Month: January 2017

The One Thing You Should Know to Get a Job Offer

Job offers are the midway point in a job change. ~ www.jaywren.com

Job offer: There are many things that you need to know to get a job offer.  However, the answer to this one question is critical.

The One Thing You Should Know to Get a Job Offer

There are many interview questions that challenge your ability to think on the spot.  There are many things that you just can’t know.

Often, you don’t know anything about the other candidates, the salary, or the interviewer.

Therefore, you need to prepare by being able to answer one simple question.

Why Should We Hire You?

The things that you do know are the facts of your qualifications: that is, the things that make you the person the company wants to hire.

Furthermore, you not only want to show that you have the experience and education for the job.  You want to show that you have a record of accomplishment in the job for which you are applying.

Here’s How You Make It Work.

Before you go to an interview, rehearse a short pitch on how your experience shows that you have successfully performed the same job.  Some people call this short pitch, “The Elevator Pitch.”

  1. Say that they should hire the most qualified person for the job.
  2. Summarize the objective of the job.
  3. State a list of successful things you have done to achieve and exceed this type of objective.
  4. State that the reason that you are interviewing for the job is that you enjoy performing the type of tasks the job requires.
  5. Close by saying that whomever the company hires, the person will be lucky to get the job.
  6. Say that you hope that the company hires you.

In conclusion, prepare for the question “Why should we hire you?“

This type of question challenges you to think about your qualifications.  In your preparation, you can practice giving answers that show that you are an outstanding applicant for the job.  Answering the question with a positive, enthusiastic statement about how much you want the job will help seal your opportunity in getting a job offer.

http://www.jaywren.com/category/job-offers/

Privacy Protection: Opt-Out of the Sites that Share Your Private Details

Privacy Protection: How does this loss of privacy hurt you?  It can hurt you in several ways.

Privacy Protection: Opt-Out of the Sites that Share Your Private Details

Now there are websites that share your personal information.  Some of these sites sell this information through subscriptions.

How does this loss of privacy hurt you?  It can hurt you in several ways.

Employers seeking information on your background can use the sites to find you.  They can also use these sites to learn more about your family and your financial situation.

Lifehacker staff writer Patrick Allen has a list of steps to help you control what information these sites share and info on how to opt-out of these search engine sites.  He provides the specific links you need to opt-out.

Source: How to Opt Out of the Most Popular People Search Sites

Many of us use social media to help people find us.  Websites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter helps us connect with people who are important in our lives.  LinkedIn helps us connect with people who are important to our careers.

On these social media sites, you decide what information you want to put on the site to share.

However, these search engines sites share whatever information they have.  Without opting out, your information is out there for anyone to see.

Mental and Emotional Burnout: When Self-Sacrifice Becomes Destructive

Mental and Emotional Burnout:  Do you look at your work and say, “I can no longer do this?”  How do you recover the energy and excitement to do your job?

Mental and Emotional Burnout: When Self-Sacrifice Becomes Destructive

The term “burnout” in reference to job performance comes from an article “Staff Burn-Out” by Herbert J. Freudenberger, first published in January 1974  in the Journal of Social Issues.

In 1980, Herbert Freudenberger collaborated with Richelson Géraldine to write the book Burnout: The High Cost of High Achievement.

The Adrenaline Rush that Precedes Burnout

Are you pushing yourself into job burnout? Do find that you are working on an adrenaline rush.  Are you working under constant pressure from your supervisor or from your working conditions?  Do you take shortcuts by eating at your desk, reading your email on your smartphone during breaks, and trying to do several tasks at the same time?

That adrenaline rush that comes from hyperactivity and super performance is often destructive.  Your efforts for high achievement can destroy your success.

Saving Your Career from Job Burnout

Here are common symptoms of job burnout.

  1. You lose interest in your job.
  2. You procrastinate, or you simply cannot work.
  3. Your work has lost its meaning.
  4. A feeling of powerless dominates your thinking.
  5. After resting, you still feel exhausted.
  6. Depression and anxiety are symptoms of burnout. 
  7. People around you disappoint you easily.
  8. Perfectionist and judgmental mentality hijack your thinking.
  9. You work too long, because nothing is ever good enough.

Job burnout can come from several factors.

