Sunday, May 31, 2020

4 Reasons Your Employee is a Potential Flight Risk

4 Reasons Your Employee is a Potential Flight Risk Whenever we experience change in our lives, it can cause us to take stock of our life choices. Whether you’ve had some changes in family circumstances, been through a reorganization at work or moved to a new house, it can result in you reassessing your employment situation. As an HR professional, you know that it’s inevitable that some employees will consider moving on to pastures new. Sometimes you need to accept this as part of the employee lifecycle. But in other situations, you can be more proactive. You can recognize that employees will consider other opportunities and take steps to limit the ones within our control â€" and avoid the pains associated with replacing them. My preference is certainly to be more proactive where possible, and research released by Qualtrics at the end of 2017 helps to explain why. The study found that almost  one-fifth of UK employees are planning a move  in the next two years, whereas these figures stand at just over one in ten in the US. This suggests that, comparatively, the UK has a serious problem when it comes to employee retention which needs to be addressed. Helpfully, the study also outlined some major indicators which can highlight whether employees may become a flight risk. These included: 1. Short tenure Employees that have been in their position for less time are more likely to move on according to the report. Are your recruitment processes bringing in people who fit in with the existing company culture? And don’t forget to look at how you engage with new starters. We’ve carried out research before which shows that employees are far more likely to remain within a company if they have a  structured onboarding programme. By making sure employees have everything they need to succeed when joining an organization, you can help build up the loyalty and trust that will keep attrition rates low. 2. Low pay or seniority It shouldn’t come as a surprise that people are happier in their job when they’re earning more money. It also shouldn’t be a shock that people will look outside their organization if they think they can advance their career faster elsewhere. So, having clear career progression plans in place for employees is essential if you want staff to stick around. 3. Stress The Qualtrics study showed that the majority of potential leavers feel stressed most of the time. It may well fall on managers to support their staff to overcome these work-related issues, but the HR department can also help here by highlighting the tell-tale signs that someone is experiencing problems. These can often be displayed in certain behaviors, such as persistent lateness or high instances of absence. 4. Work-life balance If your organization is perceived to be an employer who is supportive of the work-life balance, you’re more likely to have happier workers. Interestingly, the Qualtrics study showed that employees emailing outside of contracted hours could provide an indication of flight risk. It found that two-thirds of potential leavers email at weekends, and 25% all the time. Interestingly, 50% of loyal workers never check emails at the weekend. A recent study from the University of Surrey found that employers should do more to ensure employees don’t feel  pressured by technology  to work outside of their contracted hours. This is especially important in the ‘always on’ society we live in. But the flexibility granted by the digital world can lead to more productive employees and provide them with greater job satisfaction. Taking steps to reduce flight risk  The key for employers is to have systems in place to help create a balance to allow employees to work on their own terms but also to engage and monitor behavior. These systems should span across onboarding new starters, progression planning and employee wellbeing, as well as identifying potential problems in workers’ personal lives. But organizations don’t have to stop there. With the right kind of HR reporting and data, you can help your business to predict where the flight risks might be within their organization and address the issues in advance. This kind of predictive analytics can help businesses retain key talent and keep things running smoothly within the organization. About the author:  Richard Shinton is a Product Manager specialising in all things Business Intelligence with over 20 years of experience. The first 19 years with NGA UK and Ireland were spent building a successful Business Intelligence Support team centered around high levels of customer service. He has taken that experience and knowledge and brought it to bear in the ever-changing and fast-paced world of BI and Analytics.

