5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My First Job

5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My First Job5 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started My First Job Throughout my entire academic career, I was always told that I was being prepared for the real world. But once I entered the working world in earnest, I soon realized school can never fully prepare you for it.Now, dont get me wrong - Im a big believer in education, and I have no doubt that my ability to absorb information, think critically and work well with others has contributed to my success in the professional realm. But still, I couldnt help but wish that a few mora of my professors had shared some their thoughts on what to expect after graduation.As I made mistakes, learned from them and ultimately grew, I came away from my first job with a handful of important lessons that I wished I had heard, and really internalized, before I ever even stepped foot in the office. Here are a few of my top takeaways - hopefully, theyll resonate with you and maybe even help y ou navigate that tricky transition from school to work.For most of my life I had a major aversion to planners and to-do lists . Have you ever had a waiter who insisted on memorizing your order rather than writing it down on their notepad? Yeah, it was kind of like that. Im bright and capable , I thought - I dont need any piece of paper telling me what to do It took about three days in the working world for me to realize that I needed to ditch that attitude. I might have been able to memorize my tasks and assignments when I only had four or five classes a semester - but at work, there are approximately a million things going on at any given time. From writing articles to getting approval to sending emails, Im working on way too many things to keep track of them solely in my head.Today, I live and die by my to-do list (I use Evernote in particular). It took me a while to figure out what works best, but I finally arrived at an organizational system Im pretty comfortable with. I list every major thing I have to do as a separate bullet point in my planner, with smaller subtasks included as sub-bullet points. Anything that I need to work on that day gets bolded, and anything that needs to be finished that day gets an asterisk on top. Then, I organize the different tasks from top to bottom in the order I want to complete them in. Its fairly simple, but it gets the job done.You dont have to use this exact system, but if youre just entering the workforce, I would highly recommend that you think about the best way to keep yourself organized and on track.One of the biggest issues facing people early on in their careers is a lack of confidence . Even if you have great ideas and valuable insight, you often feel like youre too inexperienced or havent earned the right to speak up. I know this was one of the biggest mental hurdles I encountered when I first started my career. But one former coworker shared a piece of advice that really helped change my perspective on the matter You were hired for a reason - people saw something in you. They want to hear your input.In hindsight its obvious, but at the time I really felt like I could only weigh in after I had worked somewhere for X months or years. But the thing is, having a fresh perspective is incredibly valuable. When youre too close to a project or too entrenched in certain processes, you dont always have the ability to look at things from a high level. New folks, on the other hand, are able to identify blind spots and inefficiencies, and come up with new and creative solutions to them.It might sound cliche, but its true its much easier for others to believe in you once you believe in yourself . If you speak up when you have an insightful comment or idea, youll not only make yourself look good - youll likely unlock new opportunities for yourself.While on the one hand, email plays an invaluable role in helping us stay in touch with others, it can also get pretty darn distracting if you let it. When I first entered the workforce, my inbox was largely in a state of anarchy - junk emails would be thrown right in there with important work emails, newsletter subscriptions, calendar invites, etc. I knew I had to organize it, but for the longest time I put it off, thinking Oh, I can do that anytime - Ill focus on my day-to-day tasks first.With that mindset, though, youll arrive at a breaking point sooner or later. When I reached mine, I finally blocked several hours off on my calendar to sort through my email, unsubscribe to irrelevant emails, create folders and more. The best way to organize your inbox will totally depend on what works for you - you may want to filter by different projects, clients, levels of urgency, etc. Since I was working at a communications agency at the time, it made sense for me to create folders for each of my four main clients, one for internal/administrative tasks and one for news updates.My system has evolved a bit since Ive changed jobs, but I still make sure to label and create folders as appropriate, and I never close out of an email that requires a response without starring it first. This way, I can prioritize appropriately, refer back to important chains at a moments notice and most of all, not be filled with a sense of dread each time I see my inbox.If I had a dollar for every question I asked at work, I probably wouldnt need to work at all anymore (okay, thats probably a slight exaggeration, but I could at least go on a pretty decent vacation ). I used to be very self-conscious of this - anytime I wanted to ask a colleague something, Id preface it with Sorry to bug you or Hope Im not being annoying. Ironically enough, my coworkers were more annoyed by my excessive apologizing than the fact that I was turning to them for questions - something pointed out to me by one of my more straightforward teammates.Now that I have a few years of work experience under my belt, I realize that no matter how much research y ouve done or how many internships youve had, you can never arrive at a new job fully caught up to speed - in fact, if youre not asking questions, it might signal to your coworkers that youre too headstrong to admit when you need help. Sure, you dont want to go completely overboard with it - tapping your manager for help every two minutes throughout the day may be a bit much - but as long as you make sure your questions are thoughtful and posed at the right time, your coworkers will likely be happy to fill you in.Like a lot of young people, the transition from college to the working world was a bit unsettling for me. In the classroom, I felt like I knew exactly what I had to do in order to succeed. Sure, I still sometimes got questions wrong on tests, or got a less-than-stellar grade on an essay every once in a while - but I knew that as long as I paid attention in class, studied a certain amount per week and gave myself enough time to complete assignments, I would do well. S o being thrust into a working environment, where success doesnt always equal X + Y, was a bit jarring.Compared to school, I found work to be less structured, fast-paced and highly collaborative - I was constantly learning new things, pushing myself outside of my comfort zone and working on my communication skills. It was easy to get down on myself when I felt like I was constantly playing it by ear and learning from my mistakes.My big aha moment came after chatting with my older sister. After venting to hear about how incompetent I felt at times, she said something that will always stick with me Everybodys winging it to some degree. Its easy to look at a confident person whos further along in their career and think they have it all figured out, but even your seemingly perfect coworkers make mistakes, pivot and push themselves to try unfamiliar things. They may be better at hiding it, but that doesnt mean theyve completely mastered their job.Its not easy to get over your own sel f-consciousness or self-doubt , and it certainly wont happen overnight, but the more you remind yourself that nobodys perfect (and you dont have to be, either), the more confident youll feel - take it from someone whos been there before.

