How to Start a New Job on the Right Foot

How to Start a New Job on the Right Foot Takeaways: “When can you start?” After months of careful preparation and countless interviews, these words are full of promise. Yet one or two missteps in the early days at a new company can have a long-term impact on your future opportunities.  Starting off on the right foot is important for any new job, in any industry. This is especially true for new college graduates. To make sure you hit the ground running, our friends at Socialcast pulled together a few pointers for you. Takeaways: Introduce yourself in person as well as on any internal social networks the company may have Be innovative and offer ideas for how to enhance products or services Get involved and be part of company initiatives and social activities Get regular feedback from people you trust to provide you with points for improvement Always ask questions, dont be afraid to get clarifications when something seems foreign to you Related: How to Survive and Thrive in Your New Job [5 Useful Tactics]

A Dozen Mistakes to Avoid as a Supervisor and What to Do Instead

A Dozen Mistakes to Avoid as a Supervisor and What to Do Instead The following is a guest post by  Rita Sever.  Her bio follows. When I work with supervisors, I am often surprised by the particulars of a situation but I am rarely surprised by the underlying problems or practices. Whether it is because they are new managers and are just doing what has been done to them or because they are established managers who have too much to do and too little time, these are a dozen common mistakes. These actions will cause problems in the long runâ€" and sometimes in the short run too! Here’s a quick reference list of the mistakes â€" and what to do instead. Work in a Vacuum Acting as if all that matters is what is right in front of you. INSTEAD:   Ensure that every staff member understands how their work supports the bottom-line mission of the organization. Confuse Friendships for Supervision This is a trap for many supervisors, especially new ones. A supervisory relationship can get messy quick when you’re friends with your staff, especially if you are friends with only some of your staff. INSTEAD:   Connections and respect are critical.   Get to know each person as an individual so you know how to help him or her do their best work.   Go with friendly, not friends. If you have a personal relationship with someone on your staff, leave it at the door. Treat everyone the same at work. Make Vague Assignments This mistake often comes from a lack of time combined with assumptions that you and your staff are thinking the same thing. These managers give them vague assignments and fuzzy due dates, but then hold them accountable for clear results. INSTEAD:   Make time to think about what success looks like for each person, each job, each assignment and then share that image with your staff.   Establish clear expectations so each person knows what their job is, how it supports the mission, and how to do the job. Give No feedback These supervisors tell their staff members, “If you don’t hear from me, you’re doing fine.” That doesn’t work. This practice reinforces that belief because the only time staff hear from their supervisor is when they’ve messed up. INSTEAD:   The truth is that most staff want to know how they are doing.   Feedback is simply information and it needs to be handled as such. Give your staff information about what is working as well as what is not working. Give your staff prompt and specific feedback, in a neutral informative tone, on a regular basis. Don’t Follow Through This is the supervisor who overpromises and rarely delivers.   He or she acts like they want to mentor their staff or introduce them to people or help them develop their skills.   In reality, they are too busy and rarely follow through on any of their promises. INSTEAD:   Make a practice of capturing your promises and following through on them â€" even if they are quick ideas like “I’ll bring that article in for you.” Do it! Ignore law and policies Labor law liability is huge in any organization.   Policies are not made just to keep HR busy. These managers think the rules don’t have anything to do with how the real world works. INSTEAD: Learn the basics of federal and state labor law just so you know what the danger areas are. HR can be you’re your friend in this area. Never meet with staff 1:1 These managers meet with their employees one-on-one only when they give them their annual evaluations. They think this will make it seem really special.   In reality, this undermines the relationship with staff and creates gaps in the work and the outcomes.   INSTEAD:   Schedule regular meetings with each staff member to ensure that you and your staff are on the same page in terms of priorities, deadlines and methods.   Invest in regular and frequent one-on-one meetings with those you supervise (at least monthly). Ignore Problems Your staff is watching you.   If someone is cheating in some way or not keeping their agreements or doing something else inappropriate and you ignore it, you send a clear message that the rules don’t matter and performance doesn’t matter.   Your problem employees will keep pushing the boundaries and your good employees will wonder why they’re working so hard. INSTEAD:   Act consistently to hold people accountable for their work and their agreements. Act Authoritatively This is the manager who wants to make sure that no one ever forgets that he/she is the boss. They hold themselves as better than their staff by looking down at them, giving orders, never saying please or thank you, and expecting them to say “How high?” when they’re told to jump.   Staff will feel disrespected and disengaged.   They may stay for their paycheck but when something better comes along, they will be out of there. INSTEAD:   Work in partnership with your coworkers, including the people you supervise. You have different roles but you are both working for the same goals. Lead with respect and hold your authority as a responsibility. Don’t bother to listen to your staff. This is the kind of manager who thinks they know everything there is to know and therefore does not trust their staff or think they have anything of value to contribute. INSTEAD:   Effective supervisors, listen at least as much as they talk, often more.   They trust that their staff know their jobs and have ideas to contribute.   They know they will need to hear about problems sooner rather than later and that this will only happen when they listen.   These managers make it a habit to listen, in the one to one meetings and in the team meetings. Don’t have fun at work. These managers never let the staff see them laugh, play any silly icebreakers, or share any kind of personal stories. They believe that any kind of interaction is a waste of time and will make them seem soft. INSTEAD:   Take a few minutes to laugh and play with your staff, in a safe and respectful manner. Be real. This will help people enjoy their work and each other.   Studies have shown that short ice-breakers can “get people in the room” quicker than a formalize agenda and brusque start. Laughing together reduces stress and helps people be more innovative.  It also makes you more human. Try it. Build a culture of overwhelm This boss expects their staff be available 24/7.   They will send an email at 1:00 in the morning and then another at 6:00 asking why the staff member hasn’t replied.   They act like work is everything. They don’t want to hear about any commitments outside of work and expect their staff to be available at any time. INSTEAD:   Effective managers attend to sustainability: of themselves, their team, and their organization.   They model a realistic work/life balance.   That doesn’t mean they drop everything and leave at 5:00 every day but they keep work levels realistic and take vacations occasionally. They support their staff to do the same. Avoid these mistakes and focus on what you can do to be effective as a manager. Work diligently to invest in your employees and the success of the organization.   You can determine what kind of manager you want to be. It’s not an accident whether you are a good or a bad supervisor. What kind of supervisor do you want to be? Rita Sever Rita Sever worked as an HR Director for more than 20 years before she started her consulting practice, Supervision Matters. She has an MA in organizational psychology and is a professional coach. She has taught at the University of San Francisco and Sonoma State University in California, and has published a monthly newsletter entitled Matters of Supervision for over ten years. Sever lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Portland, OR. She is the author of Supervision Matters: 100 Bite-Sized Ideas to Transform You and Your Team. Visit her at SupervisionMatters.com. Image credits: Main. Feedback.     Accountability.  

