Friday, May 29, 2020

Government Thinks Job Seekers are Lazy

Government Thinks Job Seekers are Lazy I dont even know where to start on this Ive had the web page open for days just trying to figure out how to handle it: Unemployed Working Hard To Find Jobs, Despite Depiction as Spoiled Brats. It is a disgusting generalization that shows how out-of-touch lawmakers are with the current state of affairs that were dealing with. Im sure there are some people who are abusing unemployment benefits.  However, most people (anyone who reads my blog) are not sitting around feeling entitled and comfortable. Listen here senators: People want to get back to work.  Unemployment Insurance is a FRACTION of what they used to make.  They dont want to sit around and cheat the government. $290 a week in UI doesnt go very far! Im not saying that there should be unlimited UI but the discussion needs to shift from these supposed entitled and lazy people. Focus on the core issues.  If we dont get some REAL jobs in the U.S were quite a ways away from getting out of the depression/recession/whateverYouWantToCallIt. Government Thinks Job Seekers are Lazy I dont even know where to start on this Ive had the web page open for days just trying to figure out how to handle it: Unemployed Working Hard To Find Jobs, Despite Depiction as Spoiled Brats. It is a disgusting generalization that shows how out-of-touch lawmakers are with the current state of affairs that were dealing with. Im sure there are some people who are abusing unemployment benefits.  However, most people (anyone who reads my blog) are not sitting around feeling entitled and comfortable. Listen here senators: People want to get back to work.  Unemployment Insurance is a FRACTION of what they used to make.  They dont want to sit around and cheat the government. $290 a week in UI doesnt go very far! Im not saying that there should be unlimited UI but the discussion needs to shift from these supposed entitled and lazy people. Focus on the core issues.  If we dont get some REAL jobs in the U.S were quite a ways away from getting out of the depression/recession/whateverYouWantToCallIt.

Monday, May 25, 2020

5 Steps You Need To Know To Negotiate a Higher Salary (PODCAST) - Classy Career Girl

5 Steps You Need To Know To Negotiate a Higher Salary (PODCAST) Our topic today is one that is really needed. Its all about salary negotiation. There are some new studies and new laws out we should know about and this is going to be a really informational podcast. Money is hard to talk about. You know salary is a topic that is going to come up so its great to be prepared before you walk into your next interview. 5 Steps You Need To Know To Negotiate a Higher Salary Make a list of your greatest accomplishments. This will give you the confidence you need to negotiate a the higher salary. Anything that relates to numbers, dollars and percentages. This gives you leverage to go in and negotiate.  Make sure your accomplishments relate directly to the job you are applying for. Know your number. Do research on Glassdoor or Indeed. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics has an occupational outlook handbook. This tells you the salary and the working conditions and anything you want to know about any position. Network with others that are in the same position and ask the what the average salary is. Many people dont love to talk about what they make so use this example. Whats the general range would you say? Also determine what the least amount is that you would take. The most important part is that you have an exact number in mind. If you come in with a an exact amount, chances are youll get closer to that number. Let the hiring manager make the offer first. If you let them give you an amount first, youll get closer to what you want. If someone asks you what your ideal salary is, you want to come back to them with, Im very interested in this position but I think you know better what I would be worth to you than I know. This is a way of getting them to tell you first what the range is. You can also say, I will consider any reasonable offer. You want to open this dialogue. At least try not to be the one who says the salary first. Have courage! Many people are worried that negotiating will make them lose out on the opportunity. Its actually the exact opposite. They actually expect you to negotiate a salary. Have courage and dont just accept any number. Theres only so much wiggle room. If they say they can pay you $70K a year, you really dont want to negotiate $5-$10K over that. You cant go too far above the initial offer. Many people will shy away from negotiations. Women shy away from them more than men. You have to use your emotional intelligence and get an idea for the other person and how far you can push the line. Negotiate, but within reason. Every company will be different in regards to the timeline. Get creative. If the offer is not up to your standard, you can always negotiate other things like a sign on bonus or other types of compensation. Flexible schedule and remote work is another idea. With technology, you can do a lot of your meetings from home. You can also ask for a few weeks longer in vacation. You can even ask for a clothing allowance depending on your industry. Think outside the box if the salary amount is not what you would really love. There are other things that can really make up the perfect job. IMPORTANT LEGAL UPDATE: Do some research on your state and counties to find out if its illegal for hiring managers to ask you what you make in your current position. In many states, this is now illegal to be asked. In California, Delaware and New Jersey you cant ask this question. There are other states like Oregon in 2019 where the law will be going in place. This is becoming a question that is now not being able to be asked. If they ask you, by law you do not have to answer. Heather Austin Professor www.professoraustin.com What Women Need To Know About Negotiating a Higher Salary Our guest: Heather knows first-hand the overwhelm and frustration of the job search. For the past 13 years, she has taught thousands of students how to build their personal brand so that they can land their dream job and succeed in the marketplace.  As an Academic Dean, she had the privilege of hiring hundreds of faculty members. Under her direction, her team surpassed student retention and program growth goals.  Since then, Heather has started her own business where she works one-on-one with her client’s helping them find a career that brings true happiness and fulfillment. She is most active on her YouTube channel where she publishes videos every week about career guidance and new business development.  On her downtime, this mother of 4 enjoys movie nights with her kids and group fitness classes at her local gym. Subscribe  on  your favorite platform below: iTunes Google Play Music Stitcher Radio TuneIn iHeartRadio Sound Cloud Some questions I asked: What are the steps involved to negotiate a higher salary? What are some mistakes people make when negotiating their salary? Is salary inequality a real thing? What do women need to know? What’s the best way to find the average pay for the job you want? What about if you ‘ve been in your job for a while, how do you negotiate? How can the tips you’ve shared relate to other areas of life? Buy a car or buy a home? Episode Resources: Website: www.professoraustin.com You may also like these episodes: Everything You Need to Know About Salary Negotiation with the Founder of Career Contessa How To Kick Butt at Negotiating and Get That Raise You Deserve