  1. Doing endless hours of work that is mind numbing or stressful
  2. Working under constant criticism and correction
  3. Not taking regular breaks to eat or rest
  4. Failing to do things that give your mind a change in activity
  5.  Working in a job that is a mismatch
  6. Working too long each day and too many days a week

The solution for job burnout is change.

  1. Take breaks.
  2. Find emotional support through friendships and family.
  3. Try new things.
  4. Make a list of your work priorities.  Do one thing at a time.
  5. Get regular physical exercise.
  6. Learn techniques for resting your mind from work: meditation, pleasant and interesting reading
  7. Watching or listening to television, radio, or video programs that are relaxing, motivational, or inspirational
  8. Change jobs.

The danger of job burnout is that you ruin your health, and you ruin your career.  Having a successful career begins with you taking care of yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally.

Learn to Love Your Job.

Isaac Asimov: How Did He Create a Lifetime of Success?

Isaac Asimov: What are the things that Isaac Asimov did that enabled him to become a professor, writer, and success story throughout his life?

Isaac Asimov: The Power of a Lifetime of Learning

Continuing to learn is fundamental to success for a lengthy career.  Industries change.  Tools change.  Opportunities disappear. New opportunities are not always available for a particular skill.  Furthermore, creativity that is critical to solving problems needs occasional resets to solve new and unique problems.

On this point, successful people continue to learn and grow as the world changes.

Eleven different companies publish the books and essays of Isaac Asimov.  Amazingly, he wrote over 1600 essays and hundreds of short stories and books.

Here is a list of his bestselling books:

The Naked Sun
I, Robot
Foundation
Second Foundation
Prelude To Foundation
The Caves Of Steel
Foundation And Empire
The End Of Eternity

“I couldn’t possibly write the variety of books I manage to do out of the knowledge I had gained in school alone. I had to keep a program of self-education in process. My library of reference books grew and I found I had to sweat over them in my constant fear that I might misunderstand a point that to someone knowledgeable in the subject would be a ludicrously simple one.”  It’s Been a Good Life, Isaac Asimov

In another famous quote, Asimov stresses the value of continuing to study after you finish school.

“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.”

The Principles of a Lifetime of Success

In conclusion, the principles that Asimov followed apply to success in any career.  For example, Bill Gates’ website “Gates Notes” shows Gates’ belief in this principle.  The site is a blog about the people he meets and the books he reads to continue to learn and grow. Specifically, the subjects in his blog include

  • Agriculture
  • Foreign aid
  • HIV-AIDS
  • Polio
  • Toilets/Sanitation
  • Vaccines
  • Saving lives
  • Energy
  • Big History
  • Education

For Asimov, Gates, and other people, the joy of learning creates a life of success that far exceeds the life they might otherwise have had.

Do You Want to Get Promoted? Do These Twelve Things.

Do You Want to Get Promoted?  Here are twelve things that will help you achieve your goals and receive the credit you deserve.

#1 Get things done.

The phrase “[He] gets things done” is the description that appeared on “Mashable” as a description of Sundar Pichai as he assumed the role as the new CEO of Google.  The way to get promoted, at least at Google, is to get things done.

#2 Use the correct tools.

If I am fixing a leaky faucet, I need wrenches and screwdrivers.  If I am building a deck, I need a hammer and a saw.

#3 Work with the correct people.

To build a website, I contact a website developer.  To create images for my website, I contact a graphic designer.  I work with the correct people.

#4 Help people understand how to help you.

The best way to help people know what to do is let them know the goal of the project.  Then when they are doing their part, they can know how to make the piece they make fit into the project.

#5 Set priorities.

If I am building a house, the first thing I do is clear the land.  The last thing I do to hang the finished cabinets and fixtures.

#6 Set the deadlines.

If my clients need my work to fit into their larger project, I can set my deadline to get my work to them before they need it.  They are happier.  I can work to get my money more quickly.  If my client does not know exactly how my work will fit into the total project, I can set my deadline when I know exactly what they want me to do.

#7 Know the purpose of my work.

I know who will benefit from the work and how to make the work fit the needs of those people.

#8 Operate efficiently.

If my goal is to write a new article for my blog, I can exhaust myself wandering around the Internet.  I limit my research efforts to books and websites that I need for my article.

#9 Create a plan of action.

