The successful business manager needs skills and talent.
Managerial skills can easily be developed as time passes through experience, mentoring, and training. However, when referring to natural talent, this is definitely something that cannot be obtained.
Productive companies will always invest a lot of money in developing and identifying truly effective managers. If this is the type of job that you are after, you should know that the following traits are necessary.
This is one crucial attribute that so many managers actually lack these days.
Most companies will promote those employees that have great individual results. The problem is that a really good salesperson will rarely be a really good manager. The true leader will always be able to inspire trust, delegate responsibility, and provide direction. A manager won't be a "leader" if they cannot perfectly perform these three tasks.
While leadership skills can be gained in time, the innately talented manager will actually be able to gain all that he or she needs to be a true leader in a short period of time. This is something that is a lot more important than what many believe at the moment. Every single successful business manager out there is a leader who takes the team he or she manages and makes it work better, faster, and more effectively.
It is very important for the manager to have really strong communication skills. It is not enough to show that you appreciate your employees. You need to properly highlight what you want from them so that everything can go smoothly.
The effective manager has to be able to properly decipher, understand, and then relate the vision of the organization to the employees so that productivity is maintained. If communication is ineffective, employees will not understand what the manager tells them. This can lead to so many different problems in the future, and such a chain reaction can have a devastating effect on the profit of any company.
If you need help figuring out your communication style at work, take this FREE quiz. It helps you determine your communication style, and how you can use it to your advantage in the workplace.
Business rarely goes exactly as you initially envisioned it. The successful manager has the ability to adapt.
This is something that makes him/her really effective at the job. If the manager can adapt to the circumstances that are unexpected, the entire team will achieve more success in the future. This also means that a successful manager has the necessary creative thinking skills to find a new solution to any problem that may appear.
You cannot have employees that remain still when referring to the skills that they have. Any financial blog on the internet will tell you that an effective manager will make sure that employees improve and that they become better at the job that is done.
Developing other people basically involves cultivating talents and then motivating them to channel gained talents towards increasing productivity.
It's a shame to see that there are still managers who do not understand the importance of networking. A manager needs to establish good relationships with potential clients and employees. Those employees who feel they are valued will always be more effective and will put in the extra effort that can bring in better results at the end of the day.
When building a relationship with an employee, it is really important that the manager showcases empathy and trust in the ability of the team. This is something that helps everyone enjoy working under the guidance of the specific team leader. Make sure that you know as much as possible about the employees—their strong points, and their weak points.
The effective manager is the one who knows the problems that he or she has and constantly works on solving them. Career development is a huge part of career success in this job and in any other job. You need to develop in order to be able to lead employees.
If you remain at the same level, the entire team remains at the same level. That manager that continues to grow will eventually learn how to use the above-mentioned natural talents in order to make the team work flawlessly and even encourage the employees to do the same thing.
The manager who never develops is basically bound to eventually lag behind as he or she cannot adapt to the market. This and adaptability go hand-in-hand. You cannot have one without the other.
Try to improve as much as possible with every single project that you do and always be truthful to yourself about the flaws that you have. Work on them as soon as possible and your team members will see that you put in the effort to change.
It is so much harder to be an effective manager than we think. There is this belief that you can simply learn how to be a great leader in college. This is definitely not the case. Many of the really successful managers from around the world did not have formal training. You need to be sure that you constantly grow. That is, most likely, the most important trait to have if you want to be a great leader.
Struggling to land a leadership position? We can help!
Check out our FREE resources page!
Or, join our career growth club today and get access to one-on-one career coaching, resume and cover letter reviews, online tutorials, and unlimited networking opportunities—all in your back pocket!
If you want more FREE career advice, follow us on TikTok!
This article was originally published at an earlier date.
Maybe you like your job, but you’re just not where you want to be financially. What do you do? Apply for a position with a different company? Or approach your boss and ask for a salary increase?
The ability to negotiate a salary increase can place you in a better financial position: extra money can help you qualify for mortgage loans or refinancing, or if you’re trying to build a rainy day fund, a raise can jump-start these efforts. However, it’s important to research and know your value before approaching your boss.
In other words, you can only approach the conversation with a fair number in mind—based on the average salary for professionals in your industry with your experience and skill set. Of course, it isn’t enough to only research your value. You need to know the best ways to approach your boss.
Here are four things you should never say when asking for a raise:
Some employees think they can get the upper hand by threatening to quit their job. However, this isn’t recommended, even if you’re prepared to follow through with the threat. Remember, the goal is to get on your manager’s good side, not tick them off. If you approach the meeting with an abrupt or aggressive attitude, your boss may not respond favorably—they may actually call your bluff!
A better approach is to explain how much you enjoy your work. Let your boss know that you're interested in growing with the company. Next, state your argument for a salary increase. Be professional and keep your negotiations brief.
If you learn that a co-worker in a similar position earns more than you, don’t mention this when speaking with your boss. There may be valid reasons why your co-worker earns more. Maybe they have an advanced degree, or maybe they took additional courses to improve their skill set. Then again, maybe they have more experience than you. Don’t immediately assume that your employer is giving you the short end of the stick.
Rather than bring up a co-worker's salary, you could say:
"I've been researching the going rate for this position, and the average salary for workers with my education and experience is _____. I feel that I've been doing a great job and would like to discuss increasing my salary."
Don’t ask your boss for a raise out of the blue, and you certainly shouldn’t ask during a meeting on an unrelated topic. Once you’ve completed your research, schedule an appointment to meet with your boss privately. Additionally, prepare for this meeting by practicing responses. In all likelihood, your boss will question why you want a salary increase. The way you answer this question can determine the outcome.
Prior to this meeting, compile a list of all your accomplishments during the last 12 months. When your boss questions your reasons, be ready to run down this list and mention any other selling points. For example, you can mention any classes you've recently taken, and if it's been years since your last raise, bring this to your manager's attention.
Do you have debt? Do you need to complete repairs around your house? Was your spouse laid off? These are all valid reasons to negotiate a salary increase. Understand, however, that your personal problems are not your manager’s problems. They no doubt will empathize or sympathize with your situation, but you shouldn’t expect them to automatically fix your problems by increasing your salary. Not that you shouldn’t ask for a higher salary, but keep the focus on your performance.
You could say:
"In the past ___ months I've taken on several new responsibilities (list them), and I know that you were satisfied with many of my suggestions and changes."
Getting paid your worth can improve job satisfaction. And if you’re already completing assignments outside your job description, why not take a chance and approach your boss? They just might comply with your request. Just remember to avoid making these four mistakes when asking for the raise you deserve!
Need help with your career?
Didn’t get the job? Rejection isn’t easy, but it’s important to leverage the progress you’ve already made with this company. In fact, this is a great opportunity for you to build a professional relationship with the hiring manager and keep things moving forward in the event another opportunity arises.
You want this person to be your advocate in the event another role opens up. Even though you didn’t get the job, you should take steps to keep moving forward. You want to use this opportunity to reinforce that you’re still interested in working for the company and that you’re willing to work toward becoming a better fit.
Here are some things you need to do if you didn't get the job:
Even if you didn’t get the job, it’s important to thank the people who took the time to talk with you, interview you, and help you get that far in the process. They will respect you for it and appreciate the gesture. Not only that, but sending a brief thank you note after getting rejected from a job will allow you to stand out, and it will help you further your professional relationships within the company.
Hiring isn’t easy, and rejecting people isn’t a piece of cake either. Let this person know that you understand the decision and thank them for considering you for the role. Who knows, if this person doesn’t work out, they might call you up and bring you in since you’re a “warm lead” for the role. Or, they might have a different opening they feel you might be a better fit for. That’s why it’s important to be thankful, positive, and supportive, even though you didn’t receive the offer. The truth is, you just never know what will happen!
If they know you’re deeply passionate about what they do, they’ll know you’re in it for more than just the money and that, if hired, you have the potential to stay at the company for a while. That’s why it’s important to reinforce why you feel so strongly about working for this particular company. So, share your “connection story” with the company, showcase a shared belief you have with the company, or share a personal experience that taught you the value of what that company does.
Make it easy for this person to help you by asking the right questions. Remember, they’ve already gotten to know you, they know you want to work there, and they know you’re willing to do whatever it takes to get the opportunity. You’re a “warm lead” at this point, so you want to make it as easy as possible for them to choose you over someone else. Ask questions like...
If you can find out what you need to do in order to “check off” all of the boxes, then you’ll make your candidacy more attractive in the event another opportunity opens up.
In order to keep this relationship moving forward, you need to ask for it. Being proactive in this situation is critical. Otherwise, your future with the company might be left up to someone else, which is a risky chance to take. Make sure you ask to stay in touch. For example, you could say something like…
“What’s the best way for me to stay in touch with you? I want to be proactive and stay on your radar for future opportunities. I really want to work for your company but I want to earn my place there.”
They’ll appreciate your proactiveness and your willingness to take ownership of the process—on their terms. It will also give you clear next steps on how you should keep this relationship moving forward.
So, remember: even if you didn’t get the job today, there’s still an opportunity to get the job tomorrow. “No, not today” doesn’t mean “no, not ever.” Leverage the progress you’ve made with this company and keep working your stuff!
Need help finding a job?
My grandparents owned a two-story walkup in Brooklyn, New York. When I was a child, my cousins and I would take turns asking each other questions, Trivial Pursuit style. If we got the question correct, we moved up one step on the staircase. If we got the question wrong, we moved down one step. The winner was the person who reached the top landing first. While we each enjoyed serving as the “master of ceremonies on 69th Street,” peppering each other with rapid-fire questions, I enjoyed the role of maestro the most of all my cousins. I suppose I was destined to be an educator.
I think some of us, like me, go into teaching because a part of us likes being that helper who is also the center of attention, the sage. This is how we get our fix. However, what I did not realize when I first became a teacher, but understand now, is that it is not about how much knowledge I have as a teacher but how well I can help others not only process and retain information but also develop their own intellectual curiosity.
If the goal of schooling is for every student to learn, these would be the 10 facts about teaching that I would want every teacher to know as they embark on their professional journey:
Less teacher and more student. In my consulting practice, I like to joke with teachers that they should come to school tired from planning and students should leave school tired from thinking/doing. Within lesson plans, the teacher should consider how they will engage students individually and collectively in peer-to-peer discussion. Plan out rigorous guiding questions to anchor these student discussions. As teachers, ask yourself when planning if you must be the one presenting content or if students can learn the same content independently and vis-à-vis their classmates. Instead of presenting the content, spend time curating resources that students will need to analyze the content. Ensure that resources will resonate with students be that by interest and/or cultural background.
Meet students where they are in their learning. Use quick checks on understanding during instruction to decide if you should pause to clarify content/vocabulary and eliminate any student misconceptions. Instead, so many of us charge ahead with our lesson plans, despite evidence that students are not retaining information, fearful that we will not “get through” the curriculum, particularly at the middle and high school levels. However, if we speed through content and students remain befuddled what good then was this exercise? Paper and pencil tests, as well as other formal summative assessments, are important indicators of learning but only after the fact. Use checks on understanding during learning when there is still time to affect student learning outcomes. Even when teaching older students and adults, never assume that students “should” know something.
