Making Joy a Priority at Work
Companies are making massive investments in technologies that can more closely link their people to each other, to customers, and to other stakeholders. Yet many struggle because their cultures get in the way — too many layers and silos, too many colleagues who prefer to stay in their comfort zones, bask in their KPIs, and resist new ways of connecting and working. This is a big problem. And joy can be a big part of the solution. Why? For two reasons. People intrinsically seek joy. And joy connects people more powerfully than almost any other human experience.
To find out more please click:
https://hbr.org/2019/07/making-joy-a-priority-at-work
How to Play to Your Strengths
It’s only natural to struggle with receiving negative feedback. In this article, the authors present a tool to help you understand and leverage your strengths, offering a unique feedback experience that counterbalances negative input.
This exercise, dubbed the Reflected Best Self (RBS), allows you to tap into talents you may not have been aware of and increase your career potential.
To begin, start gathering input from family, friends, colleagues, and teachers around what they see as your key strengths.
Next, search for common themes in the feedback to develop a clearer picture of these strengths. Next, write a description of yourself that summarizes and distills the accumulated information.
Finally, redesign your understanding of your ideal job description to build on what you’ve discovered you’re best at. Once you’re more aware of your best self, you can shape the roles you choose to take on — both today and in the next phases of your career.
To find out more please click:
https://hbr.org/2005/01/how-to-play-to-your-strengths
Clark announced as Finalist for Best Performing Business in the Kildare Business Awards
We at Clark Recruitment are delighted to be shortlisted as Finalists for the Best Performing Small-Medium Business of the Year for the upcoming Kildare Business Awards hosted by the County Kildare Chamber.
We’re in good company! Wishing the very best of luck to our fellow category finalists Barretstown, T&I Fitouts Ltd, and TERRA NutriTECH.
We look forward to a wonderful night on Thursday 24th November in the Killashee Hotel.
#business #bestinbusiness #kildarebusiness #kildarebusinessawards #awards #recruitment #finalists
To find out more please click:
https://www.kildarebusinessawards.ie/
In Uncertain Times, the Best Strategy Is Adaptability
Companies everywhere labour under the illusion that the key to a great strategy is a good handle on the future. But meteorologist Edward Lorenz demonstrated that small differences can have massive consequences or none at all, which means that unless you have a perfect, complete picture of existing conditions, forecasting the future with any precision is impossible. Instead, advises Bain’s Michael Mankins, companies should focus on making themselves better able to cope with unexpected changes. For strategy, that involves instilling an adaptive mindset among managers, building in flexibility into operations, creating dynamic plans.
For the full article please click:
https://hbr.org/2022/08/in-uncertain-times-the-best-strategy-is-adaptability
Ready to Move Faster in Your Career? Here’s How.
Telling people to “pay their dues” to move up the career ladder is no longer useful advice. We’re in a time where companies want to see immediate impact. Performing tedious or unchallenging busy work for years isn’t going to show that, and worse, it could burn you out in the process. So, how can you sidestep this outdated adage and get to where you want to go?
- Get better at feedback. The more you demonstrate to your colleagues and managers that you’re eager to learn, the more opportunities you’ll be given and the more chances people will be willing to take on you.
- Be a “dot connector.” If you’re new, this involves proactively building relationships with colleagues at various levels and in different departments. With this knowledge and these relationships, you can bring people together to elevate and improve the work happening across teams, as well as troubleshoot breakdowns in processes or communications between departments.
- Build your network. The friendships and connections you build in each new role will have the power to serve you years later. Bosses or colleagues from your first job, friends of friends — all of them have the potential to improve your career (whether themselves or through another contact).
For the full article please click:
https://hbr.org/2022/08/ready-to-move-faster-in-your-career-heres-how
A Simple Way to Introduce Yourself
Many of us dread the self-introduction, be it in an online meeting or at the boardroom table. Here is a practical framework you can leverage to introduce yourself with confidence in any context, online or in-person: Present, past, and future. You can customize this framework both for yourself as an individual and for the specific context. Perhaps most importantly, when you use this framework, you will be able to focus on others’ introductions, instead of stewing about what you should say about yourself.
The stress associated with introducing yourself is common and not without warrant. Everyone’s eyes and ears are on you. It’s easy to mess up. On the other hand, self-introductions are the most direct way to reinforce your desired personal brand. And they can be easy to do.
