Tuesday, April 21, 2020

What to Include in Your Resume

What to Include in Your ResumeWhen you are writing a resume, there are a few things that you need to keep in mind. One of the first things that you need to do is figure out what skills that you have that can show potential employers. While it is true that there are a number of different skill areas that you can choose from, they don't all fit together well in one resume. So, if you are trying to find the right skills to highlight, then you should focus on one area at a time.One area that you may want to consider is the skill that you have as a researcher. If you have worked with a number of companies before, you might want to look into the kinds of projects that you have accomplished. It will be easier for you to show employers that you have good research skills by focusing on a single project, rather than five or ten projects over the years.Another area that you can focus on is your college courses. While you might not realize it, employers are looking for people who have taken clas ses in college that they can use. You may be surprised at the number of people who might be willing to hire someone who has studied the same subject as them. There is no reason for you to have to repeat everything that you have learned in college, especially if you did not need it.One other skill that you may want to focus on is your writing skills. Whether you are a reporter, a reporter and an editor, or an editor and a reporter, you might be interested in some of the stories that you have written over the years. If you have a number of writing jobs, you may be interested in sending out at least one resume that includes a number of different writing assignments. This is not only good for the career fair that you are going to be attending, but it is also great for the job search.Finally, another skill that you may want to focus on is the type of field that you are in. If you are working in a specific type of field, then you might want to concentrate on that area. In the same way, if you work in a medical field, then you may want to focus on that field as well. You do not want to show the same kind of knowledge that you have, but to show some different facts about your field.So, if you are getting ready to write your resume, you want to think about where you can use a new skill that you may have. You also want to think about areas where you have recently used your skills. These are two areas that you want to consider. If you think that you might have to send out a number of resumes, then you will want to think about the number of people that you will be talking to.The final thing that you need to remember when you are writing a resume is that you want to make sure that you focus on the important parts of your job history. If you are a report writer, then you are likely going to have a lot of ideas and concepts that you have written on your desk for many years. However, you should remember that this is a job where you are going to be going out to interview to ap ply for jobs.

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

Workers Happier Without Managers Zappos, Google Examples

Workers Happier Without Managers Zappos, Google Examples Companies like Zappos and Google have experimented with manager-less structures, but some evidence suggests that workers are happier with leaders. Could nixing the conventional management hierarchy be good for business â€" or is it simply too good to be true? Maybe Malcolm Gladwell was on to something when he said, “If everyone had to think outside the box, maybe it was the box that needed fixing.” In the context of this post, the hypothetical box is the traditional management hierarchy found in nearly every company across the globe. However, with the emergence of a more lax, flexible company culture, thanks to the tech boom, some companies are opting for a more “flat” approach when it comes to the org chart. One such company has even coined a term for and created an entire program around the manager-less structure: “holacracy.” Close Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. Holacracy Holacracy is “a complete, packaged system for self-management in organizations” that “replaces the traditional management hierarchy with a new peer-to-peer ‘operating system’ that increases transparency, accountability, and organizational agility,” according to HolacracyOne, founded by Brian Robertson and Tom Thomison. Traditional job titles and descriptions are replaced with “dynamic roles” that are defined by the work performed, rather than the title given. Moreover, the need to report or gain approval from a superior is non-existent, because everyone within the company is considered equal in ranking, and thus able to make meaningful decisions. Managing yourself seems like a dream come true, right? In a perfect world, yes. But we don’t live in a perfect world. Read More: 5 Jobs That Require You to Be a Jerk Going Manager-less in the Real (Working) World Zappos Zappos stirred up quite the controversy when it decided to adopt holacracy back in 2013. Although things got off to a slow and not-so-steady start, CEO Tony Hsieh says that he is sticking with the self-management system, despite it ultimately resulting in nearly 14 percent of his workforce opting for a severance package, versus sticking it out with the company and its new ways. According to CNBC, Hsieh did admit that he would have done one thing differently when implementing holacracy company-wide: he would have done it earlier. We’ll have to see if Hsieh is still gung-ho about holacracy next year, considering that Zappos fell off Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For ranking this year, “with scores on the publication’s employee survey down on 48 of 58 questions,” which is a first for the company in eight years. Google Even the founders of Google tried out a manager-less structure back in 2002, but quickly discovered that it simply didn’t turn out the way they had hoped. Google tested out a completely flat organization and eliminated engineering managers “in an effort to break down barriers to rapid idea development and to replicate the collegial environment they’d enjoyed in graduate school,” reports Harvard Business Review. Unfortunately, the dream of going manager-less quickly proved highly inefficient and unsuccessful, and Google canned the experiment just two months after it was implemented. More over, “the founders soon realized that managers contributed in many other, important waysâ€"for instance, by communicating strategy, helping employees prioritize projects, facilitating collaboration, supporting career development, and ensuring that processes and systems aligned with company goals.” Well, would you look at that! Read More: Should You Ever Ask to Be Laid Off? The Dream vs. The Reality Although it’d be ideal for everyone to not have to report to a boss, the reality is that not every professional is equipped to function effectively sans a manager/leader to guide him or her. Other breaks can occur in the organization when a manager-free structure is implemented. For instance, Deborah Ancona, a professor of management at MIT and author of X-teams: How to Build Teams That Lead, Innovate and Succeed, tells Fast Company that middle managers can end up feeling powerless as responsibilities are passed down to individuals in lower-ranking positions within the organization. “Even though people say you have more freedom now, if you have that set of middle managers who feel threatened, then they can be a bottleneck in moving in [the desired] direction,” she warns. Ancona goes on to say that innovation suffers when a flat structure is implemented, because employees will still feel the need to get approval or permission from the boss before doing anything. The culture is still stuck in its hierarchical ways; therefore, collaboration and innovation can suffer. Lastly, Ancona says that communication can get lost in the shuffle in an organization without managers. “Flatter organizations often have looser job descriptions, so sometimes it’s not always clear to those inside and outside the organizationâ€"customers and suppliersâ€"who’s in charge.” Read More: WalletHub: New Jersey Is 2016’s Best State For Teachers Different Strokes for Different Folks That’s not to say that going “flat” isn’t for certain companies â€" this isn’t one-size-fits-all. For instance, for small startups that have few employees who each wear multiple hats, it may be more effective to maintain a flat structure, creating a collaborative environment where everyone contributes to the whole. There’s nothing wrong with a bit of trial and error, but be sure to know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em when implementing new processes and procedures within your team, department, or company. Weighing the Options If management truly is an issue, then maybe companies would do better to invest in manager training. Ridding the organization of managers may work for some companies, but the vast majority (especally the larger and/or growing ones) seem to find that managers play a vital role in the success of the company â€" and they do. Still think nixing your boss is a swell idea? You may want to consider the alternative: the company functioning poorly, causing you to be laid off.