Plan for it in advance! When designing lessons, consider everything and/or anything that could go wrong when delivering it. Will students not understand what they are supposed to do? Make sure then to craft a how-to document or anchor chart. Will students bicker when working in pairs or groups? Ensure that you provide students with accountable talking stems. Will some students during group work do all the physical and cognitive heavy lifting and others not? Then, assign each group member an individual role or task. Don’t wait for a student to approach you with their questions and/or concerns. Even adults do not like to “look stupid.” Use checks for understanding and more formal assessments to determine student needs upfront.
Your students change every year. So should how you teach. Therefore, you need to create a lesson plan for each lesson every year. This point is related to the second one. While the core content being taught may remain the same from year to year, hence justifying the use of a specific curriculum or textbook over a period of several years, how ready students are in accessing that content will vary from year to year and by student to student. You may need to provide academic scaffolds and supports in any given year (much like the physical scaffolds that support a building while it is being built) to ensure that students not yet ready to meet a learning objective can, ultimately, reach that objective without that learning intention being dumbed down. Conversely, you may have several students within a given year who require additional enrichment.
If Muhammed won't come to the mountain, then the mountain should go to Muhammed. Making learning relevant to students is important. Draw upon student background knowledge and interests when introducing new concepts. Allow students some choice in how they are to learn a particular concept and/or idea as well as how they demonstrate their knowledge of content and/or skills. Use your scholarship data to determine if certain students are not complying because they might be either bored or frustrated with the content. If a student tells you that they are struggling in learning material a certain way, be open to changing instructional practices to better align with the student’s learning profile.
Often, when we start our careers in education, particularly those interested in teaching high school students, we have a narrow concept of what our role is going to be—teacher of social studies, science, math, etc. Granted, too much focus on assessments in math and ELA, particularly, reinforces this concept unnecessarily. Still, philosophically, educators of all content areas and grade levels are in the unprecedented position of having real impact in supporting all aspects of a student’s development. Do you help students develop life skills in critical thinking, self-analysis, collaboration, and communication, for example, while also teaching content? How might students hone their social-emotional skills through the learning activities that you design? While some of our students might pursue careers within the content area we teach, the majority will not. But that does not mean that we don’t have profound impact for good, or bad; this depends on how we make students feel about their learning. I wish I could have a “do-over” with a few students whom I feel I failed.
I would be rich if I had earned even a quarter for each time, as a consultant, I encountered a locked classroom door in an upper school and saw windows looking into classrooms covered over with pieces of paper. Instead, be curious about learning best practices from colleagues. Remember the goal is to help all students learn. This means we need to be consistently considering “how” we teach—the processes through which we ask students to learn and the materials and models for learning that we use. Consider peer walkthroughs, engage in data-informed professional learning communities, involve yourself in a collaborative book study, and participate in looking at student work protocols with your co-teachers. Replicate best practices in your classroom. If the administration has not set up the systems and/or processes to allow for these activities, at a minimum, find an accountability partner/master teacher in whose class you may sit and observe and with whom you can share teaching ideas. If we ask students to be curious and to engage in learning, we, too, need to be models for this practice.
Yes, you can kill through too much kindness. You can't go vote, attend college with, or join in on job interviews with your students. Don’t create learned helplessness. Students need to think critically for themselves. Don't tell students what to think but pose cognitively deep-guiding questions and set up conditions/discussion protocols to help students develop skills around how to think/metacognition. Ensure that learning tasks are intellectually rigorous, respectful, and make thinking visible. Even elementary students can work independently and collaboratively. Assess what students know and still do not know as they work, and then reengage to address any misconceptions.
As a teacher and trainer of teachers, I often will cold call on people to respond to a question prompt. I also have learners select the next person to answer. I recognize that this raises stress levels. But that is not in itself bad when it comes to teaching and learning. And training adults is not so different from teaching children in this regard. Requiring learner “presence” gives one a truer sense of what is and is not resonating and it provides learner accountability. Growth comes from engagement with ideas, people, and resources in addition to self-reflection and extension of our boundaries.
Reading, writing, and speaking are crucial skills to have if we are to communicate effectively. If students do not understand key vocabulary, text details that support a claim, or even the author’s point of view/inferences, how can they ever realistically learn the specific academic content you are teaching? Know your students’ readiness levels as it pertains to literacy and make accommodations to content, process, and/or student product accordingly.
If you are struggling in increasing student achievement, chances are that you can further hone your current teaching practices in one or more of the above areas. To learn how to do this, please feel free to reach out to me at John Schembari, Ed.D. | LinkedIn!
Balancing a career and family is a common concern for most individuals. However, it’s important to realize the smallest of changes can produce the strongest of impacts.
I’ve often worked jobs that required evening and weekend hours. The question is: What can we do?
When you wake up in the morning, don’t jump out of bed for your workout immediately, or drag yourself to the washroom. Sit up straight, relax, and close your eyes. Say to yourself, “I am grateful for those who support me, believe in me, and are always there for me.” Say this with a deep breath in between each time you say it, and I recommend saying it for a full five minutes. When you open your eyes and look at everything around you—keep that moment of gratitude with you, throughout your day, reminding yourself how you can’t wait to get home to your loving family.
Begin your day by stretching with your family and doing some physical activity together. All you need is 10 minutes. You’ve accomplished a two-for-one: physical activity and family time!
On your shared streaming service, make a playlist of your family’s favorite music. When you take a break at work or feel a negative moment getting the best of you, listen to that music, think about your family, and regain your focus. Music is a powerful voice and has the ability to affect our mindset. Your family playlist will energize you and improve your mood.
At least once a day, call or text your significant other or your kids and repeat Stevie Wonder: “I just called to say I love you, I just called to say how much I care.” Let your family know they are always in your thoughts. Even in the face of a big deadline or an important meeting, that moment will relax you and make your family smile!
Discuss with your boss his/her expectations of you in regards to your time and your position to foster a mutual and clear understanding of your role. Should your role involve evening/weekend hours, and tasks such as answering emails, working from home, or extra time needed for special projects, establish a strategy and discuss with your boss how to meet these expectations so you don’t feel overwhelmed and pulled between your family and your job. If you are a new parent, have family members who require special needs, or have personal circumstances which require attention, bring these up as necessary, so if you have to leave early, there is an understanding of why this is the case.
It’s common for colleagues to hang out after work. Say yes when your significant other and/or kids are also busy. This will balance things out more. There are times to have beers with colleagues, but there are also times to go home, relax, watch a movie, and simply have fun with your family.
We all deal with a lot at work and at times might get irritated or annoyed. Remember you are a human being, not a robot, and thus it’s acceptable to have a buffer moment for these feelings. Take a deep breath, zone into your happy place that involves your family, think about how your energy can be used towards something else, and move on.
As Yoda put it, “Do or do not, there is no try.” Don’t try to leave at 6:00 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.; just do it. Allocate the last half-hour of your day to do the following and leave at 5:30/6:00 p.m.:
At the dinner table, leave your phone and turn off the TV. Focus on your family, not on work, and use this as a time to bring all your energy, your aura, and your being in the moment with the people who support and believe in what you do, and love you for the ability to do what you do.
Keep a two-week work diary: try to track every fifteen minutes of your work time. After that, analyze for, and attack, any inefficiencies! This will import balance in your day and yield a well-deserved coffee break, a breath of fresh air, and time to make your daily family phone call!
Does email control you and take you away from your priority list, and thus your work-life balance? Organizational skills are an important factor in how you balance your day, affecting your work-life balance. Get organized and get happy! You'll find that work-life balance sooner than you think.
Need help finding a job that prioritizes work-life balance?
When you think about personal branding, a few questions might come to mind: What is a personal brand? Why do I need to develop my personal brand? How do I create a personal brand? Of course, you don't really “create" a personal brand. You already have one.
Don't believe me? Google your name followed by your hometown.
If you have a Facebook page or LinkedIn profile, your name probably comes up on the first page. Perhaps you have more social media profiles. Maybe you've recently been mentioned in a local news article.
All of these things are part of your personal brand. Scary? Get over it. It's already out there and you can't do anything about it. What you can do is manage your personal brand so what people see about you is what you want them to see.
Personal branding was popularized by an article by Tom Peters first published in Fast Company Magazine ("A Brand Called You") over 20 years ago.
He starts out the article by writing, "Regardless of age, regardless of position, regardless of the business we happen to be in, all of us need to understand the importance of branding. We are CEOs of our own companies: Me Inc. To be in business today, our most important job is to be head marketer for the brand called You."
When I read that 20 years ago, I implicitly knew he was right but I didn't understand how a person could go about creating their own personal brand.
The only brands I knew of were huge corporations with hefty advertising and marketing budgets. What could a lone individual do to create their own personal brand?
Then along came the internet, and social networking, and web 2.0, and Google, and then blogs, Myspace, Facebook, LinkedIn, and many other applications entered the scene and made it virtually impossible for anyone to keep from creating a personal brand, whether they wanted to or not.
Here are a few things you can do to manage your personal brand.
1. Make Your Personal Brand Clear
Be clear about the image you intend to project. If you have more than one message, you run the risk of confusing people about what you are all about.
2. Make Your Personal Brand Consistent
Make certain your brand message is consistent across all platforms. For instance, your resume and LinkedIn profile must be in sync.
3. Back Up Statements In Your Personal Brand
Back up any broad statements with objective proof via quantifiable information. Show numbers of what you have done to back up your claims.
4. Keep Your Personal Brand Short, Sweet, And To The Point
Your personal brand isn't your life story. Keep it brief. Can you state your value proposition in 10 words or less? If not, you run the risk of being forgettable—the death knell of any brand.
Having a great personal brand will help you stand out from others and make you more marketable as a job candidate. Knowing who you are, what your goals are, and what message you want to send to employers is crucial for keeping up in the competitive job search.
Do you need help crafting your personal brand?
In November 2021, I was introduced to a company called Contra. They give professional independents, like me, a new way to present my expertise. Their idea is simple: ditch the resume, showcase your past work through projects, offer your skills through services, get matched to remote opportunities, and receive commission-free payments all within their platform. I immediately fell in love—here’s why…
My Contra profile was easy to set up and is focused on letting me showcase my actual accomplishments—instead of a boring summary of my work history. For example, I have created a lot of valuable free resources for professionals and executives. When people visit my Contra profile, they can quickly get to know me, but more importantly, jump right to the resources I know they would be most interested in learning more about. It’s a faster, better way for them to connect with my expertise!
Once you have a Contra profile and a TikTok account, you can use their new “TikTok Jump” feature. In partnership with TikTok, you can now link your Contra profile directly to your TikTok video! Making it easy for someone who is watching my career and job search tips to click and get access to my resources. Here is an example of a TikTok video I did recently using a Contra Jump link.
In the little over two months since I started using TikTok Jumps, I have had over 22,600 people check out my Contra profile! That’s more than the number of people who looked at my bio on TikTok in the previous year. Needless to say, I am getting a lot more connection requests on LinkedIn and followers on my other social media platforms as well. Linking my Contra profile in my TikToks (aka using the Contra TikTok Jump) has been a networking game changer for me!
