#CareerAdvice : #JobSearch – Can Your #Boss Help You Get Another Job Elsewhere? Yes, Here’s How…Anyone Can Say That They are a Great Employee, but Very Few People can Show It.

One of the most important factors of a great resume is including data to back up your claim of being a great employee. Anyone can say that they are a great employee, but very few people can show it.

If you can articulate what you’ve accomplished and what you can bring to the table, this will greatly increase your chances of landing the job. With that in mind, if you’re not used to gathering data about yourself, it can be overwhelming and intimidating.

Start by doing some research

When it comes to gathering data to put on your resume, start by doing a bit of research on yourself. Look back at your schedule and see what projects you’ve taken on. Take note of any metrics or accomplishments that come to mind, then continue to build from there and create an outline of what additional information could better articulate your accomplishments.

This will help you when you go to write your resume, but it will also give you a clear picture of what kind of information you’re looking for when you do approach your boss.

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Approach your boss with positivity

When you’re trying to gather data to include on your resume, it can seem scary to approach your boss as part of your research, but it doesn’t have to be. Position it in a positive light and phrase it in a way so you can show that you want to use the information to grow.

Even if you’re ultimately approaching your boss to gather data to include on your resume, this isn’t a bad thing. Updating your resume does not automatically mean that you’re unhappy in your current role. It just means that you’re being proactive!

A great way to reach out to your boss without sending the wrong message could go something like this:

Hi [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][Name],

I was looking back on some past projects I’ve worked on, and wanted to touch base to gather some feedback. I really enjoyed working on [project] and would love to hear your take on the execution, the results, and how I can further develop my capabilities going forward. Let me know if there’s a good time to put something on the calendar!

Thanks,

[Name]

Come to the meeting prepared

Bring the research and results that you’ve come up with so you can show that you’ve put effort into it. This will give your boss the message that you’re taking ownership for your actions, being proactive about how you can improve, and putting in a shared effort to gather information.

Additionally, make sure that you bring a notebook or laptop to take notes on the feedback you receive so you don’t miss anything.

Finally, come in armed with questions. Show what you’ve come up with and ask clarifying questions. For example, you can discuss that you noticed a spike in consumer engagement after you completed the project and ask if your boss has any specific numbers on engagement so you can measure the effects of your work.

You could also discuss any weak points. From there, you can ask forimprovement strategies or point out potential solutions that you’ve come up with. While you might not think of weak points as beneficial when you’re gathering data to include on your resume, you can phrase it in a positive way like this:

Identified project weaknesses including X and Y, and worked with senior management to strategize potential solutions to improve project results and optimize internal project management processes.

Tell your boss that you’d like to use this information

If you’re discussing external clients and client information to gather data, be sure that you can legally use this information on a resume or public platform such as LinkedIn. It’s important to ensure that you’re not breaching any confidentiality contracts if you’re talking about budgets, etc.

Share your excitement about gathering your information, and ask your boss if you could use it to update your LinkedIn profile. To ensure that you’re giving off a positive message, explain that you’d like to use the information on LinkedIn to highlight company success and draw in potential clients.

When it comes to writing an effective resume, including data to highlight your value and articulate your achievements is key. You can calculate metrics and achievements on your own, but sometimes it’s important to reach out and gather additional information from a manager or boss. This conversation can seem intimidating for fear of sending the wrong message, but as long as you approach it with positivity, reaching out to your boss to gather data for your resume can be a really great experience!

 

GlassDoor.com | October 9, 2018 | Posted by 

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#CareerAdvice : This is How you can Disagree with Senior Management and Keep your Job…When it Comes to Presenting your Arguments the Right Way, you First Need to Decide if you’re Disagreeing for the Right Reasons.

Life is made up of disagreements large and small, with everyone from your spouse, kids, or parents, to strangers on the street. But perhaps one of the most fraught and stressful situations is when you disagree with the person who can decide whether you keep your job.

Gabriel Grant, CEO of Human Partners and author of the book Breaking Through Gridlock: The Power of Conversation in a Polarized World, says disagreements can sometimes feel threatening because they can come off as dismissive to a subject someone holds close.

“When that’s your identity, what you love, and what you value most, there’s presumably a lot on the line,” he says.

When it comes to presenting your arguments the right way, you first need to decide if you’re disagreeing for the right reasons. If there is something important to add to the discussion, and you’re not countering just for the sake of it, then consider the below for the forgotten art of disagreeing in a constructive manner:

1. KNOW WHAT STYLE INFLUENCES THE OTHER PARTY

When it comes to persuasion, a huge factor in success is the planning. And a major part of that planning is understanding how the other party prefers to communicate.

“One of the things about having a boss is you have to know what sort of style influences them,” says Priscilla Claman, career coach and president of Career Strategies, Inc. “There’s a reason why the New York Times, among others, have all these gorgeous charts and graphs. They’re very influential.”

In short, is this person a data-rich person? Or are they more influenced by how their decisions impact others?

 

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2. RECRUIT CREDIBLE SOURCES FOR YOUR CAUSE

If you’re really stuck, and the other party just isn’t hearing you at all, it might be time to widen the circle of people you need to persuade. One strategy is rounding up people who agree with you and make a joint presentation, as the more people behind a cause, the more credible it becomes.

Another strategy is to recruit the help of someone you know the other party trusts. For instance, if you know your boss really trusts a particular executive, try to persuade that person, then ask them to share the information with your boss.

