new stuff from last week

new stuff from last week This last weeks updates included a number of things considered to be housekeeping, aka just little clean-up things here and there.   Two noteable things include (and lots of other stuff that you might not care about but is still important): on the main landing page, once you login, there is a link right below the main menu, on the right, that allows you to switch your landing page between dashboard and simple views.   I realize that many people are non-computer users and having all of the panels can be a little overwhelming. so it is up to you how much info is on the front page. after blogging for a few weeks, I finally put a link to the blog :)   I wanted to be sure that I knew what I was getting myself into before I posted it to the world, and last week finally felt comfortable putting the link up.   Feel free to browse through previous posts :p Im really excited about the housekeeping from last week as most of it was loose-end stuff that we just kept putting off (most of this stuff has been on my list for weeks) for one big reason:   We are now ready for a big, much awaited development.   Im not going to let the cat out of the bag here, youll have to wait until next week but it is a very exciting development that will add a lot to a persons job search process. Cool thoughts for other blog posts this week, check back or get the feeds!   I should be writing every workday monday through friday! new stuff from last week This last weeks updates included a number of things considered to be housekeeping, aka just little clean-up things here and there.   Two noteable things include (and lots of other stuff that you might not care about but is still important): on the main landing page, once you login, there is a link right below the main menu, on the right, that allows you to switch your landing page between dashboard and simple views.   I realize that many people are non-computer users and having all of the panels can be a little overwhelming. so it is up to you how much info is on the front page. after blogging for a few weeks, I finally put a link to the blog :)   I wanted to be sure that I knew what I was getting myself into before I posted it to the world, and last week finally felt comfortable putting the link up.   Feel free to browse through previous posts :p Im really excited about the housekeeping from last week as most of it was loose-end stuff that we just kept putting off (most of this stuff has been on my list for weeks) for one big reason:   We are now ready for a big, much awaited development.   Im not going to let the cat out of the bag here, youll have to wait until next week but it is a very exciting development that will add a lot to a persons job search process. Cool thoughts for other blog posts this week, check back or get the feeds!   I should be writing every workday monday through friday!

Teamwork The top 5 new ways to demonstrate it!