Once I got the hang of TikTok Jumps, I started using it on every TikTok I made. That’s when I stumbled onto an idea…
I get a lot, I mean A LOT, of people asking me for job interview help on a daily basis on social media. Since I don’t have time to meet with each person, I created a comprehensive Interview Prep Plan. It covers literally everything you need to know about the interview process from start to finish. People who use it tell me they can’t believe how much easier interviewing got once they understood the process from the hiring manager’s point of view.
One day, I posted a TikTok answering a common interview prep question. At the end of the TikTok, I pointed down and said, “You can grab my Interview Prep Plan by clicking my Contra profile right here.” Well, within a week of posting that, I had over 50 people purchase the plan and they were commenting how helpful it was. It felt so good to be able to help these folks and all I had to do was direct them to my Contra profile!
In summary, it’s often that I’m really impressed with new social media technology. But, I am truly a fan of Contra and what they are doing for professionals like me. It’s an excellent way to build your online presence. And, the best part? It’s FREE to use. My favorite kind of technology for sure.
P.S. If you’re interested in trying out Contra for yourself, check out their free services here!
Looking for a remote job this year? You've probably noticed that certain career categories have more remote job opportunities than others.
Obviously, depending on your career and industry, the number of remote job opportunities available to you will differ. So, what are the career categories with the most work-from-home jobs?
According to a recent Flexjobs article, these are the five fastest-growing career categories for remote jobs in 2022:
A career in HR & recruiting is perfect for those who want to help people "get matched up with good jobs and provide continued training and support to the employees of companies of all sizes." Common job titles include recruiter, personnel manager, staffing consultant, talent acquisition specialist, headhunter, interviewer, and employment manager.
Interested? Check out these remote HR & recruiting jobs today!
A career in operations usually involves "oversight of labor, goods, services, assets, production, and business practices to help ensure a high level of operating efficiency." You'll help businesses maximize their profits through attention to detail and business and financial expertise. Common job titles include business operations manager, systems analyst, operations officer, inventory specialist, and quality and process control officer.
Interested? Check out these remote operations jobs today!
A career in internet and e-commerce involves "working with information technology, web development, and design and social networking tools." You'll enjoy this type of career if you have computer skills and technical knowledge, enjoy interacting with people, and can troubleshoot problems. Common job titles include software engineer, IT or technical support, social media specialist, and SEO manager.
Interested? Check out these remote internet and e-commerce jobs today!
A career in insurance will require you to "investigate, analyze, and determine the costs" associated with natural disasters, illness, and injuries, and then "design plans around them that will minimize risk to the company and the consumers." Some insurance jobs also involve sales. Common job titles include insurance agent, claims representative, and actuary.
Interested? Check out these remote insurance jobs today!
A career in graphic design will require you to "produce visual solutions to the communications needs of [your] clients through a variety of creative skills and commercial awareness." If you're creative, on top of trends, and can convert your ideas into images, a career in graphic design might be perfect for you. Common job titles include graphic designer, illustrator, visual designer, and creative director.
Interested? Check out these remote graphic design jobs today!
Working from home has its benefits, so it's no surprise that many professionals are seeking out remote jobs in whichever career they're in. If you're looking for a remote job in 2022, consider one of the five career categories mentioned above. These careers are where you'll find the most remote job opportunities. To see the full list of fastest-growing career fields with remote jobs, check out this FlexJobs article.
Need help landing a remote job?
So you make it to the last round of interviews and the hiring manager offers you the job. Before you accept that job offer, there's one thing you should do to ensure you're making the right career decision.
@j.t.odonnell Reply to @nataliemae.loves NEVER ACCEPT A JOB UNTIL YOU SO THIS #careertiktok #careeradvice #jobseekers #joblife #jobsearch #jobtips #joboffer #work ♬ Good as Hell - Lizzo
If you're at the end of a job interview and it's clear the employer is interested in you and will probably offer you the job, you shouldn't accept the job offer until you do your homework on them.
For starters, there are sites like Glassdoor and Comparably that do tons of research and get on anonymous reviews so you can find out what's going on at the company. You want to work for companies that have at least a 3.5-star rating or higher. But more importantly, at some point in the job interview, you can (and should) say, "I'd love to speak to a co-worker. I'd love to talk to somebody that would be my peer."
When you meet a potential co-worker, ask them these questions:
Find a way to ask these questions with enthusiasm and a smile on your face. And the way they respond will tell you everything. If they're tight-lipped, looking down, and barely responding, that's a red flag. That's a sign you shouldn't accept the job offer.
If you're looking for a job, but can't seem to get hired, you're not alone. Securing a job offer is difficult, especially in a competitive job market. But, it doesn't have to be.
Sign up for a Work It Daily membership today and get access to one-on-one career coaching, resume and cover letter reviews, online tutorials, and unlimited networking opportunities—all in your back pocket!
Here's a closer look at what we offer:
Interested? Sign up for a 3-day FREE trial today!
Great taglines immediately call the brand to mind. They remind you of the brand and what it stands for. The phrase “I’m Lovin’ It” evokes the golden arches and those who love tasty food that is convenient and easy on the pocket.
In this article, we’ll address three critical questions:
Before you decide whether a tagline is important for your business, let’s talk about what it is. A tagline is a memorable statement that represents your brand. Great ones tell a short story that stands the test of time. They sum up in seven words or less your business.
A tagline is NOT a slogan. A slogan is a memorable statement that represents a particular product vs. focusing on the brand as a whole like a tagline.
When done right, a good tagline has the following major benefits:
Beware! A bad tagline can detract from the memorability of your brand.
Creating a tagline that packs a punch takes time, strategy, and creativity. It’s an essential part of the brand-building process. Start building your leadership brand today. You’ve got this!
If you're one of the hundreds of candidates applying for a position, it's crucial to stand out. But how can you get noticed when there's so much competition? What are some of the best ways to stand out to employers?
Here's what our approved career experts had to say:
To employers, resumes and LinkedIn profiles all start to look the same after a while. If you really want to get noticed, Dorothy Tannahill-Moran of Next Chapter New Life suggests getting a referral (which is why networking is key!). "The assumption with a referral is that no one is going to refer an ax murderer or dud, but rather someone that will make them look like they've got the hot contacts," says Tannahill-Moran.
Referrals are great when you can get them, however, it's not the only way to stand out to employers. If you can't get a referral, Tannahill-Moran suggests contacting the hiring manager directly. "Even without a referral, if you can make contact with a hiring manager, you will be memorable and much more interesting when they can speak to you in person. You don't have to be in someone's face, just interacting with them as if they were humans!"
As simple as it sounds, the best way to stand out is by doing the little things right, according to Ben Eubanks of upstartHR. Eubanks suggests having a customized cover letter that highlights skills specific to the job you're applying for. You also should make sure your resume doesn't have any extraneous information (resume objective, anyone?). And, of course, prepare well for your interview and ask smart, pertinent questions when given the opportunity. "I see resumes and interview people on a weekly basis, and one of these points is the usual reason for us not hiring them in the end," he says. "Details matter!"
"Beyond a brand-driven, well-crafted resume, try a value proposition letter that showcases your history of quantified impacts on the employers you've worked for," says Cheryl Simpson of Executive Resume Rescue. She suggests including specific challenge/action/result stories and tying your past contributions to the prospective employer's candidate needs. Combine this letter with a follow-up voicemail in which you summarize your experience, key skills, and measurable contributions in 30 seconds or less.
Standing out to employers in your job search is easier than you think. It's all about being intentional and strategic. If you're looking for a job, give these four strategies a try! You'll be sure to see results in no time.
Need more help with your job search?
Do you have career goals going into the new year? Do you feel like you're in a career rut and you're not sure what to do? Here are some ways you can successfully kickstart your career in the new year!
Resumes are no longer about objectives or daily job functions. Today, resumes are strategic marketing documents that must prove a candidate’s worth and value. A resume must properly brand the candidate within his/her areas of focus and be targeted towards the actual job position. Updating your resume and reflecting on your recent achievements and accolades is a sure way to provide more value to the reader. Quantify your work experience and consider reviewing your performance evaluations so you can list projects you have led, skills you have acquired, and results you’ve achieved for organizations.
Many job seekers are struggling to find a job right now, and they're becoming increasingly frustrated with the job market. A career coach can be a great resource and tool when you're having trouble finding a job and achieving your career goals. A career coach can also help job seekers realign their career direction with solution-focused ideas, provide positive praise and motivation, and offer guidance in self-discovery.
We are now living in a heavily advanced digital age. Job seekers can tweet to CEOs and employers, post a Facebook status to alert their friends and family members about their job search, and they can use their LinkedIn profiles to apply for a job, connect with hiring managers, and even expand their network to connect with other professionals. In short, social media, specifically LinkedIn, is an excellent tool for your career. Make sure you optimize your LinkedIn profile to take full advantage of all of its benefits and features.
Your network is your net worth! If you want to land your dream job, building your professional network is essential. Create an online networking strategy and locate networking events through Facebook, Twitter, and even sources such as Eventbrite. Be sure to have business cards handy. Pass them out and take the business cards of other networking professionals. Don’t forget to follow up through a connection request on LinkedIn after the event is over. You need to nurture your network so when it comes time for you to find a new job, they'll be more than happy to help. After all, it's all about who you know!
Make this year your biggest and best year yet by following these helpful career tips! Don't wait for January to pass you by. The new year is here now!
Need more help with your career?
Do you wake up on Sunday morning already dreading going into work the next day? Does the thought of walking into the office make you sick to your stomach? Does your unhappiness at work seep into your personal life?
It's time for a change.
The first thing you need to do is identify the problem. Here are some reasons why you're miserable at work (and some tips for finding happiness again!).
When you're not challenged at work, you become bored, disengaged, and even complacent. This can result in resenting your role over time.
If you feel like you're not living up to your full potential, manage up and find new projects to tackle. Take on new assignments, present new ideas, and volunteer for more opportunities. Be proactive in finding new challenges.
On the flip side, if you're miserable at work, you might simply be overwhelmed. This can result in excessive stress, anxiety, and irritability.
If you feel like there's not enough time in the day to complete all of your work, think about how you can manage your time and tasks better. Take an online course, watch a free webinar, or read expert articles on good time management practices. Sometimes all you need is to organize yourself better.
Also, learn how to say "no." Packing on unnecessary work will burn you out and make things worse.
If you still find yourself overwhelmed, it might be a good idea to have a tactful conversation with your manager. Explain that you've taken steps to increase your efficiency in your role, but still find yourself extremely overwhelmed with the amount of work you're required to do and you're worried you'll eventually become burned out. You might be able to work together to find a solution that works for both of you.
Feeling like you're not as on top of things as you used to be? Does it seem like all of your co-workers are getting promotions and raises except for you?
If you feel like you're falling behind, it might be time to upskill.
It's important to constantly stay relevant in your career and keep up with your industry. Think of it this way: A company is a wheel that's always moving forward. The employees of that company are the spokes on the wheel. When the wheel moves forward, the spokes change position, moving around from top to bottom repeatedly.