Friday, May 22, 2020

7 Reasons Employers Will Hire You

7 Reasons Employers Will Hire You To secure that dream job, you have to think like the person making the final decision. What is going through the managers head when they select candidates? What attributes are they looking for in their ideal employee? Here are  7  of the most common reasons people get hired. Use it wisely now and do let me know if you have any questions on any of the reasons. 1. A great resume Sometimes an average candidate can be hired thanks to a brilliant resume. Your resume is your first impression and you only get one shot at this. Pick a template relevant to your industry, look at other people’s resumes, have them look at yours, get help from experts etc before you send anything out. Remember that your resume has to be updated consistently and it is a living document. 2. Your online personal brand Personal branding is my personal favorite. Social media and networking has quickly become the preferred method of communication, and you will be found online by your potential new employer. By tailoring what information is available, you can turn social media into a positive when looking for a new job. Make sure your public profiles are employee friendly and up to date. Establish yourself as an authority online by either starting a blog, moderating a forum or jut being active in a Linkedin group for instance. Get recommendations on your prolife and these will serve as the old school resume references. Social media and online branding will take you a fair bit of time and effort but you don’t really have a choice so my best advice is to embrace it. 3. The right skills and experience In this economy, you will struggle to find someone willing to hire a candidate that needs training. Think about it, would you want somebody shadowing your work and asking questions for the first 6 months? Or would you want somebody that knows the score and gets busy contributing to your targets from day one? Having the right skills and experience is more important than ever and unfortunately not something you can work on overnight. (More reasons below video) 4. Staying power with the business This is crucial as employers want people that stay in their company and work their way up the corporate ladder. This makes them useful (and useful means hard working). Employers will look for people who have multi-dimensional personalities, meaning they can work in different departments, projects or even locations one day. Your longevity with the business and personal characteristics will be the deciding factors here. 5. You get on with people This is significant as the employer will want you to enjoy spending time at work, thus you won’t mind the occasional/weekly/everyday late night. By having a sense of belonging to the people at work, you are likely to enjoy it more and be less susceptible to other job offers. And in general our ability to work well with lots of different people is a critical key to your success over time within any company. 6. You can bring home the bacon A classic WIIFM case where you either make money or save money for the company. Any manager has a budget and they want a way to either increase sales or reduce costs. You being able to do one of these will be music to their ears. If you can demonstrate and project how much you will put on his or her bottom line, they will be very tempted to hire you. So your job will be to present your exact plan for doing this and leave it with them. In the end you would be doing them a favor and helping them hit their numbers. 7. Positive attitude and enthusiasm The business world is full of moaners and the last thing a hiring manager wants is another union card wielding sinker on their team. If you are able to lift the moods of your intervierwers by way of charisma, humor or any other magic, you stand a lot better chance of being considered for the next round. Everyone is attracted to happy and positive people and if you lack experience and skills, this could be your trump card. By staying positive and radiating enthusiasm long after you landed the job, you can inspire others and demonstrate that you are promotion material. What one reason got you hired? Related: 7 Qualities Employers are Looking for in Candidates. Image: Shutterstock

