

How to stop email procrastination and achieve Inbox Zero

How to stop email procrastination and achieve Inbox ZeroHow to stop email procrastination and achieve Inbox ZeroWhen I tell people the number of emails I have waiting unanswered in my inbox, I sometimes get reactions of consternation and horror. At one point, the number reached four digits. When the number tips high, I do sprees of deleting emails, but its still easy for me to let emails build up into an anxiety-producing pile of requests, pitches, promotions, and sales.I am not alone in this email pileup. One recent survey found that the average U.S. employee has 199 unread emails. For us to be better emailers, we need to be better at combating the inertia we feel in responding to emails that do not require an immediate response.Heres how experts suggest tackling email overload in our inboxes.Respond right away - and delegate the restOne study suggests making responding to emails a daily habit. For employees in a workplace where email is critical, actively engaging with our email a cross the working day was found to reduce employees stressful sense of overload, according to the study.The research recommended responding within an hour of an email being sent. For emails that require more thought, try creating a deadline for yourself, so that you can stop yourself from putting emails in inbox purgatory.Delete freelySometimes, my emails are subscriptions to promotions and events I do not remember signing up for. For productivity expert Laura Stack, deterring unwanted emails is a key factor to stopping email stress. I am a freak about unsubscribing right away. You want to cut back on the things that come into the inbox in the first place. Theres so much volume. Prevention is key, she said.Try answering emails like a CEOAnswering emails like a boss means that you dont let requests sit in your inbox unanswered because youre not socially anxious about coming off as rude. You firmly write Thanks, but Im passing to requests you are rejecting as soon as people ask them. Emulating the two-word response style of CEOs like Mark Cuban, BuzzFeed News reporterKatie Notopoulos found that responding immediately to her emails created an efficiency high.As I fired off a bunch of not-super-important emails, something strange happened. I feltextremely good. I was high on the fumes of efficiency. No longer did a little rechnerwolke hang over me, the nagging feeling you get when you know youre supposed to do something and cant remember what, she wrote about her quest for inbox zero.To practice boss email style, Notopoulos suggests emailing your short responses from your phone, so that you can stop yourself from using the excuse of replying once you have a computer.Understand that timely is better than perfectIf you are a perfectionist who delays email responses because you worry about saying the right thing in emails, Ask a Managers Alison Green suggests reframing your idea of what perfect email writing can mean.In most cases, people like timely responses more t han they like perfect responses written several weeks too late, Green advised one self-identified perfectionist email procrastinator. Effectively immediately, take perfect off the table as a goal or at least redefine it.For you, perfect is I respond within two days, regardless of how flawless the content is.In your case, flawless ends up meaning never happens, so it cant be in the equation.By being upfront about your commitments and current bandwidth, you communicate to the recipient that you are still a reliable colleague - even if your email response may disappoint them.The bottom lineThis upfront email style is a trait that many inbox zero achievers share They recognize that to stop emails from overwhelming you, you need to make answering your inbox a part of your daily routine.