“It’s actually a very good strategy,” Claman says, “but the downside is that if you’re right, you never get the credit for it. But at least you stop the problem from going over the cliff.”

WHEN THE CONVERSATION IS REALLY STUCK

For those really sticky conversations that feel like you’ll never be able to reach an agreement, there’s still a chance you can stay true to yourself, get your message across, and simultaneously strengthen your relationship with the other party.

Grant, who regularly works with social and environmental change leaders, provides two tips for when you’re trying to change someone’s mind, but the conversation is at a gridlock:

1. Focus on results. In challenging conversations, we end up reacting to what Grant calls a gap between the world that we want and the world in which we’re currently living.

In other words, if your superior is really upsetting you, Grant suggests reacting in a way that is consistent with what you want in the future, not with how things are right now. So, if your goal is to have a future where people are cooperative, then being upset or angry–even if those emotions are valid–isn’t going to contribute to the future you want to create.

Case in point: Executive A sends Executive B an email saying that Executive B was angry, judgmental, and dismissive when he should have been cooperative and supportive in their last meeting. However, the email itself isn’t cooperative and supportive, so how can the result ever be cooperative and supportive?

“Who you’re being is wildly more powerful than what’s being said,” says Grant, so before you make your point, make sure you first deal with your own background conversation. Take care of any thoughts, opinions, and judgments you may have, or you won’t be able to have a successful conversation out in the open later on.

“Most of the conversations we have are like the iceberg under the water, and what’s being said is what’s above water,” explains Grant. “And if you think changing what’s being said is going to make the difference, then you’re not actually moving the iceberg, you’re just moving the ice around above the water.”

2. Identify hidden baggage that came before you. Sometimes you aren’t the reason why someone can’t hear you. Sometimes it’s baggage that’s projected onto you because of all the people and experiences the other party encountered before you.

Grant explains: “When I identify as an environmentalist, then all of the baggage, all of the background conversation around environmentalists immediately gets put onto me, so all of sudden I’m working through that, and I don’t even know that I’m working through that because I just met you.”

One of the ways you can get around this is identifying the baggage that came before you and is following you into conversations. You can do this by trying to imagine what the other party might think you stand for, what they might think you’re advocating for, and acknowledge it at the start of the conversation.

THE CONS OF NEVER DISAGREEING

Because disagreeing and conflict trigger the flight mode, and emotional stress is felt throughout the body, it’s natural to want to avoid it. But navigating those tough conversations are needed in our polarized world. It’s needed for diversity of thought and ideas. In organizations, disagreeing defeats groupthink, and that’s why the best teams know how to disagree and encourage it.

On an individual level, the art of disagreeing is needed lest we become a “yes” person to our superiors. And even if your boss isn’t directly telling you so, they want you to disagree when needed and bring something new to the table.

“It doesn’t always mean disagreeing,” Claman says, “but it does mean being prepared to disagree.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Vivian Giang is a business writer of gender conversations, leadership, entrepreneurship, workplace psychology, and whatever else she finds interesting related to work and play. You can find her on Twitter at @vivian_giang.

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FastCompany.com | October 9, 2018 

#CareerAdvice – #ResumeWriting – Three (3) #ResumeTips to Ignore Right Now…Don’t Waste Valuable Hours Making Changes that Won’t Make Much of a Difference.

Writing a resume can be a lot of work. Not only do you have to condense the entirety of your career and knowledge into just one page of paper–you have to customize it for the position and company you’re applying to, proofread it, and revise it until it’s perfect (your resume is, after all, the most important document of your job search). All of this can add up to a significant amount of time, and seriously slow down your job search.

While there are no shortcuts to a great resume, there are a few pieces of “common knowledge” based largely on outdated truths or misconceptions that you can throw out the window, thus saving yourself valuable time. Thankfully, Glassdoor & Grammarly’s Ultimate Guide to Resumes is here to help you work smarter, not harder. If you want a stellar resume, but don’t want to waste time with unnecessary tweaks, read on.

BAD TIP #1: INCLUDE AN OBJECTIVE STATEMENT

You might have been told early on in your career that all resumes should contain an objective statement: a brief sentence that explains what your goal is (such as “To secure a marketing internship”). But over the years, objective statements have largely fallen out of favor. Why? Well, for one, they’re pretty redundant. If you’re submitting an application for a marketing intern position, of course your goal would be to secure a marketing internship–stating that on your resume is just a waste of space.

But for another reason, objective statements are very self-serving. When skimming through resumes, recruiters and hiring managers are looking for what they want, not what you want. That’s not to say they don’t care at all about what candidates are looking for–this will be top-of-mind once they’re ready to extend an offer–but before they can begin to think about meeting your wants and needs, they need to first determine that you have the skills and experience necessary to succeed in the role.

Instead of an objective, include a professional summary: “a brief, one- to three-sentence section featured prominently on your resume that succinctly describes who you are, what you do and why you’re perfect for the job,” the guide recommends. For a particularly compelling professional summary, avoid generic descriptors like “hard-working” and “self-motivated,” and cite concrete metrics that demonstrate your impact. If you’ve worked for a particularly impressive company, you might also want to name-drop them.

In the end, your professional summary might look something like this: “ROI-driven marketing professional who is equal parts creative and analytical. Experienced in Marketo, Google Analytics, and driving 27 percent year-over-year traffic growth.”

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BAD TIP #2: MAKE YOUR RESUME A WORK OF MODERN ART

You might have seen some resume templates on Etsy or Pinterest that look like they could hang on the walls of a museum, but unless you’re applying to a design position, they probably won’t get you very far. In general, recruiters and hiring managers care far more about substance than flash. After all, it’s the content of your resume that’s going to demonstrate whether or not you’re the right fit for the role, not the design.