How to Answer Interview Questions Without a Right Answer

How to Answer Interview Questions Without a Right AnswerHow to Answer Interview Questions Without a Right AnswerThere are some interview questions that dont have a right or a wrong answer. Whats the best way to respond to them? Some of these questions can be tricky, and so the ideal response will depend upon the question and what the hiring manager is looking for. Here are some of the different types of interview questions without a right answer, with tips for giving the best responses. Types of Interview Questions Without a Right or Wrong Answer There are three different types of these interview questions Hypothetical questionsOpen-ended questionsBehavioral questions Hypothetical Interview Questions Hypotheticalquestions like, How would you calculate the amount of toilet paper required to span the state of New Jersey? are designed to reveal how you think and reason. There will be no correct answer, but interviewers will be evaluating the quality of your logical analysis. a bflug by asking questions to gather as much information as possible from the interviewer in order to clarify the problem. For instance, in the example above you might ask if they would like the measurement to be north to south or east to west. Then, share your thought process in addressing the problem. This might include describing how you would gather the information which you will need in order to make a calculation orsolve the problemas well as the actual method you would use for your calculation. For the example above, you might state that you would check with geographic resources on New Jersey to determine the length (or width) of the state in miles. After determining the length of the toilet tissue in the average roll, you would then convert the length of the state in miles to feet and divide that number by the average number of feet in a roll of toilet tissue to determine the number of rolls required to span the state. Open-Ended Interview Questions Open-ended questions l ike, Why should we hire you? or Describe yourself also have no right answer. You should capitalize on these opportunities by sharing your most compelling assets with the employer. Prepare for open-ended questions by assessing the requirements for your target job. Make a list of your assets (like skills, knowledge, personal qualities, certifications, experiences) which match thekey job requirements. For each relevant asset,think of an exampleof how you have applied that strength to meet a challenge, solve a problem, or add value to an organization. As you answer open-ended questions like Why should we hire you?, its also a good strategy to use your response not only to promote your own abilities, but also to incorporate some employer-centered needs-based (consultative) analysis into the conversation. Try to couch your answer in a way that shows you are excited about providing a solution for the employer XYZs stated mission is to provide unparalleled excellence in customer service, a goal that I share and that I consistently achieved while improving customer ratings by 35% in FY 20XX. I would welcome the opportunity to provide even greater year-over-year gains for your organization. Behavioral Interview Questions Behavioral questionsare designed to determine if you have the right skills, attitudes, or qualities to succeed in a specific job. These types of queries will often contain a lead phrase like, Give me an example of when you .... Basically, by asking these questions the interviewer is trying to ascertain how your past behavior in a difficult or challenging work situation might predict how you would react to pressured situations with their organization. Each candidate will answer differently based on their own experience. Though there will be no single right answer, the best possible answer will be one which clearly references specific instances where the behavior or skill was in evidence. The best approach is to Describe a situation or challenge whic h you encounteredRelate how you intervened, referencing the skills or behavior in questionDescribe the outcome, emphasizing how you generated some positive result or outcome Of course, it will be hard to prepare in advance for all possible behavioral questions. However, if you analyze the requirements of your target job, you can anticipate many of the qualities that employers will targetwith behavioral questions qualities like resourcefulness, leadership, teamwork, creativity, or a strong work ethic. In addition, if you review each of your resume citations and think of your successes in each role and the strengths which enabled you to succeed, you will be ready to respond with specifics tomany behavioral questions.