Questions to Ask Before Becoming a Manager

Questions to Ask Before Becoming a ManagerQuestions to Ask Before Becoming a ManagerBeing a boss can be very rewarding, and when youve gained a lot of expertise in your area of tech, the next logical step is often becoming a manager.But management is certainly not for everyone. In fact, when a supervisor role isnt a good fit, it can damage an otherwise promising career, so it should be considered very carefully. Here are three questions to ask yourself before becoming a managerAre you motivated by reaching your own professional goals, or by helping others achieve their professional goals? There is not a right or wrong answer here. Its really about what personally motivates you. Do you prefer having mora control over your work product, or are you willing to work through others by teaching and mentoring them through the process? And keep in mind that those you manage may not do things exactly the way you would have. Will you get satisfaction from watching them develop and solve problem s?Are you comfortable being an outsider and making unpopular decisions? As a manager, youre less likely to receive open and transparent communication from your employees as you would as a department colleague. Youll never again be just one of the gruppe as you were before you were a manager. Youre the one who has to push team members along a path, and sometimes tell them theyre not getting the job done. A regular part of a managers job is dealing with problem performers, incredibly demanding employees or employees who question everything you do. These are complex issues and you need to possess excellent communication skills. You also need to have confidence in your decision-making abilities because your team isnt always going to agree with you.Do you prefer to do your job with few interruptions, or are you willing to be interrupted regularly? If you mostly want to focus on completing your own work, management might not be for you. Managers have to embrace an open-door policy knowing that they will be pulled into conversations and issues they didnt anticipate every day, often from team members who say, This will just take a minute These interruptions are part of the job, and sometimes that means doing your regular work after hours.Becoming a manager is not for everyone. If you have a well-defined career path as an individual contributor and youre approached about taking the next step in your career by moving into management, proceed with caution and accept the job for the right reasons.Never move into management simply because its different than the job you have, especially if youre not really passionate about the role. However, if you feel the desire to expand your skill set and are excited at the thought of taking on greater management responsibilities, becoming a manager can be an incredibly rewarding and challenging role.Our Salary Guide is a great resource for the latest hiring trends and starting salaries for more than 75 IT jobsDOWNLOAD THE SALARY GUIDE

Impressing is in your best interests How to be taken seriously

Impressing is in your best interests How to be taken seriouslyImpressing is in your best interests How to be taken seriouslyBeing taken seriously at work takes time and trust. Whether youre the youngest, the least experienced, a new recruit or all of the above proving yourself can feel like an uphill challenge. The earlier you can prove yourself though, the sooner youll relax into the role and be able to perform to your best ability. We spoke with the career experts at CABA who offered their tips on gaining professional respect.Dress the partMost workplaces have a dress code, whether official or unofficial. If you ignore it and dress too casually or too flamboyantly, you risk looking unprofessional. Choose clothes that are appropriate for your work environment if you want to be taken seriously, dress to standard.Be punctualIf you have a tendency to arrive at work late or miss the start of meetings, your manager and colleagues will start losing respect for you. Revise your wake-up time if you have to, as the extra half hour in the morning could binnensee you getting to work punctually. Even if youre only occasionally late, it will be noticed, and eventually, youll gain a reputation for having poor time management.Make eye contactIf youre keen to make a positive impression and engage people, try to look them in the eye when youre talking to them. Avoiding eye contact altogether can make you appear secretive, mistrustful or simply uninterested.Use positive body languageThe right body language can make you appear more confident, experienced and professional all traits that could help others take you more seriously. A University College London study recently found that women are more likely to be taken seriously at work if they adopt a strong, typically male stance (the so-called power pose in the study included having feet shoulder width apart).But theres more to positive body language than power stances. For instance, try to look straight ahead rather than dow n at the floor, sit or stand straight with your shoulders back instead of slouching, and adopt an open posture rather than crossing your arms or legs. When you meet someone, greet them with a firm handshake.Speak upIf you have something interesting or important to say during a meeting or while speaking with colleagues, dont be shy and keep it to yourself. Your confidence will impress, while your ideas could spark off further points for discussion. Speak calmly and clearly with an even tone. Employ professional language try not to swear or use slang or casual words, as you may appear unprofessional.On the other hand, dont feel you need to say something for the sake of it. Stay quiet and listen to what others are saying if you know you cant offer anything valuable. Its better to say nothing than to blurt out something foolish or inappropriate. But do ask intelligent questions, as it shows youre engaged in whats being discussed.Be politeGood manners go a long way Behaving rudely or in considerately isnt going to win you any fans at your workplace. Similarly, with social media, manners are essential. Never write anything derogatory about the company you work for, your boss or colleagues zugreifbar you may not think anyone will notice but, chances are, someone will.Prepare thoroughlyTry not to turn up to meetings unprepared or underprepared. Get a good grasp of whats being discussed beforehand. When you think youve prepared sufficiently, do that little bit more. People tend to pay attention to those who are knowledgeable, so all your efforts wont go unnoticed. At the same time dont brag if you try too hard to impress, you may be perceived as arrogant and obnoxious.Play up your skillsConsider working on skills that will get you noticed. Which skills does your organization value? Focus on building these. The skills dont have to be technical ones, as companies also need employees with strong soft skills such as problem-solving, ability to adapt well to change and be ing a good communicator.If you already possess the skills your company values, share these with your employer and co-workers. For example, you could offer to take on a project or seek out other opportunities that enable you to showcase your skills and bring them to others attention. Once people associate you with certain superior skills, your opinions will be valued all the more.Whether youre starting out in your career, recently moved to a new company or want to revitalise colleagues opinion of you, its important to remember that anyone regardless of age, gender or status can be affected by a lack of recognition, even if theyve been in the business for decades.Whether youre just starting out, getting back to work, changing direction or launching a business, CABA offers an extensive range of career services simply visit caba.org.uk.This article first appeared on Your Coffee Break.