The visual aspect of your resume isn’t completely unimportant, though. While you don’t want to go overboard with creating a complex design, you do want to make sure that your resume is clean and easy to read. A few tips:

  • Choose a simple font
  • Add sufficient space in the margins and in between your different sections
  • Avoid cramming too much information into one space
  • If you want to add a touch of creative flair, incorporate some color into the theme–avoid anything too visually busy like patterns or images

Need some inspiration? Check out these free templates.

BAD TIP #3: PAD YOUR RESUME WITH UNNECESSARY EXTRAS

If you’ve ever come up short when writing an essay with a strict word count, you know how tempting it can be to fill it out with fluff–suddenly, phrases like “My name is Emily” become “The given name that my mother and father chose to bestow upon me as an infant was Emily.”

Some people feel tempted to do the same in their resumes. But rather than dragging out sentences for as long as possible, they add unnecessary, unimpressive, or exaggerated skills and experiences.

“Only include the skills that truly make an impact–not ones that are basic requirements (Microsoft Word, email) or irrelevant to the job you’re applying to,” Glassdoor’s guide recommends. Similarly, don’t feel like you have to include every job you’ve ever held in your work experiences section, especially if you’ve had a particularly long and illustrious career, or if you’ve switched industries entirely. Instead, narrow in on the requirements that are specifically called out in the job description.

Remember: Recruiters only spend about six to seven seconds reading resumes, so by trimming the fat, you’ll make sure they see only the most important content, making you that much more likely to move on to the next round.

 

FastCompany.com | October 8, 2018 | BY EMILY MOORE—GLASSDOOR 4 MINUTE READ

#Leadership : #Productivity – This is How to Fix your 3 Biggest Problems with your CoWorkers .

Your coworkers may look busy, but if you’re not sure what they do all day, you’re not alone. According to the State of Work Report 2018 by the project management platform Workfront, 86% of us don’t have a clear sense of what our colleagues are working on.

We also believe that we’re the most productive employees at work, ahead of those coworkers and company leadership. If we were asked to rate our coworkers like Uber drivers, we’d give them an average score of 3.7 stars out of five, according to the study. Not bad, but not stellar, either. Since it’s impossible for everyone to be the most productive employee, the confusion can lead to conflict.

“Coworkers can be a particularly strong influence on employee satisfaction, especially when employees have to rely heavily on each other to complete their work,” says Kevin Cruz, assistant professor of management at the University of Richmond’s Robins School of Business. “Unfortunately, coworkers’ priorities and goals, which can be a result of the particular roles employees fill within their organizations, do not always align. This can cause a lot of frustration between coworkers.”

Instead of getting frustrated, assume positive intent, says Colleen Kerr, senior career management consultant at the consulting firm Right Management. “Your coworker is likely not deliberately trying to annoy you,” she says.

Here are the top three sources of frustration we have with our coworkers, and how you can resolve or reconsider your perspective to boost collaboration and productivity.

1. PRIORITIES

The top source of trouble is conflicting priorities, with 57% of employees saying there’s a lack of alignment on strategic objectives.

“Timelines and urgency aren’t commonly understood, and the information that managers and frontline team members need to meet their objectives isn’t readily available,” says Scott Lee, vice president of product marketing for Workfront. “All of this leads to conflict at the front line.”

The way to reduce coworker frustration with conflicting priorities is to increase transparency around what’s most important to the organization,” says Laura Handrick, career analyst for the resource site FitSmallBusiness.com. “It starts with communicating the organizations’ vision, mission, and values,” she says. “Those drive how the organization behaves.”

Different project leaders, such as those working in operations, HR, or IT, may have different priorities,” says Handrick. “Using collaborative and transparent online project management tools like Asana or Trello can help get everyone on the same page,” she suggests. “If all are required to use a similar tool for documenting priorities, then conflicting priorities are quickly discovered by management, and workers are no longer caught in the middle.”

Team members should also create priority lists at the beginning of a new work cycle, adds John Paul Stephens, professor of organizational behavior at Case Western Reserve University. “What needs to be done when and why?” he asks. “Some degree of strategic planning is important for the most productive people and organizations. It’s also important for interdependent work, since you need to be able to articulate these needs and priorities to others.”

 

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2. COMMUNICATION

Fifty-six percent of workers have communication issues with coworkers, according to the survey. Lee says workplace communication tools are in transition, with old tools, like spreadsheets, emails, and meetings being used at the same time as new tools, such as digital workflow platforms. This can lead to trouble.

“Gathering information, sharing insights, and updating team members is still a fairly analog, manual process,” he says. “How many times does conflict arise because one person or a team wasn’t aware another person or team was doing something?”

Coworkers should get on the same page when it comes to the preferred method of communication, says Stephens. “Some people think a text message or email is enough, while others realize that you need to set up a face-to-face meeting or just go find the person at their desk,” he says. “People perceive a lack of timely communication because they may have different ideas of what matters and when it needs to be executed.”

Frustration about a lack of communication can also be due to a gap in coworkers’ ability to express what they need, when they need it, and why it is so important, says Natalie Baumgartner, chief workforce scientist at the employee recognition firm Achievers. “It is critical to support individuals in being able to provide regular feedback to their manager and coworkers about how they are feeling about the communication on a team, and whether they’re being heard in the way they want to be,” she says.