HELP! Ive Only Had 2 Interviews in 10 Months!

HELP Ive Only Had 2 Interviews in 10 MonthsHELP Ive Only Had 2 Interviews in 10 MonthsI feel like my resume is actually pretty strong. Im applying for jobs I know I could do with my eyes closed. But Im not understanding why Ive only had 2 interviews after 10 months of searching.You know how they say job search is a numbers game? Many jobseekers think that number pertains to how many jobs you apply for. But if all youre doing is racking up that number, it may soon become apparent that your job search is going to be a longer haul than what you really want. Instead, lets zoom in on the metrics that actually matter, in bestellung for you to land your new job in a reasonable period of time.How Many Advertised v. Unadvertised Opportunities Are You Targeting?The 1st dicke bretter bohren mssen with the original posters question is that hes talking about the jobs hes applying for, which, just based on that phrasing, leads me to believe hes submitting his resume 100% of the time in response to ads. Theres nothing inherently wrong with ads. However, there is something wrong with placing all of your eggs in that particular basket.Ads are indicators of something greater growth of that company and of that industry. Use the ad as a lens to view the bigger picture. For example, if youre in financial technology and see an ad that interests you from Stripe, go ahead and apply, but also be proactive and look up other fintech companies such as Braintree, Lending Club, Kabbage, and SoFi.Those other companies may be advertising or they may not. It really doesnt matter. If one company is hiring, theyre growing, and if that company is growing, its likely their competitors are not too far behind. Everyones looking for market domination.How Many People Are You Talking To?The 2nd problem with the original posters question is that he jumps from applying, to not understanding, to a paltry number of interviews over a too-long period. Theres something that goes hand-in-hand with applying re aching out directly to a real human being.With LinkedIn, there is literally zero reason to not find a relevant person associated with 100% of the opportunities you want. Start with whos in your network who may be able to provide you with a referral. Expand to those not in your network, who are in dienstgrad of hiring decisions, or better yet, in charge of the department or division youd like to work for.Potential contacts abound. Where youll find 1, youll find 5. Approach all of them at the same time, (just not in a group email, please) immediately after you apply. What youre doing is filling in that gap where you dont understand why theres nothing but silence going on, to instead putting yourself in more conversations with the people who matter. How Many Times Are You Making Your Approach?Jobseekers always want to know when to follow up, how to follow up, and what to say this time that was different than their last follow up, and what to do if theres no response to the follow up. I ts normal and natural to fill the silence with something bad. I must have bombed that interview, (you probably didnt) or They went with someone else, (you literally dont know that.)Following up cant just happen once. If you walked out of a car dealership after having a discussion with a sales person, because you needed to think about things, what dealer have you ever experienced who called you once and then left you alone? A little pushy? Maybe. Effective. Probably.Heres how you can follow up multiple times without making it seem pushy bring something new to the table every time. In addition to asking about the status of your candidacy, mention that you just completed a certification or project thats relevant to the role. Or say that you see the division just won the ABC Industry award. Thats how you keep your follow-ups fresh.Your path to a new job doesnt have to feel hard. Nor does it have to seem interminable. Find out what to do to make this easier on yourself get The 5-Day Job Search. We walk through the exact steps so youre not just getting your resume sucked into the black hole, but instead making the connections you need every single time.

