Review these typical interview questions and think about how you would answer them. Read the questions listed; you will also find some strategy suggestions with it.
1. Tell me about yourself:
The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short statement prepared in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items unless instructed otherwise. Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that relate to the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest back and work up to the present.
2. Why did you leave your last job?
Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co-workers or the organization. If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward-looking reasons.
3. What experience do you have in this field?
Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.
4. Do you consider yourself successful?
You should always answer yes and briefly explain why. A good explanation is that you have set goals, and you have met some and are on track to achieve the others.
5. What do co-workers say about you?
Be prepared with a quote or two from co-workers. Either a specific statement or a paraphrase will work. Jill Clark, a co-worker at Smith Company, always said I was the hardest workers she had ever known. It is as powerful as Jill having said it at the interview herself.
6. What do you know about this organization?
This question is one reason to do some research on the organization before the interview. Find out where they have been and where they are going. What are the current issues and who are the major players?
7. What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year?
Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. A wide variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement. Have some good ones handy to mention.
8. Are you applying for other jobs?
Be honest but do not spend a lot of time in this area. Keep the focus on this job and what you can do for this organization. Anything else is a distraction.
9. Why do you want to work for this organization?
This may take some thought and certainly, should be based on the research you have done on the organization. Sincerity is extremely important here and will easily be sensed. Relate it to your long-term career goals.
10. Do you know anyone who works for us?
Be aware of the policy on relatives working for the organization. This can affect your answer even though they asked about friends not relatives. Be careful to mention a friend only if they are well thought of.
11. What kind of salary do you need?
A loaded question. A nasty little game that you will probably lose if you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like, That’s a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position? In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not,say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide range.
12. Are you a team player?
You are, of course, a team player. Be sure to have examples ready. Specifics that show you often perform for the good of the team rather than for yourself are good evidence of your team attitude. Do not brag, just say it in a matter-of-fact tone. This is a key point.
13. How long would you expect to work for us if hired?
Specifics here are not good. Something like this should work: I’d like it to be a long time. Or As long as we both feel I’m doing a good job.
14. Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that?
This is serious. Do not make light of it or in any way seem like you like to fire people. At the same time, you will do it when it is the right thing to do. When it comes to the organization versus the individual who has created a harmful situation, you will protect the organization. Remember firing is not the same as layoff or reduction in force.
15. What is your philosophy towards work?
The interviewer is not looking for a long or flowery dissertation here. Do you have strong feelings that the job gets done? Yes. That’s the type of answer that works best here. Short and positive, showing a benefit to the organization.
16. If you had enough money to retire right now, would you?
Answer yes if you would. But since you need to work, this is the type of work you prefer. Do not say yes if you do not mean it.
17. Have you ever been asked to leave a position?
If you have not, say no. If you have, be honest, brief and avoid saying negative things about the people or organization involved.
18. Explain how you would be an asset to this organization
You should be anxious for this question. It gives you a chance to highlight your best points as they relate to the position being discussed. Give a little advance thought to this relationship.
19. Why should we hire you?
Point out how your assets meet what the organization needs. Do not mention any other candidates to make a comparison.
20. Tell me about a suggestion you have made
Have a good one ready. Be sure and use a suggestion that was accepted and was then considered successful. One related to the type of work applied for is a real plus.
21. What irritates you about co-workers?
This is a trap question. Think real hard but fail to come up with anything that irritates you. A short statement that you seem to get along with folks is great.
22. What is your greatest strength?
Numerous answers are good, just stay positive. A few good examples: Your ability to prioritize, Your problem-solving skills, Your ability to work under pressure, Your ability to focus on projects, Your professional expertise, Your leadership skills, Your positive attitude.
23. Tell me about your dream job.
Stay away from a specific job. You cannot win. If you say the job you are contending for is it, you strain credibility. If you say another job is it, you plant the suspicion that you will be dissatisfied with this position if hired. The best is to stay genetic and say something like: A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute and can’t wait to get to work.
24. Why do you think you would do well at this job?
Give several reasons and include skills, experience and interest.
25. What are you looking for in a job?
See answer # 23
26. What kind of person would you refuse to work with?
Do not be trivial. It would take disloyalty to the organization,
violence or lawbreaking to get you to object. Minor objections will
label you as a whiner.
27. What is more important to you: the money or the work?
Money is always important, but the work is the most important. There is
no better answer.
28. What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is?
There are numerous good possibilities: Loyalty, Energy, Positive attitude, Leadership, Team player, Expertise,Initiative, Patience, Hard work, Creativity, Problem solver
29. Tell me about a problem you had with a supervisor
Biggest trap of all. This is a test to see if you will speak ill of your boss. If you fall for it and tell about a problem with a former boss, you may well below the interview right there. Stay positive and develop a poor memory about any trouble with a supervisor.
