If you love your job, don’t read this.

We wouldn’t want to tempt you with our great  new job opportunities 

10 Things HR Won’t Tell You When Interviewing

Posted on Thursday, September 2, 2010 at 05:07PM by Registered CommenterThe SearchLogix Group in | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

So often when we look for jobs, we are perplexed about how to behave during an interview. There really are some things to be aware of, we may fidget, we may be nervous, but we have control over some things during an interview, so let’s tackle those easy, no brainer items we can control. We are completely in control of how we dress, how we look, what we know about the company before we go into the interview. So let’s tackle those objectives first.

1. Groom thyself - let’s make sure we are freshly showered, shaved, and our hair is neat. You would be surprised at how often people come into an interview smelling less than fresh. For interview days skip the perfume and cologne, you don’t know if the person that is going to interview you has an allergy, the objective is not to rule yourself out. Don’t stop and have a meal on your way, you may walk in smelling like fried chicken, or some other odor. Smokers be aware that smoke lingers on you and your clothing.

2. Clothes should be pressed and professional - make sure your clothes have been pressed, if you haven’t touched an iron, do so, if you don’t have an iron, bring a couple of outfits to a dry cleaners and have them press your clothes for you. Interviews aren’t the time to have wrinkled clothes, and be too casual. Dress professionally; don’t wear jeans, tank tops, stained clothing, or anything that has neon in it. You want to look like you fit in; you don’t want to look like you don’t belong.

Click to read more ...

Tell Me About Yourself – 7 Key Strategies to Sell Yourself in an Interview and Land That Job!

Posted on Wednesday, September 1, 2010 at 04:22PM by Registered CommenterThe SearchLogix Group in | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

1: Do not digress from the question asked. Keep it brief and relevant When asked a ‘Tell me about yourself’ question, the tendency is to oversell ourselves however be aware of not talking too long or digressing from the question. What the employer wants to know is how useful and suitable are you for the role not the ins and outs of your daily life or personal history from way back, so keep your answer ‘short and sweet’ or else the interviewee will lose interest and become bored.

2: Good eye contact If faced with one interviewer or a panel remember to give eye contact to all members it demonstrates confidence and creates a good impression.

3: Over gesticulation During an interview gesticulation is sometimes needed but be aware of not using it to cover up nerves or over emphasizing a point. It can be annoying to the interviewer when an interviewee is constantly over gesticulating.

Click to read more ...

Work/Life Balance and Labor Day

Labor Day in the U.S. is almost here. Many other countries also celebrate a labor day, which has always seemed an unusual event to me. We didn’t celebrate such a day at all until Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City. Interestingly, this is a date that coincides well with the world’s entry into the impersonal and mechanistic 20th century.

I have been noodling for quite some time over the work/life balance movement. I call it a movement because it really came about unexpectedly around 15 years or so ago and has swept corporate America from coast to coast.

I can’t think of any organization that has not had to change policies or at least address its employees about the issue. The work/life balance movement is an interesting phenomenon. I don’t think there has been a previous era when there was such an emphasis on specifically setting aside time for non-work activities.

Click to read more ...

The 10 Best Questions to Ask at a Job Interview

You’re interviewing for a job. After 20 or 30 minutes, you’re asked: “Do you have any questions?”

The worst thing you can do is ask, “What is it your company does?” (Hey, it has happened.) The next worst thing you can do is say, “Um, nope, I don’t have any questions.”

[See 21 secrets to getting a job offer.]

You need to ask some questions! Asking questions shows your interest in a company and makes you look smarter (smart people tend to be inquisitive). Asking questions gives interviewers a chance to talk about themselves, a thing most people love. And—this is important—asking questions is a way to find out if you really want to work for these people.

Bottom line: Don’t make the interviewer do all the heavy lifting. Take an active role in the interview process and improve your chances of landing a job.

[See 50 tips for surviving your worst work day.]

So what should you ask? Here are 10 suggestions:

1. “Can you describe a typical day for someone in this position?” If your interviewer appears to be nervous or ill at ease, a non-abstract question like this is a good way to get the ball rolling.

Click to read more ...

Facebook Post Costs Waitress her Job

Ashley Johnson had a good job making good money as a waitress at Brixx Pizza on Sixth Street in uptown Charlotte.

