New Kid on the Block?

You are starting anew where relationships have already been formed and you are the only one who can’t find the restroom, doesn’t know where the break room is, and doesn’t know not to talk to the bosses until they had their first cup of coffee.  There’s so much to learn in addition to the duties related to the position you were hired for. It can be very overwhelming.

Here are some tips to help you get ready:

If it’s possible take some time off between jobs — maybe a week or two. You’ll need this time to separate from your previous workplace. Leaving co-workers behind can be very difficult. The number of hours spent at work far exceeds the number of hours spent anywhere else. The relationships, good and bad, are usually very strong ones. Sometimes it can be very cozy, and other times it can be like a big dysfunctional family. You may not always like those you work with; sometimes you can barely tolerate them. But, you do get used to being around the same people day after day.

Take the time you have before you begin your new position to do some research, like you did for your interview.  Learn all you can about your new employer. Learn about their product lines, their philosophies, and their corporate culture, and everything in between. Call around to see if anyone in your network or career services knows any of your future co-workers and ask that person to introduce you prior to your first day. Wouldn’t it be nice to see a friendly face when you walk through the door on your first day?

Plan what you’re going to wear during the first week of work. Remember, you’ll want to wear your most conservative outfits to start off, until you figure out what’s appropriate and what isn’t. See what needs to be washed and ironed, and what needs to be replaced. This will save you from having to take care of those things when you may be coming home tired. That first week of a new job can be physically and emotionally exhausting.

Plan the route you’ll take to work as well as some alternate routes. Should there be traffic, or if a train line is out of service, you’ll be glad you did this.

These simple tips can save you a headache, help you with adjusting, help you become a better employee, and professional. Remember, there is not such thing as being overly prepared.

Professional Manners & Habits

 

Here are ten simple but GREAT tips from Harvey Mckay about proper and more productive workplace behavior and professionalism:

 

1. Watch your language.  Crude language, naughty jokes, and insensitive comments don’t belong in the workplace.  If you question whether something is safe to say, it probably isn’t.
2. Don’t criticize or complain in public.  Trashing a colleague, customer, boss, or previous employers where others can hear makes you look unprofessional.  If you have a problem, deal with it in private.
3. Stay cool.  Take a moment to collect your thoughts and control your emotions before responding to a difficult co-worker or an annoying situation.  If you gain a reputation for losing your temper, few people will want to work with you.
4. Use technology appropriately.  While email helps avoid face-to-face confrontations, it’s still important to maintain a civil tone in your communications.  Think twice before you hit the send button, and use the “reply all” feature sparingly.  Make sure the recipient of your forwarded jokes, recipes or celebrity gossip really welcomes that computer clutter.
5. Respond as promptly as possible to requests and questions.  Making co-workers wait for answers unnecessarily disrupts their schedules.  If someone is relying on you for information, be cooperative.
6. Minmize interruptions to others.  Ask “May I interrupt you?” or “Is this a convenient time for a question?”  And if someone barges into your office when you are especially busy, politely ask when you can get back to them.
7. Leave a signed note when leaving something on a co-worker’s desk.  Leave a note when borrowing items too.  Be sure to return items when you finish with them.
8.  Be aware of the workloads of other staff.  Remember, just because it’s a priority for you doesn’t mean it’s a priority for others.  And when you have a lull in your schedule, the person in the next cubicle may have just been assigned a major project.
9. Remember to say “please” and “thank you.”   So basic, but so important.
10. Respect each other.  Leave paper in the copy machine.  Clean up after yourself in the break room.  Don’t pry into personal information.  Beware of office gossip.

Please comment below and tell us your office stories of manners, issues,  blunders or anything else.

How to Interview a Potential Employer

Find out as much as you can about the company you may work for before you go to the interview. It could save you time and frustration down the line.

We all know to have questions prepared when we head into an interview. It makes us look interested and on the ball. But the list of questions you ask a potential employer should be as much about you interviewing them, as them interviewing you.

What’s it All About

All titles were not created equal. Just because you think you know what the position is all about, doesn’t mean the responsibilities will be the same. Dig deep when it comes to the details of your potential position.

Examples:

• What role does your department play in the overall organization? You may be surprised how differently work flows in different organizations.
• How many times has this position changed hands? A high number may indicate the supervising manager cannot be pleased or is not a good leader.

Where’s it Going

This position may be perfect for the here and now; but what about tomorrow? Make sure your potential company fits into your long-term career goals.

Examples:

• What is a typical career path for someone in this position? Think twice about a company that cannot lay out a clear growth path for you.
• Does the company promote from within? You will only be able to follow a career path if the company believes in growing employee’s skill sets and responsibilities.

What’s in it for Me

Salary negotiations are the worst. There’s no getting around that fact. But be sure you don’t miss the important—smaller—details in an effort to close the deal. They can make a big difference in your final paycheck.