Teamwork The top 5 new ways to demonstrate it! You’ve got to be able to lead a team right? You’ve gone to considerable lengths to hone your leadership skills both at University and in your jobs. You know that by the time the interview comes along you will be able to demonstrate that you are a born leader. That’s one big tick in the interviewers box isn’t it? Well, maybe not. Perhaps “followership” is the next big “must have”? Don’t stop reading! More students have told me that they have had negative feedback from employers to the effect that they have not demonstrated that they can work within a team, than have told me that they were criticised for lack of leadership skills. This shouldn’t be a surprise. What does an employer want you to do when you start work? Project lead the building of new flood defences for London? Lead the multi-national team of bankers, accountants, tax advisors and lawyers working on a massive corporate take-over? Surely, at least run the redundancy programme for all the employees about to be shed by the BBC and HSBC? Well no, actually you won’t be expected to do any of that. Try thinking small cog in (hopefully) well-oiled machine and you’ll be much nearer to the truth. So, if the employer doesn’t actually want a ready-made leader stepping enthusiastically out of university what is it looking for? Team player What is this about if not leadership? It involves being able to work unselfishly with others without having a personal agenda. A job needs to be done and a group of people need to cooperate together to achieve the tasks.  These  tasks will build together, (just like building  blocks)  until the work is completed. So how are you going to go about showing that you have these skills of co-operation? 1. Being prepared to do the piece of work you have been assigned to the best of your ability (and without complaining), even if you think it is below you, or it’s just plain boring. When you start work its likely that your employer is going to want to “try you out”, to make sure that you can work with that degree of unfailing accuracy and attention to detail you talked about at interview. You might find yourself doing something very mundane. Can you demonstrate at interview that you are likely to do this well. Think about times when you rolled up your sleeves (metaphorically or actually) and just got on with it, not for thanks, but because “it” needed to be done. 2. Noticing if there is a problem and taking some action to resolve it. You might just need to draw the issue to someone’s attention. It will be important to do that in a non-judgemental and collaborative way. You might have spotted someone else’s mistake. We all make mistakes and how you react in this situation may dictate how you are treated when you make a slip yourself. The real team player mentions the issue to the person who has made the error first and does not “tell tales” where this can be avoided. If at interview you create the impression of naked and ruthless ambition you’re going to cast doubt on your ability to interact positively with your team members. 3. Offering to help others in the team. This isn’t just about offering to take work from the team leader it might be about offering to get the secretary or administrator lunch or a coffee. A team is just that, a group of people working together on a common task. Each member of the team should be equally valued and respected for his or her contribution. If the busiest person is the most junior in pay or status terms and you have some capacity to help, then how are you going to react? If you demonstrate at interview that you’re unduly status conscious then you are not going to convince anyone that you’ll offer help wherever it’s needed. 4. Knowledge sharing. If a task is to be achieved in the most efficient way possible then this is important. If an individual fails to share everything he/she knows which might be relevant, then inevitably things will not progress as smoothly as they might have done. Holding onto some piece of information, or an idea, to produce it after there has been a problem in a “If only you’d asked me” sort of way is not a good idea!  Try demonstrating this unselfishness  by talking about some collaborative piece of work you did at university, or perhaps you’ll want to talk about how you have both been mentored and have mentored students. I’m often struck by the number of student applications I see where the student has acted as a mentor, I’m not sure I have seen one talking about being a mentee! 5. Working the hours when you need to. The good team player neither rushes off enthusiastically at the end of a day leaving everyone else still slaving away, not stays unnecessarily late in the office. Most employers want you there to do the job, but don’t expect you to move into the office when there is nothing to be done. Boasting about how you always the last to quit any task isn’t necessarily creating the impression of that collaborative and flexible employee the organisation might be looking for. So, this teamwork thing isn’t necessarily as straightforward as you thought! Organisations are becoming less hierarchical and old concepts of team leadership are being eroded. Most employers are looking for you to demonstrate that you will slot in and be an unselfish and cooperative co-worker. Now you need to set about proving through the application process that you are the person to do this. With thanks to Rebecca Fielding of  Gradconsult who introduced me to the concept of Followership.