30. What has disappointed you about a job?
Don’t get trivial or negative. Safe areas are few but can include: Not enough of a challenge. You were laid off in a reduction Company did not win a contract, which would have given you more responsibility.
31. Tell me about your ability to work under pressure.
You may say that you thrive under certain types of pressure. Give an example that relates to the type of position applied for.
32. Do your skills match this job or another job more closely?
Probably this one. Do not give fuel to the suspicion that you may want
another job more than this one.
33. What motivates you to do your best on the job?
This is a personal trait that only you can say, but good examples are: Challenge, Achievement, Recognition
34. Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? Weekends?
This is up to you. Be totally honest.
35. How would you know you were successful on this job?
Several ways are good measures: You set high standards for yourself and meet them. Your outcomes are a success.Your boss tell you that you are successful
36. Would you be willing to relocate if required?
You should be clear on this with your family prior to the interview if
you think there is a chance it may come up. Do not say yes just to get
the job if the real answer is no. This can create a lot of problems
later on in your career. Be honest at this point and save yourself
future grief.
37. Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead of your own?
This is a straight loyalty and dedication question. Do not worry about the deep ethical and philosophical implications. Just say yes.
38. Describe your management style.
Try to avoid labels. Some of the more common labels, like progressive, salesman or consensus, can have several meanings or descriptions depending on which management expert you listen to. The situational style is safe, because it says you will manage according to the situation, instead of one size fits all.
39. What have you learned from mistakes on the job?
Here you have to come up with something or you strain credibility. Make
it small, well intentioned mistake with a positive lesson learned. An
example would be working too far ahead of colleagues on a project and
thus throwing coordination off.
40. Do you have any blind spots?
Trick question. If you know about blind spots, they are no longer blind
spots. Do not reveal any personal areas of concern here. Let them do
their own discovery on your bad points. Do not hand it to them.
41. If you were hiring a person for this job, what would you look for?
Be careful to mention traits that are needed and that you have.
42. Do you think you are overqualified for this position?
Regardless of your qualifications, state that you are very well qualified for the position.
43. How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience?
First, if you have experience that the interviewer does not know about,bring that up: Then, point out (if true) that you are a hard working quick learner.
44. What qualities do you look for in a boss?
Be generic and positive. Safe qualities are knowledgeable, a sense of humor, fair, loyal to subordinates and holder of high standards. All bosses think they have these traits.
45. Tell me about a time when you helped resolve a dispute between others.
Pick a specific incident. Concentrate on your problem solving technique and not the dispute you settled.
46. What position do you prefer on a team working on a project?
Be honest. If you are comfortable in different roles, point that out.
47. Describe your work ethic.
Emphasize benefits to the organization. Things like, determination to get the job done and work hard but enjoy your work are good.
48. What has been your biggest professional disappointment?
Be sure that you refer to something that was beyond your control. Show acceptance and no negative feelings.
49. Tell me about the most fun you have had on the job.
Talk about having fun by accomplishing something for the organization.
50. Do you have any questions for me?
Always have some questions prepared. Questions prepared where you will be an asset to the organization are good. How soon will I be able to be productive? and What type of projects will I be able to assist on? Are examples.
(Excerpted from the book The Accelerated Job Search by Wayne D. Ford, Ph.D, published by The Management Advantage, Inc.)
Thanks!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
THEY NEVER TELL YOU WHEN YOU START WORK .... AND WHY?
The Second Thing They Never Tell You
"#2).You'll never make good money working for other people."
How many senior managers are there at your place of work? And how many others are there? The ratio is likely to be anywhere from 40:1 to 200:1. So if you have their education, background, ability, contacts and perhaps luck, those will be your odds of making that kind of money also. If you lack any one of those parameters, the
odds increase exponentially. Then ask yourself how long you would have to wait before you started earning that sort of cash? By the time you start making
enough money to relax with, it's nearly time to retire.Pah! You want the cash NOW, just when you need it most - when you want to build a home, raise a family, do stuff, take activity holidays, drive a fast car or whatever. So what do you do about it?
Well, you could look to get into one of the more lucrative and growing business sectors such as computing, finance or recruitment. Or one of the traditional ones such as law or accountancy. Any of these may mean re-training. And you must be sure you are going to at least enjoy it a bit. Alternatively, you could put your efforts into Number 1, above, which may take years to develop, or… Have outside interests! This is much more fun. Don't fall for getrich quick schemes (because they are anything but) or homeworking schemes. And be wary also of MLM (multi-level marketing)
stuff.
Keep your eyes and ears open. Talk to friends. Can you club together and start something? Think about what interests you; what you already know something about. What have you learnt from your employer than you can apply outside? Can you trade your skills elsewhere? Are there certain elements of what your employer does that you could do better or cheaper? You certainly won't have the overheads they have and that will make you cheaper. Are there ideas and suggestions that would work but which they have failed to or refuse to take on board? "Ripping off" your employer in this way is probably the most common way of doing your own thing.Accumulate everything you can from them that you think might help. Keep these questions in your mind and sooner or later ideas will start to flow, often in the most unexpected places. I'm always on the look out for good part-time business ideas myself to pass onto ProFile members. Perhaps I will have the opportunity to divulge some to you in the future.
