Archive for August, 2008
August 25th, 2008
As the Olympics come to a close, some of the memories I’ll take from these games are Michael Phelps’ dominance in swimming, the USA team coming in 1-2 in the all-around women’s gymnastics final, and the latest version of USA basketball’s Dream Team bringing the Gold back where it belongs. But, even more than the individual or team accomplishments, I will take from these games the pride that all these athletes have in their country.
Take a look at the athletes in these Olympic games. While they have spent their many years training for this moment, and the individual payoff of a gold medal is the ultimate goal, the opportunity to represent their country is the greatest honor in these games. I hope that on some level, our generation hasn’t got away from loyalty to the companies that we work for and that we are proud to represent them as well.
In many ways, we can use sports as a model for business success. Hard work, teamwork, and going the extra mile. People coming together for a common goal. All things companies look for in their employees. Most believe that these traits create a formula for business success. Most would be right.
Do you take pride in your work? Are you working for yourself, or for the company?
Maybe it’s both.
August 22nd, 2008
Be proactive- Anticipate a job offer coming at this stage. Focus on those variables that could be deal breakers, and get proactive by trying to find a solution. You want to prepare yourself so that when the job offer comes in, there will be no surprises.
Persistence- If a candidate declines a job offer, it is important to have a conversation with them. Dig deeper- find out where the offer missed. Following the steps from part one should help, but there may be things that the candidate withheld during the process that they might open up with now. You need to walk a fine line between not talking them into accepting something they don’t want, and seeing if there is anything that can be done to sweeten the deal and get them to accept.
Acceptance- There comes a certain point where you have to step back and accept that this deal isn’t going to happen. It is important that you never get mad at the candidate for declining- it is their decision and their life- they know what’s best for them. If they’ve accepted another offer, wish them luck. If they’ve just simply declined and want to keep looking, evaluate if this is a candidate you want to work with further. More often than not, if they got a job offer, they are a candidate that you should feel good about and could place elsewhere. Don’t hold it against them if this just wasn’t a good fit.
Move on- No matter what you decide about working with the candidate further, it is now time to focus on your client. Do they have a plan B? What’s next for them? They’ve also suffered rejection, and it is up to you and the client to put together a plan moving forward- remember, they still have an open position to fill.
August 20th, 2008
Rejection. Non-acceptance. The act of refusing an offer. As a recruiter, these are words that you never get use to hearing from your candidate. These words are telling you that what you have to offer is not what somebody else wants. That’s not always easy to swallow, especially when large commission checks are at stake. Here are some tips to help you prepare yourself to handle a rejected job offer.
The submittal process- Make sure you know your client, their needs and have identified what your candidate is looking for in a company, a position, and a desired salary. Make sure it’s, at a minimum, a good fit on the surface- many times, declined offers can be avoided by simply not pursuing the opportunity in the first place.
Know your candidate- Is your candidate out interviewing at other companies? How do those opportunities compare with the one you’re working with them on? What are their timelines? These are important pieces of information to have- you want to know what your competition is and what needs to happen with this offer to get your candidate to accept.
Communication- Throughout the process, stay in communication with your candidate. After they interview, find out what their thoughts are-honesty is critical in this stage. Identify what they liked about the company as well as what some of their concerns are. Work with the company and the candidate to get some answers- it may be a case where their concerns are so great that it isn’t worth anybody’s time moving forward to the next step.
Identify the “givens” in the job offer- After the interview, and once you’ve identified if this is a position that your candidate still wants to pursue, identify the givens in the situation. There will always be certain things that can’t be changed- company, benefits, supervisor, location, etc. Once you have the givens out of the way and they are still on board, it is now time to find out from your candidate what things need to happen to get an accepted job offer.
August 18th, 2008
Sometimes it is hard to say no at work- you want to take on all the responsibility and be the best you can be. Unfortunately, this can get you into trouble if you are not careful. When you start taking on all the duties, you may start to overload. This can lead to stress and, in the end, you won’t be producing your “best” work! It is okay to say “no” if you have the right reasons.
If any of the following apply to you, don’t be afraid to say “No” at work:
Not comfortable – If you are not comfortable with a task because it may be too much to handle, you may want to explain that you would feel uncomfortable due to needing more information or needing to have help with the task.
Not qualified – If you believe you are not qualified, or do not have the experience for a particular duty, just communicate that you don’t feel you are the best for the task, and make sure that they realize your concern regarding completing the responsibility to the best of your ability.
Other commitments – If you have too much on your plate, or other responsibilities that you must complete first, it is important to prioritize the tasks you need to finish.
Bottom line: be honest with yourself and your boss! Don’t take on more than you can handle, and communicate your concerns!
August 14th, 2008
Everyone deals with toxic people everyday, whether the person is a co-worker, a boss, a client, or even a customer. Humans have this knack for having bad moments, but sometimes these “bad moments” can go to the extreme. Obviously it is difficult to work in a toxic environment, and here are some ideas how to deal with this type of behavior.