Reading and Personal Branding Success - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Reading and Personal Branding Success - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Although the connection between writing and personal branding success is   obvious, the connection between reading and personal branding success is often less clear. Nevertheless, reading plays an important role in your ability to write. The more you read, and the more critically you read, the better youll able to write the articles, blog posts, books, email, and reports necessary for career success, attracting a following, and building a strong personal brand. Mega-author Stephen King said it best: “If you dont have time to read, you dont have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” Here are some of the reasons that taking the time to read contributes to your ability to write your way to success: Introduces new ideas. Reading exposes you to new ideas, ideas that you might never encounter in years of face-to-face conversations with coworkers and friends. Your day-to-day conversations often revolve exclusively around strategies and tactics for addressing short-term goals, but reading can provide fresh approaches to achieving your branding and career goals.   This is especially true if you look for articles, blog posts, and books, from the thought leaders in your field. Provides examples to follow. By reading critically, analyzing the titles, sentences, and paragraphs of articles, blog posts, and books helps you appreciate the importance of clarity and conciseness. Youll get a better understanding of how the rules of grammar (like the importance of active verbs versus passive verbs) arent just abstractions, but they make a huge difference in the writers ability to communicate their ideas and inspire action. Helps you structure your ideas. Taking the time to analyze a books table of contents and the way authors ideas are introduced in each chapter offers valuable lessons in organizing ideas for your articles, blog posts, or books. The more you analyze the writing of others, the better youll be at presenting complex ideas as a series of smaller topics that build upon each other. Challenges you to be analytical. Reading critically, taking the time to dissect what youre reading in order to understand the authors perspective and how they developed their arguments provides an opportunity to develop your analytical skills. Inspires you to develop your skills. The more analytically and critically you read, the more youll appreciate the difference between good and great writing. Youll become more appreciative of the qualities that contribute to the best writing, and youll be inspired to incorporate these ideas in your own writing. Opens the door to other learning adventures. In addition to helping you improve your writing skills, reading can also help you improve your marketing skills, or ability to sell what youve written. By visiting the blogs and websites of authors whose books youve read, you can gain insights into techniques you can use to introduce your ideas in more than one format. You can also see how ideas, once developed, can be recycled and reused in different formats as authors return to familiar topics. Networking possibilities. Commenting on an authors blog is an excellent way, or communicating with them using the contact forms found on many websites, is an excellent way to pave the way for future conversations or closer communications. Many authors welcome reader comments on their books, and bloggers welcome comments and suggestions. Tips for making the most of your reading Here are a few tips to help you purposely use reading as a writing and personal branding tool: Track your reading. Create a list of the blogs you read and the books youve read. A simple alphabetical list, or a mind map, can help you recall key ideas and lessons. Consider joining an online reading group like Goodreads where you can set reading goals, track the books youve read, and meet others who share your reading tastes. Build reading into your schedule. Reading isnt just something you do in bed before falling asleep. Setting as little as 15-30 minutes a day for purposefully reading can pave the way for learning and inspiration. Create a reading plan. In addition to building reading time into your schedule, be purposeful in what you read. Identify the books you want to read, and when you hope to have read them. Remember: you dont have to read every word of every book, especially if you take advantage of the free online resources to help you choose the most important books, (see below). Read both inside and outside of your field. Dont just read books that directly relate to your career or business success. Take the time to explore new fields. Often, the best ideas come from making connections with ideas you encounter in books far outside of   your normal reading habits. Make the most of free online resources. You can learn a lot from reading the free PDF samples found on many authors websites as well as the Kindle ebook samples available from Amazon.com. You can also learn a lot by clicking on the LOOK INSIDE! icon found next to the book cover photographs of many books sold on Amazon.com. Has reading helped you improve your writing? Has your ability to write and promote your personal brand been helped by of the books youve read? Share your experiences, and the titles of the books that helped you, as comments below. Just as reading is an important part of writing, sharing plays a big role in personal branding success. Author: Roger C. Parker offers advice, writing assistance, and tools for building your personal brand. Get his free 99 Questions to Ask Before You Start to Write   workbook or ask him a question.