Examples:

• Does the company have a health plan? If so, what percentage of the premium does the company cover? Don’t forget to factor your portion of this cost into your mental salary calculations—it will affect your take-home pay.
• Does the company contribute to a 401(k) or similar retirement plan?
• If bonuses have been mentioned as part of your compensation package, what criteria will be used to determine eligibility? Does the bonus depend on your performance only, or does the department or company performance play a part?

How’s it Going

Understand how the company is performing, and how it views itself. Are you joining a winning organization or a sinking ship?

Examples:

• Is the company living up to the vision and mission? (You should already know the mission and vision from being prepared for the interview)
• Companies have personalities. Make sure yours matches by asking your prospective boss and others at the company how they would describe an ideal company employee.

Looking before you leap can help ensure you don’t land in the wrong place; right back where you started, in a job that wasn’t a good fit. Besides, you’re worth every penny and perk the company is offering you!

Source: www.careerealism.com

Are You Annoying During Your Job Search?

With employers being flooded with candidates for any job they post, it’s more important than ever to make sure you understand how your behavior may look on the other side of the hiring desk. Here are the top pet peeves that we see and hear from job applicants.

1. Not asking questions. Employers want to know that you’re interested in the details of the job, the department you’ll be working in, your prospective supervisor’s management style, and the culture of the organization. Otherwise, you’re signaling that you’re either not that interested or just haven’t thought very much about it.  
Good questions to ask:
•  Why is this position open?
•  What are the biggest challenges this position will face?
•  What would a successful first year in the position look like?
•  What would make the performance for this position so outstanding?
•  How would you describe the culture here?
•  How would you describe your management style?
•  When do you expect to make a hiring decision?

 

2. Stalking the Employer(s). Being enthusiastic and proactive is good. But calling more than once a week, emailing obsessively, or following up over and over crosses the line into annoying and may kill your chance at an offer.

 

3. Showing up without an appointment. Most companies include specific instructions about how they want you to apply, and unless “in person” is included, don’t do it. Hiring managers are busy and want you to follow instructions and respect their time.

4. Being a jerk when you don’t get the job.  Responding with an angry email to express disbelief or outrage that you didn’t get the job, not only does looks naive, entitled, and rude, it ruins your chances of ever being considered by that employer again. Not a good idea.

 

 

If you need help with anything or have questions, please contact your career rep – we are here to hold your hand and help you through one step at a time.

We would love to hear stories and experiences – share yours now!

10 Job Hunting Tips For Those With a “Past”

If you have any type of past that may cause employment issues – DON’T WORRY, it is achievable!

Majority of companies perform background checks or credit checks on job applicants. It can be very difficult for most employers to get past something on an applicant’s record, so be prepared for rejection. You also have to realize you are starting over fresh and must begin the laborious process of gathering experience and gaining society’s trust. Here are some suggestions for getting back to employment:

1. First, consult legal council about the possibility of getting your record expunged, sealed, reduced or whatever the case may be. These actions may not be available for every case, but it is definitely worth looking into. Ask Career Services for more details and help to point you in the right direction.

2. Contact local human services organizations in your area to see if they offer programs and support. Also, don’t forget you have student services and career services here for help to network in the community.

3. Now is not the time to be picky. Take whatever job you can to start rebuilding your experience and credibility. Take the job and use it as an opportunity to showcase good job performance and to rebuild your experience and others’ trust in you.

4. Look to personal contacts and friends to help you get a job, someone who knows you will not be as wary to take a chance on you. Again, you have a whole career team dedicated to your success. You can always utilize those who you know in school too.

5. Seek employment with small and local companies. We promote looking for jobs with small companies and independent businesses and employers, instead of major chains. Local businesses may have less stringent hiring requirements and are more willing to give you a chance.

6. Consider self-employment. We encourage everyone to look into entrepreneurship. You can be your own employer with the skills you obtain from our colleges.

7. Be honest and upfront but don’t put it on your resume. Each case is different so talk to your career rep and see what the best way to disclose it is. Most applications will require you to indicate your past. If the question is not on the application, you don’t want to let the process go too long without coming clean. You should let them know early on that you have a “record” because it will show up in the background check or credit check. Again, check with your career rep to see the best way for your specific situation.

8. Be professional and confident. Your resume is like an ad in the newspaper and yoU are the ‘product,’ you have to go in and ‘sell’ yourself. Some employers will take a chance if there is a nice presentation.

9. Don’t harbor false hope. It’s going to be hard. Having anything on your background or credit is a real obstacle for some employers, you may be rejected but don’t give up because it is possible!

10. Seek emotional support. You have a family community here with us and we are here to support you. You just have to utilize us. Whether it’s family, close friends, or anyone here at school, you will need to talk to someone for encouragement. Having that support system will help you stay focused and motivated when you feel discouraged.