Some work may take a day to complete.  Some work may take weeks to pull together.  Each piece adds service to my customers. I can never finish the total job.  I plan to continue to add services.  My plan of action is a series of plans that continue to expand my services.  I know what I what I want to do. I create and adjust my plans of action to accomplish what I want to do.

#10 Help people.

I have a sense of purpose.  I want to help people become successful.  My work is meaningful to me.  I want people to use the ideas and the services of my websites for their success.

#11 Take breaks.

I enjoy my work.  Knowing that I am trying to help people makes my work fun.

#12 End the day with a list for tomorrow’s work.

I know at the end of my day where to step right into my job the next day.  This list helps me to sit down to my desk and get into action.

8 Simple and Powerful Daily Steps to Success

Daily Steps to Success: Here are 8 things you can do every day.  These things are simple.  These simple steps will increase the joy and productivity in your workday.

How do you make success a habit?  Repeat the things that make you successful and repeat them daily.  Here are 8 daily steps to success that can work for you.

The 8 Powerful Daily Steps to Success

#1 Arrive early.

I find that it is nice to arrive early for work or appointments.  When I meet someone locally, I leave in time arrive fifteen minutes early.  I can always find a comfortable place to relax before stepping into the appointment.

When I must travel for several hours for an appointment, I may even go in the night before.  Arriving early is one of the simple and powerful daily steps to success.

#2 Keep healthy snacks on hand.

When I get a little hungry, I feel anxious.  I take things more personally.  Eating a banana, a piece of whole-wheat toast, or a few nuts can relieve that hunger and anxious feelings.  My head clears.  I work more effectively.

Keep healthy snacks on hand makes it easier to follow simple and powerful daily steps to success.

#3 Seek advice.

I am very lucky to have a family and friends who can help me make decisions.  I turn to people who have experience with similar situations as my own.  It is very easy for me to overlook things or see things incorrectly.  Having other people around to work through situations is very helpful.

#4 Make decisions.

When my wife asks me what I want for dinner, I tell her what I want for dinner.  If she asks me which movie I prefer, I tell her my preference.  Indecision on my part may seem as though I am being flexible.

When I go out to dinner, I keep the process simple.   I read the menu, pick an item.  Then I pick an item and order it.  Asking the waiter what I should eat or asking others what they are having may give me some options, but why make a simple process complicated?

#5 Act.   

At one time, I might spend all day going through my email as my day progressed.  I would have the stress of reading the same emails more than one.  Most emails have the meat of the content in the subject.  I immediately delete all email that I will not need to read.  I read and move the email that I need to save to a folder labeled “Read.”  I send a short reply to email that requires an answer.  Then I have finished working on email for the day.

#6 Take breaks.

When I take breaks, I feel refreshed and work more effectively.  Putting off taking breaks is as unproductive as putting off doing anything else.  My mind and body need breaks.

#7 Be grateful.

I feel better if I think about the good things in my life.  By developing an attitude of gratitude, I feel less stressed.

#8 Enjoy the moment by writing.

I am more effective if I keep my thinking in the present moment.  I also enjoy life.  Even when I am working on a long-term plan, I am not living in the future.  When I think about the future, I can write what is on my mind.  The act of writing returns my mind to the present moment.

6 Signs Your Boss Hates You and 6 Solutions

Signs Your Boss Hates You: What are the signs and what can you do about them?  Should you just ignore the situation?  Should you act?

6 Signs Your Boss Hates You

#1 Your boss’s criticisms are personal.

Your boss has the responsibility to keep you on task and doing your job on time.  However, criticizing your work and criticizing you are different issues.  If your boss is criticizing you personally, you have issues that you can’t solve by simply improving your work.   This is one of the signs your boss hates you.

#2 Your boss criticizes your work more than your boss criticizes the work of other people.

Bosses have biases.  They are humans.  One of the signs that your boss has a bias against you is criticism that only you receive.  Your coworkers make a mistake and your supervisor overlooks the mistake.  You make the same mistake and your boss criticizes you.

This is one of the signs your boss hates you.

#3 Your boss gives your coworkers glowing reviews for the same work that you receive mediocre or poor reviews.

When performance reviews are subjective, they are not tests of your skills. They are your boss’s opinion of your performance.  When you learn that people who do equal are less quality work than you and yet that get better reviews, your boss is revealing personal problems with you and not problems with your performance.

This is one of the signs your boss hates you.

#4 Other people are getting pay raises.  You are not.