If you're not moving forward with the company by upskilling and staying on top of industry trends, you'll find yourself on the bottom of the wheel, miserable and vulnerable. It's your job to keep moving forward with that company and keep pushing to be the top spoke on the wheel.
We all have to do things we don't necessarily like or enjoy once in a while. You might hate talking on the phone, but your job might require you to hop on a call with a client every so often. That's just life. Plus, it's important to push your boundaries, get out of your comfort zone, and see what you can accomplish.
However, if you're not spending the majority of your time working on projects that energize you, it can be draining. So, if you love building websites and you're spending 90% of your time on the phone with clients, you probably won't feel very satisfied at work.
If this sounds like you, think about ways you can manage up and make your role more focused on the projects you love doing. Think about new projects, present them to your manager, and volunteer to do them. If you can prove the value of you doing these projects, you might just find yourself in a customized role.
However, if there's no room for improvement here, you might want to consider finding a new job. Life's too short to spend your time doing things you hate!
WARNING: Before you hand in your two weeks' notice, make sure you consider these things first.
You might not realize it, but your work environment might be affecting your happiness. If you have an introverted personality, working in a loud, open area might be distracting and mentally exhausting for you, which can negatively impact your performance.
On the flip side, if you thrive off of collaborating and connecting with others, working in a quieter atmosphere might set back your creativity and energy.
When you're working in an environment that consistently makes you uncomfortable, you're unproductive. And when you're unproductive, you're unsatisfied. This is why it's so important to understand your workplace personas and interaction styles and do your research on the company so you know what kind of work environment to expect. Even if you work remotely, make sure your work environment is having a positive effect on your mental health and productivity.
If you have a full-time role, you're likely averaging 40 hours a week on the clock. That's a lot of time. If you spend all of that time in isolation without any real social interaction or work friendships, it can lead to loneliness and even depression, which can hinder your work performance.
Make an effort to build personal relationships at work. Be warm and welcoming, and make an effort to strike up conversations in the break room. Invite people to join you for lunch or to grab drinks after work. Ask about their weekend, find common interests, or simply start by talking about what's happening at work.
If you're in a toxic work environment, it can impact both your personal happiness and work performance. Evaluate what's happening at work. Is there excessive office gossip? Do you have a bad relationship with your manager? Are people stabbing co-workers in the back in order to keep their jobs? Are others treating you, or someone else, inappropriately?
These are only a few signs of a toxic work environment, and all of them can be reasons why you're miserable at work. If any of this sounds like your current workplace, first try to address it with the main offender(s) in private. If it's affecting your work performance, you need to make that clear. They might not be aware of how their behavior is affecting others.
If the issue persists, mention it to management. And if it still continues, you might want to consider looking for a new job elsewhere.
Life is too short to be miserable at work. Don't wait another year to be happy! Evaluate your situation and take steps to improve it today.
If you decide that you've had enough at your job and need help looking for a new one, Work It Daily can help!
Millions of people quit their job in 2021. But many of them did not think about how they're going to explain that to their next potential employer.
If you're part of the Great Resignation and aren't sure how to explain why you quit your job in an interview, follow these tips.
@j.t.odonnell HOW TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU QUIT IN A JOB INTERVIEW ##interviewquestions ##interviewprep ##interviewtips ##careeradvice ##careertiktok ##joblife ##PlutoTVDecades ♬ original sound - J.T. O'Donnell
HOW TO EXPLAIN WHY YOU QUIT IN A JOB INTERVIEW ##interviewquestions ##interviewprep ##interviewtips ##careeradvice ##careertiktok ##joblife ##PlutoTVDecades
In an interview, when you're asked why you quit your last job, don't say anything overly negative. If you're too negative, the hiring manager will think, "Well, if you're that negative about your last employer, then if you have any problems with us, you're going to quit on us too." You don't want to brand yourself as a quitter. But at the same time, you can't lie because you did quit your job.
If you get a new job before you quit your old one, that's fine. The trouble comes when you quit and you don't have a job lined up. So, how do you explain your decision to quit without being negative or alarming potential employers?
The solution is to learn how to answer this interview question using the "Experience + Learn = Grow" model. I've been teaching this strategy to job seekers for years. It's a way for you to objectively explain the facts. What happened? What led up to the desire to leave? Explain why you quit and what you learned from the experience so that you'll never put yourself in that position again. Employers need to hear that you learned something valuable from this experience. You have to put a very positive, proactive spin on it.
You also need to end on a high note. Your explanation needs to be authentic. It can't be made up. Hiring managers can see right through that. It also can't be overly negative. You have to use that objective storytelling process, "Experience + Learn = Grow," to effectively explain your situation to employers.
Knowing how to explain why you quit a job in an interview is going to be really important as you move forward in your job search. If you don't effectively explain yourself, employers are not going to trust you. They're going to worry that you'll quit if you don't like what's going on at their company.
It's very expensive to hire people only to have them leave. So, companies are going to be really judicious about who they hire going forward because they don't want to have to deal with you quitting again. So, be careful. Learn the right thing to say, and you'll be one step closer to getting a new job.
If you’re struggling to land a job interview, chances are your resume and LinkedIn profile are to blame. To learn how to optimize your resume and LinkedIn profile, check out my FREE Resume & LinkedIn Bootcamp!
During this bootcamp, you will learn:
Interested? Sign up today!
You’ve made it through the rigorous interview process successfully and the organization has extended you an offer for employment. Congratulations! Now, it’s time to take a better look at what the offer includes.
Here are some tips for understanding the job offer letter:
In most cases, the offer letter should include information about how you will be paid. This may state the frequency of paychecks, whether you will be paid hourly or on a salary basis, and if you will be eligible for commission or bonus payments. In most cases, your compensation will be stated before taxes, so your take-home pay may be very different than what is stated in the offer. If you need help in determining how much you will actually be bringing home in each paycheck, you may want to consult an accountant or ask your HR representative to help you with the calculations.
For commission-based positions, it’s wise to ask about draws and how often commission checks are issued. Some companies only pay commissions one time per month, so it’s important to know this information up front for budgeting purposes.
A job is much more than just a title, so many companies include information about the daily responsibilities or some type of job description. You should understand the schedule for the job and what will be expected of you. If this information isn’t included, ask the hiring manager for a copy of the job description. This doesn’t mean that it’s written in stone and you will only be required to do those things listed in the description, but it is a good starting point to learn about what you will be doing when you start the position.
If your position is full-time, it’s likely that you will be offered some type of benefits package by the employer. You should pay careful attention to what is offered because these benefits can actually add significant value to the overall compensation package.
Look for information on insurance plans, 401(k) or other retirement savings plans, and other benefits offerings that may be available to you. Employer-based benefits plans can actually add significant value to a position. Some companies offer matching for their retirement savings plans, contributions towards insurance, and tuition reimbursement. If you take advantage of any or all of these options, you may end up with a much more lucrative position than was initially indicated in just the compensation portion of the offer.
Some employers include information about the next steps in their offer letters. For example, if you must undergo a background check or drug test, that information may be included in the offer letter. The letter may also indicate when you can start or how to determine your start date. Now is the time to ask questions if something is unclear or if you need additional information.
Don’t accept the offer if you’re unsure of what the position entails. The recruiter or hiring manager should be able to answer these questions before you start. Good luck finding your next job, and make sure you fully understand the job offer before you accept it!
Need help finding a new job?
I really enjoyed Gretchen Rubin's post on LinkedIn where she challenged readers to quiz themselves as to whether they make others happy. For me, it validated why being a happy person and, subsequently, drawing others in with your positive attitude is one of the reasons “happiness magnets" get the best jobs.
A simple review of her quiz points out 10 reasons being a happiness magnet will help you in your job search:
Happy people have a magnetic effect on those around them. The more people drawn in and energized by your happiness, the more likely they are to return the favor. In short, happy people are more likely to be recommended for jobs and introduced to influential people. Also, their ability to make others happy is rewarded in the form of a more helpful network. Ever heard of the “hidden job market?" Well, happiness magnets are the ones who get access to it.
How are you acting like a “happiness magnet" today? What suggestions do you have for others looking to do a better job of making their network happy?
If you want to spread happiness and grow your professional network, sign up for a Work It Daily membership!
Most projects fail and companies struggle to understand the real reasons behind these failures. Here's why using a project execution plan (PEP) is a viable way to reverse this trend while satisfying the many stakeholders involved in your projects.
In their blog post, "31 Pivotal Project Management Statistics for 2021," TeamStage, a project management think tank composed of project managers, reports that 70% of all projects fail.
They go on to list another set of alarming statistics:
In my opinion, the top reason for most of the failures that I have encountered on projects is the lack of a robust project execution plan. No matter the school of thought used to manage a project, it is highly important to use a project execution plan (or PEP) in order to cover all of the work and contextual elements that are part of a project. In some industries, it is actually a requirement for customers to do business with you.
PEPs need to be thorough yet easy enough to navigate or people will not use them. I typically divide mine into four top-level sections:
1. Scope and Purpose
These plans give the top-level view as to the purpose of the project, as well as the list of scoped deliverables, key delivery dates, and a procedure on processing changes that always seem to occur on projects, even the ones with so-called mature part numbers. This is the one section where you normally must have sign-off to not only green-light the project, but also agreed scope and delivery targets which then become the baseline for management by the project team.
2. Financials
In this section, the detailed project budget (or P&L) will be included along with the detailed costs which were calculated prior to project green-lighting. Guidance regarding the ways in which scope items or component parts thereof will be provided in accordance with corporate directives, industry norms, and regulatory requirements. Customer financial milestones or progress billings will be listed along with the supporting documentation required for invoicing and payment so as to allow for proper calculation and monitoring of the project cash flow.
3. Communications
The human aspects of the project will be covered in this section and will endeavor to list all of the stakeholders (internal and external) who will have a potential impact on the project. This will include an organizational chart of the project team. Marketing and IT plans are an integral part of this as they contribute to the project's visibility as well as required IT infrastructure to manage the project.
4. Risk and Quality
I group the risk and quality sections in the same category as they cover all elements of the project scope while also reporting important information regarding project progress which will have a direct impact on the project's organization. They will also provide valuable information for project reporting even though project reports are issued for each of the plans in the PEP.
The most successful projects I have worked on have all contained a robust project execution plan which our teams followed. By structuring the projects in this way, we found many obvious and not so obvious direct benefits:
1. Facilitates More Effective Meetings
We found that the PEP actually provided us with a structured guideline of areas for which meetings were naturally scheduled and more efficiently conducted as they specifically targeted sections of the project that needed to be updated on a periodic basis. Project reports were then issued on the agreed templates which saved us time when presenting to stakeholders.
2. Reference Document for the Current Project
At any given time during the life of the project, the PEP provided thorough information and detailed instructions on each part of the project. This made consultations by project team members, on-boarding of new project team members, as well as consultations by stakeholders much easier.
3. Provides Information to the Project Governance Authorities
Projects with higher risk profiles or with greater levels of visibility tend to have a project governance structure composed of top management as well as other select stakeholders. Although they require and also receive periodic updates in the form of project reports and stage gate reviews, the PEP is the comprehensive document which will store all of this data in one place. In this way, it is possible to reduce the amount of time the governance board spends on reviewing each project.