The Unexpected Truth About Computer Skills to List on Resume

The Unexpected Truth About Computer Skills to List on Resume The Pain of Computer Skills to List on Resume When youve determined the most proper type, you will be prepared to begin inserting these abilities into the remainder of your resume and application. Bu tirst, below are some critical things to remember when putting together an effective collection of skills. Theres no use in listing items simply to list them or since you believe thats what should be there. Back in the old times of the web, only someone with big-time tech skills could update a site. If youre not certain which skills that you want to share, consider your prior experiences. Some skills could be relevant while others arent. In addition to the practical demand for developers in just about any company, programming skills demonstrate advanced problem solving skills that could lead to a well-rounded professional. As stated earlier, assessing soft skills is considerably mora difficult. Elect for some simple level in addition to some advance level computer skill courses associated with your field as computer skills play a major part your resume while getting hired. Because of this, its crucial to include computer skills on your resume. You probably have the correct computer abilities. Plus, it is going to help you show off your very best PC skills easily As you proceed through the list of skills above, make a distinct list with the skills which you already possess. Since required skills will change from job to job, in addition, it is valuable to examine our list of skills listed by job and sort of skill. 3 First, you must pick the best skills for your resume. Listing your skills provides a chance to showcase your abilities and experiences to prime employers for the remainder of your resume. Soft abilities, on the flip side, arent simple to quantify. They are a bit more vague and open to interpretation. They include generic skills that apply to an array of disciplines. They are the skills that apply to every job. The Demise of Computer Skills to List on Resume The skills section of your resume shows employers youve got the abilities needed to be successful in the function. Hardware skills enable you to physically operate a computer. Job Specific Skills There are lots of skills which are job dependent. Organization and prioritization abilities. Below, you will discover more info about the sort of computer skills employers commonly search for in job applicants. In buchen to use a lot of these simple computer skills, you will have to use many popular software programs that correlate to every kind of basic computer skill. Web and Social Skills Most organizations are seeking to boost their footprint on the internet and within social networking. You may often find both systems on computers at your community library, though you might also be in a position to learn on the work too. A crucial part of your CV needs to be your skills section. You may find be low a list of the greatest skills you may put on your resume based on the kind of job that you are applying for. If youre interested in submitting an application for a particular job, review the post carefully and observe the list of skill requirements. In reality, there are particular jobs in which its important to place a skill section at or close to the top of the resume.