How GEs Employer Brand Becomes the Consumer Brand

How GEs Employer Brand Becomes the Consumer Brand GE was founded 125 years ago by Thomas Edison and currently has over 300,000 employees, hiring roughly 80,000 people every year. The company has reinvented itself many times and is currently on a journey to become the first digital industrial corporation. Trouble is, people still think GE makes toasters. Therein lies the employer brand challenge. Ive spoken to Shaunda Zilich who heads up employment brand at GE, have a listen to the interview below or keep reading for a summary of our chat. And dont forget to subscribe to the Employer Branding Podcast. What’s the employment brand challenge of GE? Well, I think our challenges rest in a lot of different ways. Were a very global company, so in the U.S., a lot of times our challenges are just a completely misunderstood brand, we are not a consumer-based brand whatsoever. I think when you talk to some people, even still today, they think that we make toasters, or refrigerators, or dishwashers, and we no longer make those. Were a business-to-business company, so I think a little bit of a misunderstood brand. And then globally, we actually do struggle, I know this is probably hard for some to believe, but we do struggle with just being a recognized name globally. Ill go through our social media comments every once in a while, and we are always getting comments about, Hey, you guys make cars, right? Like, Nope, thats GM. So, I do think we still have some of those challenges. And then I think, like I said, our history presents a little bit of a challenge because if were transforming the company thats always a branding that has to get to the people. And with being a business-to-business company, thats not always an easy thing to do. Talk us through the perfect storm for the GE employment brand. Its a perfect storm for employment brand at GE because GE has been going through this transformation as a company. In the past couple of years, weve said we dont want to be just an industrial company, but we want to be a digital industrial company. So for that, weve had to put a lot of branding out there. Youve probably seen some of our Owen or Sarah commercials really trying to get people to understand were something different. So thats part of it. The other part of it is when youre transforming as a company is needing digital talent. Were needing just that step-up in talent, and were competing for it. So, thats the second thing that makes for a perfect storm because not only are we transforming our branding and our messaging, but were transforming the talent that were looking for as well, so weve got to get that messaging out there. And then the third thing that I think makes for a perfect storm for employment brand is, we really want to tell what its like as an employee at a company, and be able to tell it through the employees eyes. And right now transparency is in. People want to be able to have a transparent point of view for what theyre getting into, they want to be able to trust. Trust is an all-time low, and employment brand is an area where we can really help out with that. Especially when youre talking about somebody trusting you with their livelihood, right? Its not just buying a different shampoo. Its actually respecting them and their families, so I think thats why employment brand is so important and it really causes for this perfect storm right now. Employment brand becomes the consumer brand for B2B companies please elaborate? The definition of consumer brand is brand for goods that are bought by the public rather than by businesses. And I like to tell people that when Im in talent acquisition, when Im doing employment brand, Im still selling. Im just not selling products and services, Im selling experiences. And so when you really think about employment brand, were still selling, and we are selling to people. So in a business-to-business company, Im not making the selling marketing campaign out to businesses, Im making a selling marketing campaign to people. So it becomes a consumer brand, and Ill give you an example. When marketing at GE launched the Owen commercials, they had to figure out how to touch people. When you are transforming a company, and when youre trying to transform your brand externally, you cant just do that with your businesses that are customers, you have to do that with the public, which is them, the people. And so, thats when they came to us, were working together trying to get this messaging to people. We actually used our brand ambassador army, over 10,000 GE employees, to blast out on their social media networks, and had a far greater reach with people than just the marketing campaign alone. So thats kind of what I mean by it becomes the consumer brand, it becomes the consumer product thats out there, even part of the consumer business instead of business-to-business. Could you provide us with a step-by-step guide to success for employment brand, especially for B2B companies? I would say a good place to start is to say step back and to say, What are my pain points? What problems am I trying to solve? What am I trying to brand? What do I want the external public to see my company as for a place of employment? And then, write your strategy and say, Okay, this is how Im going to get there. Maybe Im going to work on that transparency point of view. I really want the public to understand what my companys like, I think theres a misunderstanding of what its like to work here. Im going to work on those employee testimonials and Im going to push that out. And then the third step is you say, What are the tools and technology that I can use to get this done? I think sometimes we do that opposite. A lot of times we get distracted by the shiny new penny, Oh, good, Im on chat, I want to implement that. But we dont really think about how that helps our employment brand. So I think that if we can step back, white canvas, say, All right, what are the pain points? What am I trying to solve? Whats the strategy? And then what are the tools and technology I can use to solve that? I think thats a really good way to step through that process. And then the one last add-on Ill have to that is when you start to look at consumer marketing and what theyre doing and things theyve done in the past, it gives us a really good idea of some ideas and gets that creative juices flowing for what we can do with employment brand. And I always use this example. I really hate shopping, so I do a lot of shopping online. And when I shop at Amazon, it like puts stuff in front of me that I didnt even know I needed, right? Because it knows me because Ive bought so much stuff. We need to follow some of that same marketing with our employment brand strategies. You know, when somebodys looking at GE Aviation and seeing the cool things theyre doing, I need to show them, Hey, heres an opportunity, heres how you can be part of that story. Follow Shaunda on Twitter @Shaunda and be sure to subscribe to the Employer Branding Podcast.

