How to Make a Potential Employer Fall in Love With Job Searcher Part II

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Looking for more ideas about getting your foot in the door for the face-to-face interview? You're unlikely to obtain a job offer without a highly effective interview. You have a couple more hurdles to cross, however, before you get that coveted opportunity to impress a potential employer.

• Not all employers may feel this way, but I hate fishing phone calls that have absolutely no purpose other than to make you notice an applicant. Wonder how many people call me each week to see if I have received their resume? Lots - and only the people I rarely call back. It's a wonderful opportunity for you to make a lasting bad impression. I said to a recent caller, "You are calling to ask me to look through this pile of 200 resumes to see if I have received yours? If you are that uncertain, why don't you just send it again?" Fishing-for-attention phone calls rarely help and usually brand you as a pain. They steal the company's time, irritate the resume screener and generally, accomplish nothing in your favor. In one of my client companies, callers, and especially repeat callers, are known as "stalkers."



• If you want a call from a recruiter or potential employer, give them a number at which you can be reached. The majority of resumes I receive list only a home phone. Big mistake. I gave up on ten candidates with whom I played phone tag for days. No, I'm not advocating you give a potential employer your number at your current job. But, in this day of inexpensive cell phones, you really need to honor the potential employer's time by giving them your cell phone number. I need to reach you to set up a time and date for the phone screening.



• Yes, I said, "phone screening." Forward thinking employers don't waste their time or yours these days without an initial telephone interview. Be prepared to schedule a date and time, usually during the 8-5 p.m. work day. (Your potential employer is already working ten hour days.) The phone interview eliminates most of the "yes" resumes from contention.
  
  Be prepared for a mini-interview and to give the interviewer your salary expectations. People who play coy when I ask about salary are not invited to visit in person. Why would I waste our time interviewing an applicant who is making $70,000 or more, currently, for a $50,000 job? And no, you are not going to be such a wonderful candidate that I blow away the salary range. In nine out of ten situations, the salary range is set with a large number of variables in mind including the local job market and the salaries of coworkers.



• Preparation counts for both the phone screening and the potential face-to-face interview. If I have set a time with you for a phone screening, research the company in advance. Visit the website to see what the employer does. Many organizations even describe their company culture on their websites these days. If you take just a few minutes to do your homework, the quality of the interview goes up exponentially.
  
  Think about my time, too, as your potential employer. Imagine the decisions I make about you when you ask me for directions to the company, while driving your car and talking on the cell phone. "Wait a couple of minutes," one candidate said, "while I get somewhere so that I can write this all down." Research the company location online first; call the company for directions as a last resort.

How to Make a Potential Employer Fall in Love With Job Searcher

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Looking for ways to impress a potential employer? Want to make your resume or job application stand out from the pack? During one two week time period, I reviewed 485 resumes and applications for 18 different positions. I interviewed 23 candidates and brought six back for a second, more intense round of interviews.

Believe me, I can tell you what rang my chimes. Some of this advice may surprise you. Some may even make you angry because it doesn't seem fair or right to you. I can't guarantee that all employers will agree with me, but why take a chance in this employers' market?

• Apply for jobs for which you qualify. My "no" pile of applications is increasingly made up of people who don't even remotely qualify for the advertised position. These job applications frequently consist of a resume in an envelope. Why waste the paper, the stamp and the time? If you find yourself applying because it's an area of work you might want to get into, or think you'd like, don't bother.
  
  Unless you can make the stretch and fit between your qualifications and background and the described opening, you are wasting your time. Each application or resume gets less than five minutes of my time. You need to quickly qualify yourself as a potential candidate because the employer doesn't have or take the time to do it for you.