3. URGENCY

Finally, 47% of employees are frustrated when it comes to a lack of urgency. Whether in small or large groups, someone has to be the orchestra conductor keeping time for everyone else, says Stephens.

“If we assume that individual humans typically tend to focus on their immediate, personal concerns, then it becomes easier to appreciate the need to have agreed-upon timelines, clear accountability criteria, and someone who tracks and updates the schedule,” he says. “Research has consistently shown that interdependent or collective rather than individual rewards are needed for effective teamwork. The sense of urgency ideally has to come from a sense of shared goals and accomplishments.”

Lack of urgency can also be connected to communication problems, adds Kerr. “It could be that your coworker does not fully understand your deadlines and commitments,” she says. “Take the time to explain your timelines and the reason for the tight deadlines. We often assume that everyone understands our roles and responsibilities, yet that is not always the case.”

 

FastCompany.com | Oct 8, 2018 | BY STEPHANIE VOZZA 4 MINUTE READ

#Leadership : #TeamBuilding – Why you Need to Make your #Team Uncomfortable from Time to Time….It’s Crucial to have a Sense of Community in the #Workplace, but Too Much Comfort can Hinder Progress.

People get comfortable with where they sit, what projects they work on, and what teams they are responsible for. For leaders, no‑drama days where everyone does their thing without any complaints or conflict feel great–so they assume that a calm, hassle-free existence is the one that produces the best work. As a result, they optimize for a steady state, where there are no surprises and people do as they’re told.

But comfort breeds complacency. As learning curves plateau, we lose interest in learning for the sake of learning, and our curiosity wanes. We stay engaged as we attempt to master something that interests us, but we start to disengage as soon as we gain control over tasks and our interest dissipates. On the other hand, when we experience periodic disruptions, we’re constantly exposed to new perspectives, which helps us stay fresh and alert. To build (and maintain) a strong team, you need to to keep shaking things up.

MOST PEOPLE AREN’T MOTIVATED TO DO THE SAME JOB FOREVER

As a young manager, I viewed my job as keeping people engaged with their respective responsibilities. But I eventually realized that careers can’t sit stagnant–people want to see opportunities ahead of them, even when they’re comfortable with where they’re currently standing. If you don’t give them that opportunity–or at least challenge them to step up to it–you lose the upward mobility of junior people who are waiting for promotions and new possibilities, and your senior staff will get bored and start looking for new jobs.

Despite knowing all this, I was devastated when we had the first couple of departures from our core Behance team about two years after our acquisition by Adobe. At first, I felt abandoned: I couldn’t imagine how we would plug certain holes in our team and culture. But as soon as I saw emerging leaders step up and make some positive changes, I realized that I had underestimated the talent that existed in our team. The vacancy empowered new people to step into roles both they and I hadn’t thought they had the capacity to fill. If this hadn’t happened (which I didn’t want it to at the time), we wouldn’t have evolved into a better team.

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PEOPLE GET BETTER WHEN THEY’RE CONSTANTLY CHALLENGED

Giving people promotions is one way to push people out of their comfort zones, but there are other things you can do to encourage your employees to grow. For example, General Electric is known for their rotational programs that move leaders in the turbine business to the lighting business.

The programs are designed to spread best practices across business units and develop leadership capability, but it also serves the purpose of retaining key talent. Other companies assign “stretch assignments,” which are special projects that take someone out of their expertise, like exploring a new business opportunity or region. These assignments expose team members to other parts of the company or industry and help retain them by presenting new challenges and steepening their learning curve.

INTRODUCING SMALL CHANGES CAN HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT

Teams benefit from changes to their environment and processes. As you observe your coworkers and glance around your office, look for the things that were once exciting but have now become commonplace. Are there outdated charts on the wall that once monitored progress? Take them down and redo them. Are certain regular meetings or rituals now taken for granted? Switch up the format. Have little cliques formed based on where people sit? Move desks around.

The Messy Middle: Finding Your Way Through The Hardest And Most Crucial Part Of Any Bold Venture by Scott Belsky

It’s crucial to have a sense of community in the workplace, but if your staff becomes too comfortable socializing only in small groups, you lose the opportunity for cross-collaboration and overall team building that comes from chance meetings. In order to promote this, consider redoing seating assignments every nine to 12 months (or, in a larger company, every few years). Sitting next to new people in a different part of the office is an easy way to prompt new relationships and perspectives and keep things fresh.

Change is painful and especially unwelcome when there is nothing dire to fix. But what you must realize–and relay to your team–is that proactive changes that feel premature are far better than reactive changes that feel inflicted upon you. As my friend Tim Ferriss once said, “The more voluntary suffering you build into your life, the less involuntary suffering will affect your life.”

Your challenge is to develop a healthy rhythm to keep your team in a constant state of motion. If you don’t shake up life every now and then, life will shake it up for you. Too much calm exacerbates any disruption, so building up your and your team’s tolerance for change is a positive long-term strategy for increasing tenacity.


This article is adapted from The Messy Middle by Scott Belsky. It is reprinted with permission by Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Copyright © 2018 by Scott Belsky.

 

FastCompany.com | October 2, 2018

#CareerAdvice : #ResumeWriting – Stop Wasting Your Time on These 3 #Resume Tips…If you Want a Stellar Resume, but Don’t want to Waste Time with Unnecessary Tweaks, Read On.