Sunday, May 17, 2020

Become the Chief People Officer for the Brand Called You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Become the Chief People Officer for the Brand Called You - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Today, I spoke with Geoff Smart and Randy Street, who are two of the brightest people Ive encountered when it comes to recruiting the best talent. They just finished their first book called Who: A Method For Hiring. We discuss why talent is so important to building a winning team, go over some incredible research theyve uncovered and talk about why social networks are so significant now for sourcing candidates. When it comes to personal branding, you are the company, which means you have to become the Chief People Officer and recruit top people to fill your world with. Is talent the name of the game? How important is hiring the right people? Talent is definitely the name of the game. I worked in strategy consulting for five years and thought that it was the answer to everything. I just couldn’t understand why half of my clients never seemed to execute the strategies we helped them define. So I got out of the consulting world and tried a start-up. The CEO asked me to run sales and marketing, and I quickly found my sales strategies were worthless without good execution. But what confused me was why half of my sales folks did great, while others languished. That’s when the light went on. It’s all about the people. Get the right people and great things happen. Get the wrong people and management becomes one headache after another. Our philosophy is you should expect “A” performance out of everybody. If you pay $30K, you should expect an A performance out of the pool of people willing to work for $30K, and so on. Recruiting has certainly changed in the past few years. It is said that 1 and 4 hiring managers use social networks to screen candidates and 10% of admission officers do the same with perspective students. What is your opinion on using social networks to recruit and conduct background checks on candidates? From our unprecedented field research with over 20 billionaires and 60 other CEOs and investors, we learned that social networks are not only desirable, they are in fact the #1 best way to source talented people. 77% of those surveyed for our book indicated that personal and professional networks were the best way they hired their best people (followed by recruiters and job boards and ads, etc.). We’ve also found a lot of people use on-line social networking sites to screen candidates â€" e.g. Facebook and My Space. Companies have to be careful, though. Legally, they can only disqualify somebody if they are incapable of doing the job at hand. That’s one advantage of a tool we introduce called the Scorecard. The Scorecard lays out what “A” performance looks like before you even talk to people. If a hiring manager sees things on social sites that suggest the candidate is not qualified for the Scorecard, then the manager is on firm ground to screen the candidate out. What is your famous 4-step recruiting method that youve used with your clients? It is called the ghSMART A Method for Hiring. The 4 steps are the necessary things you have to do to pick the right who. Scorecardâ€"a blueprint of what OUTCOMES you want a person to deliver in a role, and the way you want those outcomes to be achieved. Sourceâ€"again, social networks being the #1 way to find the best people for your company. (with referrals being the key sourcing mechanism) Selectâ€"there are 4 interviews you need to master to have a 90%+ hiring success rate. (The Topgrading Interview is the main event among the four interviews. It is a chronological, structured walk through of a person’s career. From it, a person’s success patterns clearly emerge.) Sellâ€"how to get the right candidate to sign on the bottom line? Remember to emphasize the 5Fs of Selling: Fit, Family, Fortune, Freedom, and Fun. What are hiring mistakes youve seen in the past? What do recruiters do right and wrong? Hiring mistakes come when managers dont know what the outcomes are they are expecting, when they confuse volume of candidates with the quality of fit, when informal how about them Cubs interviews are used rather than fact-based intensive interviews, and when managers forget to sell the candidates once an offer is made. Recruiters are typically good at generating a flow of candidates but fail to collect enough balanced dataâ€"positives and negatives from interviews and references. Managers also rush the process. They are so mired in the day-to-day details of their job that they fail to realize that building their team IS their job. The best sports coaches spend a huge amount of time thinking about who to put on their teams and in what positions. They also spend a lot of time developing the talents of those team members through specific practice and drills. Managers fail to invest the time and end up making hiring mistakes 50% of the time. Care to share some results from your 300 CEO study? Sure. We found one surprising result. Common knowledge is that the warm and cuddly type of CEO performs the bestâ€"you know, the one who is very open to feedback, infinitely participative in decision making, and gets along very well with others. Well the facts are different. We conducted the most in-depth study ever done that looked at CEO traits and financial performance, on 313 CEOs over a 5-year period. We found out that these warm and cuddly CEOs, whom we called Lambs were financially successful about half as often as their more aggressive and focused counterparts, whom we named the Cheetahs. So everybody who is a CEO, or who wants to become one, should reevaluate what the ideal modern form of CEO really is. In summary, it is better to get stuff done than it is to appease everybody around you. Geoff Smart is the co-author of Who: A Method For Hiring. He is the chairman and CEO of ghSMART, the management assessment firm for CEOs and investors, which he founded in 1995. ghSMART’s clients include leading private equity investors, Fortune 500 CEOs, and billionaire entrepreneurs. The firm’s impact on helping clients make better “who” decisions has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Fortune, and a Harvard Business School case study. Randy Street is the co-author of Who: A Method For Hiring. He is the president of ghSMART Executive Learning, the business unit he founded that helps managers learn key skills to achieve career and financial success through research, publications, workshops, and associated products. Randy is a popular speaker with a dynamic and energetic style that routinely generates the highest audience satisfaction scores possible. He has been featured in the Wall Street Journal.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