• Write a targeted cover letter that introduces your key qualifications and highlights your "fit" with the position for which you are applying. Address the letter to the person conducting the candidate search, when known. And, no, don't presume familiarity and write, "Dear Susan." Until I know you, my name is "Ms. Heathfield." Additionally, the cover letter needs to specifically address the available position. Spelling and correct grammar do count. So does the spacing of words on the page, an attractive overall appearance, and the "feel" of the paper. Online applications, which are the norm these days, must be targeted and formatted appropriately. Pay just as much attention to spelling, grammar, and appearance.



• Target the resume to the job. Would you like to know how many people are looking for a "challenging opportunity to utilize my skills with a progressive employer who will provide opportunities for growth?" Don't even ask; the answer will break your heart if this is how you routinely describe the position you seek in your resume. Even more importantly, in this day of instantaneous electronic publishing, no one needs to photocopy 100 resumes at an instant print store. Customization counts. Customization is everything when you are looking at substantially different opportunities, too. Say, you are looking for a training position or a marketing position. The identical resume won't sell your skills for either field.



• Lead with your strengths. What makes you different from 40 other applicants? On your customized resume, start out with the background and experience most important for the position you seek. The stage of your career is also highly relevant to the placement of information on your resume. If you are just graduating from college, lead off the first portion of the resume with your education and degree.
  
  A seasoned veteran will start with an accomplishment summary and then list jobs, titles, companies and responsibilities chronologically. A network administration applicant should lead with his or her certifications (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and list software and hardware experience (Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server) before listing jobs and education. The key is to make it easy for the resume reviewer to see that you are qualified for the position. You want your resume in the coveted "yes" pile awaiting an interview or phone screening.

Top 10 Ways to Be Happy at Work

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Working at Google sounds very cool. I'd be the first to tout Google as a motivating employer: free food, engineers who are enabled to spend 20 percent of their time on their own projects, and a work environment that fosters play and creative thinking. At Google, Genentech and other Fortune magazine top 100 companies, employers provide the best workplaces. At the same time, perks that enable employees to spend all of their time at work exploit people and destroy work - life balance. So, even the best employer may not be best for everyone. These are the factors that will help you find happiness at work.

1. Choose to Be Happy at Work

Happiness is largely a choice. I can hear many of you arguing with me, but it's true. You can choose to be happy at work. Sound simple? Yes. But, simplicity is often profoundly difficult to put into action. I wish all of you had the best employer in the world, but, face it, you may not. So, think positively about your work. Dwell on the aspects of your work you like. Avoid negative people and gossip. Find coworkers you like and enjoy and spend your time with them. Your choices at work largely define your experience. You can choose to be happy at work.

2. Do Something You Love Every Single Day

Image Copyright Jacob Wackerhausen

You may or may not love your current job and you may or may not believe that you can find something in your current job to love, but you can. Trust me. Take a look at yourself, your skills and interests, and find something that you can enjoy doing every day. If you do something you love every single day, your current job won't seem so bad. Of course, you can always make your current job work or decide that it is time to quit your job.

3. Take Charge of Your Own Professional and Personal Development

Image Copyright Noel Hendrickson / Getty Images

A young employee complained to me recently that she wanted to change jobs because her boss was not doing enough to help her develop professionally. I asked her whom she thought was the person most interested in her development. The answer, of course, was her. You are the person with the most to gain from continuing to develop professionally. Take charge of your own growth; ask for specific and meaningful help from your boss, but march to the music of your personally developed plan and goals. You have the most to gain from growing - and the most to lose, if you stand still.

4. Take Responsibility for Knowing What Is Happening at Work

Copyright Stock_IMG Business

People complain to me daily that they don't receive enough communication and information about what is happening with their company, their department's projects, or their coworkers. Passive vessels, they wait for the boss to fill them up with knowledge. And, the knowledge rarely comes. Why? Because the boss is busy doing her job and she doesn't know what you don't know. Seek out the information you need to work effectively. Develop an information network and use it. Assertively request a weekly meeting with your boss and ask questions to learn. You are in charge of the information you receive.

