Embracing Change #JobSearch #ProfessionalDevelopment

Embracing Change #JobSearch #ProfessionalDevelopment Many years ago, I think in 1999, I worked at Simplot in Pocatello, Idaho. I was in school and took on an internship where I was a Cold Fusion developer, working on intranet applications. One day, after a bunch of closed door hush-hush meetings with the heavies (not me definitely not me), an announcement came out: the office was closing, and they would move everyone, or most everyone, to Boise, Idaho.  Boise isnt far from Pocatello only a few hours. But it would mean that anyone who moved would effectively say goodbye to family, friends, homes, and their lives in Pocatello. My boss asked me to create a section on the intranet where employees could read articles about change. I was a student at the time, and I was not impacted by this announcement at all. I was not planning on staying with the company (although it would have been an awesome career). I was not going to move to Boise because I was just an intern. I just had another project to do (figure out how to present the change management articles) but I am an observer of people. I love to watch people, and learn about them, and learn from them. Watching these people make the very difficult decisions that faced them was beyond intriguing, sometimes exciting, and usually sad.  If I remember correctly, the majority chose to stay in Pocatello, a smaller, more blue-collar town with less good job opportunites than Boise.  Why?  Because their family was there. In plenty of cases they had child custody issues and couldnt imagine leaving that small town, even though they would lose their jobs, because they wanted to stay in the lives of their kids.  The executive decision to move the office had a profound impact on many, many people. Death and taxes.  They say those are the things that no one can avoid. I suggest that change is a third thing that no one can avoid. As job seekers, we know this.  We are living through a HUGE change. As Im learning more about product management, Im can see the profound changes in the world.  Imagine a hundred years ago, saying people will mostly work sitting at a desk, punching buttons on a little box (keyboard), and staring into another box that has light and letters and moving things and colors and well stare at that light box for hours and hours a day. And we get paid to do that. The TV wasnt even invented a hundred years ago.  It was still 10ish years away. The concept of this light box unfathomable. And yet, here we are. Punching buttons on a little box, staring at a light box, and not doing any farm or factory work. Thats change. Change is changing jobs every three years very different than a few decades ago. Its not all our fault, though.  Its now a part of society, and business. In the olden days, if you changed jobs a lot it was because you had a problem. No company would let you go if there wasnt something wrong with you. Today, though, companies dont act the same. Thats change. Change makes us do crazy things. Like start a business. Like change careers. Like move to another city. Like downsize. Heres my big lesson, observing many of my friends at Simplot, when they were forced to decide where to live: We must be flexible. If you created a five, ten, or twenty year plan, great. Kudos. But be ready to adjust your plan. There are some things that are under your control, and many, many things that are outside of your control. You cant make a long-term plan that you swear by with so many variables.  But you can figure out how youll react and pivot. You have to embrace the concept of change, and change your thoughts and attitudes enough to be responsive enough to react appropriately to the changes that come, instead of being crushed by them. Were all in this together. Embracing Change #JobSearch #ProfessionalDevelopment Many years ago, I think in 1999, I worked at Simplot in Pocatello, Idaho. I was in school and took on an internship where I was a Cold Fusion developer, working on intranet applications. One day, after a bunch of closed door hush-hush meetings with the heavies (not me definitely not me), an announcement came out: the office was closing, and they would move everyone, or most everyone, to Boise, Idaho.  Boise isnt far from Pocatello only a few hours. But it would mean that anyone who moved would effectively say goodbye to family, friends, homes, and their lives in Pocatello. My boss asked me to create a section on the intranet where employees could read articles about change. I was a student at the time, and I was not impacted by this announcement at all. I was not planning on staying with the company (although it would have been an awesome career). I was not going to move to Boise because I was just an intern. I just had another project to do (figure out how to present the change management articles) but I am an observer of people. I love to watch people, and learn about them, and learn from them. Watching these people make the very difficult decisions that faced them was beyond intriguing, sometimes exciting, and usually sad.  If I remember correctly, the majority chose to stay in Pocatello, a smaller, more blue-collar town with less good job opportunites than Boise.  Why?  Because their family was there. In plenty of cases they had child custody issues and couldnt imagine leaving that small town, even though they would lose their jobs, because they wanted to stay in the lives of their kids.  The executive decision to move the office had a profound impact on many, many people. Death and taxes.  They say those are the things that no one can avoid. I suggest that change is a third thing that no one can avoid. As job seekers, we know this.  We are living through a HUGE change. As Im learning more about product management, Im can see the profound changes in the world.  Imagine a hundred years ago, saying people will mostly work sitting at a desk, punching buttons on a little box (keyboard), and staring into another box that has light and letters and moving things and colors and well stare at that light box for hours and hours a day. And we get paid to do that. The TV wasnt even invented a hundred years ago.  It was still 10ish years away. The concept of this light box unfathomable. And yet, here we are. Punching buttons on a little box, staring at a light box, and not doing any farm or factory work. Thats change. Change is changing jobs every three years very different than a few decades ago. Its not all our fault, though.  Its now a part of society, and business. In the olden days, if you changed jobs a lot it was because you had a problem. No company would let you go if there wasnt something wrong with you. Today, though, companies dont act the same. Thats change. Change makes us do crazy things. Like start a business. Like change careers. Like move to another city. Like downsize. Heres my big lesson, observing many of my friends at Simplot, when they were forced to decide where to live: We must be flexible. If you created a five, ten, or twenty year plan, great. Kudos. But be ready to adjust your plan. There are some things that are under your control, and many, many things that are outside of your control. You cant make a long-term plan that you swear by with so many variables.  But you can figure out how youll react and pivot. You have to embrace the concept of change, and change your thoughts and attitudes enough to be responsive enough to react appropriately to the changes that come, instead of being crushed by them. Were all in this together.