But that changed about a week ago, when a couple came in for lunch and stayed for three hours - forcing her to work an hour past her quitting time.

And they left her a tip she thought was pretty measly - $5.

Johnson did what most folks who need a good rant do nowadays. When she got home, she went on Facebook. “Thanks for eating at Brixx,” she wrote, “you cheap piece of —— camper.”

And like a growing number of workers, she found out the hard way that what you say on social networks can be used against you, particularly if you’re in a position of public trust or public service.

The managers at Brixx called her in a day or two later, she says. They showed her a copy of her Facebook comments and told her she was being fired for violating company policy against speaking disparagingly about customers. A Brixx official said she also violated a second policy against casting the restaurant in a negative light on social networks.

“We definitely care what people say about our customers,” said Jeff Van Dyke, one of the partners who run the restaurant.

Johnson, 22, says she apologized to Brixx for using bad judgment. “It was my own fault,” she said. “I did write the message. But I had no idea that something that, to me is very small, could result in my losing my job.”

She’s not the first Facebook user to get in trouble with the boss over inappropriate comments or pictures on their pages. And as people grow increasingly comfortable sharing their pictures and thoughts - vulgar, intemperate or otherwise - she surely won’t be the last to anger her employer.

Social networks are exploding in popularity, with almost half of all Americans 12 or older maintaining a profile on at least one site, according to a recent Edison Research study.

And as more people go on the sites, more are crossing boundaries their employers don’t want crossed.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, for instance, suspended a Thomasboro Elementary teacher in 2008 after learning that her Facebook page listed “teaching chitlins in the ghetto” as one of her activities. Four others were disciplined for posts involving bad judgment and poor taste.

The city of Charlotte’s recently adopted policy warns employees to “exercise sound judgment and discretion” on their personal sites “to ensure a distinct separation between personal and organizational views.”

Inappropriate use, the policy notes, “may be grounds for disciplinary action.”

Such social networking dust-ups are becoming more and more common, said Megan Ruwe, a Minnesota attorney who counsels employers on handling workers and social networks.

While the First Amendment bars government from infringing on citizens’ freedom of speech, she said, it typically doesn’t stop private employers from limiting their employees’ speech. She advises companies to set policies to make their expectations clear.

If you say something on social networks that puts your employer in a negative light, she said, “that’s not very different than an employee standing on a corner and holding a sign or screaming it. It’s public, and it’s out there for the world to see. Individuals can forget that it is a very public forum.”

That’s because many, like Ashley, get lulled into a false sense of security, thinking only their friends can see or read what they’re posting. They forget, however, that others might also be able to see it, depending on their privacy settings.

And there’s always the chance a friend might copy the material and pass it to others outside the circle.

Johnson said she has about 100 Facebook friends, most of whom are people she met in high school or in college or whom she worked with. She said she doesn’t know who told Brixx about her online rant but figures one of her Facebook friends must have done it because her page is otherwise private, and she doesn’t add people to her network if she doesn’t know them.

Van Dyke said he also wasn’t sure how her comments came to Brixx’ attention. “It’s just like high school students posting stuff on their social networking sites and thinking it’s not going to get back to their parents,” he said. “But somehow, it does.”

Ruwe, the employment lawyer, said people tend to think that because their “Facebook friends” are people they know, that they are talking to a friendly audience.

But in a case like Johnson’s, “The lesson to learn is you don’t know who you’ll offend - even if they are your friend.”

Johnson, a UNC Charlotte student, is looking for another job and vowing to be more careful online.

“I lost my job because of a Facebook status,” she said. “Even a week later, that’s still a lot to get your mind around.”

 

By Eric Frazier, Charlotte Observer
efrazier@charlotteobserver.com

Are You A Whatever-It-Takes Performer?

Posted on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 04:22PM by Registered CommenterThe SearchLogix Group in | CommentsPost a Comment | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

Business consultant Dan Kennedy tells this impressive story:

Early in his sales career when he didn’t have a pot to you-know-what in, he wanted to get an appointment with a prospective customer, but despite several attempts, couldn’t.  He was stalled.

So he sent the prospect a letter via FedEx on a Tuesday morning telling him he was flying to his city that Wednesday morning for an important meeting.  (Not true, this was fabricated.)