5. Ask for Feedback Frequently

Copyright Jacob Wackerhausen

Have you made statements such as, "My boss never gives me any feedback, so I never know how I'm doing." Face it, you really know exactly how you're doing. Especially if you feel positively about your performance, you just want to hear him acknowledge you. If you're not positive about your work, think about improving and making a sincere contribution. Then, ask your boss for feedback. Tell him you'd really like to hear his assessment of your work. Talk to your customers, too; if you're serving them well, their feedback is affirming. You are responsible for your own development. Everything else you get is gravy.

6. Make Only Commitments You Can Keep

Image Copyright Jacob Wackerhausen

One of the most serious causes of work stress and unhappiness is failing to keep commitments. Many employees spend more time making excuses for failing to keep a commitment, and worrying about the consequences of not keeping a commitment, than they do performing the tasks promised. Create a system of organization and planning that enables you to assess your ability to complete a requested commitment. Don't volunteer if you don't have time. If your workload is exceeding your available time and energy, make a comprehensive plan to ask the boss for help and resources. Don't wallow in the swamp of unkept promises.

7. Avoid Negativity

Copyright Stefanie Timmermann

Choosing to be happy at work means avoiding negative conversations, gossip, and unhappy people as much as possible. No matter how positively you feel, negative people have a profound impact on your psyche. Don't let the negative NeAnd, keep on singing in the car on your way to work - or start.

8. Practice Professional Courage

Copyright Diego Cervo

If you are like most people, you don't like conflict. And the reason why is simple. You've never been trained to participate in meaningful conflict, so you likely think of conflict as scary, harmful, and hurtful. Conflict can be all three; done well, conflict can also help you accomplish your work mission and your personal vision. Conflict can help you serve customers and create successful products. Happy people accomplish their purpose for working. Why let a little professional courage keep you from achieving your goals and dreams? Make conflict your friend.

9. Make Friends

Image Copyright Nancy Louie

In their landmark book, First, Break All The Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently (Compare Prices), Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman list twelve important questions. When employees answered these questions positively, their responses were true indicators of whether people were happy and motivated at work. One of these key questions was, "Do you have a best friend at work?" Liking and enjoying your coworkers are hallmarks of a positive, happy work experience. Take time to get to know them. You might actually like and enjoy them. Your network provides support, resources, sharing, and caring.

10. If All Else Fails, Job Searching Will Make You Smile

Copyright Pali Rao

If all of these ideas aren't making you happy at work, it's time to reevaluate your employer, your job, or your entire career. You don't want to spend your life doing work you hate in an unfriendly work environment. Most work environments don't change all that much. But unhappy employees tend to grow even more disgruntled. You can secretly smile while you spend all of your non-work time job searching. It will only be a matter of time until you can quit your job - with a big smile.

Sample Human Resources Director Job Description

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

The Human Resources Director guides and manages the overall provision of Human Resources services, policies, and programs for the entire company. The major areas directed are:

• recruiting and staffing;
• organizational and space planning;
• performance management and improvement systems;
• organization development;
• employment and compliance to regulatory concerns;
• employee orientation, development, and training;
• policy development and documentation;
• employee relations;
• company-wide committee facilitation;
• company employee and community communication;
• compensation and benefits administration;
• employee safety, welfare, wellness and health;
• charitable giving; and
• employee services and counseling.

(Note: Depending on your organization's needs, the Human Resources Director often directs administration, including reception, and may even be responsible for facility security and upkeep in addition to space planning.)

The Human Resources Director originates and leads Human Resources practices and objectives that will provide an employee-oriented, high performance culture that emphasizes empowerment, quality, productivity and standards, goal attainment, and the recruitment and ongoing development of a superior workforce.

The Human Resources Director coordinates implementation of services, policies, and programs through Human Resources staff; reports to the CEO and serves on the executive management team; and assists and advises company managers about Human Resources issues.

Primary Objectives:

• Safety of the workforce.
• Development of a superior workforce.
• Development of the Human Resources department.
• Development of an employee-oriented company culture that emphasizes quality, continuous improvement, and high performance.
• Personal ongoing development.

