Tag Archive | help others

Holiday Tips for Job Seekers

Dec6

I just read an article on job hunting in December.  The article said how December is a great time to look for a new job.  I was surprised by this information; as I always thought the end of the year was a bad time to look for a new job.  Here is what I gleaned from the article.

  1. Many companies are finalizing their budgets for the upcoming year, and will be adding staff. Now is a good time to get your resume in front of a hiring manager for the New Year.  Most companies work on a calendar year basis, as opposed to a fiscal year.
  2. Get out and socialize. Parties, industry events and gatherings provide a great opportunity to mix and mingle with potential employers.
  3. Your completion level drops off in December. Most job seekers don’t want to bother with their job search during the holidays.  You will more likely get noticed when the competition thins out.
  4. Reconnect with old contacts. I have a list of recruiters who I have dealt with in the past.  I have shared this list with many others, and suggest they reconnect with them now.  In my opinion, during a job search you can never have too many recruiters working for you.  You have to take the initiative, and call them regularly.  New opportunities come in all the time, and now is a great time to let them know you are in the market for a new job.

Here are several of my own suggestions for a successful job search.

Reach out to former employers.  I recently read that nearly 50% of jobs are found through networking.  Be actively engaged on LinkedIn.  If you are interested in working for a particular company, sign up on their website for job opening notifications.

In mid-2013, I found out my position was being eliminated.  I was bummed out because this was my dream job.  The employer asked me to stay on for two months to help out with the transition.  I was happy to oblige.  During those two months I sent out LinkedIn invitations to every one of my co-workers who were on LinkedIn.  I also asked if any of my current co-workers knew of any employers looking for people.  I got very positive feedback, and doubled the amount of my LinkedIn connections.  I also asked people to endorse my skills.  Some of these wonderful folks wrote nice recommendations for me.   We live in a digital age, and having a good LinkedIn profile is crucial.

If you are currently unemployed, do volunteer work.  Having large gaps on your resume will hurt you.  You will be helping others in your community, and this may lead to potential jobs.  I work full time and volunteer with two local organizations.  I visit with an elderly gentleman every week, and teach financial literacy to high school students.   Being unemployed can be depressing, helping others makes you feel good.

Last but not least, try and help others who are looking for work if you can.  If you see that one of your LinkedIn connections knows a person at a company you are interested in, ask for an introduction.

Sitting on the couch eating Christmas cookies and drinking eggnog is great during the holidays, but don’t let that be the only thing you do.

How not to be a rotten boss-by a former boss-Part two

Nov8

I should know when I write late at night I am bound to forget something.  I wanted to add a few things to my previous post of the same name from November 7th.

So here we go.

  1. Be fair to all of your staff. I cannot stand favoritism, especially in the work place.  Any boss who blatantly favors one employee over another needs to be bitch slapped.  I always feel warm and fuzzy when the boss is saying how so and so should be cloned because they are so flipping wonderful. Really? Who says crap like that to their staff? Oh wait, that would be a rotten boss, oh never mind.
  2. Upper management really needs to get a clue. If your customers, employees, etc., complain about a boss’s horrid behavior, you need to take note.  It’s expensive to train people, and good workers are hard to come by. It’s especially galling when upper management (owner level) witness firsthand the terrible behavior and chose to do nothing. And they wonder why they have a huge employee turnover.
  3. Do right by your staff. The last time I managed others, I was promoted after the VP of finance was fired.  The accounting person had been working her butt off for the last five years for this company. But she had only gotten one raise.  The first thing I did was get her $1.50 an hour increase.  It was difficult because management thought she was being paid accordingly.  She most certainly was not.  This person had been through many management changes and was constantly having her workload increased. By the time I left that position two years later, I had gotten her hourly rate increased by $3.50 per hour.  She was a hard worker, and made my job easier.
  4. Do realize you are no better than the people you manage. I always tell my staff in the beginning that I’m no better than they are; I just have more education and experience. People really do appreciate that honesty.  If you work well for me, I’ll do everything in my power to help you.
  5. Never raise your voice to your staff. Once your voice goes up, the person will tune you out.  If you have a problem employee, work with them. They are not your children to be yelled at.  It doesn’t work.
  6. Your staff can hurt you. If you treat them poorly, do you really think they give a fig about what happens to you? Come down off your high horse, and just be a decent human being.
  7. Last but not least, be decent to everyone. I’ve always made it my policy to be nice to everyone in the company.  You never know when they might be your boss at your next job.