When Taking a Pay Cut Makes Sense

When Taking a Pay Cut Makes Sense We all want to spend our lives growing our career and salaries. However, in the last five years, more than 45% of the US workforce took a pay cut. Whether it was for layoffs, going into business for oneself, or changing careers, the decrease in pay made sense.We live in a time where goods and services are made affordable through technology. Taking a job for less money is not the end of the world, especially if it leads to a person having a fulfilling career.Yes, money provides certain freedoms, but by no means is it the status symbol that it used to be. It is no longer the key to happiness. If you are thinking of taking a pay cut, see if any of the reasons below make sense to you.When a Decrease in Pay Is Required to Keep a Job You LoveThis happens mostly with startups, small businesses, or companies run by serial entrepreneurs. You love your job and you make the company profitable. But the economy is changing, people are paying, or the boss wants to start a new company.In order to s tay afloat, and keep a job you love, you agree to a decrease in pay. It may be only temporary, but because you are happy you have the energy to stay productive at work. You have the ability to seek out new work, if necessary.More so, given today’s transient workforce, you can work remotely from a cheaper city. Taking a pay cut for a job is betting on long-term results, but your commitment will be admired by other companies if it does not work out.When Going Into Business for YourselfThere are more than 50 million freelancers in the US workforce. What all of these workers and entrepreneurs have discovered is that being your own boss is its own reward.Taking a pay cut may be hard for the family. But the fact is you now answer to yourself, and no one else. In the past, our ability to grow a career depended largely on what you had time to learn while fitting the job in your schedule.When all you have for a boss is “YOU”, and you can spend all day running your own business the way you wish, the potential for learning and career growth increases. If you discover you were not meant to be your own boss, that’s fine because you learned what it means to run a business on your own. This makes you leadership material.You also have the chance to look into careers you once thought impossible. Yes, it is starting over, but if you want to do it, taking a pay cut is required. Some industries just do not pay as well as others.When Moving to a Cheaper City or New CountryThe cost of living in the US, and around the world, changes drastically from city to state to country. Even if you took a small decrease in pay from your New York City salary (a very expensive city), it still will not impact you as much when moving to a city with a lower cost of living.If you are looking to leave big city life, and work remotely with a nice salary, that is even better. The benefit of working remotely is that your company will not adjust your salary for operating costs. You can move anywhe re you want to, and be flexible with your salary, because you have a lower cost of living.Are you looking to change cities and possibly take a pay cut? Check out this cost of living salary converterto see how it will affect your lifestyle.Ideally, you will be able to move to your favorite place, take a decrease in pay, and not be affected at all!