5 Ways to Raise Retention with Workplace Atmosphere

5 Ways to Raise Retention with Workplace Atmosphere HR and recruiting departments know the value of retaining an employee vs. finding a new one. However, many companies focus more on improving their recruiting measures than they do on keeping the employees they already have. Unfortunately, there are many problems in the workplace that can contribute to employee turnover. Up to 80 percent of workplace accidents are attributed to stress, as are work-related doctor’s visits. Also, there’s a huge problem with stress leading to mental illness and more physical problems. Declining physical health and absenteeism lead to lower productivity and disengagement. Stress is associated with 50 percent of people choosing to quit their jobs voluntarily, which costs companies up to 20 percent of that employee’s salary. As a direct result of this negative workplace culture, employees are willing to take a pay cut for a more comfortable job. In fact, 42 percent of respondents to an Entrepreneur study said they would take a more comfortable job, even if it paid up to 10 percent less than what they originally made. If you’re looking to improve retention rates in your organization, the solution is probably to look inward, not outward. A better workplace culture can raise retention rates and reduce employee turnover. Here are some things you can do. 1. Make your office more comfortable Is your office a place where employees want to spend their time? Are your chairs and desks ergonomic? Does your cubicle-style setup create a feeling of isolation and inhibit creativity? Does the refrigerator in the break room need to be replaced? Does that HVAC unit work properly? Are the lights too bright or too dim? Much of your employees’ comfort can be handled by simply correcting some basic design principles. It’s hard for an employee to feel emotionally comfortable in an office where they’re physically uncomfortable. 2. Add flexibility Flexible working arrangements are all the rage nowadays. A report entitled Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) revealed that 55 percent of people rate flexibility in their working arrangements as very important for job satisfaction. Don’t be a stickler on an employee’s exact schedule. If someone needs two hours off in the morning so they can go to their child’s school program, allow them to make up that time later. According to the SHRM report, 38 percent of people say they stick with their jobs solely because of greater flexibility at work. 3. Create a judgment-free zone Employees should be held responsible for their actions, but they shouldn’t feel like they’re incompetent because they made a mistake. You can lighten the mood in the office so that it promotes teamwork, and isn’t designed to single out individuals. A big part of this is accepting feedback and consistently working towards a brighter future within your organization. Recognize that an employee’s mistake may not be entirely their fault. Learn from the incident and improve your culture accordingly. 4. Promote Group Learning Progression in the workforce is only achieved with hands-on learning, and employees tend to respond better to learning opportunities in group settings. Co-workers can strive for both individual and company-wide goals as a team, learning valuable lessons about their strong points and team capabilities. Help employees see that their successes are often rooted on the wings of others. Implement training on the power of teamwork, and facilitate growth opportunities when possible. This helps employees see the big picture, which often leads to greater job satisfaction. 5. Develop equality Unfortunately, equality isn’t always a given in the workplace. There are countless opportunities for discrimination, by executives and employees. Nothing will make an employee feel less comfortable than a feeling of disrespect or mistreatment at work. Recruiters should always be concerned about discrimination based on age, race, sex, and other factors. It’s important to institute a strict non-discrimination policy, and enforce those rules. Promotions shouldn’t be withheld because of a cultural difference, and employees should always encourage others. Professionalism, respect, and support will create a culture people want to work in. About the author:  Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on  Twitter  and  LinkedIn.