The Third Thing They Never Tell You
"The willing donkey carries the heaviest load"
Workplace stress is fast becoming the plague of the 21st century. You could fill your house with references on why this is so, but that's for the academics. We haven't got the time or the will to analyse it all. But what is important is how to you may avoid it. Basically, you need to work smarter, not harder. Here are a few
tips on doing just this. Pick out the key issues of your work. Identify and work on the important, priority items; the ones that will progress your career.
This is the stuff you should be focusing your efforts on in order to
make an impact; everything else is just treading water. However, you can't just ignore the routine stuff. This you should either systematise, delegate or ignore. Having a systematic way of doing the everyday stuff gets it done quicker, more efficiently and with far fewer errors or wasted thinking time. Write all your
procedures down, if it helps to get it clear in your own head. Then look for ways to simplify it. Once it is systematised, it is easier to delegate as well. Don't let people dump work on you. It's just laziness. Get them to take it to the boss (unless you are the boss), or suggest someone else is better qualified to do whatever it is. Just get them out of your space. Offer suggestions by all means - two heads are better than one - but don't do the work for them. They will usually find a
solution if forced to.
Delegate upwards. If you have tricky tasks to do, new stuff or things that require a lot of donkey work on your part, there are certain ways around it. Ask your boss for help, guidance and support. In the modern organisation, that is what they are there for, anyway. They will often ask you to "stick with it for now" or "do your best" - and then promptly forget about it. In which case, you are surprised, are you not, that they should shun an opportunity to improve efficiency and effectiveness by giving you the support you need.
•Ask for training. You'd be surprised what modern software can
do these days; you just need to know where to look.
•Tell your boss it is really someone else's job and outside of your
remit. You would do it as a favour, but as it stands, it is just too
time-consuming.
The Fourth Thing They Never Tell You
"They don't really mean it"
"They" applies more to senior than to middle managers. When they get ratty or annoyed, they often don't really mean it. Let's begin with the basics. There are 3 types of person in theworld:
. Those for whom the job comes first, regardless of who suffers or indeed who does it.
. Those who believe you should care for your people first and only do the job within such comfort zones.
.Those who don't care about the job or the people, so long as they are in control.
The latter category is the most dangerous. These are the politicians and the senior managers of the world and they achieve their position through a craving for power. The nature and success of both the people and the job are irrelevant, so long as they have the whip hand.
Many, many tactics are employed to enforce this. Getting angry is just one of them. A bit of well-placed rage can work wonders on the vulnerable and the more sensitive . which typically includes everybody else.
However, standing up to them will not break the façade. Maintaining a show of strength in all weathers is paramount to them. You just have to see it for what it is - play-acting - and take it in your stride.
The Fifth They Never Tell You
"Get noticed - Get promoted"
It's not what you know, it's who you know - and, indeed, what they themselves know. A few percent increase in the quality, quantity or thoroughness of your work can take a lot of effort. This is time that could be used to rub shoulders with those who have the power to promote you and whose opinion of you counts. I'm not saying you should creep and smarm, but there are two particular advantages in this.
1. You gain information and you "create" luck for yourself. You stand a better chance of being in the right place at the right time and of discovering the difference that will make a difference to your prospects; that one piece of information that can open doors for you.
2. You will gain in professionalism. Look at it from their point of view. Number 4 tells us that the more senior the manager, the more political they are. Do they take time out to tell you what a great person you are? That you're doing a great job? Or to grill you on the details of the work? No. They are only interested with their own progression. You do the work and they take it to show their bosses just how great they are at getting things done.
So the more work you take on, the better your boss will appear in their boss' eyes. A few tips on avoiding the graft are given in
Number 3. To also appear like a good promotional prospect…Get in early and leave on time. Staying late rarely gets you noticed. But being there before others certainly does. You use this time to work on the stuff that will advance your career - or even
your personal stuff. When the boss walks in, have something significant to ask, to
suggest or to comment about. Show keen interest and understanding.Request training. But you must give sound reasons, including an a im; i.e. what you intend to do with your new knowledge for the good of the company and, in particular, your boss.
Gain general knowledge of your company's operations outside of your own field or area, including the people. Getting promoted will mean a wider remit, so you will need to know more about a broader range of issues. The more you already know, the lower the risk to the managers in promoting you. In a nutshell, if you want to be promoted you have to start behaving like you already have been. Then it will become obvious to others what sort of material you really are.
The Sixth They Never Tell You
"You don't go to work to be liked"
That's not to say you have to be a miserable, awkward git to everyone around you. But if there are people who don't fit your desire to improve, you don't have to hang around with them or tolerate them.