Moments of Clarity - A Great Learning Opportunity - Career Pivot

Moments of Clarity - A Great Learning Opportunity - Career Pivot Moments of Clarity July 11th, 2017 marks an important anniversary of one of manymoments of clarity. Fifteen years ago, I was riding my Bianchi touring bicycle on a club ride and I collided with a 1996 Toyota Corolla where our combined speeds exceeded 50 miles per hour. Iwrote about how this was a blessing in my post A Near Fatal Bicycle Accident Was Actually a Mammoth Gift. I call this event a moment of clarity. We live our lives looking at the world through filters. Those filters protect us and keep us safe. They also keep us from truly understanding ourselves and what we really want in life.It is immediately after these major events that the filters come down and we really understand what is important to us. These events include: Job losses Job changes Marriages Divorces Births Deaths Medical emergencies Natural disasters Hopefully, you get what I am saying. Every time there is joy or pain in our lives the filters come down for a short time. The problem is they go back up very fast. Learning from Moments of Clarity Much can be learned by reflecting back onmoments of clarity. Do you remember when things seemed so obvious? I spent five days in a trauma center with broken ribs, broken hip, torn ligaments in a knee and a dislocated shoulder. Nothing more. No internal injuries and no head trauma. Yes, I was wearing a helmet. I was walking on crutches in three days, back on a bicycle in 10 weeks and traveling internationally for business in 4 months. Clarity Life was very clear after that event. I was home with my teenage son who was preparing to head off to college for the first time. We had a lot of great discussions that summer. Listen to the most recent episode You are going to college. You can eat like crap or eat healthily. It is your choice! Your first college roommate will likely not be your best buddy. However, you will need to respect each other’s privacy. Four years later, after he graduated and was home for a few months, I learned that he had listened! All of you who have dealt with an 18-year-old know that when you talk to them you have no idea what sticks! As it turns out that accident was a blessing because I got to spend that summer home with my son to have those great discussions. A Walkabout According to Wikipedia aWalkabout historically refers to a rite of passage during which Indigenous male Australians would undergo a journey during adolescence, typically ages 10 to 16, and live in the wilderness for a period as long as six months to make the spiritual and traditional transition into manhood. Have you taken a walkabout? I wrote about a client of mine who did exactly that in my post,Baby Boomer Walkabout â€" A Moment of Clarity. He bought an Amtrak rail pass and spent a month roaming the country after a layoff. What he discovered was all he really needed was good food, good coffee, a place to sleep and to workout. Layoffs Most times when our career is interrupted by a resource action, redundancy, reduction in force (RIF) or any other name HR can think of that means “layoff,” we are given the opportunity to have one or more moments of clarity. I wrote about my client Susan in the post,Moment of Clarity â€" Fending Off a Layoff,on how a layoff allowed her to heal and get rehired. Susan learned the following: She never wanted that kind of stress again. She gave too much of herself to the jobâ€"to her own detriment. She found a path that she wanted to take. It was her choice! People respected her and wanted to work with her! Her new position could be short-lived, but that did not matter. She had a clear path. That layoff was actually a good thing! What have you learned from moments of clarity? We have all had moments of clarity in our lives. You just need to go back and harvest what you learned. Try to reflect back on a time when something major happened in a good way. Maybe it was being accepted to your university or the birth of a child or getting that big award at work or … You get the point. What did you learn? Nowreflect back on a time when something major happened in a bad way. Maybe a serious illness in your family or death in the family or car accident or a layoff or … You get the point. What did you learn? Take your time and do not rush the exercise. What did you learn about yourself? Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Impact of Non-Verbal Cues and Gestures at A Job Interview - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