What I Know Now...Career Advice For All Women (Please Share) - Classy Career Girl

What I Know Now...Career Advice For All Women (Please Share) Heres the piece of career advice I wish I would have known many years earlier. I wish I would have known this when I graduated from college. So many times I see women  repeat the cycle of applying to jobs and then getting stuck in the same job that they hate. This is because they dont understand themselves. If you spend the time to understand yourself better (I know its not easy!!) and you figure out your motivations, your personality, your interests, your purpose and your ideal workday, youll be so far ahead of the rest!! This is the number 1 thing you need to do before you even start submitting applications online or considering a career change. The first month of job searching should really be about figuring out who YOU are first instead  if just updating your resume and blindly submitting your applications everywhere. Why should understanding yourself be the very first step of your job search? This is the one piece of career advice I say over and over again. Im glad we finally caught in on video.  1. Youll do better on interviews. What is going to happen is that you are actually going to be better in your interviews because you know yourself better. Youll be sharing so much information about yourself because you have done the hard work of actually understanding yourself better. Youll be able to convince the interviewer that your strengths are best for the job and.youll get the job. Yes, its that easy. The applicant who knows themselves, their accomplishments, their strengths and their motivations the BEST in the job interview and those same strengths match what the interviewer is looking for.gets the job. If you are applying to a job that you are really sure is for you, youll be able to convince them of that because you understand yourself. 2. You will do better at networking. When you understand yourself better  you can explain yourself better. Youll be able to give a much more relaxed and authentic elevator pitch and it wont cause so many issues.  Youll be able to give a better elevator pitch as well which always causes the butterflies in the stomach, right? There wont be butterflies when you understand yourself better. Doesnt that sound amazing!!? And last but not least, one of the MOST important benefits for us women.. 3. Youll be more successful in your career. Youll be more successful  in a job that fits you best. Thats why I am so passionate about this topic of first understanding YOU, then finding that career you were born to do because THEN (and only then) you can succeed in your career, be fulfilled and be happy. Sound like a plan? You in? What are you waiting for. Get started here  .