What Kimmy Schmidt can teach us about emotional intelligence

What Kimmy Schmidt can teach us about emotional intelligenceWhat Kimmy Schmidt can teach us about emotional intelligenceIf youve powered through Season 3 of The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt now streaming on Netflix, youve already discovered that Kimmy tries several careers before she learns that she has an extremely high level of emotional intelligence.Despite living trapped in an underground bunker for 5 years and New York City for only two mora, Kimmy may have an incredibly hard time with the day to day intricacies most of us take for granted- and acts in ways many find outlandish- but for the most part she seems to have an innate ability to grasp larger picture issues relevant to the people around her.Emotional intelligence at workWhen discussing 4 signs of emotional intelligence, Kimberly A. Barchard Associate hochschulprofessor in Quantitative Psychology, University of Nevada and Jose M. Mestre Professor of Emotion and Motivation, University of Cadiz, wrote emotional intelligence c an mean the difference between behaving in a socially acceptable way and being considered to be way out of line. They elaborated that emotional intelligence is essentially the way you perceive, understand, express, and manage emotions. It also includes your social behaviorit might be these are things you do without even really thinking which can be the case for a lot of people. Or it might be that these are skills you know you need to work on. Here are some other ways that in addition to the expected zaniness, in-jokes and sight gags (I spotted Korn Czechs breakfast cereal twice) this season of Kimmy Schmidt showed us how to be more emotionally intelligent at work.Be here nowAt one point, landlady Lillians love interest, grocery chain magnate Artie Goodman says to her, youve spent 40 years stuck in the past, now youre worried about the future. All I have is now. The character of Goodman went from rags to riches and currently has a serious heart condition. In that moment, he inspire s anyone whos been so focused on past wertzuwachs or an upcoming performance review that theyre missing opportunities to connect with co-workers or curry favor with the boss.Career lesson learned from Kimmy Dont be so focused on looking back or worrying about whats next, that you lose sight of the immediate opportunities in front of you. Right now counts for a lot.Dont be fooled by what looks good on paperKimmy takes a career aptitude test that suggests she should be a school crossing guard. After some amazing plot twists, Kimmy actually ends up acing her crossing guard test after exhibiting a level of emotional intelligence and deep compassion that proves she understands notlage just the immediacies of the job, but the intricacies as well. In that moment we end up believing that Kimmys found her professional calling, though we cant help but wonder if shes selling herself short.In college, I took an extensive career aptitude test and the results told me I would make a great benevole nt despot of a small island nation (true story) - and while Im sure I would, it welchesnt quite the most insightful piece of advice Ive ever received.Like Kimmy, I had to get past the part that sounded good on paper and find my own path. Incidentally, my second suggestion was becoming a writer.Career lesson learned from Kimmy Just because your career path seems set in stone doesnt mean it is. All the aptitude tests in the world mean nothing if your job is soul crushing or mind numbing. Use aptitude tests as guides if needed, but also realize that you should trust your gut and the advice and input of career coaches, mentors, family and friends.Acknowledge your emotions - and imagine what others must be feelingOne of the more poignant storylines this season involves Titus and Mikeys breakup. While its played for laughs, theres also deep emotional growth on the part of both characters who often express their emotions on the most basic level.Yale has a Center for Emotional Intelligenc e whose mission is to create a positive environment in classrooms for students and teachers to express emotions in a healthy way to pave the way for better adults. They describe their program and the reasons for it this way Emotions drive learning, decision-making, creativity, relationships, and health. The Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence uses the power of emotions to create a more effective and compassionate society. The Center conducts research and teaches people of all ages how to develop their emotional intelligence. One of the more rousing endorsements for the program is by a 5th grader quoted on their handout saying the program is a way for children to express their feelings without fear of being laughed at you notice that other people have the same feelings as you.Titus isnt great at relationships and Mikey is still learning the ropes of life as a gay man. At one point Titus publicly and hilariously declares his intention to win back Mikeys love.Mikeys response? I dont know what to say.Titus, known for his over the top persona in all things, answers in an incredibly mature way when he replies, so dont say anything.Career lesson learned from Kimmy In work and in life, we can be so focused on what we think we need or want, that we sometimes forget to take the other persons thoughts or needs into account. The next time youre trying to negotiate for a raise, or are about to tell off a co-worker, realize that they might not have the means or solutions to give you what you want at that exact moment. Sometimes you have to be okay just saying your piece and not knowing what comes next. And in case youre wondering, at the end of the season Kimmy is offered a fancy and fantastic job by her classmate Zach, who makes it clear her emotional intelligence is welcome in his new startup, so that he never has to talk to his own employees. A great reminder that actions frequently speak louder than the exact right words.

A Deadly Mistake Uncovered on Cs Resume Template and How to Avoid It

A Deadly Mistake Untiteled on Cs Resume Template and How to Avoid It Cs Resume Template Help If you would like to add your own section, whether for Certifications or Projects or another category thats pertinent to the work description, dont hesitate to pop it in. Elements is excellent for the indecisive applicant. Take a look at our information technology resume samples for some tips about how to present yourself as the ideal candidate. If you submit your application online, you also need to have a chance to attach your resume. While all resumes should offer information on your work and education experience, and your abilities and accomplishments, there are various ways to present this info. On the flip side, functional resumes are typically used by fresh graduates or those who have less experience but want to grab the work vacancy. Possessing a strong resume will permit you find quite a few great jobs. The resume summary will act as their sales pitch. Possessing a crystal clear and professional resume is essential in the medical field. Our resume examples can ensure youre prepared in the event you receive a referral. You desire a resume thats simple to read and simple to follow along with. Just scroll down until you discover a section named Resumes or CVs, based on where you are. So if you decide to go the Resume Builder route, be conscious that youll have to cover the last product. Choosing Good Cs Resume Template For example, if you have a substantial employment gap since your final position, you can want to use a functional resume rather than a chronological one. For instance, you may decide to left-align significant dates on your resume by including a left tab stop, which means that your dates are wholly aligned with one another. For some individuals, obtaining a resume sample is merely like a template because it may be used as guide for both design and content. For almost whatever you want to include on a resume, theres a category to help organize it. Due to the sidebar on the left, it enables you to fit in quite a bit of information on a single page without looking cluttered. When youve reviewed resumes in your field, peruse resumes across fields to know how to vary the usage of action verbs and receive a feel for what makes an effective accomplishment statement. Some can be people that are starting companies. On top of that, the website gives strategic advice on how best to modify each template to meet your very own individual circumstance. Make sure that you get the info youre looking for. Therefore, before you create your resume public, be absolutely sure you need your resume and all the personal details on it available to anybody and everyone on the web. Cs Resume Template No Longer a Mystery Google Docs letter templates supply you with a coordinated look to coincide with the fashion of your resume. Opportunely, google docs has a solution for it You will need a free Google account in reservierung to us e these templates and Google Docs. If youre on the lookout for a fast approach to begin your resume, google docs resume templates are among the handiest solutions around. If you consider sample resumes online, you will observe dozens of distinct formats and resume templates. Chronological format is most frequently utilized. How to compose an advertisement format. For those who have just a couple of certifications, you may include them in your resume header. There are many letter formats you may use for your cover letter, and multiple resume formats too.