4. Lessons Learned
There are many benefits of conducting lessons learned events and I highly recommend that they are performed several times during the execution of the project. This not only helps the current project team to better understand issues in execution or risk events that manifested themselves, but also provides an important asset for future project teams to consider when bidding new/like projects or when analyzing ways to better budget their organizational structures.
Project execution plans are still fighting for their just place in the project management universe and I can see the many ways that they can help companies achieve better results on their project portfolios.
If we subscribe to the notion that project failures are the norm, then we need to find a common way to meet this challenge head on as a definite way to legitimize the importance of the project management profession.
On Fridays, you're probably thinking, "Screw work! TGIF! I am done with this job." Or, if you're unemployed, "I'm done looking for work. It's my weekend. I'm going to blow it up and I'm going to have the time of my life." You know what? You should. But here's the problem...
I've been a career coach for 20 years and, in my experience, when people take Fridays off from their job search, they get this little nagging voice in the back of their heads saying, "You shouldn't be out. You shouldn't be spending money. You should be working on that job search. You should be figuring things out."
This shouldn't happen. When you feel guilty for having fun while unemployed, you don't actually allow yourself to have a break from your job search. That nagging voice takes away the joy of it.
This is toxic. And I want you to stop doing this immediately.
@j.t.odonnell STOP LOOKING FOR A JOB ON FRIDAYS!!! ##JobLife ##jobtips ##careertiktok ##careeradvice ##jobsearch ##careertok ##myfinALLYmoment ##zodiactiktok ##zodiacsigns ♬ Love Me Like You Do - Elena Gray
STOP LOOKING FOR A JOB ON FRIDAYS!!! ##JobLife ##jobtips ##careertiktok ##careeradvice ##jobsearch ##careertok ##myfinALLYmoment ##zodiactiktok ##zodiacsigns
Instead of looking for a job on Fridays, press play on life. I want you to go out and enjoy yourself. Get out in nature. Go hang with your friends. Do fun things to reduce your cortisol levels, your stress. Because you know what? The job search will be there next week, as will the people who can actually hire you.
If this makes sense to you, sign up for my FREE training below and then go enjoy your weekend. Go have fun. I'll be here to help you find a job next week.
Attend my FREE 1.5 hour training "Unlocking Your Career Potential So You Can (Finally!) Find A Job You Like" where I'll show you my four hottest techniques that I've perfected over 20 years as a career coach to help people unlock their career potential.
Here's what you'll learn:
Interested? Sign up for my FREE training today!
It's that time of year again people. We've nearly made it to the end of 2021. Whew, right? So, what is in store for 2022?
Pantone just released the 2022 Color of the Year: Very Peri. It's a lovely purply-blue color. I have been spotting similar hues all over the place in recent months and even began using a similar shade on my website for a pop of color a few months ago. In addition to a more vibrant color palette for 2022, as far as design goes, I think we are in for some trends toward irreverence and fun.
Here are my predictions for the world of design in 2022.
The past few years have been dominated by pale pinks and earthy neutrals. I personally love color, so I am happy to see the shift. I see a 2022 color palette being a mix of bright colors paired with slightly muted colors. Brighter colors, possibly used in gradients, (which seem to be sticking around for the foreseeable future) will be overlaid with patterns or cutouts and layered imagery.
Hand-drawn scribbles and doodles, or even simple shapes like dots or triangles, can stir up memories of childhood and drawing. Used in the background or as the main illustration, something hand-drawn or hand-lettered adds a welcome human element to the mix.
Intricate, bold, and custom typefaces will all be on full display. We're craving expressive and unique type that stands alone as the design itself. Additionally, movement and interactivity in the type like scrolling, animation, or morphing can add volumes of personality, but more on that below.
Oh, the 70s. Given the current climate of the world then and now, there are a lot of parallels. Both have been eras of political and social movements, economic uncertainty, upheaval and change, with a tilt towards positivity and acceptance. A modern take on the same vibe seems only natural. A perfect example of this modern revamp is Velveeta's new look. This style will feature flat-style curvy and colorful letterforms reminiscent of the 70s but just a bit more modern.
Think of inclusivity and being ADA compliant (so everyone has access) as must-haves. Design that is driven by core values with a focus on inclusivity, sustainability, and, of course, environmental responsibility. Talking big but not taking action or greenwashing just won't cut it for 2022.
Everyone and I mean everyone is doing it. In a move straight out of the 2006 movie Idiocracy, brands are making streetwear and people are loving it. Everyone from Coca-Cola (collaborating with KITH) to Popeyes or Oscar Meyer now has a streetwear line. Some brands are even branching out into other areas like pajamas or swimwear—I'm looking at you, Taco Bell and La Croix.
Eating a donut on the moon in high heels or strolling on an orange peel. Neither of those thoughts makes a lot of sense until you see them. Reminiscent of the zines that weird kids like me spent hours making and then photocopying at Kinkos, this collage style is an upgraded yet still somehow lo-fi version. A merger of realism and flat art, more polished than their predecessors, these collages are full of retro imagery that is both weird and whimsical.
Motion is key and will be going forward. More than ever before, EVERYTHING is competing with video, which can naturally convey more personality with less effort than static graphics. So, to complete, static graphics are going to have to shake it up, literally. Motion graphics of all kinds will be in—so start making those animated gifs, type, and logos shake, bounce, magnify, or wiggle.
This list has a few of the possible trends for 2022. I think they work together well, and I am looking forward to what the year brings. What about you? What are your trend predictions for 2022?
People buy emotionally, even if they don’t realize it, and then justify their decision rationally. In fact, 50% of brand experiences are based on emotions.
Creating an emotional bond with consumers requires more than good marketing. Let’s dive deeper into what emotional branding is, the advantages, an example, and how to start creating this for your organization.
Emotional branding focuses on forming a relationship between your audience and your brands by tapping into emotions that elicit a consumer response. Emotional branding plays into humans' natural desire for love, power, emotional security, and ego gratification.
There are several advantages to emotional branding.
As you can see, emotional branding can have a significant impact on the success of your business.
Let’s look at how P&G’s Always has emotionally optimized its brand successfully.
Always has become the strongest female empowerment brand on a mission to boost girls' and women’s confidence. Back in 2014, Always started to lose relevance with 16-24 year olds as competitors started to engage young women at a more emotional level. To reconnect with its young consumer base, Always had to stand for more than just protection. Confidence was at the core of their brand equity but they needed to move from a rational proposition to an emotional one. Through exploration, Always found that puberty is a time of confidence crisis in girls, and using the phrase "like a girl" is an insult, implying whatever a young woman does is not good enough. This changed when Always brought to life the award-winning #LikeAGirl campaign. The campaign’s objective was to change what "like a girl" means, being who you want to be and not letting anything and, in particular, the fact that you are a girl, stand in your way. The results were as follows:
Here are six steps to creating a strong emotional connection with your brand:
In summary, consumers just want to feel understood, have their problems solved, and be spoken to directly. Brands that leverage the power of emotion will have an advantage over their competitors. By using emotional branding, you can unlock a deeper relationship with your customers, converting them into an advocate and evangelist for your brand. Start building your brand leadership today. You’ve got this!
We've all been there. A job that you would absolutely LOVE gets posted. But when you look at the job description, you realize there are required skills you don't have on your resume.
Now is a good time to ask yourself: "Is there anything else I can add to my resume that will make me more marketable?"
Your resume may be in need of a boost.
At Work It Daily, we like to say that you are a business-of-one. You're marketing yourself—and your services—to potential employers. Your ability to market yourself increases when you have more skills to display. If you don't have all the skills you'd like, there are plenty of ways you can acquire them and add them to your resume.
A great way to increase your skill set is to get certified in a certain skill. You can research if you can get certified through an online program or through a local establishment. For example, if a job wants you to be proficient in Google Analytics but you don't have experience with it, Google has an online program that allows people to get certified.
Volunteering gives you the opportunity to increase your skill set while giving back. It also allows you to explore a new role and expand your network. There are a ton of reasons why volunteering can boost your career and there are plenty of organizations who could use some helping hands.
If you have the time, picking up a part-time job can be a win-win. You can learn new skills hands-on and take home some extra money. It could also be a good chance to explore another career field.
Similar to picking up a part-time gig, freelancing gives you the opportunity to develop new skills while making some extra cash on your own time. It also allows you to ask for feedback and exposes you to another way to work.
If you have the time and resources, invest in yourself by taking online courses or classes at a local college. You'll gain more knowledge, which will make you more marketable to potential employers.
To develop more skills and increase your marketability to employers, try following one or more of the tips above. The more skills you develop, the easier it will be for you to boost your resume and stand out to employers in your job search.
Need help optimizing your resume?
When considering sales expansion in Asia, South Korea may not always come first in the mind of executives in the software industry. After all, Japan is a larger economy, and China is all the rage.
That is short-sighted. South Korea has a lot going on for itself these days. Many of us drive Korean cars, hold Korean phones, and perhaps have kids enamored with K-pop. And if the country has a smaller market than either China or Japan, at a population of 51 million and a GDP per capita above 31,000 USD (compared to 40,000+ for Japan and 10,000 for China), it compares advantageously to several Western nations.
Having a smaller market than neighbors also encourages one to develop international trade. Exports represent over 32% of Korean GDP in 2019 (Japan: less than 14%). And even more interesting for wannabe exporters, it imported 485 billion USD of products that same year, which compares advantageously to Japan's 654 billion USD (with a GDP twice the size of South Korea).
Still, succeeding in South Korea requires careful planning—and avoiding these four traps.
OK, so you decided to take the plunge and build software sales in Asia. And you definitely have a few first stops in mind. China and its 1.5 billion population and vibrant economy definitely beckons. And while Japan may offer a smaller market, it is still an economic powerhouse.
And then, perhaps you consider India. And skip right over South Korea.
Well, you definitely want to read the stats I mentioned above. And consider carefully what is your target market.
Sure, South Korea is a mecca for cell phones. And Hyundai is a leading auto OEM. But the country is also leading in industrial systems of diverse kinds. And while its military budget may be smaller than Japan's (about $54 billion), at almost $48 billion it is certainly juicy. Besides, based on my experience, there is a lot more domestic development of systems in Korea than in Japan.
So, anytime you spend considering entry into South Korea may pay dirt. It all depends on your target market.
And keep in mind what I said earlier: the country imports more per head than either Japan or China. That matches with my personal experience in Korea. If you have a good software, Koreans will want to talk to you, and you will encounter less hesitancy than either of the other countries.
But make no mistake. Less hesitancy doesn't mean easier. South Korea is just as sophisticated and complex as either Japan or China. And different from both of these juggernauts. So if and when you decide to enter the Korean market, you need to do it seriously.
Being serious about entering the South Korean market starts by being curious about the country. Besides a solid market analysis including the usual fundamentals (size, prospects, channels, etc.), it also behooves you to pay attention to the local culture.
Keep in mind that South Korea is sandwiched between China's multimillennial history and Japan's long-time status and reputation. Sure, the country's reputation is on the rise with K-pop stars and other modern cultural productions attracting international attention. But I hope I won't insult my Korean friends by saying that traditionally the local culture has received less attention.