Friday, April 10, 2020

4 Tips For Becoming The Co-Worker Everyone Loves - Work It Daily

4 Tips For Becoming The Co-Worker Everyone Loves - Work It Daily Let’s make things clear: It's impossible for everyone in the workplace to be your close friend. It's possible, however, to grow positive working relationships with them. So, what do we mean when we say positive relationships? Related: How To Be More Likeable At Work: 10 Things To Do Today Every employee dreams of working in an environment where positivity resonates. Where people are supportive of each other. Where you feel motivated to work hard, not to mention score a perfect attendance, because your colleagues are encouraging. We all aspire to be apart of a team made up of awesome people. How do you ensure now, that you, yourself, are a good colleague to your teammates? You know you need to attract pleasant treatment before you receive it. With that, here are a few tips for becoming the co-worker everyone loves: 1. Be Pleasant Remember the golden rule? Don’t do to others what you don’t want others do unto you. This also rings true in the workplace. If you treat people around you coldly, and refuse to share even a smile, then you could as well expect your colleagues to seem distant. Although people will have varying attitudes, they can still work together well. It takes open-mindedness to survive and thrive in such environment. So, learn to look past differences. Accept others as they are. Show kindness. It will be returned in situations you need it the most. 2. Be Innovative It is easy to live on your own while in the workplace - minding your own tasks, limiting talks with your colleagues and going straight to home after work. Your motivation to go to office everyday is the paycheck you receive. You comply to what you’re told to do, but do not really extend efforts going beyond what is expected of you. If there's anything you want to explore in addition to the tasks assigned to you, let your boss know. Volunteer to assist your colleagues who might be able to use extra hands. If the resources given you are not enough, then take the initiative looking for more. Consult your colleagues; ask your boss. Nobody wants someone who depends on spoon feeding. 3. Respect The Bosses They can sometimes be difficult. They, sometimes, reach out to the team as though they’re on the same rank with them. Bosses are not created equal. They may be using different approaches to inspire their team. There are times when you would find their rules too stringent, or perhaps lax. However, they act. Remember, they are your superiors, your leaders. Even if, at times, you might find their behavior uncalled for, never speak negatively about them to your colleagues. If there is anything you need to say, tell it straight to them. This is not to say that you smarm your boss, however, it would help that they have a positive impression toward you. 4. Sustain Healthy Competition How do you look at your workplace? Is it something you see as a battlefield, with all your colleagues as your enemies? Is it a place you call your second home with people you deem as your other family? Is it a haunted mansion with everyone around acting like zombies? It's okay to be competitive. But to aspire for progress so much that you’re already building barriers from your colleagues can be harmful. You are a team still, and to get ahead doesn’t mean you’d need to leave people behind or hanging. Do your best while reaching out in any way you can to your colleagues. This post was originally published at an earlier date. Related Posts How To Build Positive Workplace Relationships Workplace Rehab: How To Get Along With Your Co-Workers Why You Should Connect With Co-Workers On Social Media Photo Credit: Shutterstock Have you joined our career growth club?Join Us Today!