How Loud is Too LoudWhen Office Soft Talk is a Better (or Worse) Choice

How Loud is Too LoudWhen Office Soft Talk is a Better (or Worse) Choice In the office, at home, in public and virtually everywhere, the one thing that often matters as much as, if bedrngnis more than what you say, is how loud you say it. Sometimes you have no choiceyou have to be loud, e.g., on the job as an auctioneer, and sometimes you cant, e.g., when at work as a professional hypnotist.Given the significant (un)intended business, professional and social consequences of being too loud or not loud enough, it is important to determine how loud is too loud, how soft is too soft and why anyone would make either mistake (if only for the purpose of predicting and controlling that behavior).When you do have a choice as to how loud or soft to make your vocalizations, it is important to know how and why you make the choices that you do or shouldallowing that you tactically and strategically choose to be loud in some situations, e.g., shouting at the stalled driver ahead of you and soft in others, e.g., when asking for a raise.Call this a vocalization-volume mixed strategy, understood as flexibly switching volume levels as required. On the other hand, there are those who are consistently loud or consistently soft-spoken, often as a reflection of some genetically-determined bias or broad motivation, such as to appear dominant or submissive, respectively. Call their strategy a pure vocalization-volume strategy.Pure vs. Mixed Volume-Vocalization Strategists Why Do They Expect a Big Payoff?One really interesting question regarding the pure strategists is, in those cases where they have a choice, they believe a pure loud or pure soft strategy will maximize their payoffs. Another interesting question is how to get them to change, when that seems desirable. A third is the question of how often they (or the mixed strategists) choose correctly.As a preliminary to answering these questions, its worthwhile to consider why (always) deliberately being loud or soft would ever be thought to pay off. The possible reasons include the following1. Association of vocal volume with physical power and intimidation This is Evolutionary Biology and Taxonomy 101. The louder the vocalizations the bigger, the more intimidating and more dangerous the animal, e.g., a T-Rex, is likely to bealthough the almost-cute small African rodent called a hyrax (not to be confused with a Hi-Rex) I heard first-ear in Kenya shook the night with jack-hammer grating screeches worthy of a Jurassic pterodactyl. In humans, this capacity and its exercise are commonly part of the physically large, thick-necked bullys makeup.2. Association of vocal volume with institutionalized power The likes of bellowing kings, Patton, stentorian senators and rave guitarists have been allowed to, if not expected to be, loud, because they have institutionalized powerpower conferred on them because of rank or fame. Many obnoxi ous loudmouths lacking similar entitlements fancy themselves similarly privileged, and treat the world as their personal megaphone.3. Squeaky-wheel syndrome Part of the presumed wisdom that the squeaky wheel gets the grease encapsulates is the expectation that to get what you want, louder is better. Perhaps this is the rationale underlying the use of wailing walls and massive choirs to get Gods attention, ramp up the volume, just in case (S)He hasnt been listening or is otherwise distracted. As a complement to this tactic, loud colors and otherwise gaudy clothing is frequently observed.4. Soft hypnosis I think the main reason lovers and hypnotists speak softly is that they are, as groups, both attempting the same thing. A hypnotist and some guy whispering in some girls ear want to induce a trance, a state of compliant helplessness and trust. Both of them also orchestrate the context to ensure that soft speech accomplishes their objectives Ideally, hypnotist and lover will eliminate all distractionsby eliminating any competing voices (i.e., use a secluded, very physically comfortable, private space for two) by employing soft and dim lighting by repeating key phrases, e.g., you are so beautiful and free (lover) or you are feeling so beautiful and free (hypnotist), etc., until full compliance is achieved. Funeral home directors operate on a similar softly-spoken premise.In the office, a guilt-ridden boss forced to let a good employee go may use the same technique to ensure peaceful acquiescence and full compliance with the dismissal, e.g., private moment in the office, making the employee physically comfortable and, of course, by breaking the news very, very softly and gently.Perhaps this is another reason why an employee unexpectedly terminated will walk out of the bosss office feeling like a dazed zombie.How to Change the VolumeTo get a loudmouth to tone it down, humor is the best first line of defense. You could try any of these lines (but only with a good fr iend who also has a sense of humor)Wow..a sonic boom before the jet flies byAm I late for the yodeling auditions?Are you trying to imprint what youre saying on my forehead?You havent made me deaf yet, so no need to talk to me