There are a multitude of whiners, moaners, groaners, rumourmongers, gossipers and malicious corrupters in any organisation. These people are toxic. One bad apple can spoil a whole barrel. They also need the company to pour their scorn out onto. They will walk considerable distance to have a good old moan with someone who will sit and listen. Just watch them do it! Their self-esteem is so low, it is impossible for them to keep it to themselves. Misery must seek company.
Don't get sucked into this quagmire. Making a living is hard enough as it is without this drain on your motivation. Besides, these people are going nowhere; they will never gain in rank, so you don't need them. Instead, hang around with the optimists, the idea-generators and the energetic. This is where important and valuable information and the contacts come from.Besides, bosses (usually) know only too well who are the doers and who are the malingerers. Hang around with the malingerers and you'll be guilty by association. Hang around with the doers and you'll be part of a valuable network.
The Seventh Thing They Never Tell You
"Perception is reality"
How people perceive you is how you really are. If you dress like a slob, they'll think you're a slob; if you speak with firm authority (even though you may be churning inside) you will be perceived as authoritative. If you're perceived as a keen, early starter, that is how you will be considered, regardless of what you are actually up to. If you behave like management material (see Number 5), you'll be
perceived as management material.You should dress as, act as and talk as the position in the company that you wish to be. Get that picture in your mind and start acting it out from today.
The Eighth Never Tell You
"Information is power"
Oh, boy, don't they just know it. There are various forms of power and information is one of the critical ones. This is why there will never be open management. It is far, far more one way than the other. The information that managers hold is one of the principal pillars of their power base. We are in the information age. Companies that collect and rapidly exploit information have a distinct competitive advantage over their rivals. It's no different on the personal level. There are some ideas and details you should never divulge to your boss and some you should keep back for the right moment. Every time you let something go, a little of your "proprietary knowledge" (that which is unique to you) goes public and it loses its
value.
Think what happens in share dealing. If you were a broker with some hot, insider information, would you let everyone know just so you can look clever, well informed or to curry favour. Not likely. As soon as that information got out, the share price would equalise and you would no longer make a profit from what you used to know. It
has lost its value. So judge the value of the information you hold and keep it for the right moment or for your own use.
I myself have used the tips and tricks I am divulging to you here to work more effectively and efficiently and so get ahead of the game. That meant I could produce and then hoard reams of information, letting it out only at judicious moments to show regularprogress. In the meantime, I got on with my own stuff.
The Ninth They Never Tell You
"It's only a game"
Although this means you do have to master the technicalities of what you do, it also means there is nothing wrong with bluffing, cheating and rigging the cards. If the slack in the system gives you manoeuvering space, use it. If there is a way for you to make it look good without having to bust a gut doing it, then take it.
Let me give you a few examples.
. Whilst doing his degree thesis, a friend knew that, on balance, academic theory was more important than the scientific accuracy. So he used his knowledge to get a feel for what the results should look like. Then he drew on his 'key results graph'
three points for scale, filled in an arbitrary curve between them and then made the rest up. He got upper second class honours.
. I saw a technical supervisor alter test results to fit the tolerances. It wasn't important - it had been tested again since - but the gaps and the mistakes would lose the department compliance points in the QA audit if discovered. How often was this done and how much time, effort, worry and stress did it save? Who knows. But
it never showed.
. I've seen fabricated production data. Stuff that would be detected downstream anyway, simply by the poor nature of the material (and so wouldn't go to the customer), but which could never be traced back thanks to a management system with more holes than a warehouse full of Swiss cheese.
. I've known students crib reports from friends who took the course some time previously, even from back home in foreign countries.
. I've even known some to pay professionals to do the work for them. After all, what happens when you get a business problem you can't solve internally? You pay a consultant, right?
. I've also seen a yearly appraisal of mine that didn't even take place. And that's senior management making stuff up! So you see how commonplace this is. From beginning to end, top to bottom, people are bucking the system. Have you ever walked
over a "keep off the grass" sign? Have you ever done 40 in a 30 zone? Of course you have. You take little advantages wherever you can. Many rules are made just to keep you in your place. If you stick rigidly to every rule made for you, then people will take advantage of you.
The Tenth Thing They Never Tell You
"Watch the X-Files - i.e. Trust no-one"
Don't even trust the stuff in this report! Pardon? Well, it might all be true; then again, it might not! It's up to you to decide. Let me explain myself. Deep down, everybody has their own personal interests at heart. It's only human nature. Even when you get married, your spouse won't be doing it for your sake. On top of that, everybody sees things in a different light anyway - their experiences are viewed through their own personal "cognitive filter"; i.e. everybody is wired up differently according to his or her own genetics, upbringing, experiences, abilities, rationale and emotions.
Now that's quite a list of fairly hefty parameters and it is what makes everybody's perceptions different. This means you can afford to take nothing at face value. The key is to absorb, assess and make your own decisions. You shouldn't take prescriptions. Do you think newspapers report what's good for the nation or stuff that will sell their papers? Will an insurance salesperson decline to sell you a policy because they truly believe it's not quite for you? Hardly.
