Category: News

5 Ways to Stand Out in Your Next Job Interview

Nailing a job interview takes more than preparation and practice. If you want to get hired, you need to tell a story about why you’re the perfect person for the role. Here are five pieces of advice to help you.

• Avoid talking about what you’re not.
• Tell a story about yourself.
• Allow yourself to be vulnerable.
• Don’t hide who you are.
• Pose thoughtful questions to the hiring manager.

Read the full article:

https://hbr.org/2022/07/5-ways-to-stand-out-in-your-next-job-interview

How to Design a Better Hiring Process

Many standard interview processes rely on outdated behavioural questions like “What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?” to evaluate prospective hires. But more often than not, these types of questions fail to reveal useful information about a candidate’s competencies. A better approach is to immerse job candidates in unconventional scenarios to gather the most useful insights about their critical-thinking abilities, tech savviness, and interpersonal skills. For example, if you want to test their ability to prepare, let them know the questions you’ll ask beforehand. If you want to test their technical skills, give them a problem to solve in real-time. And if you want to see if they’ll be a good cultural fit, have them play an interactive game with your employees.

Read the full article:

https://hbr.org/2020/06/how-to-design-a-better-hiring-process

The Power of Talk: Who Gets Heard and Why

Communication isn’t as simple as saying what you mean. How you say what you mean is crucial, and differs from one person to the next, because using language is learned social behaviour: How we talk and listen are deeply influenced by cultural experience. Although we might think that our ways of saying what we mean are natural, we can run into trouble if we interpret and evaluate others as if they necessarily felt the same way we’d feel if we spoke the way they did.

Read the full article: https://hbr.org/1995/09/the-power-of-talk-who-gets-heard-and-why

How to Avoid a Job Switch You’ll Later Regret

No one wants to feel regret after taking a new job. And yet, it’s something that happens. Here are some steps you can take during the job search process to avoid that sinking feeling that you’ve made a career misstep.

1. Structure your decision-making process. Identify what’s most beneficial for you and your career long before you get to a decision point. Outline your career goals and which criteria you’ll use to decide whether to accept a job.
2. Ask exploratory questions. During your interview, ask about employee engagement, growth potential, expectations, and how long people historically stay in their roles.
3. Beware of your cognitive biases. Confirmation bias is the tendency to favor information that confirms what we already believe, like noticing and buying into stories that align with our current views. Be careful you’re not overlooking any clear warning signs.
4. Seek an insider’s perspective. Make it a priority to network with employees who work for the company you’re interested in joining, and get their view of what it’s really like on the inside.

Read the full article: “Switching Jobs? Here’s How to Make Sure You Won’t Regret It.” 

The power of understanding the needs of others

Good leaders must uncover the basic human desires of their teams so together they can reach greater heights. Here’s how to do it.

Many leaders struggle with gaining insight into what their teams really want. They find it difficult because the power that comes from their rank and authority often creates a distance and mistrust that prevents people from opening up. This decreases the leader’s motivation to pay sufficient attention to them.  

Yet it is essential for you to uncover what matters to people so that you can become a better leader. It’s a matter of responsibility and of power. As we define it, power is the ability to influence the behavior of others. But what determines this ability? The answer is surprisingly simple. What enables one person to influence another is control over access to resources that the other person values. Take this idea seriously, and you will realize that influencing others in any situation requires answering a not-so-simple question: what do people value? 

To read the full article click:

https://iby.imd.org/magazine/the-power-of-understanding-the-needs-of-others/

Diverse Teams Feel Less Comfortable — and That’s Why They Perform Better

Under increasing scrutiny, and mindful of the benefits of diversity on the bottom line, many companies are trying to recruit and retain a more diverse workforce. Success has so far been marginal. With so much at stake, why aren’t these companies making more headway? One reason could be that, despite the evidence about their results, homogenous teams just feel more effective. In addition, people believe that diverse teams breed greater conflict than they actually do. Bringing these biases to light may enable ways to combat them.