Wednesday, May 27, 2020

How To Get Skillful Help Writing Resume

How To Get Skillful Help Writing ResumeIf you want to be successful with your career, it's a must for you to write resume that has the skills that are required. However, getting the best out of this is not an easy task. Most of the writers don't get the most out of their talents, that's why they end up producing resumes which is not efficient. When you know what to do and how to go about it, you will be able to produce a professional resume that will have a great effect on your job hunting.The first step you should take when it comes to writing a resume is to find out the exact kind of job you want. Then find out about the company. It's because if you know a little bit about the company, then you would know about the requirements of the job, which will make you write a resume accordingly. In addition, you would also know whether you should go for the same or different job after you have done the job once.For effective resume writing, you need the skillful help of a professional resum e writer. Nowadays, there are many professionals who would have the skill and the knowledge to help you with your work. You need to remember that every job has different requirements are according to the company and the type of job you are applying for. Therefore, you should always visit the websites of several companies to know the requirements for the job you are applying for. After all, it is very important to have the right kind of information regarding the company.You can also check out the company's online to know more about the requirements. This will enable you to get to know about the requirements of the job you are applying for and thus be in a position to write a resume that would be of good use to you. Writing a resume by yourself without the help of professionals would lead to getting bad quality work.Another thing you can do is to go through the websites of the companies online and get all the information you need. There are a lot of other things you can do in order to help you get a good quality resume. It is also important to understand what these professionals want. In fact, you should have the skillful help of them when it comes to deciding what the information you will be including in your resume is all about.Now the question arises as to whether it's possible to find the skillful help of a professional? This is an issue that most writers always face, so you should definitely not worry about it. All you need to do is to ensure that you are properly informed before you go ahead to look for the professionals. You can read articles in internet forums, blogs, and various other sources that will give you the information you need.With the skillful help of a professional, you can certainly ensure that you are giving a good quality resume to the employers. Most of the time, the resume writers get paid for their skills and knowledge so it would be wise for you to go in for a little payment. This will assure you that the job seekers are actually getti ng the kind of resume they wanted.All you need to do is to ensure that you will get the skillful help that is required to help you achieve the goal of writing a great resume. In fact, it's the only way to go. So, go ahead and get yourself a resume writer and make the most of your talents and experience.

Sunday, May 24, 2020

How Following Industry News Can Boost Your Career

How Following Industry News Can Boost Your Career Following current events may seem like we’re time traveling back to elementary school. (Remember bringing news clips to class for discussion?) But seriously, following current and industry news can give you a huge career boost if you keep your focus. Sadly, many of the Americans don’t follow current trends, or even enjoy it for that matter. In fact, only 45 percent of Americans  reported  enjoying following the news a lot while 36 percent enjoy following the news a little. But here’s the really interesting statistic: More than a third of those employed full- or part-time say that keeping up with the news is important to their jobs. However, keeping up with the news should be important to  every  job! Here’s why: You never know what an interviewer might ask you. During your job hunt, current events may be important to your  interviewer. And who knows what they may ask. But if you haven’t been following industry news and trends, you might be unaware of a new federal policy, game-changing software, or latest trend. Being knowledgeable about the industry in which you work tells a lot about your dedication to your profession to an employer. Interest and dedication is part of your personal brand. Job seekers are told all the time to have a  professional social media presence and blog platform  to showcase work and impress employers. But if you’re not showing interest in your industry within these accounts, that speaks volumes to hiring managers. Show you’re on top of your game and actually interested too. You’ll spot business opportunities and trends faster. If you’re regularly following current events, you’ll start to realize when trends are emerging and pockets for opportunity have arisen. Further, you’ll be more in tune with your industry and client or customer needs, which will likely translate to making better, quicker decisions at work. You may become an industry expert. So you’re impressing hiring managers and employers, getting better jobs, becoming tuned to industry quirks, and making better business decisions. This may all soon lead to you becoming an industry expert if you choose. There are always at least a handful of professionals in an industry that we look to in trade publications, newsletters, and blogs to provide advice and thought-leadership. If you are present in the news you consume â€" such as participating and commenting in society forums or blogs and interacting with opinion leaders in your industry â€" you will start getting noticed. So if you’re on the current events bandwagon, there are easy ways to start following your industry’s current news, trends, and issues. Use the following resources to get started: Industry blogs, e-letters, and websites. Try putting these into an  RSS feed  for easy access in one place. Attend meetings with your professional organization, read their newsletters, or watch their webinars. On-the-go a lot? Try downloading some mobile apps to your mobile device. Most major news organizations have their own apps with handy news feeds. Follow thought leaders on social networks, LinkedIn recently added their 150 Thought Leaders to follow. Following current events can seem daunting and boring. But if you truly enjoy the industry in which you work, you are bound to find some interesting stuff every day to share with your colleagues. In the end, it will make you smarter and more aware of the events that impact your life and career. What’s another benefit to following current events in your industry? Related: Social Media: An Executive Decision Image: Shutterstock