Sample Human Resources Assistant Job Description

By Susan M. Heathfield

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

The Human Resources assistant assists with the administration of the day-to-day operations of the human resources functions and duties. The HR assistant carries out responsibilities in some or all of the following functional areas: departmental development, HRIS, employee relations, training and development, benefits, compensation, organization development, executive administration, and employment.

The HR assistant has partial responsibility for these areas:

• recruiting and staffing logistics;
• performance management and improvement tracking systems;
• employee orientation, development, and training logistics and recordkeeping;
• assisting with employee relations;
• company-wide committee facilitation and participation;
• company employee communication;
• compensation and benefits administration and recordkeeping;
• employee safety, welfare, wellness, and health reporting; and
• employee services;
• maintaining employee files and the HR filing system;
• assisting with the day-to-day efficient operation of the HR office.

The Human Resources assistant contributes to the accomplishment of Human Resources practices and objectives that will provide an employee-oriented, high performance culture that emphasizes empowerment, quality, productivity and standards, goal attainment, and the recruitment and ongoing development of a superior workforce.

The Human Resources assistant helps with the implementation of services, policies, and programs through HR staff; reports to the HR director, and assists company managers with HR issues.

Primary Objectives:

• Safety of the workforce.
• Development of a superior workforce.
• Development of the Human Resources department.
• Development of an employee-oriented company culture that emphasizes quality, continuous improvement, and high performance.
• Personal ongoing development.

How to Develop a Job Description

By Susan M. Heathfield


Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Develop job descriptions to help you articulate the most important outcomes you need from an employee performing a particular job. Develop job descriptions as a communication tool to tell coworkers where their job leaves off and the job of another employee starts.

Develop well-written job descriptions to tell an employee where their job fits within the overall department and the overall company. Develop well-written job descriptions to help employees from other departments, who must work with the person hired, understand the boundaries of the person's responsibilities. Finally, develop job descriptions as an integral piece of the performance development planning process.

Your goal in hiring is to find the brightest, most competent, flexible, reliable, multifaceted employees you can find. A job description, if not viewed as a straight jacket, helps your successful recruiting in several ways. A job description:

• causes the manager of the position and any other employees already performing the job to agree on the responsibilities and scope of the position,
• helps Human Resources know the knowledge, skills, education, experience, and capabilities you seek in your new employee, so an effective recruiting plan is formulated,
• informs candidates about the duties and responsibilities of the position for which they are applying,
• informs employees who are assisting with the interview process about the questions to ask candidates and what you seek in the new employee, and
• may protect you legally when you can demonstrate why the candidate selected for a position was your most qualified and culturally suited applicant.

Steps to Develop Job Descriptions

Use these steps to develop your job descriptions.

• Gather the appropriate people for the task. The manager to whom the position will report takes the lead to develop a job description, but other employees who are performing similar jobs can contribute to the development of the job description. Additionally, if the position is new and will relieve current employees of work load, they should be part of the discussion. A first position? The manager or company owner can develop the job description on his or her own.

• Perform a job analysis. You need as much data as possible to develop a job description. The job analysis may include:
  • the job responsibilities of current employees,
  • Internet research and sample job descriptions online or offline highlighting similar jobs,
  • an analysis of the work duties, tasks, and responsibilities that need to be accomplished by the employee filling the position,
  • research and sharing with other companies that have similar jobs, and
  • articulation of the most important outcomes or contributions needed from the position.
  The more information you can gather, the easier the actual task to develop the job description will be.

• Write the job description. Your company may have a format for job descriptions so check with Human Resources. Often, however, all Human Resources expects is a list of the responsibilities and they prefer to develop the final format congruent with job descriptions across the company.
  