Is a Career as a Controller Right for You - CareerMetis.com

Is a Career as a Controller Right for You Source : Pexels.comA controller position is a spot in accounting operations that includes the production of financial reports, maintenance of accounting records, and a set of controls that mitigate the financial risk for a company. A controller is a position of power and responsibility.A controller takes finance out of the finance department and to the larger company.If you are interested in taking on this financial career as a Controller, here’s a little of what you should know.With Power Comes ResponsibilityevalevalThere is a lot of responsibility that comes with being a controller. You must be able to take control, being incredibly transparent and logical with all of your actions.The analytical mind that it takes to be accountant is definitely one a controller should also have, but they also need to move beyond the basic number-crunching mindset.The controller takes all the amazing work that the accounting department does and relays that information to all interested parties, so they have to take the finance world to all the other people, but they are all held accountable for the finance department.What Brings You to Finance?Your career goals are the first step todeciding on a career path in finance. Are you excited by accounting and finance? Do you have an analytical mind that thrives on data? Then you may be perfect for an accounting career!But do you want to actually hop on the career path to becoming a controller?A controller is someone who not only runs the financial “trenches,” but they also move out of the trenches and make finance a functional department. Are you the sort of person who can balance people and data?With a controller career, you are responsible for record keeping, transparency of the finance department, maintaining transactional records, auditors that may come through, and of course, reporting all the financial transactions of your department.evalBecause this job requires someone to wear many hats and for them to take on a lot of responsibilities, you must enjoy what you do. You must be willing to take your love of number crunching to the people in your company, want to show off reports, and make decisions.It takes a uniquetype of person to want this type of career.Moving Forward?There is an enormous leap from finance layman to financial officer. A lack of managerial training and introverted personalities that are typical in the lower levels of a finance department make upward mobility difficult.Personal development is important if you want to move forward;you’ll have to find a means to managerial training and make it known that you are interested in upward mobility.evalYou will have to take steps to move yourself forward, as there may not be a clear path within your company to moving forward.What Makes a Controller Different From Other Financial Careers?There are many careers to move forward with when looking at higher financial department opportunities. Becoming a controller is only onepath to explore.If the opportunity sounds fantastic, but it doesn’t quite seem like a fit, there are many options you could take a peek at.CFO vs. ControllerevalPerhaps becoming a CFO sounds more enticing than a controller, but their rolesare very similar.The main difference between a controller and a CFOis that a controller will take account of all the financial decisions that will happen It’s a very similar position, but instead of running the financial department, they will be responsible for the control and auditing of a different department. This could be making sure that your department is internationally compliant. This could be watching a particular department or facility. It is very similar, but refers to a position outside of finance.Bookkeeper, Accountant, CFO, or Controller?Whose money do you want to run?There are positions which are similar to each other but are needed by companies of different sizes. So if you enjoy money, but are looking at different company sizes and needs, lookin g at similar job titles may help you in your search.You could look at bookkeeping, accounting, a CFO position, or, of course, a controller, depending on the amount of schooling and responsibilityyou want.Bookkeeping requires less schooling than the other choices and is a transitional career. That means that if you are happy keeping the books straight and inputting data all day, then this may be the career for you. This can be a low-stress career if in a supportive work environment.evalWhereas an accountant requires a little more schooling and often encompasses or oversees the bookkeeper’s responsibilities.Accountants don’t strategize or forecast financial decisions. This makes it the perfect job for someone who wants to dive into the financial trenches without having to look at forecasting.If you want to take moves forward with the information and take a more involved role than the treasurer, then CFO and controller positions are right up your alley. These careers offer the auto nomy to be innovative, to look at information, and propel your organization forward.A controller is a fun financial career beyond the basic. But it’s not for everyone. There are so many options to explore.Comparing and contrasting them to find the perfect fit for you is worth itâ€"especially in a field as diverse as finance.