Wednesday, May 20, 2020

Why its OK to fail University of Manchester Careers Blog

Why its OK to fail University of Manchester Careers Blog Let’s get this out of the way first â€" at some point, you’re going to fail. Everybody does. Sometimes, things happen which make you feel stressed out and knock your confidence, and you’ll probably go away and eat your body weight in Domino’s to try and get over it. Whatever it is â€" you get rejected for a job, your exam results aren’t as good as you hoped, even something like missing out on festival tickets â€" failure is something that we all have to deal with from time to time, and yeah, it sucks. From academic work to culinary skills, failure is completely normal The reality is, failure can be a positive thing, and failure is temporary. Failure teaches you to deal with setbacks, and makes you think about what you can do better next time a similar challenge comes around â€" you learn infinitely more from failure than you do from success. If you’re driven and ambitious, failure is something that you’ll have to anticipate, deal with in your stride and turn to your advantage. Saying this doesnt make failure and rejection any easier, though. This time last year I was just about to graduate, trying to figure out where life after university would take me, and firing off job applications left, right and centre. Naturally, many of those applications I didnt hear back from, or arguably worse came back as rejections. When youve piled yourself into an application, envisaged yourself in that job, and genuinely believed you were the single best candidate for it, it’s hard not to not feel like you’ve been thrown under a bus when your inbox becomes a wall of ‘Unfortunately on this occasion, your application has been unsuccessful’. Instead of scrolling through job ads and thinking to myself, ‘yeah, I could do that’, the fear of rejection took over and stopped those CVs ever being sent off, limiting the damage not just to my Gmail inbox, but also to my self-esteem. What I should’ve been asking myself at the time was, ‘what’s the worst that can happen?’ If that fear of rejection was to put me off ever applying for anything or putting myself out there in the first place, then frankly, I’d just never get anything done. The reality is that for all the times you fail, get rejected or get knocked back, what you don’t see is just how close to the mark you were. While to you it may just be one more generic email that’s going straight in the junk, on the other end it may have been an incredibly tough decision to not give you the job. “Many of lifes failures are people who did not realise how close they were to success when they gave up.” â€" Thomas A. Edison Resilience â€" it’s what you need Something we can all use a bit of in our job hunt is resilience. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from failure and keep on going. It’s the ability to face up to a problem and to know when to keep your foot on the pedal, or when to slam on the brakes and change course. Having resilience isn’t quite the same as being able to deal with stress. Of course, stopping your stress levels from bubbling up too much when problems crop up is a really important skill to have, but resilience is more about the ability to keep on going when things don’t go according to plan, taking setbacks as an opportunity to bounce back to try again. It’s a skill you’ll already have, no doubt â€" if you’ve ever received less-than-stellar exam results, for example, or missed out on a competition prize you put a lot of effort into, the resilience in you will motivate you to turn that result around and work harder for a better outcome the next time round. The ability to use your resilience to overcome problems is something that’s massively appealing to employers, too. Any new job is going to come with its share of difficulties, whether it’s the unfamiliarity of starting in a new workplace, or those silly little mistakes you’re bound to make while picking things up. Having a strong inner pool of resilience to get over any issues, and being able to show that in your application and interview, is going to put you in great stead for the job. The professional world is littered with stories of people who faced setback after setback before finding success: Oprah Winfrey was fired from her first TV job for getting “too emotionally invested” Steven Spielberg was rejected from film school three times James Dyson took 15 years to create his first working prototype Many people face adversity like this and throw in the towel, but do a bit of digging and you’ll find that resilience is a trait shared by some of the most influential people in the world â€" think of actors who didn’t get their big break for years, or politicians who were told they’d never stand a chance of being elected. What can you do now? So you’re young, inexperienced, and eager. The reality is that you’re going to face a lot of competition and setbacks in the world of work, and probably make a lot of mistakes along the way. It’s better to be daring and make those mistakes now, while it doesn’t matter too much, than further down the line when there might be significantly more riding on your career. Apply for that great-looking graduate job, or try to get that bit of work experience while you’re still in university â€" if nothing comes of it, you haven’t lost anything from applying so no sweat, right? Having a support network is also invaluable for overcoming setbacks. Even if it’s just venting off to your mates in the pub about the godawful job interview you’d just been to, being able to speak openly about your setbacks is a crucial step to realising that rejection is completely normal and builds your resilience. Don’t forget you can get in touch with us at The Careers Service to chat with one of our Careers Consultants, too. Ultimately, by pushing the boat out and being daring, you’re going to be one step closer to your goals than if you hadn’t tried something in the first place. If you ever feel like you’re getting nowhere with your career aspirations, remember that it’s ok to fail sometimes. Be resilient and know that you’re always developing yourself, and the next big career opportunity may well just be around the corner. All Careers advice Undergraduate bouncing back resilience