To read the full article click:

https://hbr.org/2016/09/diverse-teams-feel-less-comfortable-and-thats-why-they-perform-better

Reinvigorate Your Career by Taking the Right Kind of Risk

Whether you’re an NBA player or a corporate executive, successful careers don’t come without risk. In this piece, the author offers several suggestions for how leaders can think about taking smart risks — whether that’s exploring an underserved area of your industry and crafting a new role for yourself using your distinctive strengths to fill that niche, staying in your current role but inventing a new product or service, or changing industries entirely to look for new roles far afield from where you are now, where your skills might be more rare and valuable. Ultimately, it’s all about taking the long shots: identifying and pursuing opportunities that offer you new and better ways to leverage your skills.

To read the full article click:

https://hbr.org/2018/04/reinvigorate-your-career-by-taking-the-right-kind-of-risk

How to Use Your LinkedIn Profile to Power a Career Transition

Are you raring to change careers? Break into a whole new line of work that makes you leap out of bed, happy to go to work every day? Parlay personal passions into professional endeavors? Or focus on a different clientele, type of product, or service?

We all know the power of LinkedIn for job hunting and networking. But how do we use it to help change careers—to make sure we’re found by the right recruiters, hiring managers, colleagues—not ones from our past, but from our future careers?

It’s tempting to create an “everything under the sink” profile that makes you look qualified for both the job you have and the one you want or for a variety of new functions, industries, or roles. But that’ll just confuse your readers and send them running—to others’ LinkedIn pages.

Instead, focus your profile on your new career direction, just as you’ve tailored your resume to specific jobs. In both cases, you highlight your most relevant experiences and minimize or omit the rest. Here’s how to do that on LinkedIn:

Headline. Focus first on your headline. LinkedIn auto-populates this field with your current position, but don’t let it. Instead, use the 120 characters to write your own eye-catching headline.

Why is this so important? If I’m searching for someone like you on LinkedIn, my search results will reveal only your name and headline — and I could easily overlook you. But if you write an irresistible headline, I’ll take the time to click to your entire profile.

Let’s look at how one mid-careerist uses her distinctive headline to attract the right people and opportunities.

Kristi Sullivan’s been a successful marketing executive for over 15 years. While still very committed to her current Marketing VP role, she also wants to add a new direction to her career path: marketing small businesses in the health and wellness industry. And she’s a devoted yoga practitioner and instructor. So this is her two-part headline:

Holistic health/yoga instructor, consultant, connecter * Marketing executive for small businesses & nonprofits

She immediately distinguishes herself from other marketers by putting health and yoga first. And she attracts people needing help with their holistic health and yoga businesses.

Check to see how distinctive your headline is by searching LinkedIn for people like you. Kristi found lots of “marketing executives” but no one else with holistic health and yoga in their headlines—a very good sign.

Summary. Now that your headline has attracted the right people, keep them reading. Tell a compelling story and write it in the first person. Unlike resumes, your LinkedIn summary gives you much more space (up to 2000 characters) to highlight past accomplishments and connect them to what you want to do next.

This is especially important if you’ve changed careers before. Craft a cohesive narrative that pulls together what might otherwise appear to be fragmented pieces of your professional past. This will avoid leaving your profile reader wondering what the heck you’re trying to do now—or why you appear scattered and unfocused.

Here’s how Kristi accomplishes this. She stitches together three areas of her professional and personal endeavors: marketing small businesses/nonprofits; women’s business success; and holistic health/yoga instruction and business consultation.

She immediately hooks her profile readers with this opening statement:

I am devoted to and excel in three areas—each area strengthening the others: marketing small businesses and nonprofits; women’s business success; and holistic health and yoga. Let me expand a bit on each:

She makes it easy for readers to quickly skim her summary by including headers that call out each of the three areas. And she introduces each area with a sentence that ties it to the others. For example, in the Women’s Business Success section, she connects to her 15 years of marketing at the economic development resource center where she’s been working:

Because I’m passionate about enabling women to make positive differences in the workplace and the economy at large, I launched the Farmington Valley chapter of B.I.G. (Believe, Inspire, Grow).