Sunday, May 10, 2020

Summary Sunday Look Smarter

Summary Sunday Look Smarter Want to look smarter? Part of your job search and career strategy should be to look like the most desirable candidate- that means you want to look smarter  than others. Or at least look like you know what is going on in your industry/occupation. This collection of  posts should help you accomplish that! Smart Live Streaming 4 Ways to Use Video Tools Like #Blab Periscope in Your Job Search by Jessica Miller-Merrell | Blogging4Jobs Smart Interviewing Company Research: Speed It Up by Using Two Google Tricks by Donna Svei | Avid Careerist You can never do enough research on a company. Donna always has sweet hacks (like this one!) Smart Answers to Common Job Interview Questions by Jeff Lipschultz | Job-Hunt.org Jeff is a recruiter, so he gives you the scoop on how  to answer dreaded interview questions like: Tell me about yourself Where do you see yourself in 5 years Why should we hire you Getting Smart About Your Reputation Your Reputation Precedes You by Steve Keating | LeadToday The title says it all! Meet Shared Collections: Now you can choose to share what you read with others | Feedly One way to show youre keeping up with your industry/occupation is to share your reading list with others. Now About Me It is incredibly difficult for me (and you) to promote myself. But, its a dirty necessity. I want people to see me as a credible source of information and nothing helps do that better than when I am noticed by others. So, shameless sharing to follow. PayScales VIP Blog Roundup: Should Women Even Bother Negotiating Salary? | PayScale How cool do I feel to see one of my articles listed with these great women- Penelope Trunk and  Marla Gottschalk. (Penelope is/was an early idol!) 50 Great People To Follow On LinkedIn, No Matter Your Industry | LifeHack.org Thanks to Marc Miller for letting me know I made this list! About.me Tweet (mentioned here)! @careersherpa youre featured in our #StaffPicks this week! http://t.co/wyLkQP7Skg pic.twitter.com/vobCK5vWlz â€" about.me (@aboutdotme) September 5, 2015 Inbound.org Podcast Mention Thanks to Smit Patel for listing me as a resource for job seekers and people seeking side hustles! Hi @careersherpa @thesmitpatel mentions you on an about to be released episode #GrowHustle of @Inboundorg Job Hacker #Podcast â€" Harry Hawk (@hhawk) September 3, 2015 Want Fast, Fresh, Fun Help Delivered To You? Never miss the job search news you can use. Sign up now! Email Address

Friday, May 8, 2020

How to Avoid Using me in Writing on Resume

How to Avoid Using me in Writing on ResumeThe first and foremost rule in writing your resume is to not use me in writing on resume. This is a sure-fire way to get it rejected. If you have the name of your school, or your college, then use that. Otherwise, it would be a much better idea to go with 'educational experience' in place of me and the proper spelling in writing.English is not the first language of most people who apply for jobs. If they can read and write in English, then that is the language they are going to be able to read and write on the resume. So, it should be easy for them to put in the proper spelling and have no trouble at all putting in their data.It is a good idea to start off by addressing the applicant's position first. This will make it easier for you to address the name and the last name of the job they are applying for. If it was a clerical position, for example, they could write their position first, followed by the last name.As a second step, they could ca ll up and ask about the possible misspellings, and see if the information they received on the resume is accurate, as well as the correct spelling. If there are any mistakes, the person applying for the position would know this and be able to address that.Sometimes you might have to address jobs that need special, edited data, so it is best to check with the department or area of business you are applying for. Maybe a student needs to know if they are allowed to write in the number '16', or maybe the position needs a section for the student who did not make the grade on their final project.The last thing to remember is that this is a professional document, and you don't take it to lightly. If you need to address a job that requires specialized spelling, be sure to let the person handling the resume know if there is a problem before you start writing your document.One of the best ways to avoid how to avoid using me in writing on resume is to make sure your resume is well-organized an d properly spell-checked before sending it out. This way, your information will be grammatically correct, and no one will ever get the wrong impression about the quality of your work.There are many other steps to consider when how to avoid using me in writing on resume, but these two should help you get started. You can always include the proper spelling in your job title, or any other letter you want to include on the resume.