Writing a resume can be a lot of work. Not only do you have to condense the entirety of your career and knowledge into just one page of paper — you have to customize it for the position and company you’re applying to, proofread it and revise it until it’s perfect (your resume is, after all, the most important document of your job search). All of this can add up to a significant amount of time, and seriously slow down your job search.

Remember: Recruiters only spend about six to seven seconds reading resumes, so by trimming the fat, you’ll make sure they see only the most important content, making you that much more likely to move onto the next round.

While there are no shortcuts to a great resume, there are a few pieces of “common knowledge” based largely on outdated truths or misconceptions that you can throw out the window, thus saving yourself valuable time. Thankfully, Glassdoor & Grammarly’s Ultimate Guide to Resumes is here to help you work smarter, not harder. If you want a stellar resume, but don’t want to waste time with unnecessary tweaks, read on.

Bad Tip #1: Include an Objective Statement

You might have been told early on in your career that all resumes should contain an objective statement: a brief sentence that explains what your goal is (such as “To secure a marketing internship”). But over the years, objective statements have largely fallen out of favor. Why? Well, for one, they’re pretty redundant. If you’re submitting an application for a marketing intern position, of course your goal would be to secure a marketing internship — stating that on your resume is just a waste of space.

But for another reason, objective statements are very self-serving. When skimming through resumes, recruiters and hiring managers are looking for what they want, not what you want. That’s not to say they don’t care at all about what candidates are looking for — this will be top-of-mind once they’re ready to extend an offer — but before they can begin to think about meeting your wants and needs, they need to first determine that you have the skills and experience necessary to succeed in the role.

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Instead of an objective, include a professional summary: “a brief, one- to three-sentence section featured prominently on your resume that succinctly describes who you are, what you do and why you’re perfect for the job,” the guide recommends. For a particularly compelling professional summary, avoid generic descriptors like “hard-working” and “self-motivated,” and cite concrete metrics that demonstrate your impact. If you’ve worked for a particularly impressive company, you might also want to name-drop them.

In the end, your professional summary might look something like this: “ROI-driven marketing professional who is equal parts creative and analytical. Experienced in Marketo, Google Analytics and driving 27 percent year-over-year traffic growth.”

Bad Tip #2: Make Your Resume a Work of Modern Art

You might have seen some resume templates on Etsy or Pinterest that look like they could hang on the walls of a museum, but unless you’re applying to a design position, they probably won’t get you very far. In general, recruiters and hiring managers care far more about substance than flash. After all, it’s the content of your resume that’s going to demonstrate whether or not you’re the right fit for the role, not the design.

The visual aspect of your resume isn’t completely unimportant, though. While you don’t want to go overboard with creating a complex design, you do want to make sure that your resume is clean and easy-to-read. A few tips:

  • Choose a simple font
  • Add sufficient space in the margins and in between your different sections
  • Avoid cramming too much information into one space
  • If you want to add a touch of creative flair, incorporate some color into the theme — avoid anything too visually busy like patterns or images

Need some inspiration? Check out these free templates.

Bad Tip #3. Pad Your Resume With Unnecessary Extras

If you’ve ever come up short when writing an essay with a strict word count, you know how tempting it can be to fill it out with fluff — suddenly, phrases like “My name is Emily” become “The given name that my mother and father chose to bestow upon me as an infant was Emily.”

Some people feel tempted to do the same in their resumes. But rather than dragging out sentences for as long as possible, they add unnecessary, unimpressive or exaggerated skills and experiences.

“Only include the skills that truly make an impact — not ones that are basic requirements (Microsoft Word, email) or irrelevant to the job you’re applying to,” Glassdoor’s guide recommends. Similarly, don’t feel like you have to include every job you’ve ever held in your work experiences section, especially if you’ve had a particularly long and illustrious career, or if you’ve switched industries entirely. Instead, narrow in on the requirements that are specifically called out in the job description.

Glassdoor.com |  |

#CareerAdvice : #JobSearch – 8 Secrets #Recruiters Won’t Tell You (But Really Want To)…There is Confidential Information that, Unfortunately, Recruiters Cannot Divulge.

Recruiters may seem intimidating, but they genuinely want the best for both candidates and the company. Good recruiters want you to have the best experience possible during the application and interview process — but even though they want the best for you, there are some things that they just can’t share.

Salary bands, candidate competition, internal HR tactics — let’s just call them trade secrets. They are the confidential information that, unfortunately, recruiters cannot divulge.

To get to the truth, we reached out to Omer Molad, CEO/Founder of Vervoe, a recruiting company that replaces face-to-face interviews with online simulations for small and medium-sized businesses. Molad built his business on the premise that hiring is painful, and he has unique insight into the frustrations and insights of recruiters.

Here are a few of the secrets that Molad says recruiters won’t tell you, but really want to.

1. “We could have gone higher if you had negotiated.”

Salary negotiations are like a game of poker — both job seekers and recruiters are trying to maintain control and win the hand. “Very few (if any) recruiters will be so bold as to say ‘we took advantage of you and we don’t value you highly,’” says Molad. In fact, there is often a salary band or range that recruiters have for each role. Their initial salary offer is very rarely at the top of their salary band, so base pay — as well as benefits like vacation days, work hours, etc. — can usually be negotiated.

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2. “Don’t go overboard with buzzwords — we can tell.”

It’s smart to include keywords in your resume and to come off as knowledgeable about your particular industry. However, “don’t try to look smarter than you really are,” says Molad unabashedly. Authenticity is key. Recruiters and employers want your personality to shine — not your ability to throw out words and phrases like “synergy,” “move the needle,” “ROI,”feed the funnel,” etc.