And then in the Holistic Health/Yoga Instructor and Consultant section, she makes connections to her work in economic development and women’s business by noting:

I see holistic health as a critical component of individuals’, organizations’, and communities’ wellbeing.

Finally, she ends her summary with an invitation to specific types of people:

I’m always interested in hearing from holistic health business owners and women entrepreneurs, as well as economic development professionals. Please contact me via InMail.

Experience. Once you’ve nailed your headline and summary, tailor each of the positions in your experience section. Here’s how:

• Continue to write in the first person—to provide continuity with your first-person summary.

• Focus on accomplishments, not responsibilities, as you would in any resume or profile. But highlight only the accomplishments most relevant to the new type of work you’re seeking. Make those accomplishments concrete by noting the problem you solved, how, and the specific results you generated.

Here’s an example of how Kristi focuses on some of her most relevant accomplishments—fund raising, client acquisition, and social media:

I’ve brought in $.75M in new funding and over 20 new clients… I established this Connecticut nonprofit’s presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube, growing its followers by 150% in the first year. I also conceived an e-newsletter, blog and vlog to enhance our social media presence and website…

Recommendations. As with any LinkedIn profile, sparingly add recommendations to selected positions — the ones most relevant to the new type of work you’re seeking. Invite one or two people to recommend you. And don’t hesitate to direct their testimonials; you’ll make it easier and faster for them, and more effective for you. Tell them exactly the type of positions you’re now targeting and the skills you’d like them to highlight.

Images and Media Samples. Again, as with any LinkedIn profile, use images and media samples to draw attention to your most impressive accomplishments. Add them only to the positions you want your new profile readers to focus on. For example, Kristi added her colorful business card to her summary section, a video screen shot and link to her presentation about internal social media strategies, and a photo of her teaching yoga on a stand-up paddleboard.

When you’re trying to get into a new line of work you have to prove that you have skills in a new area when you’ve always focused your career elsewhere. With a targeted profile that catches readers’ attention you’ll position yourself well to make that change.

(Source: https://hbr.org/2015/05/how-to-use-your-linkedin-profile-to-power-a-career-transition)

Job loss or setback left you feeling defeated? How to pull yourself up

When you face a career challenge, it is common to experience a painful loss of identity — if you aren’t the successful professional you once were, who are you? A loser?

Of course not.

You are still the same successful person you always were — with a new challenge. These challenges do not negate your previous work and success. You have the choice to wallow in your misfortune or find a deeper, human identity.

I find strength and inspiration from the “famous failures” that made unbelievable comebacks. For example, Elvis Presley got a C in high school music class and was told he couldn’t sing. Walt Disney was fired from a newspaper because he “lacked imagination” and “had no original ideas.” Lucille Ball was told to give up on acting because she had “no talent.” And Oprah Winfrey was demoted from her job as an anchorwoman and told she was “not fit for television.”

This list goes on and on. Those superstars prevailed because they took their knocks and fought back. They did not let others define them. They defined themselves.

Don’t let adversity define you. What matters is what you do with it.

Instead of saying, “Nobody wants me; I must suck,” start saying, “I believe in myself. It’ll all work out.”

Here’s how to pull yourself up — and start moving again:

1. Stop catastrophic thinking

Your mind will make you as crazy as you let it. Learn to recognize when you have slipped into “catastrophic thinking” mode and fight back.

If you are out of work and not finding a job, your mind might put you in this loop: “I’m spending my savings. I am going to run out of money. I’ll never get any job. I’m going through my savings. I’ll probably have to go work at the supermarket. Will the supermarket even hire me? I can’t live on that salary. I can’t feed my family. We will be homeless . . .”

Replace your catastrophic thoughts with more realistic thoughts. Train your mind to say, “Well, this is tough, but I’ll find a way.”

The worry about being homeless and broke is common, especially when we’re forced to start over or reinvent ourselves. Self-doubt feeds on itself and you lose perspective, which makes you lose hope.

You may beat yourself up because you didn’t see this situation coming or you feel you could have done more to prevent it. You may kick yourself for not saving more or failing to network better. You may think that others are laughing at you. Or, maybe you’re just really, really mad. But how are any of those thoughts helping you?