If your boss is paying you less than he or she is paying your coworkers, your boss is taking a risk of losing you to a company that will pay you based the work that you do.  When your boss is willing to take that risk, this is one of the signs your boss hates you.

#5 Other people are getting promotions.  You are not.

Some people don’t want promotions.  However, if you are not getting promotions that you are seeking and other people are getting those promotions, you need to ask yourself why this problem is happening.  If you are more qualified and are not getting a promotion, this is one of the signs your boss hates you.

#6 Your boss gives credit for your work to your coworkers.

You know whether you deserve credit for your work.  You know when your boss is giving other people some or total credit for your work.

This is one of the signs your boss hates you.

6 Solutions When Your Boss Hates You

#1 Can you discuss the situation with your boss?

If you can talk with your boss about the situation, explain that you want to do a great job.  Ask for advice on how you can do a better job.  Keep the discussion on your work.  Try not to make the issue personal even though your boss may hate you for personal reasons.

#2 Document your work.

Build a record of your daily performance to show that you are doing a great job.  List the tasks your boss gives you.  List the results of your work on these tasks.  Communicate with your boss in writing.

#3 Seek Personal and Professional Advice

Turn to the people you trust and ask for their advice.  Ask the people you trust about what they think about your situation.  Ask these people for their ideas on job options and confidential referrals.  Get their advice on the best way to protect yourself in your current situation.

#4 Respond Intelligently

Getting angry and lashing out at your boss might be the best thing to do.  You do have a right to defend yourself.  Perhaps you can intimidate your boss into changing your relationship.  However, more nearly what you will do is escalate an already difficult situation.

A better solution might be a conciliatory way to get your boss to help you improve your relationship.

#5 Get the Truth About Your Options

Can you find a job at your current company working for a different supervisor?  Should you start looking for another job?  Have you polished your resume and have it ready to go?  Have you explored the jobs that look like a fit for you at other companies?

#6 Change Jobs

Some relations will always be the way they are.  It is not healthy for you to work where you have a mean boss or for a boss who is mean to you.  Find a job in a culture where you can be happy and enjoy going to work every day.

4 Warning Signs You are Interviewing with the Wrong Company

Wrong company: What should you look for when you are interviewing for a job? Are you wasting your time when you could be making better progress in your job search?

As the owner of a recruiting firm, I coached applicants who dealt with troubling issues during the interview process. Here are things I learned from my experience in helping these applicants.

Wrong Company:  The company location is unsafe.

In major metropolitan areas, office and factory spaces are expensive. To save money, companies locate their offices in inexpensive locations. In major metropolitan areas, the less expensive locations are often in high crime locations. I have had three clients whose offices were inside chain link fences that had barbed wire on the top.

If you do not believe that the location is safe, you need to ask yourself whether you are interviewing with the wrong company.

Wrong Company: The interviewers fail to keep their commitments.

Interviewers may have valid reasons for cancelling an appointment, and they explain those reasons to you. An effortless way to manage the situation is to show understanding and simply reschedule.

However, interviewers raise red flags when they fail to keep commitments.

  • The interviewers cancel appointments without attempting to reschedule.
  • They cancel appointments more than once.
  • Worth of all, the interviewers completely fail to call you or to meet with you without calling to cancel or reschedule.

If interviewers can’t keep their commitments, you should see that as a sign that you are interviewing with the wrong company.

Wrong Company:  Interviewers make calls during your interview, or they allow people to come into their office to interrupt your interview.

This type of behavior is a sign that the interviewer is not interested in you or simply does not respect your time.

Remember that the way an interviewer manages an interview is a sign of how a company deals with its employees. This behavior is uncommon, but when it has happened, applicants have often complained to me about it and rightfully so.

The interviewer is the face of the company. If the interviewer does not respect your time, how well will you be able to do at a company that may not respect your time? This type of company is the wrong company.

Wrong Company:  The company withholds details on benefits and salary range during the interview process.

The company benefits and compensation are confidential information. For competitive security issues, companies must protect the details of their operations. However, to avoid wasting their own time and the applicant’s time, the best interviewers provide general information on benefits and compensation. Often, companies include information on benefits and compensation in the job description.

You need to work for companies that put the information out front. Companies that play games during the interview may be companies that bait and switch on commitments. This type of company is the wrong company.

 

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