You can't believe what they say. No one has your interests more at heart than you do. That's why you need to filter the world before letting it in.
So the next time your boss says something is really important, ask yourself for whom? Can you do a quick job on it and still keep him or her happy? When something is a rush job, is that really the case, or have they just not considered the options? Or are they just kneejerking?
Or are they just trying to get you to work faster? Or is it down to their lack of organisation and planning and so their own responsibility to do it? Can you gain a favour out of doing it? And from a million other requests made to you during your tenure.
You may think this is being excessively cynical. And cynicism is often cited as being highly detrimental. But that usually comes form those who are trying to exploit you.
Thanks!
"#2).You'll never make good money working for other people."
How many senior managers are there at your place of work? And how many others are there? The ratio is likely to be anywhere from 40:1 to 200:1. So if you have their education, background, ability, contacts and perhaps luck, those will be your odds of making that kind of money also. If you lack any one of those parameters, the
odds increase exponentially. Then ask yourself how long you would have to wait before you started earning that sort of cash? By the time you start making
enough money to relax with, it's nearly time to retire.Pah! You want the cash NOW, just when you need it most - when you want to build a home, raise a family, do stuff, take activity holidays, drive a fast car or whatever. So what do you do about it?
Well, you could look to get into one of the more lucrative and growing business sectors such as computing, finance or recruitment. Or one of the traditional ones such as law or accountancy. Any of these may mean re-training. And you must be sure you are going to at least enjoy it a bit. Alternatively, you could put your efforts into Number 1, above, which may take years to develop, or… Have outside interests! This is much more fun. Don't fall for getrich quick schemes (because they are anything but) or homeworking schemes. And be wary also of MLM (multi-level marketing)
stuff.
Keep your eyes and ears open. Talk to friends. Can you club together and start something? Think about what interests you; what you already know something about. What have you learnt from your employer than you can apply outside? Can you trade your skills elsewhere? Are there certain elements of what your employer does that you could do better or cheaper? You certainly won't have the overheads they have and that will make you cheaper. Are there ideas and suggestions that would work but which they have failed to or refuse to take on board? "Ripping off" your employer in this way is probably the most common way of doing your own thing.Accumulate everything you can from them that you think might help. Keep these questions in your mind and sooner or later ideas will start to flow, often in the most unexpected places. I'm always on the look out for good part-time business ideas myself to pass onto ProFile members. Perhaps I will have the opportunity to divulge some to you in the future.
The Third Thing They Never Tell You
"The willing donkey carries the heaviest load"
Workplace stress is fast becoming the plague of the 21st century. You could fill your house with references on why this is so, but that's for the academics. We haven't got the time or the will to analyse it all. But what is important is how to you may avoid it. Basically, you need to work smarter, not harder. Here are a few
tips on doing just this. Pick out the key issues of your work. Identify and work on the important, priority items; the ones that will progress your career.
This is the stuff you should be focusing your efforts on in order to
make an impact; everything else is just treading water. However, you can't just ignore the routine stuff. This you should either systematise, delegate or ignore. Having a systematic way of doing the everyday stuff gets it done quicker, more efficiently and with far fewer errors or wasted thinking time. Write all your
procedures down, if it helps to get it clear in your own head. Then look for ways to simplify it. Once it is systematised, it is easier to delegate as well. Don't let people dump work on you. It's just laziness. Get them to take it to the boss (unless you are the boss), or suggest someone else is better qualified to do whatever it is. Just get them out of your space. Offer suggestions by all means - two heads are better than one - but don't do the work for them. They will usually find a
solution if forced to.
Delegate upwards. If you have tricky tasks to do, new stuff or things that require a lot of donkey work on your part, there are certain ways around it. Ask your boss for help, guidance and support. In the modern organisation, that is what they are there for, anyway. They will often ask you to "stick with it for now" or "do your best" - and then promptly forget about it. In which case, you are surprised, are you not, that they should shun an opportunity to improve efficiency and effectiveness by giving you the support you need.
•Ask for training. You'd be surprised what modern software can
do these days; you just need to know where to look.
•Tell your boss it is really someone else's job and outside of your
remit. You would do it as a favour, but as it stands, it is just too
time-consuming.
The Fourth Thing They Never Tell You
"They don't really mean it"
"They" applies more to senior than to middle managers. When they get ratty or annoyed, they often don't really mean it. Let's begin with the basics. There are 3 types of person in theworld:
. Those for whom the job comes first, regardless of who suffers or indeed who does it.
. Those who believe you should care for your people first and only do the job within such comfort zones.
.Those who don't care about the job or the people, so long as they are in control.
The latter category is the most dangerous. These are the politicians and the senior managers of the world and they achieve their position through a craving for power. The nature and success of both the people and the job are irrelevant, so long as they have the whip hand.