When you’re being pulled under by a nearly crippling brush with adversity, many tips and suggestions on managing worry fall flat.

Your brain will do a number on you if you let it. You can slide into a negative loop that will tell you that you are a worthless, stupid loser, because, for some reason, the brain will let you get away with that kind of self-mutilation.

Instead of saying, “Nobody wants me; I must suck,” start saying, “I believe in myself. It’ll all work out.”

Another thing to say: “What if my greatest success is still ahead of me? I’m not done!” Then say these again. And again. And again and again and again.

2. Attack worry

I know you are worried right now — that’s because we’re all worried. I think of Linda Cruz, who had a stellar career in the pharmaceutical industry before going through one crucible moment after another until she finally got a job where she was making less than one-third of what she once made. She told me: “You know what you can do, but nobody wants you anymore. It is very lonely. They don’t value what you have.”

For the last two years of his job as an analyst in the insurance industry, Chuck Leonard said he felt humiliated — knowing he wasn’t wanted there — and certain he would be fired. Which he finally was.

“It was humiliating on every level,” he said. “For two years, I was demoralized. Then I had no job, no insurance, no dignity, no hope. I felt like I had failed everybody, and I couldn’t get an interview — no matter how many jobs I applied for. It took me nine months, the longest nine months of my life. I had one company that interviewed me four times, and I thank God they hired me. I’m so grateful.”

There are endless online posts of people venting about what is not working in their careers. I promise you: Read that stuff for 10 minutes and you will feel depressed.

When you’re being pulled under by a nearly crippling brush with adversity, many tips and suggestions on managing worry fall flat. So how do you put worry in its place when your entire life is out of control?

Get some exercise. Research has found that exercise boosts your alertness, concentration and cognitive function while also reducing fatigue. Physical activity produces endorphins and helps us sleep, which definitely cuts stress. Your health will improve, and your anxiety will diminish.

Volunteer. When you feel useless, go be of use! When you help others, you feel better about yourself and the negatives in your head get quieter. It feels good to know that you matter and that you are contributing to a purpose.

Do one thing. When you feel stuck, do one thing that gives you momentum toward fixing your situation. Even if there are 10 things you must do, focusing on one is doable. Instead of focusing on 10 problems, pick one. You may need to focus on all 10, but that is impossible. Better to accomplish something than to paralyze yourself with fear.

3. Stop complaining with others

There are endless online posts of people venting about what is not working in their careers, how poorly they are being treated, how they can’t find employment anywhere, and how they can’t catch a break. I promise you: Read that stuff for 10 minutes and you will feel depressed.

When things get rough, you can take steps to keep yourself from sliding into the depths.

While you sort out what you are going to do next, don’t forget to live it. You don’t know how much time you have left, so it’s your choice how you use the time you’ve got.

The more you let yourself wallow, the darker things will seem. Don’t talk about your situation endlessly, and don’t let others wallow, either. Don’t keep telling “the story.” If you have a friend who is going through the same thing, decide whether you can keep each other on track to feel better or whether you are bringing each other down.

4. Never surrender

No, you aren’t enjoying this. But have you ever enjoyed those painful moments when someone or something has forced you to pick yourself up and figure out what you are going to do with the rest of your life? What did you do then?

You can do this. YOU. ARE. NOT. DONE.

And, look — by now, some of your family, friends and acquaintances have been hit by a terrible health crisis. One minute, all was well with them. And then it wasn’t. It just changed forever. In an instant.

So even if you are staring down at some serious career challenges, do not forget what you’ve got. You’ve got your life. And while you sort out what you are going to do next, don’t forget to live it. You don’t know how much time you have left, so it’s your choice how you use the time you’ve got.

Excerpted from the new book Coming Back: How to Win the Job You Want When You’ve Lost the Job You Need by Fawn Germer. (Source ideas.ted.com)

The Downsides of Making a Counteroffer to Retain an Employee

To read the complete article please click:

https://hbr.org/2022/05/the-downsides-of-making-a-counteroffer-to-retain-an-employee