The end of the university as we know it

The end of the university as we know it The end of the university as we know itPosted October 1, 2013, by Marni WilliamsFirst there was the phonebook and the encyclopaedia, then the newspaper and the bookstore and Im willing to bet that the next obituary in the jurnalists drawer is for the university.Maybe its overstating it to say we should be dusting off our best black suits again, but theres no doubt the university as we know it is facing its demise. Sure, mora people are enrolling and the Internet is making higher education more accessible than ever, but universities are under scrutiny, and for the first time they are competing internationally the game has changed.Things are heating upIn fact, the pot is close to boiling over. New Education Minister, Christopher Pyne, appears to be turning his back on his pre-election promise not to reintroduce a cap on places. This comes on top of the new Governments removal of Labors targets to lift participation by disadvantaged students, th eir scheduled abolishment of student fees for services such as child care and career counselling, and their plan to take over Australian Research Council funding decisions.A longer-brewing issue is that course delivery, traditionally based on bums on seats, is facing extraordinary change as a direct result of technology and the development of Massive Open erreichbar Courses (MOOCs). Physical university places have been inaccessible to many and now anyone with an Internet connection can be taught for free by the worlds best. Education is undergoing a paradigm shift.But what are MOOCs?Stanfords Coursera was at the vanguard of the MOOCs revolution, attracting 1.5 million enrolments from 190 countries by January 2012. They now have 62 partner universities and 2.7 million students studying for free, and some courses translate to real college credits.Many universities have been streaming lectures to students for years, but MOOCs are much more interactive, with segmented lectures, auto-gra ded quizzes and peer reviewing. They can also accommodate unlimited students without the need for additional lecturers and tutors. And with major players such as Harvard and MIT joining forces for their MOOCs offerings, the stigma of online education being less effective is eroding.Why is everyone so excited?Coursera co-founder, Daphne Koller, is excited about the move away from what she calls the monolithic one-hour lecture, where students often zone out. Online, every single student has to engage with the material.Rather than having a one-size-fits-all experience, MOOCs students are able to choose course content based on their background, interests and level of knowledge. And studies prove that the more personalised a curriculum, the better the results.One concern for online students is that they might lack the exchange of ideas or sense of community you get on campus. But Coursera has been impressed by the number of high quality discussions on their international forums, where th e average wait time for an answer is just 22 minutes. Face-to-face study groups around the online courses have also been popping up worldwide.Big student numbers are also giving online course writers new insights into human learning, allowing them to respond directly to collective behaviours. For example, when Stanford lecturer Andrew Ng noticed that 2000 of his 100,000-strong Coursera class got the same question wrong, he was able to create a pop-up message to address the problem.Where is Australia in all this?Back home, Belinda Robinson, CEO of Universities Australia, has acknowledged the opportunitiesI think universities are looking at this with a degree, I guess, of apprehension but also a very high degree of optimism about how they can teach their courses in much more interesting ways.Australian universities do offer many courses online Curtin and Swinburne universities have dramatically increased their online offerings, and Monash has joined UK MOOCs outfit FutureLearn, but ou r sole online-only player is Open Universities Australia, which pulls online courses in from partner institutions. They have had some success with their MOOCs venture Open2Study, but as a series of free short courses without a qualification attached, its more of an introduction for the curious.Australian regulations currently prevent online-only universities from existing, and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of New England, Professor James Barber, recently called for this to changeDomestically, there is no doubt that we are going into a period of contraction but I think the bigger challenge is actually the one that is coming at us from cyberspace. That is, all of those international universities and some of them just incredibly powerful names that are moving their operations online, they really are coming after our students.Universities are now facing the fact that their local brand prestige has to compete online and in an international marketplace. Swinburne Universitys De puty Vice-Chancellor has said that the NBN rollout will lead to a learning schlag, so the time is ticking for Australian universities to get their models right.As Professor Barber puts it, I would rather cannibalise my own business than have someone else from an international university eat my lunch, which I think is likely to happen if we just sit on our hands.With such looming uncertainty, universities cannot afford to continue with the status quo. Failing to address the impact of online learning on their business model might just see the universities of old go the way of the dodo or at least the bricks-and-mortar bookstore, a charming but antiquated relic from a different time.Want to know more about MOOCs? Look out for Andrea Riddells upcoming MOOCs test drive. ResourcesMy first resumeCover letter for my first jobCareer Insider StoriesShelley Lask - Body Positive Health & FitnessInterested in becoming a?Human Resources OfficerGeneral ManagerBusiness ManagerAccountantOffice Admi nistratorPopular Career Searchesstarting university checklisttips for surviving university lifemacquarie university early entryearly entry newcastle universitythings to know before uni CoursesBachelor of Social WorkEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Health AdministrationEnquire Online Enquire OnlineBachelor of Criminal JusticeEnquire Online Enquire OnlineCertificate III in Allied Health AssistanceEnquire Online Enquire OnlineMarni WilliamsRelated ArticlesBrowse moreHuman ResourcesWHSPlaying it safe at workWhen I was younger, my skateboard had a sticker somewhat ironically brandished on it. Safety is an attitude, not a process, it read.Creative careersCreativityGet your creative juices flowing and unleash your inner artistIf youve always dreamt of becoming a writer or wish you could take your drawing skills further than just doodles on office memos, now is the perfect time to realise your dreams and your potential.Animal CareDr Chris Brown An Interview With The Bondi Vet Its World Animal Day Marni celebrates all creatures great and small by asking the Bondi Vet, Dr Chris Brown, what its really like to work with animals.