The secret is using a simple framework: Present, past, and future.
Present
Start with a present-tense statement to introduce yourself:
Hi, I’m Ashley and I’m a software engineer. My current focus is optimizing customer experience.
Nice to meet you all. My name is Michael and I’m the creative director. I work in the Brooklyn office.
Of course, what you share will depend on the situation and on the audience. If you are not sure what to share, your name and job title is a great place to start. If there’s an opportunity to elaborate, you can also share other details such as a current project, your expertise, or your geographical location.
Past
The second part of your introduction is past tense. This is where you can add two or three points that will provide people with relevant details about your background. It is also your opportunity to establish credibility. Consider your education and other credentials, past projects, employers, and accomplishments.
My background is in computer science. Before joining this team, I worked with big data to identify insights for our clients in the health care industry.
I’ve been at the firm for eight years. Most recently, I worked on the Alpha Financial account, where last year’s campaign won us a Webby award.
Future
The third and last part in this framework is future-oriented. This is your opportunity to demonstrate enthusiasm for what’s ahead. If you’re in a job interview, you could share your eagerness about opportunities at the firm. If you’re in a meeting, you could express interest in the meeting topic. If you’re kicking off a project with a new team, you could talk about how excited you are, or share your goals for the project.
I’m honored to be here. This project is a significant opportunity for all of us.
I’m excited to work with you all to solve our clients’ biggest challenges!
That’s it for the self-introduction framework. Present, past, future. Eloquent and effective. By using this approach, you’ll not only introduce yourself better, but it also frees you from ruminating on what you’ll say when it’s your turn to introduce yourself and allows you to listen when others introduce themselves. You will also make it easy for the person who introduces themselves after you, since you’ll conclude your self-introduction with positive enthusiasm.
The next time you’re in a meeting and someone says, “Let’s go around the table and introduce ourselves,” you know what to do. Take a slow, deep breath, and think, “Present, past, future.” Then smile and listen to everyone else until it’s your turn. You got this!
(Source: https://hbr.org/2022/08/a-simple-way-to-introduce-yourself)
Clark proudly celebrates 24 years in business
Today at Clark we proudly celebrate 24 years in business. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank all of our loyal candidates and clients who we have worked with over the years. We look forward to working in partnership with you for many years to come.
You can contact our experienced team on 045 881888 or email hello@clark.ie. You can also view and apply for all of our active jobs on www.clark.ie
How to change careers
How to Change Careers
Start making a plan to find a job that embraces your passions, because happiness is a key component of job performance and career advancement. Follow these steps to push yourself off of autopilot and make the change.
- Get specific about what’s not working.
First, take time to understand what exactly is causing you so much distress in your job. Does your dissatisfaction stem from external factors, such as your co-workers, boss, organisational culture, or even the commute? If so, would switching teams or leaving the company remedy your unhappiness, or do you still have that same sense of dread thinking about the work you’ll be doing, regardless of a change in scenery?
- Identify what you like about your current role.
Think back to when you first started in your current role. What were your motivations? Was it the day-to-day responsibilities? The promise of career growth? Then, examine the parts of your job you still find enjoyable and seek to understand why they interest you. Is it the creativity your role involves? Strategic thinking? Number crunching? Do you love the constant change or maybe you crave stability? Keep these themes in mind when looking toward your next role. By assessing your current likes and dislikes, you’ll have a better grasp on areas to look for or avoid in your next career move.
- Consider your core values.
In any job, it’s important to find a good cultural fit. Examine your values and understand what type of company culture will complement your personality. Do you value autonomy, community, innovation? Would you be uncomfortable working somewhere where maintaining the status quo is encouraged? Or maybe it’s important to you that you’re working toward a benevolent cause.
Whatever your values, when taking this type of self-inventory, it’s important to be honest with yourself. Think about those friends’ jobs you’d like to have. Are you actually interested in their role, or is it really the freedom and empowering culture you crave? Find out what makes you feel alive, even if it’s not what you (or others) think you “should” be doing. It may be that your values have changed since you first started working—and that’s ok. Just be clear on your priorities today.
- Assess your strengths and skill gaps.