Saturday, May 16, 2020

Bartender Resume

Bartender ResumeA bartender resume should be short and concise. It should not go on for pages with information about what you did at that bar and where you worked. Your bartender resume is more likely to become a dead end for an employer. Make your resume concise and easy to read.An effective way to do this is to use bullet points to describe your work history. The shorter the better. The bullet points should be bolded, italicized or underlined for emphasis. Do not list every job you have ever done.If you do not have time to add in one or two short descriptions of each position you have held, write a few sentences to summarize your most recent position. This will get you started on the right foot. You can add a little blurb about yourself at the bottom of the page.A bartender resume is a reflection of your skills, abilities and personality. It is important to make your resume stand out from the crowd. Try to incorporate certain types of styling and images that highlight your skills a nd personality.Colors are used extensively in resumes. Most people who do them for a living will tell you that adding colors to your resume is a good idea. Try using warm colors such as yellow and green to emphasize your employment experiences at a water cooler, coffee shop or similar establishment.For a more professional looking color scheme, use black and white. Do not use too many colors at once.Adding a restaurant background image or other design to your resume will make it stand out. Use pictures or photos of your family and friends to give a personal touch to your resume. Add a personal statement about why you want to work in this industry. Always be honest.The more creative you are, the better your resume will look. Before sending your resume out, do some brainstorming. Use your imagination to come up with some ideas for your resume.

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Why IT Skills Are One Of The Best Things A Boss Could See On Your Resume

Why IT Skills Are One Of The Best Things A Boss Could See On Your Resume Image Source â€" Pixabay.comThe skills you’re able to display are going to be the biggest influence on what kinds of jobs you can get. Nowadays, out of all the hard skills, IT skills are easily some of the most attention worthy on a resume. It seems like just about every kind of business has a need for people who can take them digital, nowadays. In this article, we’re going to look at why IT skills are so important, not just to you but to employers.1. Lots of ways to workOne of the best things about a career in IT is just how broad the ranges of opportunity are. There are a lot of different skills that can all make you instantly employable. It could be mastering a computer language. It could be working with 3D models. It might be training as a data analyst.evalNot only are there a lot of different jobs to go into, but there are also a lot of ways to learn. If it’s a language or programming tools you want to learn, you can easily do it online for free. Whereas, if you want to wo rk in a more specific field, like as a computer networking specialist, there are courses that can help you.2. Plenty of demandIn case it isn’t obvious already, there is a lot of demand for those with IT skills. The bigger a company grows, the larger its dependence on tech tends to be. Any of the top job search sites, in any country, is likely to be rife with IT jobs. In fact, in a lot of countries, there is a skills gap that requires more workers. Which means that techies have a lot of opportunity not just to work, but to travel for their work as well.It’s not just that there’s a lot of demand, either. There’s plenty of money to be made, as well. In the UK alone, IT salaries are set to increase by 6% this year.3. An evolving fieldSo, you’ve learned IT skills and found one of the many jobs. It’s not entirely unheard of that before long, you are no longer satisfied. In IT, it can be terrifically easy to move on. Once you start learning one skill, you are able to apply much of the same logic and knowledge to the next one.For example, you can look at the natural progressions you could make from (or to) web development. Using Photoshop and Illustrator. HTML writing. Bug testing. Javascript. Each of these are skills that you could build a career around in your own right. With plenty of room to evolve, a techie has a lot of potential to make sure their career is never stagnating.The opportunity to learn and the opportunity to work are both there. More importantly, it’s a field that can develop you further and further. If you’re willing to put the work in, there are no dead ends to a career in IT. We hope this article has convinced you to consider what you could do as a computer whizz.