How to Reduce Employee Turnover with Stay Interviews

How to Reduce Employee Turnover with Stay InterviewsHow to Reduce Employee Turnover with Stay InterviewsHow to Reduce Employee Turnover with Stay Interviews DeZubeWhats the best time to find out what yur company can do to keep employees from leaving? It isnt during the exit interview by then, its too late to effect change.To influence employee attrition and reduce employee turnover, managers must measure employee job satisfaction and engagement on an ongoing basis.Stay interviews, an interview in which employees discuss what they like and dont like about their current position, can help reduce employee turnover rates.When is the best time to do a stay interview?Experts recommend doing them at least once a year opposite the employee performance review, and twice in the critical period during which your company experiences attrition of new hires (for example the first 40-50 days for um ein haar food, or 90-180 days for engineers).A Source of Top-Level MetricsStay interview metrics can supplement secondary and tertiary metrics such as employee satisfaction surveys and exit interviews. As such, they can be essential part of your recruitment strategy that focuses on employee retention .Stay interviews encourage managers to sit down and have a structured talk with their teams about what works and what doesnt work for them, explains Susan Seip, a human resources manager for Geocent, a Metairie, Louisiana technology company with 230 employees scattered throughout the Southern US.The company includes stay interviews as part of its recruitment strategy. Its a relationship review. Whats your relationship to the company, the project team and your manager and what is within our purview to do to make those better?If exit interviews and engagement surveys arent moving the needle on your organizations employee attrition numbers (or even if they are), you may want to add stay interviews to your list of recruitment strategies.Do Stay Interviews Work? How effectively can stay in terviews help to reduce employee turnover rates? Webroot Software, a Broomfield, Colorado internet security product development company, implemented stay interviews at a time when the 400-employee company was particularly vulnerable to employee attrition the period immediately following a recent reduction in force.Weve done other RIFs and employee turnover has always spiked, says Webroot Human Resources Director Melanie Williams. Since our RIF in August, weve seen our turnover tick down by a steady 1/10th of a percent each month.The information collected by stay interviews is more actionable than secondary source information because its specific and forward-facing, Williams says.Youre not filtering through a survey trying to guess what did they mean by that comment or how did they interpret that question? She adds that, Weve gotten feedback from every individual in the organization. We had a 64 percent response to our engagement survey.Dick Finnegan, CEO of C-Suite Analytics, an em ployee engagement consulting company, and author of The Power of Stay Interview for Engagement Retention, says stay interviews produce data so effective at predicting and reducing employee turnover rates that scores of his clients have abandoned their engagement surveys.Despite the success of stay interviews at Geocent, Seip isnt ready to get rid of her exit interviews just yet. The stay information tells us about things that matter today, the exit interviews are things that are three or four years down the road, she says.What to Expect in Stay Interviews When managers receive stay interview training, the most common fear they express is that employees will ask for raises that arent in the budget. Thats an unfounded fear.Weve had very few stay interviews come in with pay being the thing that makes them stay or want to leave, says Williams. There were not any requests that we havent been able to fulfill.If an employee does bring up pay, a promotion, employee training or something ou t of scope, the manager should answer truthfully, says Beverly Kaye , Co-CEO of Career Systems International, a Scranton, Pennsylvania strategic talent management consulting firm, and author of Help the Grow or Watch Them Go.If you have a budget constraint, say so, she advises. If the person is asking for a job they dont have the skills to do, talk about employee training opportunities you can add during the next budget cycle.You say, Salaries are frozen, or that job isnt open. What I really want to do is find things under my control so I can make sure youre getting what you want and what you need, so what else matters to you? she says. Youll get seven to ten things that are in your control.Addressing Stay Interview Challenges Stay interviews are not without challenges for HR professionals, organizational leaders and managers. Sometimes requests uncover unpleasant truths, such as bad feelings toward executive management, or employees that dont know about career paths because theyve never logged into the HR portal.Accountability for responding to these issues can also pose a challenge, particularly for organizations where employees and managers are physically separated.With the economy picking up and Baby Boomers moving into retirement, employee turnover rates will continue to challenge human resource professionals going forward.Adding stay interviews to your recruitment strategies can help your organization retain critical employees. Its the single best tool you can give managers, Finnegan says.Learnmore 11 Stay Interview Questions to Ask