And this can be an advantage—for you.
The first time I visited Seoul, the representative of a local distributor interested in our business picked me up at my hotel. I actually took the time on the plane to learn a few well-chosen words in Korea, applying the lessons I described in this previous article. His reaction? "You will go far in Korea, people are going to like you!"
From there, I went on to learning how to properly serve alcohol to others (put your hand under the bottle while serving), get around town solo (through metro and bus), and order my own food (you should see waiters' reactions when I ask for "sannakji," the octopus so raw it comes on your plate moving).
Because of its situation, any attention a foreigner pays to the local customs in Korea is likely to be duly noticed and appreciated.
But this has no direct impact on sales, right? Wrong.
One day, I visited a promising prospect with the local distributor. The client was eager to show me some courtesy, and asked me how I liked Korea. Let us say that the guy was taken aback when I explained to him, partially in Korean, everything I actually did and ate in Korea, liking every bit of it.
Later, the partner told me that the client inquired privately with him how I knew so much about Korea. "Well, Steve has been visiting a lot." According to him, the client started perceiving my employer less as another foreign company and more as a local one. One with whom he could do business.
Needless to say, they became a repeat customer.
In enterprise software sales, service matters a lot, and for good reason. Your code ensures your clients' business continuity. A bug can cost them dearly. So, when they call in a support request, they better hear from you—stat!
But then, when you are going abroad, how can people trust you? Sure, there are laws and contracts, but cross-border enforcement can be a haphazard, costly affair. And it is all too easy to forget that it is NOT only about you not being paid—your clients want to know you will be there in their time of need.
Likewise, you should never forget that the expectations related to service are also dependent on where in the world you are operating. Some countries place the bar higher. Take Japan for instance: there are a few reasons why you should translate your user manual when selling there, and my article explains these.
If you think that South Korea is any different... well, you are right.
Don't get me wrong. The Koreans also enormously value quality and service. My experience there has been that they will not mind paying more for software if it is high quality—and backed by white-glove service. Trust me: they worked hard to get their companies at the top of the world, and they expect nothing less from their suppliers.
But some of the modalities of how you deliver that service will be different. Where the Japanese insist on a translated manual, Koreans tend to readily accept an English manual. But they want to make sure you, the principal—not only the reseller, and not only the local subsidiary—will be there in their time of need.
How do you deliver this? By showing up. You. The locals and the foreigners, hand in hand. That's how.
I spent over a decade visiting Seoul and other cities on a regular basis and demonstrating with words and deeds just how good our software tool truly was.
I remember one case. Just landed the night before an important evaluation meeting at 9 a.m. The responsible there kept on going for 40 minutes about how their hardware was impossible for us to support.
At the end of the 40 minutes, I essentially said that I understood, but since I came all this way he should let us try.
Challenge accepted, mate!
He was right. After two days working until late at night, we figured it out, and presented the solution. Needless to say, I was proud. And the responsible was a good sport.
That night, I understood just how much this was appreciated. I was invited to feast with the head honchos. And later, we started to see contracts multiply.
We were trustworthy.
Finally, note that earlier in this article I often spoke about local distributors.
Local partners are indeed important—and I interpret this term widely. The right distributor—or local employee leading the charge in your stead—can ensure your software sales will be bountiful.
Frankly, I have been blessed. When I first started exploring the Korean market, the distributor I handpicked proved to be excellent. They were proactive, dynamic, aggressive (in the positive sense of the term), professional, and competent. Together, we formed an efficient—and fun—team and achieved successes beyond my owner's wildest dreams.
Later, when I started to assemble a direct sales team, I looked for the very same qualities. And there again, I picked just the right partner for the job. It inspired in part this article.
However, the wrong local partner can cost you dearly. They can ensure you will never sell in Korea again for a long time.
You will certainly argue that this is not unique to the territory. And you would be right. In fact, I wrote an article on the recruitment of a good distributor (and how to manage them), and most of the lessons I explained in there would also apply to South Korea.
But later, I also discover one specific detail that is all too easily overlooked for those of us that are not lawyers. Even if your distribution contract is signed in another jurisdiction, the Korean law may still have additional responsibilities imposed on the principal in the case of a termination—and these can be substantial.
Since I am not a lawyer, I would definitely recommend you do more research and consult those of us expert in international legal matters (this article may be a good start). In any case, it certainly reinforces my point: you want to ensure you pick the right partner. And based on my experience, it is certainly possible. You just need to do your due diligence and take some time to get to know the wannabe partner. And, shall I say, build a common understanding and trust, a real team? This is how you can strike it rich in Korea!
Life is full of choices. Some require little thought or reflection—like the choice of what to eat for dinner— while others demand rigorous deliberation. When it comes to your career, you’ve likely already made several difficult choices in the past and will undoubtedly face many more.
There is a natural give and take in every decision. Usually, whenever something is gained, something else is lost. In order to make wise choices, you must weigh the risks against the potential rewards. You must make predictions and assumptions, and, at times, great leaps of faith.
Choices are rarely ever black and white, all good or all bad, or clearly right or clearly wrong. They are complicated and multi-dimensional—prisms through which no two people will see the same world. As with most things in life, putting in the effort on the front end is the best way to reduce the potential for disappointing results on the back end.
There is no guarantee, of course. Even the most thoughtful decisions have been known to backfire. A choice is, most often, nothing more than a best guess—a hopeful step in a new direction.
So, when facing career choices, whether big or small, how can you make sure you’re approaching the situation with the appropriate level of consideration? How can you ensure your “guess” is truly the best you can do? Below, I’ve outlined a few points to remember in your decision-making process.
Your life is the result of your choices. Every choice shapes your reality and is a reflection of who you are, what you value, and what you want. Making choices that conflict with your underlying values will inevitably lead to restlessness and dissatisfaction. If you aren’t happy with the choices you’ve made in the past, evaluate your values and what motivated your decision. More than likely, there was a disconnect.
Recognize the role emotions play in your decision-making process. Though it’s unrealistic—and unhealthy—to suppress emotions completely, it’s helpful to understand how they influence your behaviors. Look for the messages beneath the emotions; let your heart and your head work together to find the best solutions.
Anxiety and urgency almost always have a negative impact on decision-making. Don’t let a ticking clock push you into a choice you haven’t properly evaluated. Sure, you likely don’t have an infinite amount of time with which to work, but avoid placing unnecessary deadlines on yourself. Be thorough and balance your desire for a quick resolution with your need for a well-thought-out decision-making process.
You can’t simply ignore that a decision has to be made and expect it to go away. Choosing not to choose is an abdication of power but it’s still a choice in its own special way. It’s the choice to observe rather than participate, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. There are times when you’re better off simply letting a situation run its course without attempting to steer it in any direction. Sit back, allow events to unfold, and let the path form naturally.
There are always more options. When you trap yourself in limited thinking, you fail to see the real opportunities. Don’t place artificial restrictions on yourself or the possibilities the world has to offer. When you face an “either/or” dilemma, look for the gray space in between. This isn’t an empty void; it’s a deep and endless well of potential.
Trust in yourself, trust in others, trust in the Universe. Have a little faith that everything will work out well, whether or not the future looks exactly the way you had imagined it. Remember that change is constant and you have the resources to manage whatever comes along.
Your choices have consequences that shape your reality; you always have the opportunity to make different choices in the future and create a new reality for yourself. Remember that a well-thought-out choice is never wrong, no matter what happens. It might be tempting to blame yourself when things don’t turn out the way you had anticipated, but this accomplishes nothing. Don’t dwell in regret. Simply accept the lesson and move on. Take what you’ve learned with you and use it the next time you face a difficult choice in your career or elsewhere in life.
Need help making the "right" career choice?
The concept of remote work has come quite a long way since 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of employees to work from home. Now almost two years after this disruption, many professionals are still working remotely—and plan to do so indefinitely. As the demand for remote jobs remains high, what should employers and professionals know about remote work? What are the benefits of working remotely that make it so desirable in the modern workplace?
A recent FlexJobs report presents some interesting findings on the state of remote work, providing us with thought-provoking studies and giving us key insights into the benefits and positive impact of remote work.
Here are three amazing things to know about remote work in 2022.
According to the surveys referenced in the FlexJobs report, 44% of respondents know someone who has quit or is planning to quit because their employer is requiring them to work from the office. In addition, one of the surveys also revealed that 24% of workers are willing to take a 10-20% pay cut to work remotely, and 21% would give up some vacation time just for the ability to work from home. The flexibility that comes with remote work is that important.
As for retaining talent, another survey referenced in the FlexJobs report found that 79% of respondents would be more loyal to their employer if they had flexible work options. So, if your company is trying to attract and retain talent, consider offering remote work options, whether that's by going fully remote or establishing a hybrid work model.
Working remotely doesn't just save employees and employers money. It also saves the environment!
Employer Cost Savings
A FlexJobs survey of more than 2,100 remote workers found that 51% report being more productive working from home. Additionally, 95% say productivity has been higher or the same while working remotely. Some reasons why remote work increases productivity include: fewer interruptions (68%), more focused time (63%), quieter work environment (68%), more comfortable workplace (66%), and avoiding office politics (55%).
Remote Worker Cost Savings
The number two benefit of remote work, according to the respondents of a FlexJobs survey from March to April 2021, is “cost savings” (75%), second only to not having a commute (84%). Those respondents also estimate that they are saving at least $5,000 a year working remotely, while one out of five estimates that they save more than $10,000 a year. Overall, FlexJobs estimates that people who work from home save an average of $4,000 a year.
Environmental Savings
The FlexJobs report mentioned above references a few other reports that detail how remote work results in environmental savings. One report states that when 3.9 million employees work from home at least half time, it's estimated that they reduce greenhouse gas emissions by the equivalent of taking more than 600,000 cars off the road for an entire year. Additionally, it's estimated that nearly 36.2 million Americans could be working remotely by 2025, reducing commuter miles by 70 to 140 billion every year. Also, remote workers who make environmentally conscious choices (like using less paper and electricity) have the same potential impact on air quality as planting an entire forest of 91 million trees.
No matter how you look at it, working remotely helps us save more green!
For employees, remote work usually results in mental health improvements and an increase in job satisfaction. According to FlexJobs’ 10th Annual Survey, 70% of respondents say a permanent remote job would have a significant improvement/positive impact on their mental health. Those respondents who do have flexible work options say their work-life balance is excellent or very good (48%) and they also have the emotional support they need at work (54%), compared to those without flexible work options (36% and 45%).
Additionally, a CNBC | SurveyMonkey Workforce Survey referenced by FlexJobs found those working remotely reported a Workforce Happiness Index score of 75 out of 100, compared to 71 out of 100 for in-office employees. The same survey also found that remote employees were more likely to report being satisfied with their jobs (57%) than office-based workers (50%).
Simply put, if you want to improve your mental health and be happier on the job, consider a remote position, or one with flexible work options. Your body and brain will thank you.
The benefits or working remotely can't be ignored. Remote work attracts and retains talent, saves money, helps the environment, improves mental health, and increases job satisfaction. If you have the ability to work from home in your career, why not give it a try? Chances are you won't regret it.