- Examine your own actions: Make sure you are not doing or saying something to bring on the toxic behavior. Apologize if necessary, so the situation can be settled and everyone can move on.
- If other’s actions are just too much to handle: If it is possible keep your distance, be polite, and just agree to disagree.
- Avoid confrontation: With toxic people, confrontation will never solve anything, usually making things worse.
- Do the best you can to have a positive attitude: This is not always easy to do. Try to take a few deep breaths, and look at the positive side of each situation.
- Be the bigger person: Walk away if a situation gets to a point where nothing is being accomplished. Walk away in agreement to deal with it later, when emotions are NOT involved.
August 12th, 2008
In today’s fast paced technological world, many office workers shoot off personal emails from their work email account without giving it a second thought. According to a MSNBC survey, 15 percent of workers “constantly” send or receive personal email using their work account. 30 percent responded “very often” and 45 percent of workers said “sometimes or occasionally.” 10 percent responded that they never have used their work email for personal uses.
Here are some things to think about before you email your spouse or friend:
The email does not actually belong to you. While it might have your name or signature, many companies have electronic policies that state that email sent and received is company property.
Your company might be monitoring your email. Also stated in some electronic policies, employers have a right to monitor your computer usage. This includes email and Internet use.
While it might be convenient, the risk of getting in trouble is not worth it. Be clear on your employer’s policy and abide by their rules!
Tell us what you think! Do you use your work account to send personal emails?
August 8th, 2008
No one likes to be criticized or even be the one to do the criticizing. The thing people need to realize that to be successful in obtaining or keeping a job is that we are all flawed. As a Recruiter and sometime Employment Counselor/Coach/Mentor/Cheerleader, I often deal with people that are frustrated they have had 10 interviews and no job offer. Sometimes someone can send out 100 resumes and receive no phone calls for an interview.
I often am put in a position when someone asks “Why is this happening to me?” I only am doing my job well if I am honest with people- if a resume looks scattered and fluffy-I encourage a candidate to rethink the resume and use facts/figures/details, not just buzzwords. After the candidates make the changes, if they start getting calls for interviews, maybe that was the trick. If a client offers feedback after an interview that the candidate was not confident and questioned if they could do the job-they talked themselves out of a job. Remind yourself that an interview should be an honest reflection of you, but if you come across as a “Debbie Downer,” you might not get a call back.
The best thing to think about criticism is that it should reflect some truth and the criticism may change the outcome of an effort-if it was constructive. It should never be intentionally hurtful. When feedback feels negative, it strikes a nerve-sometimes that is uncomfortable.
Just remember, take the feedback and do something with it. Turn it into a way to check in with yourself. Be conscious of things that were said or expressed. Write them down and recognize them. Listen to the criticism and see if it makes a difference with the end result.
August 4th, 2008
In a professional setting, it is important to protect your company’s integrity. Gossip is one of the fastest ways to damage credibility, and the moment that a business lacks credibility, all sorts of things can go wrong.
Credibility builds trust, and it is vital for clients and employees to trust one another with information, duties, and responsibilities. In order for companies to have long lasting relationships with their employees and clients, trust is a key factor.
Unfortunately, there is no foolproof way to stop gossip from happening in the office. Try to live by the saying: “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.” If you hear something but are not 100% positive it’s a fact, don’t repeat it.
Stick to working hard and avoid the office gossip. It will pay off for you in the end!
August 1st, 2008
Telling people what they don’t want to hear is never easy. People can receive that feedback a few ways. Some will take that information and use that to try to get better, while others may get upset and feel like they are being unfairly criticized. You can’t always control how your criticism may be received, but here are some helpful tips on how to make your criticism as constructive as you can:
Prepare: Before approaching an individual, know what you want to say. Know what the issues are and what areas need improvement. Avoid singling a person out in front of a group. Knee jerk reactions often times have a negative effect. Take your time, have your facts straight, and wait for a time that you can speak to that person in a professional manner.
Delivery: There may be times where you have to tell a person exactly what is needed to be done. Other times you may just offer advice and suggestions on how things could be improved upon. When offering advice, try not to come across as if everything they are doing is wrong. Compliment the person on what you like about what they are doing, and then offer areas where you might make some changes. Thank them for their effort.
Criticize the action, not the person: You want to focus this conversation on the action that the person is doing, not directly at them as a person. Failure to do this could result in the individual receiving the criticism as an attack on them personally and not the job they are doing.
Clarity: Make sure that when the conversation is over, the person fully understands your stance and what is expected of them in the future. Follow up with an email so you have documentation of the conversation.
Compliment: If the criticism is received well and a commitment to make some changes is made, be sure to take notice. One of the worst things you can do as a supervisor is to always focus on what’s not being done correctly, and fail to compliment your staff on a job well done. Take notice of an employee putting forth the effort and making progress.
Follow up: Set a time to follow up on the conversation. Depending on the issue at hand, you could check back the next day, or on a weekly basis to monitor progress.