Impact of Non-Verbal Cues and Gestures at A Job Interview When there’s a job opening in any organization, the HR managers are asked to fill it as soon as they can with the best person available in the field. The question arises what is their criteria of hiring you? From what you wear to how you walkâ€" they observe your every single gesture. Hiring authorities are apparently equipped to pick up on nonverbal cues and gestures. Interviews are terrifying and its preparation is half a battle. People often think that in job interviews they will be asked several questions and if they provide the best answers they will get the job. That’s not true! Your non-verbal cues and gestures matters more than your correct answers. Here are few nonverbal cues and gestures that will focus on the significance of non-verbal communication: What to wear? Your attire is the best first opportunity to make a first impression on the interviewer. Avoid wearing very casual dresses, opt for something relaxed but presentable. Taking the conservative approach make sure you are dressed well from top to bottom, save the fun stuff after you have got the job. The 6 Worst Things to Wear to a Job Interview What to carry? Never go empty handed if you want to get the job. It is essential to carry a hard copy of your CV or resume. Following are things that you should be carrying to mark a good impression: A folder carrying printed documents A notepad Pen And obviously a smile! The waiting in the lobby period You never know who is watching you  because in some organizations, the interviewers are monitoring the waiting area. Sit down and wait patiently. Avoid using your phone excessively. Demonstrate you have good manners in every interaction, if someone helps you with the direction or open doors for you, say thank you. Handy hints The way you greet the interviewer says a lot about you. No matter how long the interview lasts, the interviewer has made up his mind in the first two or three minutes and the first impression begins with a handshake. Here are few tips to nail your handshake and land the job: It shows confidence when you are the first one to reach out for the handshake. Give the person’s hand a firm grip to show that you are owning it. It is important to not rush it. Give up to at least two up and down motion in one handshake. People don’t consciously remember handshakes, but it is one of the non-verbal cues interviewers get about the person’s overall personality. And keep one thing in mind â€" shake it, don’t break it. Actions speak louder than words It is important to use the right words when interacting but it is equally significant to maintain a good body language. Avoid slouching and keep your back straight. Leaning slightly forward indicates interest. Don’t cross your arms or place your CV, resume, phone, etc. in your lap. It indicates defensiveness and a need for self-protection. Avoid using a lot of hand gestures. Talk more with your mouth and less with your hands, making sure that your gestures don’t distract your words. Eye contact is one of the most important things during an interview. Avoid eye contact entirely, it makes you look like you are dishonest about your answers. Constant eye contact makes you look like an aggressive person. Keep a balanced eye contact. Suppress your restless habits. If you are a nail biter or a knuckle cracker, do not allow these habits to make an appearance during the interview. Do you have any questions? Well, yes! At the end of the interview if the interviewer ask that if you have any question, don’t hesitate, go ahead and ask! An interview is a two-way street. Your employer asks you  questions to learn about you and your skills, in return, you need to prepare  questions  to  ask the employer about the position, career path, and the company in order to be sure that this is the right  job  for you. Not asking question signal that you are ignorant and unconcerned. The exit strategy In the final moments, be certain to express thanks to the interviewer for the time spent with you. Say it by making an eye contact, smile and a gentle handshake: “It looks like a great opportunity â€" I look forward to hearing from you.” This is not exactly a strategy, but a way of showing good manners. Author Bio: Julia Morison is a head hunter and a research specialist at Researchomatic. She is a  traveller, a blogger, a techie and social activist. When she not in her office, she spends her time writing and educating the masses.

CPPW Writing Service

CPPW Writing ServiceA CPPW (Certified Professional Public Liaison) is required when you wish to use a resume writing service. This is because there are a lot of requirements that are expected from the resume writer in order to qualify for this certification. One such requirement is that the writer must have knowledge of writing English with spelling and grammar errors corrected. CPPW is a prerequisite because it allows the writer to work with people from various backgrounds, having different levels of education and varying job experience.The writers will write resumes for many companies and they must be able to maintain a relationship with their clients. Many of the companies are using a CPPW writer because the writer can cover various aspects of the resume as well as make the resume look professional without overlooking important parts. It helps the writer to focus on the best part of the resume and emphasizes the skill, expertise and experience related to the part that needs highli ghting.CPPW writers also provide a number of other services apart from writing resumes. One of these services is referred to as resume transcription. This service is also a requirement because many companies need their resumes transcribed into different formats. An example of this is when the employer sends the resume to a prospective client for his/her approval. The client cannot see the resume because he/she will be given the opportunity to comment or change the information.However, if the writer has a CPPW certificate, then the format is considered acceptable. Another service provided by a CPPW writer is to resume editing. This service is also a requirement for resume writing and therefore, the writer needs to have the skills to edit the resume properly. The skills include taking the overall layout of the resume and restructuring it according to the client's requirements.There are a number of different elements that are usually dealt with by a CPPW writer but most of them are the fact of knowing and understanding the format of a resume. The format of a resume is a very crucial aspect because it is supposed to reflect the true values of the applicant. Therefore, the writer should be able to deliver a correct format of the resume that portrays the right image of the candidate.A CPPW writer must also have experience in the same sector in which the client is working. This ensures that the resume will reflect the values of the company. Most of the times, the hiring manager is also given an option of requesting that the resume be reformatted according to the type of job the person is looking for. This will ensure that the person is given a proper position within the company.In order to meet the demands of these types of companies, the CPPW writers are now paid more because they require a lot of services from them. They need to have both experience and skills so that they can work effectively with their clients. It is a great advantage that the companies are now a ble to choose the CPPW writer who best suits their requirements.The CPPW writer is now expected to know how to write a resume, cover letter and interview letters as well. It is quite difficult to meet all these requirements because there are many diverse tasks that the writer must do in order to satisfy the client. Therefore, a CPPW writer has to be very resourceful in order to meet all these requirements. In order to do this, the CPPW writer must read a lot of resume writing articles, blogs and news so that he/she can prepare their resumes accordingly.