Many, many tactics are employed to enforce this. Getting angry is just one of them. A bit of well-placed rage can work wonders on the vulnerable and the more sensitive . which typically includes everybody else.
However, standing up to them will not break the façade. Maintaining a show of strength in all weathers is paramount to them. You just have to see it for what it is - play-acting - and take it in your stride.
The Fifth They Never Tell You
"Get noticed - Get promoted"
It's not what you know, it's who you know - and, indeed, what they themselves know. A few percent increase in the quality, quantity or thoroughness of your work can take a lot of effort. This is time that could be used to rub shoulders with those who have the power to promote you and whose opinion of you counts. I'm not saying you should creep and smarm, but there are two particular advantages in this.
1. You gain information and you "create" luck for yourself. You stand a better chance of being in the right place at the right time and of discovering the difference that will make a difference to your prospects; that one piece of information that can open doors for you.
2. You will gain in professionalism. Look at it from their point of view. Number 4 tells us that the more senior the manager, the more political they are. Do they take time out to tell you what a great person you are? That you're doing a great job? Or to grill you on the details of the work? No. They are only interested with their own progression. You do the work and they take it to show their bosses just how great they are at getting things done.
So the more work you take on, the better your boss will appear in their boss' eyes. A few tips on avoiding the graft are given in
Number 3. To also appear like a good promotional prospect…Get in early and leave on time. Staying late rarely gets you noticed. But being there before others certainly does. You use this time to work on the stuff that will advance your career - or even
your personal stuff. When the boss walks in, have something significant to ask, to
suggest or to comment about. Show keen interest and understanding.Request training. But you must give sound reasons, including an a im; i.e. what you intend to do with your new knowledge for the good of the company and, in particular, your boss.
Gain general knowledge of your company's operations outside of your own field or area, including the people. Getting promoted will mean a wider remit, so you will need to know more about a broader range of issues. The more you already know, the lower the risk to the managers in promoting you. In a nutshell, if you want to be promoted you have to start behaving like you already have been. Then it will become obvious to others what sort of material you really are.
The Sixth They Never Tell You
"You don't go to work to be liked"
That's not to say you have to be a miserable, awkward git to everyone around you. But if there are people who don't fit your desire to improve, you don't have to hang around with them or tolerate them.
There are a multitude of whiners, moaners, groaners, rumourmongers, gossipers and malicious corrupters in any organisation. These people are toxic. One bad apple can spoil a whole barrel. They also need the company to pour their scorn out onto. They will walk considerable distance to have a good old moan with someone who will sit and listen. Just watch them do it! Their self-esteem is so low, it is impossible for them to keep it to themselves. Misery must seek company.
Don't get sucked into this quagmire. Making a living is hard enough as it is without this drain on your motivation. Besides, these people are going nowhere; they will never gain in rank, so you don't need them. Instead, hang around with the optimists, the idea-generators and the energetic. This is where important and valuable information and the contacts come from.Besides, bosses (usually) know only too well who are the doers and who are the malingerers. Hang around with the malingerers and you'll be guilty by association. Hang around with the doers and you'll be part of a valuable network.
The Seventh Thing They Never Tell You
"Perception is reality"
How people perceive you is how you really are. If you dress like a slob, they'll think you're a slob; if you speak with firm authority (even though you may be churning inside) you will be perceived as authoritative. If you're perceived as a keen, early starter, that is how you will be considered, regardless of what you are actually up to. If you behave like management material (see Number 5), you'll be
perceived as management material.You should dress as, act as and talk as the position in the company that you wish to be. Get that picture in your mind and start acting it out from today.
The Eighth Never Tell You
"Information is power"
Oh, boy, don't they just know it. There are various forms of power and information is one of the critical ones. This is why there will never be open management. It is far, far more one way than the other. The information that managers hold is one of the principal pillars of their power base. We are in the information age. Companies that collect and rapidly exploit information have a distinct competitive advantage over their rivals. It's no different on the personal level. There are some ideas and details you should never divulge to your boss and some you should keep back for the right moment. Every time you let something go, a little of your "proprietary knowledge" (that which is unique to you) goes public and it loses its
value.
Think what happens in share dealing. If you were a broker with some hot, insider information, would you let everyone know just so you can look clever, well informed or to curry favour. Not likely. As soon as that information got out, the share price would equalise and you would no longer make a profit from what you used to know. It
has lost its value. So judge the value of the information you hold and keep it for the right moment or for your own use.
I myself have used the tips and tricks I am divulging to you here to work more effectively and efficiently and so get ahead of the game. That meant I could produce and then hoard reams of information, letting it out only at judicious moments to show regularprogress. In the meantime, I got on with my own stuff.
The Ninth They Never Tell You
"It's only a game"
Although this means you do have to master the technicalities of what you do, it also means there is nothing wrong with bluffing, cheating and rigging the cards. If the slack in the system gives you manoeuvering space, use it. If there is a way for you to make it look good without having to bust a gut doing it, then take it.