Prevent Burnout By Changing Your Giving Style - VocationVillage

Prevent Burnout By Changing Your Giving Style - VocationVillage I am frequently asked how to prevent burnout if you work in a helping profession. Recently I read an excellent book, Give to Your Hearts Content: Without Giving Yourself Away, by psychologist Linda R. Harper. Her book discusses giving styles and describes how each style either increases or decreases the risk for burnout. Prevent Burnout By Giving To YourselfUnlike popular culture that often implies that all self-care is selfish, Dr. Harper differentiates between self-centered and self-nurturing actions. She says true self-nurturing involves giving to ones body, mind, and soul. Her book includes a quiz to assess how well you are doing in each area. Body Signs that you need more self-nurturing include: Lack of energy and enthusiasm for starting your day; trouble sleeping; and upset stomach. Mind Signs that your giving is hurting you include: Feelings of resentment; anger outbursts; and forgetfulness. Soul Signs that something needs to change include: Fantasies about escaping your curre nt life situation; overeating; and compulsive behavior such as drinking, gambling, or sexual behavior. At the conclusion of this section, Dr. Harper suggests concrete ideas to incorporate self-giving into your every day life. Examples include:  Giving yourself the gifts of doing one thing at a time; stretching a self-imposed deadline; saying No, to things you dont really want to do; slowing down; and enjoying simple comforts.Prevent Burnout by Giving UnconditionallyOne of the key ideas in Dr. Harpers book is the idea that giving conditionally is a big setup for burnout. To prevent burnout, she makes a persuasive case for unconditional giving. The book includes quizzes to evaluate whether you are currently operating as a Trader (someone who focuses too much on getting a fair deal or a fair exchange), a Martyr (someone who feels drained by the perceived demands of others and unappreciated as silent sacrifices go unnoticed), or a Controller (someone who focuses too much on specific ou tcomes or results). Dr. Harper says you can move toward unconditional giving that is also authentic and joyful, and she tells you how to do so. For example, some specific suggestions she makes:Accept a gift you will not reciprocate evenly.Purposefully give unevenly.Discover what comes easily to you and apply these innate traits to your gift-giving acts.Limit the options you give others to include only those ways that you really want to give. (This one isnt an option in many job situations).Recognize that the fruits of your gifts may not be observed in your lifetime.ConclusionEven after all the years Ive invested studying how to prevent burnout and working with helping professionals on issues of sustainability and job satisfaction, this book impressed me with new ideas and specific practical steps that  you can implement to stay enthusiastic about being in a helping career. I highly recommend it.

Should You Apply To A Job If You Dont Fully Qualify - CareerMetis.com

Should You Apply To A Job If You Don’t Fully Qualify In my current role, I have been tasked multiple times to help recruit for the current team I am apart of and also the other teams in the company.I have seen my fair share of resumes and also written them when I was in college and just getting out of college. I have also built onboarding systems that help automate the recruiting process.evalThis isn’t to brag, but to qualify myself for the advice that I am about to give you.Something job seekers don’t understand is that most hiring managers aren’t looking for someone to fit the job requirements 100%. Hiring managers weigh the strengths and weaknesses of each candidate and pick the best fit for their position and culture.This concept seems like a no-brainer, but when I talk to people about why they didn’t apply for a job, the first reason is that they thought they were underqualified.Actually, most hiring managers are looking to find someone who is interested to learn how the company does the job. This means that as long as you are interested and curious to learn, your resume deserves contention with the rest of the candidates.However, this is only to a certain extent, but lets first dive into the different types of job requirements, what they mean and if they are actually required for you to apply.Requirements1. Skill RequirementsSkill is the task that you will be doing at the job.Usually, if a job is for a specific skill or a specific set of skills, odds are that you will need to have those skill requirements to get the job, but not always.evalIf the job posting has a large array of skills listed, then odds are that you do not have to know all of the skills to be considered. Most companies will consider you for the position if you know around 80% of the skills they list because they might need a person to do more of one thing then the other for the job.Why would they consider you if you are underskilled?Well, because they are also looking for bargaining power in terms of pay, benefits and more of the li ke when hiring a new employee. The downfall of this aspect is that you have to be prepared to be offered a lower pay. However, if you are in this situation you should also know that they were prepared to pay you more money if you had more skills, so at least you know that there is room for a higher pay in the future.Another reason why a company will hire you if you are underskilled is that the company may want someone who they can train to do a skill set their way instead of reteaching someone who is already stuck in their ways. This is also great because you get to learn a new skill set and get paid for learning it.2. Years of Experience RequirementsevalThe experience level usually comes down to how comfortable you feel. You have to ask yourself, do you feel comfortable performing at that level of work?For example, if a company is looking for “extensive experience in PHP programming” and you are at an intermediate level, then you should only apply if you feel like you could get to that “extensive experience” level relatively soon.The same concept can be applied to requirements like, “5 years of managerial experience.” If you only have 1 year of this experience, but it was at a high level of work and you feel comfortable performing at that level, then you should apply.3. Educational RequirementsEducational requirements help you to get the interview because they only look good on paper.This is why I always recommend that regardless of the educational requirements you should still apply if you think you can do the job adequately.There is a huge shift in the education culture that is pointing less towards your degree, but more towards your skill set, which is great for people who lack a degree.You need to make sure that your resume highlights other aspects of your qualifications.Applying1. Matching Your Experience To Their RequirementsWhen sending your resume for any position you need to cater your strengths for their requirements. This is why every r esume that you send out should be tailor-made.If you are still sending out generic resumes and cover letters to companies then you are only further blending in with the rest of the job pool. If you are serious about getting a job then you have to put the work into writing a unique resume.evalYour resume should be rewritten to reflect how your qualifications fit perfectly with the job requirements, by referencing as many of their requirements in your cover letter, resume and during the job interview.This is where you can get around being under qualified for the position because you can explain how your qualifications offset the things that you are underqualified in.Should You Apply?I believe that you should think of a job posting as a wish list.No hiring manager is going to hire an unqualified person for the job, but they will hire an individual that fits their company culture and is willing to grow their skills with the company.As stated earlier, if you match the job requirements by at least 80% then your resume deserves to be in contention with the others. Employers will weigh the pros and cons and decide to hire someone who excels in certain areas but lacks in another.evalJust remember if you are under qualified, you can still get the job, but you should expect to be offered a pay and benefits that reflect your experience level in their company.You may end up starting at a lower salary, but at least you know that they are prepared to pay you more money in the future once you master the skill set and perform at the level they want you to.Get out there and apply for more jobs.