“It’s not about specific questions or answers that stand out, but rather the candidates who display a great deal of passion about what they do that really stand above the rest,” says employer Academy Sports + Outdoors.

3. “You never had a chance after that bad first impression.”

Your mother was right: first impressions are everything. And according to Molad, few recruiters can get past a bad first impression. Unreturned phone calls, poor manners and clumsy interviews will all hurt your chances of moving on to the next round. Hiring managers and recruiters will bite their tongues, fighting back the desire to say, “We just don’t like you,” says Molad. However, take it from us: You must really dazzle if you’d like to make up for a rocky first impression.

“Interviewers often care more about the likability of entry-level candidates than whether or not they’re actually qualified for the job,” says career coach Peter Yang. “This is because the person interviewing you will often also be your future boss and mentor, so it makes perfect sense that they would want to hire someone whom they personally like and want to work with. A strong interview performance means establishing a strong connection with your interviewer. Try to show off your personality instead of just answering questions robotically. You can even get a bit personal if you’d like to.”

4. “Your references weren’t very flattering.”

If a recruiter or hiring manager had doubts about you, they won’t let you know if unflattering references just confirmed their doubts, Molad says. “Your references should talk about your strengths in specific situations — not just basic information,” adds HR expert Jordan Perez. “[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][References] should be ready to provide examples of actual projects where you exceeded expectations. Your reference should easily cite one or two situations that highlight your strengths.”

“Bad references can ruin your candidacy as much as good ones can strengthen it,” says Sam Keefe, Digital Marketing Manager at AVID Technical Resources. Her advice to ensure that only the good shines through? “Give only references who will say positive things about you. Work hard to build good working relationships with coworkers and bosses.”

5. “I back-channeled you, and found out the truth.”

Backdoor references, or back-channeling, is one of the sneaky ways hiring managers and recruiters gather more information about you — it refers to when employers reach out to mutual connections in order to get their honest opinion of you. “This phenomenon is even more prevalent in the last five years or so because of LinkedIn’s growing popularity,” says Keefe. “Even if you choose not to give anybody there as a reference, backdoor references can reveal the skeletons in your closet. Backdoor references can be especially common when you’re looking for a job in sectors like tech.”

6. “We already gave the job to an in-house employee.”

Unfortunately, it’s perfectly legal to advertise a job that is almost certain to be filled by an insider. In fact, some research has shown that internal hires generally perform better than external ones. However, “phantom jobs” can be downright annoying when you’re looking for a new position. Even though federal labor rules don’t require employers to post openings, many HR departments require roles to be listed on a job board for some period of time to ensure a fair hiring process. Therefore, Molad says, don’t expect recruiters to come right out and say, “It was a beauty parade to show management we ran a process, but it was a sham and you were never really considered.”

Instead, shake it off and get back on the horse — there are plenty of opportunities out there, and the job that fits your life is just a few clicks away.

7. “Your last few social media posts were deal-breakers.”

Roughly 80 percent of recruiters and hiring managers use social media to look for and vet job candidates, making it extremely important to have a professional presence on the Internet.

“Hiring managers are reviewing social media pages to become educated about the background and brand the person is articulating and to look for red flags,” says Alan Weatherbee, senior vice president of talent search for Allison+Partners. “They aren’t using it to find ways not to hire someone who is qualified, but to make sure they present themselves in an accurate way.”

According to employment experts, you should make sure that your social media pages, whether it’s LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, mesh with what you’re saying on your resume, cover letter and other application materials. After all, no one is going to hire someone who claims to be a head of marketing in their resume while their Facebook page is full of complaints about their job answering phones at an advertising company.

Janet Elkin, Chief Executive of workplace staffing company Supplemental Healthcare, says you want to make sure your social media pages are void of any political comments, inflammatory messages or anything else that might offend the person who might just hold your future in their hands.

8. “The team is dragging its feet waiting for another candidate’s response.”

Even the most direct recruiters and hiring managers will hesitate to tell you that you’re “Plan B,” says Molad. So if an employer seems to be dragging its feet or delaying in giving you the green light to proceed — or the red light that you’re not right for the role — chances are they have another candidate in the pipeline.

Don’t take it too personally — being a runner-up isn’t a horrible thing. Often times, other candidates fall out of the running because of personal circumstances or other job offers. Being number two still means you are in contention. If you feel like a recruiter is slowing your process down in order to accommodate a preferred candidate, use it as a challenge to convince the recruiter of your awesomeness and your true fit for the role.

No matter what, remember that the secrets recruiters keep are withheld with the business in mind, not because they are trying to be malicious. If you are faced with any of these, the right opportunity probably just hasn’t come your way yet. Don’t be afraid to be upfront with a recruiter and communicate both your concerns and your goals.

 

GlassDoor.com |  

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#CareerAdvice : #SalaryNegoiations – Four Things you Absolutely Must Do in your #SalaryNegotiation …Keep These Tips on Hand the Next Time you’re #Interviewing for a #NewJob or Angling for a #Raise .

Countless job seekers and employees still struggle with negotiating salaries and advocating for themselves. But let’s say you’ve worked yourself up to asking for a higher salary. You could still be missing out on perks that can further enhance your compensation package–and they may not be that far out of reach.

“The whole salary negotiation process is a conversation,” says Jacqueline Twillie, a negotiation expert and founder of leadership development firm ZeroGap. “It’s not a battle.” With that in mind, here are some negotiation tricks to keep in mind the next time you’re interviewing for a new job or angling for a raise.