31 Ways to Jumpstart Your Job Search Before the New Year

31 Ways to Jumpstart Your Job Search Before the New Year31 Ways to Jumpstart Your Job Search Before the New YearJanuary 2016 is just a few weeks away, and companies are going to be hiring like crazy. How can you jumpstart your job search? Here is a list of 31 ways you can be ahead of the job search game by the time January rolls around.Re-design your resume. If you are pleased with the content of your resume, but not so sure about the layout, use this time to change up the design. There are more professional options for resume design other than the templates on Microsoft Word.Write your executive summary. By now, youve heard that objective statements are a thing of the past. A three to five sentence paragraph describing your skills, passions, and tangible accomplishments is more effective than an objective statement.Create your elevator pitch. Use your executive summary as a starting point for your one to three minute kampf on what youre about and why a company should hire you. Refre sh your cover letter. Read over your cover letter. If youre bored to tears after the first few sentences, its time to edit it Google yourself. The first thing many recruiters do is google your name, so make sure your google search is clear of embarrassing pictures. It is also informative to know how high your name shows up on the search and if you should optimize your digital presence.Take a professional headshot. A professional headshot might be out of your price range, but at the bare minimum take a picture that is appropriate for work. Use your new headshot on your LinkedIn profile.Create a personal website. A personal website is the best distributions-mix to show off your professional accomplishments. Add your resume, any relevant projects, and maybe a blog if you want to show off your writing skills. Update your LinkedIn profile. Your LinkedIn profile should be consistent with your traditional resume. You can also add more skills and accomplishments to your LinkedIn profile tha t dont fit on your resume. Give out, and ask for, LinkedIn recommendations. If you have a deserving colleague, give them a glowing recommendation. Dont be afraid to reach out to former co-workers and managers you have a good relationship with and ask them for a recommendation.Join a LinkedIn Group. Find LinkedIn groups in your chosen field and see what the hot topics of conversation are. Participate in the conversation to start building a presence in your field.Start a blog. If you havent started a blog on your personal website, consider writing on Medium or LinkedIn. Your post will be more discoverable and shareable with tags.Write out your ideal job description If youre still unsure what youre looking for in a job, daydream and brainstorm what you want to do with your life. Then, write it out like a real job listing and search for jobs that sound the most similar to your dream job.List your top 10 companies. Write down the top ten companies you want to work for, research them, and check out their careers page and social media profiles. Discover the key players in your industry. Research the key players in your industry, and take notes on their career path. It will also be helpful to see the key players at your target companies, too. Utilize Twitter Lists. Twitter Lists make it easy for you to follow your target companies and the key players in your industry.Sign up for job alerts. Make your job search even easier by signing up for job alerts with your chosen specific keywords. Add 5 connections on LinkedIn. Expand your online network by connecting with five connections you know on LinkedIn. You never know who will lead you to your next job lead.Plan to go a professional event. Some face-to-face interaction with others in your field can lead to your next job. Use holiday parties to network. Holiday parties can serve as a time to catch up with old friends, but also time to let them know youre on the market for a new role. Create a networking spreadsheet. Keep track of everyone that youre meeting with a networking meeting. It should have their contact information, but also what theyre looking for or how you can help them. Help someone else find a job. Helping someone else look for a job can show you any gaps in your job search strategy. Check out your college alumni association. Your college alumni association is a great place to start your job search. Look out for alumni mixers and networking events.Use a job search engine. Job search engines like SimplyHired.com gives you access to plenty jobs tailored to what youre looking for and your experience.Scan job descriptions for keywords. Once you find job listings that you love, note common skills and keywords. Optimize your LinkedIn profile and resume by adding in these keywords when relevant.Arrange an informational interview. Schedule an informational interview with someone youve met from a professional or holiday event in a role that youd like to know more about.Buy your next interview o utfit. The hiring process can happen quickly, so you want to be ready for anything. Having your interview outfit ready will cut out extra stress.Ask for feedback. If you werent called back for a job but you felt like you built strong rapport with the interviewer, politely send an schmelzglas to him or her to ask for feedback.Prepare your answers to common interview questions. There are so many resources online to how to answer common interview questions. The better prepared you are for the interview, the more likely youll shine to the interviewer.Read up on a skill, or sign up for a class. Read a book or take a class on a skill that will bring you closer to your dream job. Teach a friend a skill. Teaching a friend a new skill will not only help them, but it will make you even more of an expert.Take on a new project at your current job. Even if youre not at your dream job, you can still take steps towards it at your current role. Ask your manager if you can take on a project that int erests you and will develop new skills.