Saturday, May 9, 2020

You Can Have An Online Presence, Really

You Can Have An Online Presence, Really BRANDING and SOCIAL MEDIA I found this slide show as well as some other very helpful links on understanding personal branding and social media.   Ive always believed if you understand the WHY, implementation will be better and stronger. This slide show was created in 2008 but the information is still relevant.   There is one slide that lists the 5 steps to creating your brand: Define who you are Go where the people are Publish your content Connect to the right people Display your activity The other interesting  observation made  about social networks on-line is that weak links or social ties result in less network overlap, thereby increasing the scope of awareness.   Without the internet, this would be very difficult to do. Thanks to Alex de Carvalho for creating this! You, the online brand from Alex de Carvalho The Social Media Biz Buzz link has several links and articles for businesses to understand the trends.   Think about yourself as a business  and how you might be able to use these tools. The last reminder is that social media is the tool to use in making better and stronger personal ties, it is not a replacement for face to face or in person networking!

Friday, May 8, 2020

How to Win A Pitch -

How to Win A Pitch - How can we distinguish ourselves from the competition when what we are offering is so similar? That is the first line of the book, How to Win A Pitch, by Joey Asher, an Atlanta-based sales presentation coach and President of the nationally-recognized consulting firm Speechworks. (Joey is also someone I know personally, so I am happy to share the great information he offers in his book.) While his book targets professionals who are pitching to win business or a project for themselves or their organizations, his advice is absolutely essential for job seekers to learn and understand. Joey offers readers all of the fundamentals to consider when trying to communicate their value to another person or group. Sound familiar? Thats exactly what youre doing in a job hunt trying to make a strong connection to someone to convince them to hire you. Here is a run-down of the fundamentals and their job search applications: Fundamental #1. Present a solution and nothing else.   All too often, people start presentations by talking about themselves. Before we start, let me tell you about how our company began . . . Who cares? Your prospect only cares about is how you can save them money, grow their revenues, or reduce their risk. Detail your plan to help your prospect and tell stories about how the plan has worked for others. Job search application: Hiring managers care about what they want to know and how you solve their problems. You need to learn how to identify and hone in on the most important information to them in order to win the job. Fundamental #2. Keep it simple. Resist the urge to cover too much ground in the presentation. Pound away at three messages. Well build your project on time. Well meet your budget. Well deliver quality work. Simplicity always separates you from the competition. Job search application Sending a 3-page resume detailing every thing you have done in the last 25 years and/or going on and on ad naseum in an interview is NOT going to win you the job. Focus on the basics how you have what they want. Demonstrate why and how. Fundamental #3. Speak with Passion. If youre one of three firms competing, you know that your competition can do a great job.   But as one CEO explained, When its close, many of the decisions just come down to who connects with us best..   Passion in the voice helps you connect. Job search application You need to realize that you are probably not the only one who could do this job. You might not even be the best qualified. But if you can connect with the hiring managers and communicate better than the competition, you will earn the job. Fundamental #4. Leave half of your time for questions. Questions address what your prospect wants to hear. Your answers almost always separate you. Your competition often makes QA an afterthought. Consequently, you can gain an advantage by considering the questions on the front-end. Job search application Questions are key. Typically, youre the one answering the questions (in an interview), so answers are important, but it is also important to ASK good questions. Sometimes, a few well-placed questions can really set the job seeker ahead of the crowd. Fundamental #5. Rehearse. One CEO who has had hundreds of sales presentations stated, I can always tell who has rehearsed. Most people dont rehearse much. Practicing sets you apart. Job-search application I always advise my clients to practice answers to potential interview questions out loud not inside of their heads! Hearing how you sound and even watching how you look in a mirror can really make a difference in the outcome. I sometimes suggest talking to a pet, or even a stuffed animal! Joeys book can be a great help for job seekers who could use some help presenting a solution that works, focusing on a simple message so the target can connect, demonstrating passion and managing anxiety. As an added bonus, it is a perfect resource for anyone who needs to win presentations once landing in their targeted jobs! You can buy the book here. I also highly recommend Joeys Talking Points blog for a lot of great tips about how to communicate and present to win! Need some help getting your targeted message together? I can help! Follow THIS LINK to learn more about me and how I can help you shorten your search and land the job you want!