How not to get Stumped During an Interview

How not to get Stumped During an Interview How not to get Stumped During an Interview You are at your interview and everything seems to be going smoothly. The recruiting officer is pleasant and the conversation is flowing. But then sometimes you are asked that one question during a job interview that completely stumps you. Do you know that feeling? Your stomach hits the floor and the silence is excruciating. Although it is unfortunate when this happens, there are some tips that you can use which will get you out of the situation without you having to losing face.BreatheShould you find yourself unable to answer a question, firstly take in a deep breath and try to remain calm. Holding your breath and panicking has never solved a single problem! Stress and panic can prevent you from thinking clearly and you could throw out any old answer to the question and immediately live to regret it.Just reassure yourself that dont know the answer to the question right now, but you will be able to find the answer later on. Never blurt out that you dont know the answer and definite ly dont make an answer up and hope that it is right. Most interviewers will understand that you could be nervous, and this could affect your response, but making up answers will certainly not wash.Get clarificationIf you cannot give an answer then maybe it is the question that you dont fully understand. Dont be afraid to ask questions â€" you can ask the recruitment officer for clarification and they will be able to re-phrase the question or give examples of what they want to know. Quite often doing this can help you figure out the answer or you can piece together an answer from the clues they give you.After asking for clarification, if you still find yourself stumped for a concise answer, then talk about what you do know. You can talk about an experience you have had with the same or similar situation, so showing that you understand where they are coming from. This can often help you figure out an answer too. Explain how you would find the answerIf you are truly stumped about gi ving an answer and the interviewer hasnt moved the conversation on, then take some time to explain how you would go about finding the answer to their question. Recruiters often throw in a hard question here and there to test your response and see how you process the problem. A person who can provide a thoughtful way to find an answer is going to be far more appealing than someone who just shrugs, shakes their head and gives up.You may expect more tricky questions to be thrown at you during your interview if you are applying for a job that requires strong decision making skills or independent thinking. In this case the recruiter will be looking to see if you are able to take the initiative and find solutions to problems as they arise. They will want people who can think on their feet and have the drive to lead rather than follow.Follow up after the interviewAdmitting that you truly do not know the answer to a question when pressed can be a sign of honesty, but you shouldnt let it lie at that. Tell your interviewer that you think it is a good question that deserves an answer. Tell them that although you dont know the answer right now, you will follow up their question after the interview via email. Doing this can demonstrate that you have a dogged determination to deliver results. This is a real positive for your prospective new employer. Actually DO follow up with an emailYour follow up email providing the answer to that awkward question can actually be your foot in the door. The interviewer will be impressed that you took the time to research their question and deliver an answer a promised. This can create a deeper personal link with the interviewer and you will stand a better chance of being invited back for a second interview. Remember to word your email positively though. Never apologise for not knowing the answer â€" instead, simply say that after giving it more thought, you have found a couple of answers that could solve the problem.Always be prepared for a tricky question, or even one that you simply cannot answer off the top of your head. Rather than admit defeat and walk away from the interview as an also-ran, take the opportunity to prove your worth and determination, and to never be stumped during an interview again. previous article Free Resume Template for the Ladies The Vintage Rose next article Word CV Template The Chic Applicant you might also likeWhy Do You Want to Work Here? Best Answers to This Interview Question

