On the job
You are currently browsing the articles from Job Search Secrets matching the category On the job.
Religion can be a touchy issue, one of two subjects (the other being politics) you’re not supposed to discuss in polite company. And this banned zone can include the workplace. I think it’s because faith is a highly personal affair, and people feel deeply about it.
Still, as I’ve gotten more in touch with my own faith over the past few years, I’ve felt more comfortable expressing myself in (hopefully) unobtrusive ways, whether it be wearing religious jewelry or talking about singing in my church choir. People don’t check their religion at the door when they come to work; rather, it is part of the whole of who they are. Indeed, mixing religion and business is a growing trend, whether at the corporate level or individually.
This need to express religion in the workplace can take many forms. Since tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer (always held on the first Thursday in May), talking to a higher power, alone or with others, may be one of them. Or you may want to form or participate in a religious affinity group.
No matter how you bring your faith into the workplace, these articles will help you do it in a way that is tolerant of others and in balance with your job:
Originally
from The Monster Blog
by Christine
on May 3, 2007, 1:32AM
Written by Jeff Bosco with no comments.
Read more articles on On the job.
I remember my first management role… vividly. Because I was scared out of my mind! I had no previous experience managing people and although my boss and others obviously felt I was ready for the role, I wasn’t quite as confident as they.
If you find yourself in a similar situation, here’s some “hindsight is 20/20″ advice I can share.
First, get to know your new peers - i.e. the people with whom you’ll be working. Try scheduling informational meetings and interviews with other managers and peers. This will give you the opportunity to ask them what they think it takes to succeed within the organization. Don’t forget to schedule a similar meeting with your boss to find out the departments’ togals, company goals, etc. Then, set up more meetings (are you sensing a theme here?) with each of your new team members to discuss their individual goals.
Review their prior performance appraisals and make a note of their strengths and weaknesses. Discuss their career goals and let them know that you are there to help them succeed. And remember to keep goals and expectations realistic and don’t make any promises you can’t keep regarding future merit pay or other rewards.
Instead, make sure you provide ongoing rewards and recognition. Employees want to feel valued more than once per year. Do things like find out what your team members like to do outside of the office and provide gift cards or time off for them to pursue their hobby. Or, distribute a note to the entire team acknowledging a team member’s recent success.
Delegate, delegate, delagate. Enough said.
One of the most important tips I would offer is to establish office hours. Make yourself accessible to your team as often as you can. If you are regularly unavailable due to all day meetings or business travel, set up office hours for your team members so that they know that you are available to mentor and support them in meeting their goals and objectives.
Lastly, listen and learn from your team. Although you are now serving as the teacher in many instances, don’t underestimate the value of listening to different points of view to solve problems and improve processes. Your team members may have been around longer than you and could have valuable historical information to offer.
As the saying goes, first impressions mean everything. Giving a first impression to your new subordinates and co-workers that you are prepared and qualified to do the job will go a long way in building respect, loyalty and productivity from your team. Good luck!
Originally
from Spherion Career Blog - The Big Time
by Brent Short
Written by Jeff Bosco with no comments.
Read more articles on On the job and Strategies.
I used to love Fridays. It was a payoff for working hard Monday-Thursday. You work that entire week to try and line up your perfect Friday. Maybe you plan on taking off a little early to catch some golf or get out of town. Or perhaps you just want to just get a few end of the week tasks done and talk about the baseball games going on this weekend.
Which is why I ask if anyone does anything on Friday. Because I feel like, more and more, I get more accomplished on Friday than any other day of the week. My Monday starts off like many of yours with a meeting of some sort. If any issues have come up over the weekend, they are waiting for me at my desk after that meeting. The rest of the day is setting up interviews and meetings for Monday - Thursday. Whenever I try to schedule anything on Friday, it is usually rebuffed. People don’t want to meet on Friday or too many people are going to be gone. I’ve never done a lot of interviews on Friday.
So what happens is that there are all of these other important tasks that get heaped up over the course of the week and since nobody is in the office or people aren’t wanting to meet with them (and are essentially compressing our schedules to a four day work week), it ends up that Friday is an incredibly productive time for me to get things done.
And while I realize this is geared for M-F workers, what do you do on your “Fridays”? Is it like any other day? Do you get to set your feet up? Or are you like me and become busy?
Share This
Originally
from YourHRGuy.com
by Your HR Guy
on Apr 13, 2007, 1:44PM
Written by Jeff Bosco with no comments.
Read more articles on On the job.
When and where are you at your creative best?
That’s a question I posed to the Twitter community recently, after noting that my own creative juices tend to flow best first thing in the morning. The responses I received were telling. Here are some of my favorites:
- ChipGriffin: When I’m not trying to be creative and mind is just relaxed and wandering — shower, bed, long drive, beach, etc.
- TedDemop: Creative best? Occurs in random spurts at unplanned times. Often early a.m. — sometimes before sleep/sometimes upon awakening.
- comedy4cast: Usually when I’m trying to concentrate on something else. My mind wanders and…bingo!
- DanYork: In regular activities, I find some of my most creative times (in terms of idea generation) are when I’m out walking or biking.
Like me, these four members of the Twitterati spend hours upon hours at the computer and online each day. And yet, for all of us, creative thoughts or solutions often bubble their way up through our brains precisely when we’re away from our machines.
Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m all for the tools of technology that I write about here each week — instant messaging, RSS, blogs, podcasts, wikis, etc. — and know that they lead to terrific brainstorming sessions, project collaboration and the start of the creative process. But I also know that it’s those very un-technical activities — eating breakfast, showering, taking a walk — when the creative thoughts they produce finally crystallize for me.
How does technology work for you in the creative process? Take our Monster Poll.
You can also check out these other Monster resources on creativity:
Originally
from The Monster Blog
by Bryan
on Apr 20, 2007, 4:19AM
Written by Jeff Bosco with no comments.
Read more articles on On the job and Strategies.
Tuesday is
Equal Pay Day, and
new research by the American Association of University Women Educational Foundation shows that just one year out of college, women working full-time earn only 80 percent of their male colleagues’ salaries, even when they work in the same field. Ten years after graduation, the pay gap widens, with women earning 69 percent of what men earn.
The findings confound me. I’ve always attributed the gap primarily to women’s career tracks; they’re more likely to work part-time and take time out of the workforce to raise children. This study suggests I should think again. Even after adjusting for hours worked, occupation, parenthood and other factors known to affect earnings, the study found that one-quarter of the pay gap between men and women remains unexplained.
I can’t help but think about my two nieces who will be enrolling in college in September. The sad fact is that no matter how well they perform, they’ll probably earn less than their male peers. Both my nieces are going to top-tier schools; one is attending one of the most competitive in the country. But the study reports that even women who attended highly selective colleges earn less than men from either highly or moderately selective colleges and about the same as men from minimally selective colleges.
The study says sex discrimination is at play. It must be. But I also wonder: Does strong academic performance suggest that young women have too strong a desire to please both in the classroom and at the negotiating table? Are we not instilling in our girls enough of a sense of their own worth?
No matter how I slice it, I come out deeply concerned, not only for our young women but also for our society as a whole. The fact is that in college, women outperform men — earning slightly higher GPAs than men in every college major, including science and mathematics. Imagine if we let them reach their potential outside the classroom. Now think about how we can make that happen.
Check out these related articles:
Originally
from The Monster Blog
by Elizabeth
on Apr 24, 2007, 4:11AM
Written by Jeff Bosco with no comments.
Read more articles on On the job and General.