  These are the normal components of the job description:
  • Overall position description with general areas of responsibility listed,
  • Essential functions of the job described with a couple of examples of each,
  • Required knowledge, skills, and abilities,
  • Required education and experience,
  • A description of the physical demands, and
  • A description of the work environment.
  Your company and your process may vary, but these components give the employee clear direction.

• Review the job description periodically to make sure it acurately reflects what the employee is doing and your expectations of results from the employee.

• Use the job description as a basis for the employee development plan (PDP) An employee's job description is integral in the development of his or her quarterly employee development plan.

An effective job description establishes a base so that an employee can clearly understand what they need to develop personally, and contribute within your organization. Develop job descriptions to provide employees with a compass and clear direction.

Career Planning for Students: Workplace Love Life

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

College romance is a given, but getting all lovey-dovey in the office is often against company policy. Here's how to deal.

For many singles, work is the place where they have the most contact with people they can relate with, are attracted to, and want to date. It is no surprise many companies have tried to put a stop to this behavior. According to career website Vault.com around 60 percent of employees have had an office romance. That is more than half of all workers! So how do you skirt company policy and let your love life take charge? Learn how to bend the rules.

Learn the Rules

The first thing you need to do to prepare for a life of office dating is learn your companies rules. Some companies stay clear of creating rules regulating romance, while others ban boss-subordinate relationships, and some put a stop to any form of coworker passion.

Keep it Quiet

Once your have become personally involved with an office-mate try and keep it quiet. The reason mangers forbid work place relationships is because it is distracting from the objectives of the organization. You don't want to be involved in gossip or conflict. Avoid kissing, hugging and little love letters. Public displays of affection are a no-no. One tough area: after work socializing. After work drinks and parties can be hard to deal with when carrying a covert relationship.

Prepare for the Worst

Vault.com says only about 20 percent of office relationships go long term. You would be wise to plan how to recover if the relationship goes sour. Remember that this is a person you will see everyday at work, and the break-up might not be pretty. If the word gets out, colleagues might choose sides and start gossiping. To avoid this situation plan ahead. If you feel the romance is turning south, try and ease into a soft breakup. This will help you focus on work during this difficult time. Also, never, I repeat never, cheat on a coworker with another coworker. All around bad mojo.

Networking: How Can Networking Help with Career Planning

Jobs Vacancy, Job vacancies, Employment Jobs

Networking has become a part of the career planning and job hunting process. This article describes the benefits of networking and provides tips to begin networking.

According to Alexandra Levit of Young Money, (www.youngmoney.com), networking allows you to establish relationships that will give you valuable feedback which can help you make educated decisions. Networking can provide you with a better understanding of various careers as well as information about numerous companies that you may not find by surfing the web. With this information, your career planning process can be based on direct information rather than rumors or biased company literature. If you would like to begin networking, here are some suggestions to get you started.

Look at Your Current Resources

You probably network without even noticing it. Often, the best networking connections begin as friendships. It's usually easier to help a friend whom you care about and trust than an acquaintance with whom you have no personal connection. So, when you want to begin networking, look around at the people you know already.

Chances are you know people who share similar interests or career goals because you've met them through classes or clubs. Attending club events or studying with friends can be the first and easiest step in establishing a connection. Try speaking with your current friends about your interests and career plans further to strengthen your bond. It also begins the process of swapping information.

Start Networking Early

It's preferable to begin networking before you begin job hunting. If you establish your contacts early, you can better prepare for job searching and interviewing. You could ask your contacts what their job hunting experience was like and what approaches worked best for them. You could also ask them which approaches were least useful. This type of information is invaluable. It can save you a lot time while avoiding a lot of frustration.

Remember to Reciprocate

A good network connection is usually a connection that allows both parties involved to benefit. Rachel Solar-Tuttle, author of Table Talk, suggests that whenever you ask for something or meet with someone who could be a helpful contact, you should be thinking about how you can help that person in return. This technique allows the connection to feel like a genuine friendship. It also makes exchanging advice and information a more comfortable situation for both involved.