Want to land a remote job? We can help!
Imagine this scenario: a co-worker leaves and their workload is dumped on you. Does this strike a nerve? How do you deal with getting a bigger workload after a co-worker quits?
If you've been in a similar situation, or think this might happen to you at your current job, here are three steps to follow so you can effectively deal with a sudden increase in workload.
@j.t.odonnell Reply to @luciehurlburt THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO ##careertiktok ##joblife ##joblife ##work ##work ##toxicboss ##careers ##jobsearch ##careeradvice ♬ original sound - J.T. O'Donnell
Reply to @luciehurlburt THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO ##careertiktok ##joblife ##joblife ##work ##work ##toxicboss ##careers ##jobsearch ##careeradvice
The first thing I want you to do is take a breath. Don't react. Then, I want you to get out a piece of paper and create three columns.
Column 1: List every single task you got hired to do that you currently do.
Column 2: List the additional tasks you've taken on since you've started the job.
Column 3: List all of the additional responsibilities they want you to take on now that this employee has quit.
Now, go back to each column and next to each task and responsibility, put how much time it takes you to complete them. How many hours do you spend doing each task? Tally that time up. This is quantifiable information. This is a factual document that explains how you physically cannot do all of this work in the allotted hours now.
There are only so many hours you can work in a day or week, and this document factually shows your employer that what they're asking you to do exceeds that time.
The second thing I want you to do is meet with your boss. Your tone is really important here. Set up a meeting with your boss, and when you walk into their office, don't be angry or defensive. Go into this meeting thinking like a partner. Go in with a positive mindset. Don't assume the worst. You're going to sit down and say...
"I know you need me to take on so-and-so's work, but I just sat down and looked at this and I wanted you to look at it, too. This is a breakdown of all the work I'm currently doing, plus what you're asking me to do, and I don't see how I can do all this in the time allotted. So, I thought we could sit down and talk about which of my activities could drop off for a while. Or maybe I could give a couple of them to someone else because I really don't see how I can get all of these tasks done. I thought we could figure this out together."
Make sure you stay calm and positive as you talk to your boss. Once you express your concerns, you're going to get one of three reactions from them. The best reaction is, "Oh my gosh, you're right. Hey, guess what? You don't need to worry about this, this, and this right now. Just focus on these tasks, okay?" That's a really collaborative boss.
The next possible reaction is, "Well, I'm really stuck. I need you to do everything you're now responsible for. Can you work overtime? What can you do?" Then you would have to get clear on just how much overtime you'd be willing to do.
The last (and worst) possible reaction is, "I'm sorry, this is the way it is. You just need to do your job better and get it done."
Brace yourself for these possible reactions from your boss.
After meeting with your boss, it's now time to decide whether you want to stay at your job or look for a new one. If your boss is collaborative and reduces your workload, that's great—you'll probably stay. If they're semi-collaborative, but don't reduce your workload, start looking for a new job. And if they're a jerk, start looking for a new job when you get home that night.
There are plenty of jobs out there. If you need to, you can quit your job and take an hourly job just to cover your bases so you can get out of that toxic work environment. I'm not promoting quitting. But we're already seeing record numbers of job burnout, and that's fueling part of the Great Resignation. All I'm suggesting is give this strategy a try. Have a logical conversation, and based on that, you're going to know what your next step should be.
Getting a bigger workload after a co-worker quits is a common problem many professionals will face at some point in their careers. If you've followed the steps above and decided it's time to look for a new job, check out Work It Daily's membership options. We're going to help you find a new job because you don't deserve this. If your employer isn't going to work with you, then it's time to figure out your next move.
Feeling the "Monday Blues?" You are not alone in this. Millions of people feel the same way you do. So, how do you deal with it?
Here are eight ways to effectively deal with the Monday Blues so you can start your week off on the right foot!
The more you think about the Monday Blues, the worse they become. The way I deal with the Monday Blues is to not think about them. Do they go away? I'm not sure. But it sure makes me feel better. If you think about an itch, it seems to get itchier. So, I just don’t think about the Monday Blues and I do not remind myself of the feeling. I simply ignore them and I feel better immediately. So, get that concept of the Monday Blues out of your mind. The less you think about the Monday Blues, the easier it will be to get through the day.
Get outside and soak of some sunlight when you can. Sometimes just getting some fresh air can help. There has been lots of research that shows sunlight stimulates our feel-good hormones and helps us deal with the blues—Monday Blues or otherwise.
When I return from a long vacation, I use the day before to tidy up my list of things to do at work. It helps me plan out and prepare for the load of work that awaits me when I get back to work the next day. I use the same system to deal with Mondays. Get your to-do list ready for the new week. When you have a properly planned list, you feel you are more in control and hence feel less of the Monday Blues.
Some people like to start their Monday listening to music they love. It might help to improve your mood and provide you with the motivation to take on the day. Turn on the music while you make yourself a hot cup of coffee or tea in the morning, when getting ready for the day, or while commuting to work. It helps take your mind away from the experience of Monday mornings.
Let’s face it: sometimes it isn’t the Monday Blues that drag us down. It’s what we did on the weekend that does. I like to call it "inertia from the weekend." If we sleep in on Saturday and Sunday and have a leisure weekend, our body expects Monday to be the same. Or, if we party it up and don't take care of ourselves, we'll feel the effects of that on Monday morning. We'll hit the snooze button and, before you know it, we'll be rushing again. And we all know what happens when we rush. We skip breakfast, have small mishaps and, consequently, our week starts off on the wrong note. In other words, an unbalanced weekend—one without activity or relaxation—can make Mondays worse.
We blame it on Monday, but it is not about Mondays—it is simply not prioritizing our physical or mental health on our days off. So, take care of yourself this weekend, wake up early, and see how that changes your Monday.
Ever thought about food as a way to tackle your Monday Blues? By starting early, you allow yourself to make a good breakfast or grab one on the way to work. If you are not a breakfast person, I strongly urge you to try it to tackle your Monday Blues. A stomach with fuel for the day sure helps in dealing with the Monday Blues. If that doesn’t work, look forward to a good lunch with good company.
There are many good things at work if you just open your eyes and be mindful. Your pay helps you settle your bills. Your colleagues have become good friends. Your boss, who you may not always agree with, is by and large understanding when you make certain requests. Look forward to these good things when you are faced with the Monday Blues.
Everything that starts must end. It’s the same with Monday Blues. It’s just the morning that you are usually most affected. Just tell yourself it isn’t permanent. It’s just a phase and, as with everything else, it will go away. It happens on Monday and it’s just for a few hours. Before you know it, it will be over. Do not dwell on it. Create your own dominant thought that masters your mind.
The Monday Blues need not own you and you need not fear them. The more attached you are to the concept, the worse it will affect you. Try some of these tips and see how they will help you tackle your Monday Blues!
Unhappy at work? We can help!
DEIB programs are quite extensive and usually involve the entire organization. As such, companies can use project management teams to drive this initiative in an organized, consistent, and targeted way.
Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) are definitely buzzwords that have been around for several years now.
Companies have realized the many benefits of including as many diverse groups as possible in their workforce to arguably appease social pressures or legal requirements, but also when they see how these different perspectives can benefit them in so many ways never before imagined or considered.
Some companies have been unsuccessful in their attempts to employ their DEIB strategy for a number of reasons, including lack of commitment, lack of understanding, or lack of a targeted strategy.
Project management teams can be tasked with this mission and can employ such important concepts as intercultural competence to successfully implement such an ambitious culture change program.
Right away, I can think of three direct benefits of implementing a robust DEIB program:
1. Innovation
From diverse cultures come a myriad of interpretations and ideas which take brainstorming sessions to a whole new level. Many issues previously hidden from sight as well as new, innovative ways of solving organizational problems or mitigating risk tend to surface under such dynamic conditions.
For example, when developing a new global communications app, ensure you include a cross section of people from the BRICS countries so as to truly understand their communication preferences based on infrastructure cultural influences. This could include naming conventions on the menu so as to avoid potentially offensive language or too complex of a layout which could ward off potential users.
2. Morale
Globally, the pandemic has affected different countries in different ways and some would argue that many of the emerging economies may have had a less traumatic experience due to the economic hardships they have endured for many years. As such, targeted efforts to improve morale in these countries need to be implemented based on a detailed review and understanding of the pain points in each case.
Even before the pandemic, most larger companies suffered from steadily declining morale for a whole host of reasons. When companies demonstrate a commitment and openness to be inclusive, the direct impact on morale can be extremely positive at all levels of the organization.
3. Employee Engagement
In some countries such as Brazil, for example, employers have long been criticized for exploiting the population's restricted access to higher education as well as overtly discriminating against certain groups. As such, employees tend to not trust companies as a whole and are always skeptical when new policies, programs, or evaluations are implemented.
As employee morale improves, so does employee engagement which certainly has a positive impact on achieving KPIs. This will, in turn, foster a positive working environment which can certainly lead to greater levels of employee retention.
Intercultural competence is basically the skill of understanding other cultures in such a way so that you are able to communicate more effectively with them. The key word here is EFFECTIVELY as it is not enough to simply speak or employ the same language.
For me, it is a deep dive into cultures so as to better understand what makes people tick and how they process communication of all sorts.
When digging deeper into these cultures, we readily identify:
As diverse and overwhelming as this may sound, there is a way to achieve intercultural competence with the proper amount of study and, of course, an open mindset.
In my lengthy experience as a career expat in the oil & gas industry, I have seen how companies have fallen short on this important topic, even for cultures that were not so different than that of the home office in Houston.
Our already internationally connected world has become so interdependent today that companies can no longer ignore this issue as they risk serious misstepping which can have disastrous consequences when damage control has to be implemented due to an "international incident."
Project management teams are usually composed of cross-functional and multicultural teams and are an excellent choice to educate companies regarding cultural issues while offering feedback from lessons learned sessions in which these issues were identified, mitigated, and used as assets for future projects.
The Great Resignation of 2021 has descended on the United States with such a loud boom that it has seemingly permanently altered the employee-employer dynamic. Companies are scrambling to replace lost talent as well as retain their biggest performers.
I can see how companies can bridge this gap and move towards a more sustainable talent retention metric by implementing DEIB programs with appropriate intercultural competency training.
This needs to be done top-down so that people of all cultures, generations, ethnicities, handicaps, and gender (to name a few) can see that top management really understands the difficulties they have encountered both in life and in the workplace, and that they are committed to creating a more harmonious, inclusive space for everyone.
When these biases are removed from the hiring and promotion processes, the message is then clear that opportunities will be available to all, based on skill set and performance as well as other non-discriminatory factors.
In other parts of the world, the Great Resignation has not occurred nor will it to the same extent we are seeing in the U.S. This is mainly due to cultural perceptions of the employee-employer relationship, labor laws in some countries which require employment contracts, pensions, and legal protections not afforded to their American counterparts. France and Brazil are two such countries which offer much higher levels of protection to the employee, sometimes at the behest of U.S. multinationals.