NEVER ACCEPT A VERBAL OFFER

“Don’t just flat out accept it, even if it sounds great and you’re really excited,” Twillie says. She recommends that job seekers always hold off on saying yes to a verbal offer, even in cases where they feel sure about the job. “I would always ask for an opportunity to review everything in writing–but express enthusiasm so that they know that you’re interested,” she says. The money might sound good at first blush, but when you look at benefits like healthcare, you may find the coverage is less than you anticipated; if so, you may want to negotiate a better salary.

“It’s much harder to come back and negotiate after you’ve already accepted,” Twillie says. “And it puts you in a stronger position when you haven’t accepted yet.”

 

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DO YOUR RESEARCH ON PAY PARITY

In states like California, pay parity laws that have gone into effect over the past few years could help women negotiate salary increases, according to Tracy Saunders, a former recruiter who started the Women’s Job Search Network. The Equal Pay Act in California states that employees who do “substantially similar work” must be paid equally, even if their job titles are not identical. “Companies are actually adjusting women’s salaries outright,” Saunders says. “Understanding those laws is one way to receive a more substantial kind of increase.”

The same is true of another law that seeks to address the gender pay gap, which prohibits employers from asking about a prospective employee’s salary history in states like Massachusetts and California. In the event that a recruiter does ask for your current salary, try to shift the conversation to your salary expectations; Saunders and Twillie also recommend talking about salary expectations early in the interview process. “It’s really important that in the first phone screen, when they bring up the money, you talk about the market rate and not your current salary–especially if your first salary is less than the market [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][rate],” Twillie says.

FIGURE OUT WHAT YOU NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL–AND ASK FOR IT

As you go through an interview process or negotiation, it’s important to get as much information as you can about the role you’re up for. “Try to ask questions that give you a deeper understanding of the work you’ll be doing beyond the job description,” Twillie says. “If you can understand what you’ll be doing upfront, you’ll be able to negotiate for different things.”

That could include a travel allowance or a certification–or it could be as simple as the right equipment. “People think they’ll be provided with the tools,” Twillie says, “but if you don’t ask for those things, you’re not going to get them.” Asking for what you need during the negotiation process, she argues, can prove more effective.

One of the best ways to figure out what a new role may entail is talking to employees. According to Twillie, some companies have started allowing people they’re interviewing to shadow employees, which she suggests job seekers try to do. “If you spend more than 10 minutes with a person, they’re going to drop their guard and be more open,” she says. “So if you can spend that half day on site, it really gives you an opportunity to learn about the culture and to talk to employees.”

GET CREATIVE WITH BENEFITS

As companies race to snag the best employees, many have rounded out their compensation packages with more attractive benefits and perks–say, a flexible vacation policy or the ability to work remotely. Some employers are even offering to assist with student loan repayments. Twillie notes that there are countless ways to negotiate benefits, and that would-be employees can even repurpose a perk that they don’t need: One person she coached asked to put a superfluous relocation package toward repaying her student loans. “If they’re giving you a bucket of money,” she says, “see if you can use it in a different area.”

For parents, another option is to request a bump in pay over the summer, to account for the cost of childcare; and for employees who yearn to be parents, employers might help subsidize fertility treatments or adoption assistance. (“These are really high-ticket, high-price benefits,” Saunders adds.) Both Twillie and Saunders urge job seekers to think outside of the box and ask for benefits that aren’t necessarily included in the “standard” compensation package. “When you’re starting to think about negotiating, it just depends on what your goals are,” Saunders says. “There are some new benefits coming into play that are intangibly valuable–or priceless.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Pavithra Mohan is an assistant editor for Fast Company Digital. Her writing has previously been featured in Gizmodo and Popular Science magazine.

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FastCompany.com | September 24, 2018

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#CareerAdvice : #JobSearch – 9 Important Things to Discuss With #HR Before Accepting a #NewJob …If you are Offered a #NewPosition, Here are Nine Important Things that you Need to Talk With HR about Before you Accept the Offer.

At one time, many people had the mindset that jobs were hard to come by, so they should take whatever was offered to them with no questions asked. Today, people are becoming choosier about their career paths, and they know that they are deserving of more than the bare minimum.

In our job seeker-driven labor market, people aren’t content to take anything that is being offered, and they know that they need to ask certain questions to make sure that they are going to be treated like a valued employee and not just a number. 

If you are offered a new position, here are nine important things that you need to talk with HR about before you accept the offer.

1. Ask About Benefits 

It is important to know what is included in the benefits package. If the benefits are not appealing, this may not be the right company for you to work at. Find out about provider options, how much you have to pay into the health plan yourself, what is covered (including prescriptions and specialty services), if dental and vision care is covered, etc. These days, with the high cost of health care, it is important to know that you have excellent health care coverage through your employer.

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2. Ask if the Salary Is Negotiable

Depending on the employer, and the job being offered, the salary may or may not be set in stone. Most employers aren’t going to come right out and tell you that salaries are negotiable because they want to pay as little as possible. This is information you are going to need to dig for, so you are just going to have to come right out and ask. You will never know unless you do, after all. Besides, you may be pleasantly surprised by the answer. In many cases, if the candidate has enough to offer an employer, the employer is going to be more than willing to negotiate the salary a little bit.