Answering Interview Questions About Health and Safety

Answering Interview Questions About Health and SafetyAnswering Interview Questions About Health and SafetyMost employers are concerned about worker stahlkammerty since injuries or other workplace incidents can impact productivity, morale, and insurance rates, while also leaving the organization vulnerable to lawsuits. Accordingly, it is no surprise that interviewers will ask candidates about their track record of employee safety, particularly when interviewing candidates for management positions. How to Answer The first step is to think about occupational health and safety in a comprehensive manner.Consider all the possible threats to the well being of workers in your past workplaces. Of course, physical safety in settings like production, construction, agriculture, mining, and transportation comes to mind since accidents are common. You should also consider environmental and health threats in industries like healthcare, research, and pharmaceutical/biotechnology, where exposure to disease agents and harmful chemicals can endanger workers. If you worked in a typical office environment, behauptung issues might not be so relevant. However, there are many other factors to take into account. For example, musculoskeletal damage can occur when workers perform awkward or repetitive motions and other physically demanding tasks. Improper posture while sitting at a desk can also be physically detrimental. Dont forget to consider psychosocial factors like emotional stress in fields like air traffic control, deadline-oriented pressures in areas like publishing, or occupations where employees must cope with the stress of irate patrons or unruly students. Sexual and othertypes of workplace harassmentcan have a profound impact on the well-being of employees. And, of course, there are the little things that matter too, like smoking, drinking too much coffee or soda to stay awake at work, or eating healthy and getting enough exercise. In your answer, you might be able to in clude something as seemingly minimal as encouraging coworkers to take a walk with you during a break or to bring in a healthy homemade lunch rather than ordering out. Prepare As you formulate your response, the next step is to itemize the actions that you took to address any of the threats to employee health in your past work environments The best approach is to think of three or more scenarios where you addressed workplace safety or health issues.Describe the initial extent of safety issues or baseline status of worker safety.Then outline any interventions that you made to increase employee well being and any impact that your actions had on the frequency or severity of problems. Interventions can take the form of worker education, training programs, workplace safety displays, a communications campaign, establishing new policies and procedures, repairing or replacing machinery, requiring protective equipment/clothing/barriers, rewarding safe behaviors, sanctioning offending staf f, providing ergonomic devices, or incorporating more breaks to workers schedules. Sample Answers When You Have Direct ExperienceFor example, you might answer the question as follows As you can see from my resume, I currently work as a production manager for a meat packing plant. I discovered shortly after taking on the job that there were several hand injuries from one of the packing machines. I learned from Human Resources that six workers in the past twoyears had received medical attention or missed work time when stationed in that area of the assembly line. HR staff had interviewed the workers in question and believed that fatigue was a contributing factor. I decided to decrease the amount of time between five-minute breaks from 90 minutes to 45 minutes, placed a safety reminder sign in easy view, and personally reminded the workers stationed in that area before each shift about the need for optimal concentration. During the next year, there was only one incident of worker i njury in that area. I also researched an alternative machine that would perform the same function with less risk, and upper management is currently considering my proposal. When You Havent Had Direct ExperienceIf you didnt have the opportunity to increase employee health in a previous work environment, whether that was due to lack of internal resources or lack of approval from a supervisor, you can still use the question as an opportunity to impress your interviewer. In this case, think of problems you noted and strategies you would have enacted if you had been able to. Explaining the issues you observed and the responses you came up with shows a high level of organizational engagement on your part, which your interviewer will see as an asset to the entire team.