Let me give you a few examples.
. Whilst doing his degree thesis, a friend knew that, on balance, academic theory was more important than the scientific accuracy. So he used his knowledge to get a feel for what the results should look like. Then he drew on his 'key results graph'
three points for scale, filled in an arbitrary curve between them and then made the rest up. He got upper second class honours.
. I saw a technical supervisor alter test results to fit the tolerances. It wasn't important - it had been tested again since - but the gaps and the mistakes would lose the department compliance points in the QA audit if discovered. How often was this done and how much time, effort, worry and stress did it save? Who knows. But
it never showed.
. I've seen fabricated production data. Stuff that would be detected downstream anyway, simply by the poor nature of the material (and so wouldn't go to the customer), but which could never be traced back thanks to a management system with more holes than a warehouse full of Swiss cheese.
. I've known students crib reports from friends who took the course some time previously, even from back home in foreign countries.
. I've even known some to pay professionals to do the work for them. After all, what happens when you get a business problem you can't solve internally? You pay a consultant, right?
. I've also seen a yearly appraisal of mine that didn't even take place. And that's senior management making stuff up! So you see how commonplace this is. From beginning to end, top to bottom, people are bucking the system. Have you ever walked
over a "keep off the grass" sign? Have you ever done 40 in a 30 zone? Of course you have. You take little advantages wherever you can. Many rules are made just to keep you in your place. If you stick rigidly to every rule made for you, then people will take advantage of you.
The Tenth Thing They Never Tell You
"Watch the X-Files - i.e. Trust no-one"
Don't even trust the stuff in this report! Pardon? Well, it might all be true; then again, it might not! It's up to you to decide. Let me explain myself. Deep down, everybody has their own personal interests at heart. It's only human nature. Even when you get married, your spouse won't be doing it for your sake. On top of that, everybody sees things in a different light anyway - their experiences are viewed through their own personal "cognitive filter"; i.e. everybody is wired up differently according to his or her own genetics, upbringing, experiences, abilities, rationale and emotions.
Now that's quite a list of fairly hefty parameters and it is what makes everybody's perceptions different. This means you can afford to take nothing at face value. The key is to absorb, assess and make your own decisions. You shouldn't take prescriptions. Do you think newspapers report what's good for the nation or stuff that will sell their papers? Will an insurance salesperson decline to sell you a policy because they truly believe it's not quite for you? Hardly.
You can't believe what they say. No one has your interests more at heart than you do. That's why you need to filter the world before letting it in.
So the next time your boss says something is really important, ask yourself for whom? Can you do a quick job on it and still keep him or her happy? When something is a rush job, is that really the case, or have they just not considered the options? Or are they just kneejerking?
Or are they just trying to get you to work faster? Or is it down to their lack of organisation and planning and so their own responsibility to do it? Can you gain a favour out of doing it? And from a million other requests made to you during your tenure.
You may think this is being excessively cynical. And cynicism is often cited as being highly detrimental. But that usually comes form those who are trying to exploit you.
Thanks!
Sunday, March 22, 2009
THEY NEVER TELL YOU WHEN YOU START WORK …AND WHY !
There are a myriad of companies, both on- and off-line that focus on finding new jobs. BUT… to give yourself the best chance of landing a new and (hopefully) better job, you have to make the most of your current one. This is where we come in. It is our aim to accelerate your career by maximising your current value and so increasing your marketability – and that means bigger salaries for you. Increasingly, it is up to the individual to carve their own career, independent of any organisational "initiatives". This is because:
a).Job security is being eroded.
b).Job life expectancy is decreasing.
c). Organisations are geared up for flexibility.
This means you need to be flexible, too. It means you can no longer rely on blanket training programmes or on getting promoted. Each employees needs are becoming highly individual. It also means changing jobs at some stage is pretty much inevitable. So you will need to know how to market yourself. And the best way to do that is to have a highly saleable product – a high value "You".
We gives you the means to do this. You can:
•Give yourself unique, valuable and marketable skills with our
training courses.
•Accumulate daily working techniques with our e-mail training
course, "The Pro File" to give yourself an unsurpassable
professionalism.
•Devise your career plan through our exclusive blogpost.
•Market yourself with a killer ProFile CV.
•Plug those gaps in your career knowledge through our Free
Advice blogpost.
And there's our free weekly careers blog post, with up-to-date insights
on the employment market.I'm sure you'll find something to boost your career.
You only get one career. Protect it, nurture it, invest in it.
They Never Tell You When You Start Work And Why! You are about to discover some very useful insights into the world of work. Insights that should make your working days less stressful, more understandable and meaningful and quite possibly more lucrative, too. These few pages divulge some very valuable information. Information that could open your eyes to a new way of working if you so choose; certainly a new way of thinking.