as though I already am.Just as I thought Youve gone and deafened yourself.To get a mouse-whisperer to ramp it up, using humor, try theseSorry, your pulse was too loud for me to catch what you said.Are you ear reading?This is like listening to Killing Me Softlywhen its not playing.Great impression of submarine silent-running Ah-roo-gah Dive DiveIf you prefer tact and diplomacy, you can resort to one of the most successful persuasive techniques Shift the focus of fault to yourself and replace you with I. For example, instead of noting the speakers volume, you can say, Sorry, I have super-sensitive ears, like a big-eared coyote. Or, Sorry, could you speak up a little water from my showerplugged my ears.These techniques are likeliest to work with the mixed vocaliza tion-volume strategist, who is clearly not working with a physiological limitation or inflexible character trait. Such a MVVS will find it easy to accommodate you, since the vocalization strategy adopted in any situation is calculated, rather than hard-wired. The pure vocalization-volume strategist is more difficult to deal with, for obvious reasons1. Physiological Some big people or some with compromised breathing may have labored breathing that forces them to expel air with greater force, including speech air.Others may have impaired hearing that causes overcompensation in the form of louder speech (which they cannot recognize as being too loud). Still others may have smokers voiceraspy and grating, which may come across as too loud, in virtue of being equally irritating. Naturally, the genetics of larynx, pharynx and lungs will play some role in the timbre and volume of the voice.An NBC News article, Loud Talkers Why Do Some Voices Seem to be Set at Top Volume, identifies such ph ysiological and pathological factors, in addition to cultural, social and psychological variables.2. Psychological It may be that the loudmouth needs, as the stereotype suggests, to be the center of attention, or to project a stronger image, hoping to elicit fear, awe or respect for an intimidating voice used to compensate for missing other strengths, including strength and cogency of ideas.Likewise, the soft-spoken office mouse may be someone who, bullied as a child, does not want to attract attention, preferring to blend safely into the background. Alternatively, some among the soft-spoken may have concluded that being seductive or soothing will work much better than being brutishly loud, preferring soft persuasion and its inducements to intimidation.The soft-spoken may also confuse expressing nurture with communicating submission. Clearly, the soft-spoken funeral director is attempting to communicate nurture and consolation, not any subservient status (apart from that most sales staff adopt when selling).In this he is successful, because his role makes that clear. However, in the office, a similar tactic may backfire and create the impression that the mouse-voiced colleague is a weak, insecure, submissive wuss.Likewise, the office loudmouth may, in attempting to express dominance, end up communicating rudeness, proving the general principle that what we express frequently doesnt match what we elicit, much as a wild rabbit may perceive a carrot as a weaponand run.3. Cultural/Sociological Others may have grown up in a loud family or culture, e.g., one in which men are expected to be much louder than women, and developed a lifelong habit that is hard to shake. One implication here is that only children are far likelier to be soft-spoken than the middle or youngest child in a family of 10, especially when asking for the potatoes to be passed before they are gone.Being an extremely soft-spoken only, I count as confirmation of that hypothesis. Noting or speculati ng on family birth-order may be a useful wedge into discussing the issue with an overly loud or soft-spoken colleague.How to Know When You Are Too Loud or Too SoftOf course, if those you are speaking to wince, youve got the clearest cue and clueloud and clear that you are at least too loud. Also take note of the distance they choose to maintain from you and how they angle their bodies.If it appears they are attempting to minimize the surface area exposed to you, except for their face (which will be full geradlinig to equalize and maximize the distance of both ears) that may be an unconsciously adopted posture and transmitted signal letting you know your bellowing is backfiring like a deafening backfire.Holding their coffee mugs at ear height may be a reflex, yet futile attempt to block your sound. If their smiles look like a dentists plaster mold, take heed.If your listeners thrust an ear at you, or cup theirs, allow that you are speaking too softly. Obviously, if they ask you to re peat what youve said, try to boost the volume a bit.If they appear to be staring at your lips, consider the possibility that they are resorting to lip reading. If they randomly nod or nod off, they may be sending you the same message so, more bang, less whimper, please.In any case, if you are not sure whether you are too loud or too soft-spoken in any situation, you can always ask.But just try not to do it too loudly or too softly.