3. Ask About Other Perks

These days, it is not always enough for companies to offer competitive wages and benefits packages. The more perks a company offers, the more attractive the job offer is going to be. So, you need to find out what other perks might be available to you should you decide to accept the position being offered. Perks can be anything from flexible shifts and working hours to office parties to paid time off and more. Some of the best perks to ask about are advancement training and promotion opportunities.

4. Ask about Vacation Time

Now may not seem like the most appropriate time to ask about vacations, but it is as good a time as any. Plus, you need to know before you take the job if you are going to actually be able to take vacations at all. Some companies only let you take time off that is unpaid, while others offer paid vacations once you have worked for them for a certain amount of time. Don’t forget to ask if you can roll over any unused vacation days and use them in the following year.

5. Ask What Other Employees Say About the Company

You can tell a lot about a company by listening to what current and past employees have to say about it. If it is a good company to work for, the HR person should have no problem telling you what employees are saying about the company, and even find people within the company for you to talk to. (Of course, you can always check Glassdoor reviews as well!) If you find out that the employees are happy in their jobs, chances are you will be as well, and that this is a company that you would like to work for.

6. Ask About Incentive Compensation 

Some companies will give bonuses to their employees as compensation for certain incentives, such as taking on additional responsibilities, pay raises based on performance, etc. Find out if monetary bonuses are offered, and if so, what the criteria are to be eligible for these bonuses. The more you know about how you will be compensated, the more you will strive to really earn those bonuses and be the very best that you can be when it comes to doing your job.

7. Ask About Relocation Expenses 

If you are going to have to relocate in order to take the position, you need to find out if the company is going to help with any of the relocating expenses. Obviously, they are not going to pay for everything, but if they expect you to move for them, they should be expected to help in some way. For instance, they may offer to pay a percentage of the actual moving expenses or put you up in a rental unit until you are able to find an appropriate and affordable place to live.

8. Ask About Education Opportunities

Many companies will offer incentives for employees to go back to school or receive additional training that is going to help them advance in their careers. In fact, this is one way that companies can ensure long-term employees, because these employees are grateful for the help, and want to give back. Some companies will pay for a portion of tuition, and some even allow you to take a leave of absence in order to get your degree. The more education you have, the more you will have to offer your employer, and they often recognize this and will help.

9. Ask for Everything in Writing 

Ask if you can have the job offer, and everything that you have agreed on, in writing. This way, there is little chance that the employer is going to pull back on the offer. A written agreement is much more binding than an oral agreement, and if you have everything on paper, they can’t turn around later and say that something wasn’t part of the offer, add work that isn’t in the job description. If they don’t want to give you anything in writing, it is a good sign that this may not be the best company for you to work at.

GlassDoor.com |  |

 

#CareerAdvice : #JobInterviewQuestions – Always Ask These 8 Questions in a #JobInterview …A Job Interview is a Two-Way Process. Make Sure that you Ask Questions that Let you Assess Whether or Not This is the Right Place for You.

While some interviews may feel more like interrogations, they shouldn’t.

Close your eyes and think of a tennis match: The ball is hit back and forth, rather effortlessly (well, unless you’re opposite Serena Williams). An interview should be like a casual game of tennis, where questions are lobbed back and forth. They ask a question, you respond. Then you ask a question, and they respond. Back and forth.

The key is to ask the right kind of questions. The type of questions you chose to ask your interviewer should stem from what you need to know in order to fully evaluate the position. This means the questions you chose to prioritize should be well thought out.

Here are 8 prompts to get you in the right frame of mind:

1. WHAT DO THE DAY-TO-DAY RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ROLE LOOK LIKE?

Writer Annie Dillard said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” Success and happiness in a job boils down to contentment with the nitty-gritty of the everyday.

2. WHAT ARE THE COMPANY’S VALUES? WHAT CHARACTERISTICS DO YOU LOOK FOR IN EMPLOYEES IN ORDER TO REPRESENT THOSE VALUES?

Dig deep to get more information on company culture. You’ll get insight into what is most important for the company as a whole, and what it values in the individuals who work there.

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3. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE PART ABOUT WORKING AT THE COMPANY?

It’s important to get a sense of your interviewer’s opinions about working there. If enthusiasm flows easily, that’s a great sign. If it doesn’t, that is worth noting too.

4. WHAT DOES SUCCESS LOOK LIKE IN THIS POSITION, AND HOW DO YOU MEASURE IT?

It’s crucial to have a deep understanding of how a company measures success. What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) for the role? How, and how often, are they measured?

5. ARE THERE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT? IF SO, WHAT DO THOSE LOOK LIKE?

When asking this question, you’re looking to key into whether there are opportunities for growth and whether the company has a Learning & Development program. Stagnation is a big red flag, so be alert!

6.  WHO WILL I BE WORKING MOST CLOSELY WITH?

This question will help you get a better sense of the dynamics of who your collaborators will be. Jot down names, ask for titles. It’s important to evaluate how cross-functional the role is.

7. WHAT DO YOU SEE AS THE MOST CHALLENGING ASPECT OF THIS JOB?

Knowing the good is just as important as knowing the not-so-good. You want to understand the scale of the problems you’ll be dealing with.

8. IS THERE ANYTHING ABOUT MY BACKGROUND OR RESUME THAT MAKES YOU QUESTION WHETHER I AM A GOOD FIT FOR THIS ROLE?

This question displays that you’re highly invested in the job and committed to understanding your prospects as a candidate. Plus, it will also allow you an opportunity to respond to any potential concerns.

 

GlassDoor.com | 9.21.18 | BY CAROLINE GRAY—GLASSDOOR 2 MINUTE READ