From a project management perspective, I could easily see how a dedicated project team could map out the composition of the current workforce, the locations in which the company operates, and then scope deliverables targeted to identify synergies, major disconnects, as well as opportunities to streamline the DEIB initiative. Once this is done, the training programs can be developed with HR spearheading the initiative.
When I worked on a project in Brazil, we had an urgent need for four technicians to service valves on an offshore installation. The vice president of project management located the technicians in record time and proceeded to affirm that they all spoke Spanish so "we were good." He could have obviously benefitted with better cultural knowledge of Brazil.
I could certainly list many examples but the point is that many corporations (in the U.S. at least) have really never grasped the fundamental importance of truly connecting their top managers with their teams in other countries, not to mention the diversity they have right at home!
So, how do you get these executives up to speed?
Cross-cultural training across business functions is a definite must for mid- to senior-level executives who work in multinational corporations and obviously needs to be adapted to the circumstance whether the executive will be deployed as an expat or not.
You also need champions!
The top-down approach will then require champions at all levels of the organization, much like any significant culture change project would require for successful implementation.
So, how long will it take?
Due to the size of the corporation, its geographical footprint, as well as the complexity and variety of cultural issues to be covered, it could certainly take a number of years to fully implement the DEIB initiative.
Companies can certainly leverage social media to help shorten the implementation cycle, as long as they are aware of the generational preferences for each of the platforms so that they reach as many of their people as possible.
Other intergenerational communication styles (face-to-face, email, messaging, etc.) can also be used to speed up the process.
For companies to survive in an already challenging and increasingly complex world, a well-implemented diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy at all levels of the organization will be key. Companies cannot forget to apply the multicultural filters to this strategy so that global implementation is possible, especially when you consider the higher number of people working remotely across the globe.
Companies may choose to gradually implement the program over time so as to minimize impact on budgets while ensuring that they are communicating effectively with the increasingly diverse workforce.
Leveraging project management resources will certainly drive the initiative in a focused manner.
Business executives can certainly do their part to fully support the initiative as well as play an active role by utilizing such techniques as intercultural competence to sharpen their skills and maintain their relevance as key influencers for whom the diverse workplace will want to work.
Whatever the case may be, social media will definitely provide quality checks for companies, so a robust social media strategy will be vital for long-term business continuity.
Many job applicants prepare phenomenal resumes but fail to secure a physical interview. Often times, this is because of improper phone etiquette, poor voice presentation, and bad voicemails.
Here are five things to remember before leaving your next voicemail if you want to make a good impression and increase your chances of getting an in-person interview...
In our digital age, the majority of communication with friends and family happens via text or other direct messages. Making a phone call seems like a cumbersome, slow, and inconvenient form of communication. However, people over the age of 35 are much more comfortable using the phone and they will commonly use it as a screening tool for applicants. But no matter the age of the hiring manager, most employers will schedule a phone interview with you before bringing you in for an in-person interview.
Phone interview skills are essential across all employment levels. High-powered consultants as well as café workers will all usually face a phone interview and need to use voicemail sometime during the interview process. This is your first contact with a potential employer and it is critical to make a fabulous impression.
Leaving an excellent voicemail begins by nurturing a good speaking voice. Speak slowly, clearly, and correctly. Use Dragon software or even the simple record feature on your phone to cultivate a good phone voice. This takes practice.
Prepare five outgoing messages in quick succession. On the first, use your normal speaking voice and your usual outgoing message. On the second, follow this text: “This is (your name). Press # to skip the rest of this message. I am currently unavailable. I check and answer voicemails after breakfast, lunch, and at 3:30pm. Please leave a detailed message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.” (Vary the content of the message to your own personal schedule but provide the listener with details about when you will be checking messages and calling them back.)
On the third outgoing message, purposely lower the tenor of your voice and speak again. On the forth outgoing message, consciously speak a little slower and remove "ums," "uhs," and any other common speech fillers. On the fifth message, make your voice slower, lower, and speak clearly.
Wait at least four hours and then listen to all the renditions of your outgoing message. Then, record a final outgoing message using what you have learned by listening to your own voice. Listen to this sixth message the next day and if you are happy with the results keep it as your outgoing message.
When leaving a voicemail, always leave your full name and the job title of the position you are calling about at the beginning of the message. Then, leave the reason you are calling and your call back number including the area code. Repeat the call back number and your name at the end of the voicemail.
Leave enough information in the body of your voicemail so that the listener can quickly separate you from the rest of the applicants. This can be as simple as, “This is John Jones, I submitted my resume two weeks ago on April 15th. I am returning your call dated May 10th requesting a personal interview.” Something more informal can also work.
The idea here is two-fold: make an impression and help the person on the other end quickly identify who you are and your reason for calling.
Leaving too little information is a common mistake. In a voicemail, there is room for at least one sentence after all the details to really leave an impression. Do not drone on! The idea here is to leave something for the hiring manager that shows you are as interesting as you are interested. Something like:
“This is John Smith, I am calling about the job that you had listed to work in the herpetology lab at the Natural History Museum. I sent you my resume last week. My call back number is (913) 244-8022, if your department can handle another crazy guy with an excellent Godzilla movie collection; I’m your man. Again, my name is John Smith and my number is (913) 244-8022.”
Craft your lines carefully and appropriately. Herpetologists are scientists who study reptiles and amphibians and they notoriously love Godzilla movies. The comment above reflects research as well as the personality of the applicant.
The next time you need to leave a voicemail in your job search, remember these five tips. With a well-executed voicemail, you'll make a good first impression and increase your chances of landing an in-person interview. Practice makes perfect!
Finding a job after college can be a challenge, especially in this economy. It seems like the "perfect fit" candidate is all employers are looking for these days, which can make finding a job difficult for new grads with little to no real-world experience.
So, how can recent grads break into the workforce?
Here are seven tips from our approved career experts on finding a job after college.
Debra Wheatman of Careers Done Write suggests listing leadership roles that you held in clubs or other activities that demonstrate your practical skills. "You might also want to pursue an internship now," she says. "This will enhance your resume, contribute to professional experience, and also help to build your network."
"As a new college grad, it's vital that your resume make the most of the experience you do have," says Cheryl Simpson of Executive Resume Rescue. Simpson suggests bolstering your resume by including more keywords, better descriptions of your achievements to date, and relevant project assignments. That way, you can emphasize your transferable skills to prospective employers.
"As long as the jobs you're applying for are relevant to your major, chances are good that you're qualified for entry-level jobs," says Rachel Dotson of ZipRecruiter. "The most likely culprit, then, is that you're having a hard time communicating how your skills and experience make you qualified for a given position."
Dotson suggests going through your resume and cover letter and asking yourself, line by line, whether each point supports the requirements for the job you're applying to. You can also get industry-specific advice for your application materials at your campus career center and, better yet, from former internship advisors and those currently in your desired field.
Lisa Adams of Fresh Air Careers suggests asking yourself the following questions:
"A by-product of the bad economy is a serious bias for work experience and the 'perfect fit,'" says Dorothy Tannahill-Moran of Next Chapter New Life. "This doesn't mean the time and work you put into your degree was a waste. It means it's not enough." In this case, she suggests modifying your job search by looking into staffing agencies, internships, and volunteer positions as a means of getting some of the work experience you need.
"Employers right now are risk adverse," Tannahill-Moran says. "They only want to hire people they know have work ethics (which is something they don't want to train someone in) and have developed the skills to do the work (to reduce cost associated with training)."
"Maybe you're looking in the wrong place," says Kathy Ver Eecke of Working For Wonka. The stats are clear; most new jobs are found with startups. Almost 85% of startups say they'll hire in the next 12 months; close to 10% will hire more than 10 employees!
"The good news for recent grads is that startups hire for mindset over skill set every time," she says. "You'll get the job faster armed with passion and enthusiasm for the product over having a resume filled with applicable experience. It sounds counterintuitive, but it's just the way startups roll."
She suggests taking the following steps:
"At a startup, every set of hands, every available brain, gets a good workout," she says. "You'd be surprised what they'll let you do. If ultimately they can't hire you, you'll walk away with the resume boost you were looking for."
"Being unpaid doesn't mean it's not valid work experience," says Jenny Yerrick Martin of Your Industry Insider. "And if you don't have unpaid work on your resume and can't get hired, offer to work unpaid for entrepreneurs or small businesses in your field and/or volunteer at events for your industry. That adds experience to your resume and allows you to network and prove yourself to people who could hire you."
"Don't let graduation be the end of your learning," says Ben Eubanks of Upstart HR. "Start reading books, industry blogs and magazines, and so on to keep yourself up to date on the latest and greatest in your field." Eubanks suggests finding a local nonprofit and volunteer your time in a way that you can add the experience to your resume.
"If you only walk away with one thing, let it be this: you are the only one who can change this," he says. "Hoping that a hiring manager will lower the bar or 'just give you a chance' isn't the answer; making yourself a more knowledgeable and attractive candidate is the only thing you can count on."
"Network, network, network, and keep looking," says career coach Arleen Bradley. "Apply for internships in your field and particularly in companies where you want to work. Volunteering your time doing what you want to do for a career equals experience."
We hope these seven tips will help you find your first job after college. It's competitive out there, but you can do it. You're more qualified than you think you are!
Are you struggling to find a job as a recent college grad? We can help!
In your job search, you've probably communicated with recruiters or had them reach out to you about a job opportunity. So, what do you do when a recruiter messages you and you're interested in the job?
@j.t.odonnell Reply to @mss_jammeh HOW TO RESPOND TO A ##RECRUITER ABOUT A ##JOB ##jobtips ##jobsearch ##findajob ##jobs ##careeradvice ##careertiktok ##PUBGMOBILE ##joblife ♬ Stuck in the Middle - Tai Verdes
Reply to @mss_jammeh HOW TO RESPOND TO A ##RECRUITER ABOUT A ##JOB ##jobtips ##jobsearch ##findajob ##jobs ##careeradvice ##careertiktok ##PUBGMOBILE ##joblife
As a job seeker, if you get a message from a recruiter about a job, when you respond is more important than how you respond. Respond fast—as fast as you possibly can. Do not wait and think about it. Do not try to find the right words. Email or message the recruiter ASAP and say, "I would absolutely love to talk to you about this. Here is my phone number. Text me. Call me any time."
Why is it important to respond to a recruiter quickly? Well, that message you got from a recruiter—20-30 other people got the same one. It's only the first five or six candidates who respond and say, "I'm totally ready to talk to you. You name the time," that get a phone call from the recruiter. They're the ones who make it to the phone screen.
Remember, recruiters are being evaluated on how quickly they can find candidates who are a match for the job. The longer you wait to respond, the less likely you will ever hear back from them.
A lot of job seekers get confused when they respond to a recruiter and never hear back. This is why. If you're not one of the first five or six potential job candidates to respond to a recruiter's message, you lost out on the job opportunity.
So, make sure you respond to a recruiter quickly if you're interested in the job they're hiring for. Give them your phone number. Tell them they can text and/or call you. Be prepared because you need to jump on that message or you're going to miss your window of opportunity.
The job market is incredibly competitive right now, and job seekers need to figure out how to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers if they want to land interviews and get a job.
Not sure how to effectively market yourself to recruiters and potential employers? Work It Daily can help!