The letter said his meeting was at the airport and his schedule was so tight, he didn’t have time to come into the city, but he really wanted to talk with him in person, so…

“I’ve arranged for a limo to pick you up in front of your office at 1 pm, bring you to the airport hotel where I have a conference room.  We can meet for just 45 minutes, and the limo will have you back at your office by 3:30 pm.  And there will be a nice sandwich and beverages in the limo, in case this forces you to skip lunch.  If this isn’t okay, please call by noon to cancel.”

The prospect came.  And they met.

Click to read more ...

What Makes Employees Loyal

Posted on Thursday, August 19, 2010 at 04:17PM by Registered CommenterThe SearchLogix Group in , | Comments2 Comments | EmailEmail | PrintPrint

In past generations it was very common for an employee to remain with one employer for his or her entire work life. These people were loyal to the companies that they worked for. They believed in what their company did and stood for. For this to happen today would be a rarity. Studies show that the typical person entering the workforce today can expect to change jobs at least seven times over their work lifetime and for many it will be more than that. Why do people leave their jobs instead of staying?

Of course there are many reasons people leave their jobs, but the Gallup Organization has come up with the top three;

1. Lack of faith in the leadership or vision of the company.
2. Concerns with the way employers/management are treating people.
3. Lack of employer/management support in areas of performance reviews and employee development.

We all know that if we do not have a good relationship with someone we do not want to stay around them. Work is no different. Poor relationships at work, especially if it is with an immediate supervisor, result in poor performance and commitment on the employees part and eventually they will leave, even if they love the job they are doing. It just will not be worth the stress of the bad relationship.

Click to read more ...

Interviewing Advice: Addressing a Layoff

A layoff can be an unpleasant experience and probably not one you want to relive over and over during interviews. The way you handle this topic can make or break an opportunity to move forward with your career and leave the past behind.

Do’s

• DO be the first one to bring up your layoff. Many times a recruiter starts off with, “Tell me about yourself”. Tell them about your career achievements and goals first, and then take the opportunity to explain your recent layoff. You can explain it on your own terms, instead of letting the interviewer formulate questions about it. Avoiding or hiding the issue only makes your interviewer think you did not take the layoff well or that you have more to hide.

• DO mention if it is related to the recession. Today, even though layoffs can be embarrassing, many recruiters are not surprised when candidates mention a layoff resulting from the poor economy.

Click to read more ...

Retaining a Workforce That Wants to Quit

In each of the past three months, more employees quit their jobs than were terminated, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is good news for the economy but bad for individual businesses: when jobs become more plentiful, the first to exit are often the business’s most ambitious employees — the innovators, the risk-takers, the future leaders. The cost of replacing an employee is estimated at up to 250 percent of annual salary.

An AchieveGlobal survey of 738 managers revealed that about one in four employees planned to leave their jobs within a year. A study reported in the May issue of Harvard Business Review revealed that 12% of high-potential employees were actively searching for a new job.

Why are employees walking away from their jobs, even with unemployment still hovering near 10 percent? Our studies show that the three biggest reasons are a lack of growth opportunities, dissatisfaction with compensation, and employees feeling their contributions aren’t being recognized. Growth and recognition are particularly important to younger workers, who have higher expectations of their employers than others do and are defecting in large numbers.

Click to read more ...

The Cost of a Bad Hire: Butts in Chairs and How to Convince Hiring Managers to Avoid Them

This must be one of the most feared phrases that a good recruiter can hear, unfortunately, it and phrases like it are not uncommon. A better name for it is “reckless hiring,” as such demands are essentially a directive to source candidates who are the real-world equivalent to Homer Simpson. While I certainly understand the pain a vacancy, particularly one in a highly visible role can cause, such shortsightedness often ends up backfiring.

The cost of hiring a weak employee like Homer Simpson in many cases exceeds the cost of leaving the position vacant until you can get a top-quality hire. Superior recruiters rarely cave to pressure and find ways to talk managers out of this silly request. Following are some arguments that I have developed to respond to “butts in chairs” recruiting requests.

(Incidentally, the same arguments can also be applied to existing weak employees in cases where layoffs or terminations are being considered.)

Click to read more ...

Page | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Next 10 Entries