If it were not for money, time, location, or whatever other reason, what would you be doing? Now is the time to figure out how to do just that. While a complete one-eighty isn’t feasible overnight, examine how your current role and your ideal role overlap. Think about your transferable skills, related experience, and network connections that can help you make the most credible transition, particularly if your current and dream jobs are worlds apart.
It’s also wise to chart out the gaps in your skills and experience that may get in the way. You may need to get creative: start a side gig, engage in part-time internships, or even return to education.
- Build your personal brand
Your personal brand is your unique selling point. As a job seeker you are selling your brand and your brand is YOU. On LinkedIn make sure your photo is recent and professional and that your work experience is up-to-date. Fill out as much as you can. Potential employers will Google you before they’ve even looked at the CV you’ve sent in, so make sure what’s online is as stellar as what’s in that CV. See your personality online as an extension of your business and a totally free advertisement for what you do.
- Find a Recruitment Partner or Career Coach to guide you.
Finding a career coach or recruitment expert to partner with you throughout your career. They will support you by providing a specialist service, expert information and tailored resources at every stage in your career journey. At Clark we complete specific, tailored competency based interviews to help you prepare. Using SHL assessments allows you to measure your skills with confidence. Clark provide you with a DISC behavioural profile from the world renowned lnnermetrix suite of psychometric profiling tools, helping you to understand your strengths and realise your full potential.
You can contact our team of experienced recruiters and career coaches on 045 881888 or email hello@clark.ie.
6 Signs It’s Time for A Career Change
6 Signs It’s Time for A Career Change
1. You’re indifferent and complacent at work.
You’ve checked out; you’re underperforming, your deadlines are slipping, and you just can’t muster the energy to fake enthusiasm about the company’s mission anymore. But this isn’t normally like you. What’s going on?
2. You don’t feel like you’re making an impact.
Your job duties are the same day in and day out. Every day looks and feels identical–you’re simply performing on autopilot. You feel undervalued—like your time and talents are being wasted, and your greatest skills aren’t being put to use. It’s time to find a new role that plays to your strengths, provides opportunities to develop new skills, and allows you to make meaningful contributions. Your career should boost your self-esteem, not diminish it.
3. You dread going to work.
Maybe the project you’re working on just doesn’t excite you, or you’re anxious about a meeting with the boss. But this is different—this is every day. If you find yourself this dissatisfied with your current role, it’s time to think about what other areas of work might better align with your passions.
4. You’re only in it for the Money
While you appreciate the stability your job provides, you’re beginning to feel like you’re wasting your potential.
5. Your job is affecting your personal life.
Work should be challenging, but not debilitating. If you’re chronically exhausted, losing sleep, suffering from headaches, or experiencing other physical symptoms, this may be your body’s way of telling you your career is not right for you.
6. You daydream about a new career.
Would you leave your job “if you could?” If so, it’s time to go.
Finding a career coach or recruitment expert to partner with you is essential for career success.
You can contact our team of experienced recruiters and career coaches on 045 881888 or email hello@clark.ie. You can also browse and apply for all of our active roles on www.clark.ie.
YOUR CAREER IS MORE THAN A JOB- IT’S TIME TO CHANGE
The autumn leaves are beginning to fall, that “back to school” feeling is in the air. There’s an excitement about this time of year, new beginnings, fresh starts, career changes. The summer may be over but there’s something new starting just around the corner, you can feel it.
So do you need to change career but have no Idea what to do next?
Are you stuck in a job that isn’t you? Are you ready for a career change, but have no idea what else you could do – or where to start?
Finding a fulfilling career can be a long, incremental journey. Each stage in your career provides an opportunity to learn more about yourself: your talents, interests, challenges, and workplace values.
Finding a career coach or recruitment expert to partner with you is essential for career success. We will support you by providing a specialist service, expert information and tailored resources at every stage in your career journey. At Clark we complete specific, tailored competency based interviews to help you prepare. Using SHL assessments allows you to measure your skills with confidence. Clark provide you with a complimentary DISC behavioural profile from the world renowned lnnermetrix suite of psychometric profiling tools, helping you to understand your strengths and realise your full potential.
You can contact our team of experienced recruiters and career coaches on 045 881888 or email hello@clark.ie. You can also browse and apply for all of our active roles on www.clark.ie. We’d be delighted to hear from you.