Contact Career Services today to get started on the right track to your new career!

Online Reputation Protection

Many fail to look beyond the search engine of today, toward what the implications of indexing and storing information will have on future generations. Forget the slogan “diamonds are forever” — “Search engines are forever” is more accurate in regard to the Internet. If something is online, it does not just “go away”. Like it or not, the entire world is being indexed and categorized, and will be searchable for years to come.

Individuals today have a personal brand. Employers and colleagues will search on your name, so it is imperative that you keep this in mind when posting online. You must control your online reputation.

Monitor Your Brand

The first step in monitoring your brand is to setup automated notifications within the various search engines, either via email or an RSS feed. This way, you will know when you are being discussed, either in favorable or unfavorable terms. For example, the “Google Alerts” feature is a free service that will send email notifications to you when specific words or phrases appear in new search results. Simply use your name, company name, product name, or brand as the phrase being monitored. Ego Feeds work in a similar fashion, except the alerts appear in a custom created RSS feed that updates whenever new mentions occur. For more information about Ego Feeds, see a related article here. 

Control Your Brand

The second step in protecting your brand is to take a pro-active approach to appearing in the top search results when your name is entered into a search engine. You can do this by offering interviews, reviews, SEO, and writing articles or posting blog entries. At the very least, make an effort to control the top search results for your name. This will ensure that when your personal brand is searched, those items will be listed in the top 10 search results.

Damage Control

If you find something that is damaging or harmful, do damage control. Control your responses, and behave in a professional manner so it is clear that you took the high road when the exchange is viewed by others at a later time.

Social

The final bit of advice is to simply keep personal things personal. While the social sites are great for maintaining friendships, they are not helpful for people who have an occasional lapse in judgment. Refrain from posting pictures that show anything that you would not want your mother or future grandchildren to see, or saying anything when you are mad or upset since we often say things “in the heat of battle” that we regret later.

The Internet is preserving and archiving personal history in a way that has never previously happened. Control your online reputation for posterity becase a good reputation is more valuable than money.

Make It Or Break It Moments Of Interviews

In every job interview, there are “make-it-or-break-it” moments.

Of course, there are highly important aspects before (research) and after (follow up) the interview but today we’ll focus on winning your initial interview with each employer.

1. Entrance

Nothing is more important than your first impression. Arriving on time, a firm handshake, shoulders back, eye contact, the ability to make effective small-talk until you sit down, and more… all matter. Why? Because failing in any of these areas shows a lack of confidence and/or respect for the employer – NOT a great way to start an interview.

2. Conversation

The primary goal for this critical part of the interview is to turn the “interrogation”… into a conversation. Just two people talking… in a relaxed, sincere, “I like this person” kind of way. When you’ve accomplished this goal, and are truly engaging with the employer, you’re well on your way to nailing the interview.

Articulating why you are the right person for the job makes the employer’s  decision that much easier while leaving no doubt you have the confidence to step right into the role.

3. Questions

At some point, the employer is going to ask: “Do you have any questions of me?” – and you better be ready. Saying “no” implies you aren’t interested. Saying “Not at this time, we covered everything” shows you haven’t done your homework. Asking questions easily found online demonstrates a lack of passion and creativity. Inquiring about the exact compensation and benefits indicates you are worried mostly about yourself.

At this critical point in the interview, you should ask three types of questions, in no particular order:

1. A question about the employers’ personal experience with the company (“What do you enjoy about working for this company?”)
2. A question specific to the job or project (“In my first 60 days in this role, how would we measure my success? How can I make the most impact?”
3.  A question about the company and its future (“I see your competition, ABC Company, has rolled out a new product line; short-term, how will we contend with their launch?)

Please note the use of “us” and “we” in the questions – and the lack of “I” and “me”.

4. Closing

You’ve made a good first impression in what has become an engaging, two-way conversation. You’ve clearly stated why you’re perfect for the position and asked impeccable questions. And then you shake hands and say “Thanks for the interview, hope to hear from you soon!”

Wrong!

Each interview is an opportunity for you to “close” the deal; to not only help the employer make a decision about your candidacy, but also to get them to commit to next steps. For instance, you may ask, “How do I compare to other candidates?” Or, you may ask “Do you have any reservations about my ability to do this job well, or to fit in well with the existing team?” After getting answers to either or both of those questions, ask one more: “What are next steps with my application… and how soon will you be making your decision?”

This “never fails” closing questions are sure to create a positive “last” impression as you leave their office!

Anticipating, preparing for and successfully executing a strategy for these defining job interview moments shows the employer you are thoroughly prepared for the interview. More important, these interview tactics set you apart from 95% of your competition – and places you that much closer to job search success!

Source: TheSavvyIntern @ youtern.com