Ask the CHO - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Ask the CHO - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog I?just put out the call on social media to ask me anything about happiness at work and I would shoot a short video with a quick answer. I got some GREAT questions and here are the first 3 videos: You can see the rest here. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Kapalai Resume Writing - A Look at Tribal Elder Kapalais Resume Writing

Kapalai Resume Writing - A Look at Tribal Elder Kapalai's Resume WritingThe job of a tribal elder is to serve as a counsellor with nature in the Kapalai valley, the richest and most peaceful region in the South India. The traditional people are not only known for their spiritual heritage but also for their social heritage as well. This social legacy makes the land of Kapalai unique.From the flower festivals to the way they garden the land, to the way they work with animals and fruits and vegetables from the land, from the celebration of spring to the performance of rituals at the time of feast and harvest. All this is carried out keeping in mind the fact that, they have God on their side.If you think the aboriginal people are hard working and faithful people, you are sadly mistaken. It is known that the aboriginal people possess great skill in interior design, and dance and music along with their remarkable artistry. The indigenous people have immense knowledge about the flora and fa una of the soil, which makes them the experts in biodiversity.These qualities have allowed them to excel in interior decoration, which is almost their profession. This kind of expertise and achievement has been appreciated by the provincial government of Kapalai, as they wanted to develop an environment which is exclusively of the indigenous people, with strong ties with nature and the culture. Because of this requirement, the task of tribal elder Kapalai had been given to the indigenous people.They have been trained in four different styles of art. They are all concerned with artistic traditions like the Ooty, the Kotwali style, the Periyar style and the Munnar style. All of these are different but have the same feeling in them and go hand in hand with the natives lifestyle. The Ooty style is considered as a complex style of art, which gives emphasis on the grouping of objects and the purpose for placing them in the painting.The Kotwali style on the other hand, is a native style wh ich stresses upon the way the native Australian people do their thing. The Periyar style has a style of expression and expressionistic technique which is considered to be one of the most beautiful art forms in the world. The Munnar style of painting, on the other hand, is a special blend of floral painting and non-floral subjects, which is considered to be a unique form of art.Since the indigenous people are known for their traditional methods of painting, there was a need for them to be able to successfully integrate these into their traditional painting techniques. They had to be taught how to have their paintings become a whole other, in their own right.In order to teach them this art form, the culture, the language and the art of painting, the Kapalai tribal elders had chosen to create Kapalai Resume Writing, the key to the export of Kapalai style of painting to the outside world. The essence of these paintings is 'teaching the soul to teach the body, living in harmony with natu re, the environment and humanity. Their skills in painting is well known and the reservation work is one of the finest examples of their skills.