Respectable Jobs that Dont Require 4 Year Degrees

Respectable Jobs that Don’t Require 4 Year Degrees Ever wonder if it’s possible to get a great job without investing time and money on a four-year degree? The answer is yes.Earning a bachelor’s degree is a commendable accomplishment and required for many positions, but it doesn’t guarantee a high-paying job. If you know what options are available, or have a passion for a certain career path, you could end up earning more than four-year college graduates.Regardless of the amount of schooling one has, hard work and skill areis required to make a good living. Here are some jobs or careers in the fields of healthcare, technology, and skilled labor that you can train for in two years or less:HealthcareevalevalThe healthcare industry is growing faster than ever with roughly 3.2 million projected job openings expected by 2018. Even during hard economic times, healthcare professionals are still in high demand, with non-physicians filling some of the top paying jobs in the industry.Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comMedical Assistants:Medical A ssistants work alongside physicians, mainly in outpatient or ambulatory care facilities, such as medical offices and clinics. They are cross-trained to perform administrative and clinical duties.The average income for someone in the medical assisting field is around $38,000 a year. Learning how to become a medical assistant is easier than you may expect, with programs that allow you to enter the industry in as little as six months, and others that let you continue your education for 2 years or more.Dental Hygienists:Dental hygienist jobs consistently rank as one of the nation’s best jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, attributable to the positive hiring outlook, low stress, higher income, and minimal physical activity. They often take two years of prerequisite college courses, and completion of an essay examination and interviews before being admitted to a dental hygiene program.Upon completion, most are required to pass national and regional board exams to obtain a lice nse. In 2015, their median salary was $72,330.Registered Nurses:One of the most in-demand careers in the US, registered nurses were projected to generate over 580,000 new jobs last year. This does not count the hundreds of thousands of jobs that will become available when older nurses retire.Registered nurses will never lack job opportunities. Salaries vary greatly depending on the state you live in and specialization within the field, but the average salary for an RN is $66,000.TechnologyevalSurprisingly, according to trade-schools.net, nearly 75 percent of people with a bachelor’s degree in science, technology, engineering, or math A web developer is a programmer who specializes in the development of world wide web applications, or distributed network applications that are run over HTTP from a web server to a web browser. Front-end developers are responsible for the look and function of a website.They create the site’s layout and integrate graphics, such as retail checkout too ls, and other content. The most common requirement is an associate’s degree in web programming.Median pay is $64,970.Electrical and electronic draftersElectrical and electronic drafters prepare wiring diagrams, circuit-board-assembly diagrams, and layout drawings used for the manufacture, installation, or repair of electrical equipment. These drafters typically work in office environments.Projected job openings through 2024 is 5,200. An associate’s in electrical drafting is typically required. The median annual wage is $59,520.Skilled LaborWhile many career paths require years of schooling and shelling out bucks, the plumbing, HVAC, and electrical fields allow you to make money and get training at the same time. Becoming a skilled tradesperson in the plumbing, HVAC, or electrical fields has great earning potential.Photo Credit â€" Pexels.comHVAC TechniciansAn HVAC technician, or HVACR technician, is a person specializing in the installation, repair and maintenance of HVAC system s. HVAC/HVACR systems are composed of heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration functions.The average HVAC technician makes over $43,880.Technical training is a must, whether it is through an on-the-job apprenticeship, a short-term vocational course or a full-fledged certification program at a technical or trade school. Also, many states do require a license to become an HVAC technician.ElectriciansevalElectricians with the widest variety of skills have the best job opportunities and make the most money.No college education is required, but training through an apprenticeship program that provides in-class, hands-on instruction is recommended. Licensure is required. Median pay is $51,880.CarpentersYou don’t know how important a good carpenter is in your life, until you get a crappy one doing work for you. Most carpenters need to learn and master basic carpentry skills through formal education and apprenticeships.This is accomplished through attending vocational or te chnical colleges that offer degrees in general carpentry or various carpentry crafts.The median annual Carpenter salary is $52,242, as of March 31, 2017.According to the the U.S. Department of Labor, two out of every three jobs only require on-the-job training, which means college for four years could actually hinder your ability to get one of these jobs.eval“Why? Because the other people competing for that job will have had four years of experience while you were hanging out at Starbucks with your laptop and iPhone,” according to an article in Wealth Pilgrim.However, the opposite can be argued. Four-year colleges offer invaluable experiences, as well. While there are definitely good jobs on the list above, some career paths require at least a bachelor’s degree.

Give it your best shot - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Give it your best shot - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Arbejdsgl?de How do you think this word above is pronounced? Make a recording of your best guess (video or audio) and post it here We need this for a little surprise project were working on. And yes, Danish is a weeeeeeird language. UPDATE: Heres an attempt from the US: And another great one from Poland: Nice tries both but not quite there. Whats your best shot? Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Resume Cover Or Signature Block?

Resume Cover Or Signature Block?Are you thinking of applying for a job and would like to do so by submitting a resume? If you are, you might be wondering how to go about doing this. A lot of people assume that the best way to go about it is by just copying and pasting the resume and uploading it.One of the great ways to put a professional image to your resume is by utilizing signature blocks. Signature blocks are pictures of you with your personal information in the background. This is the best method of putting your brand in a professional light while at the same time showing you are eager to put in the effort necessary to move up the ladder of employment.A cool way to use signature blocks is by choosing a page of them and making a decorative cover to the resume. Once you have made the cover, you can actually put all the information regarding your resume right there in the picture. In other words, you need not even type anything in.This means that the signature block has already bee n done for you, you don't have to write anything in the signature block, all you have to do is to fill in the blank spaces and paste your information in the picture. The header and footer are the only thing you have to put in.The reason why it is so important to have your resume cover-covered is because this will show the employer that you are serious about moving up the ladder of employment. In addition, it also gives you the impression that you have read the entire cover. The same is true if you choose a page to put your resume, make sure that the header and footer contain the info.Finally, signature blocks are a great way to have an idea of what to put in your resume. You don't have to read anything else on the resume cover.Please consider all this and think on it. What do you think?