This concise collection of no-nonsense disclosures about the world of work, its pitfalls, its peculiarities and its opportunities took me many years to accumulate and decipher. They could have saved me a whole lot of grief in the early years, had I known it all back then. But they certainly made life more tolerable in the meantime.It is written in my preferred style - open, free-flowing and
conversational, which pulls few punches. This booklet is after all
intended to expose a few home truths, so there is no point in mincing about.
You may not like some of the points made here and some you may not believe in or agree with them all. But whether you do or not,they do happen, every day, up and down the country. It all depends on your personal nature. If you're happy doing what you do, that's fine. If, however, you are looking to make life easier for yourself, or for ways to get on a bit, then you'll likely find the nuggets of information very useful.
As is explained in Number 10, application is the key to learning. So, as you read each one, give some thought as to how it applies to your own situation. I sincerely hope you find real value in these insights. They have certainly proved to be very valuable for me. Enjoy.
The First Thing They Never Tell You
#1."You will be paid the lowest possible amount
they can get away with." Why should this be so?
1. For a start there is little union power around these days to argue
otherwise.
2. You have to wait two years now before you get the employee
protection you used to get after 6 months.
3. There are plenty of other people waiting in the wings to take your
place for a lower fee if you refuse.
4. If you do protest, you can typically kiss promotion goodbye.
5. Employee costs are a significant percentage of total costs and
are usually monitored in budgets and reports. It is often a key
management performance indicator (like production, wastage,
stock levels and so on). So it is in their own promotional interests
to keep them as low as possible.So what's the answer? It depends on your view.
If you need security more than a stunning wage, stay put and argue your case at your annual reviews.
If you want the money, you need to build yourself a glittering CV and jump ship at suitable moments. This may mean volunteering for projects, taking extra responsibility, making suggestions, and sometimes swallowing your pride and compromising your better judgement.In the lower ranks, getting your way is secondary to getting promoted. The difference you can make is not significant, anyway.
The people who can make a difference and can get you promoted are higher up.
Besides, you will eventually have the last laugh when you become more marketable. And nothing annoys your antagonists more than agreeing with them! Be satisfied with that. And make note of No.9 here. Most of all, keep records of your work, your results and your improvements as evidence for your CV.
Whatever you do, you should realise that it is all a means to an end. Your aim is to build an impressive CV and to back it up with the facts and figures of your proof of capability for your next employer. To be cont...to 2# reason,
Thanks!
a).Job security is being eroded.
b).Job life expectancy is decreasing.
c). Organisations are geared up for flexibility.
This means you need to be flexible, too. It means you can no longer rely on blanket training programmes or on getting promoted. Each employees needs are becoming highly individual. It also means changing jobs at some stage is pretty much inevitable. So you will need to know how to market yourself. And the best way to do that is to have a highly saleable product – a high value "You".
We gives you the means to do this. You can:
•Give yourself unique, valuable and marketable skills with our
training courses.
•Accumulate daily working techniques with our e-mail training
course, "The Pro File" to give yourself an unsurpassable
professionalism.
•Devise your career plan through our exclusive blogpost.
•Market yourself with a killer ProFile CV.
•Plug those gaps in your career knowledge through our Free
Advice blogpost.
And there's our free weekly careers blog post, with up-to-date insights
on the employment market.I'm sure you'll find something to boost your career.
You only get one career. Protect it, nurture it, invest in it.
They Never Tell You When You Start Work And Why! You are about to discover some very useful insights into the world of work. Insights that should make your working days less stressful, more understandable and meaningful and quite possibly more lucrative, too. These few pages divulge some very valuable information. Information that could open your eyes to a new way of working if you so choose; certainly a new way of thinking.
This concise collection of no-nonsense disclosures about the world of work, its pitfalls, its peculiarities and its opportunities took me many years to accumulate and decipher. They could have saved me a whole lot of grief in the early years, had I known it all back then. But they certainly made life more tolerable in the meantime.It is written in my preferred style - open, free-flowing and
conversational, which pulls few punches. This booklet is after all
intended to expose a few home truths, so there is no point in mincing about.
You may not like some of the points made here and some you may not believe in or agree with them all. But whether you do or not,they do happen, every day, up and down the country. It all depends on your personal nature. If you're happy doing what you do, that's fine. If, however, you are looking to make life easier for yourself, or for ways to get on a bit, then you'll likely find the nuggets of information very useful.
As is explained in Number 10, application is the key to learning. So, as you read each one, give some thought as to how it applies to your own situation. I sincerely hope you find real value in these insights. They have certainly proved to be very valuable for me. Enjoy.
The First Thing They Never Tell You
#1."You will be paid the lowest possible amount
they can get away with." Why should this be so?
1. For a start there is little union power around these days to argue
otherwise.
2. You have to wait two years now before you get the employee
protection you used to get after 6 months.
3. There are plenty of other people waiting in the wings to take your
place for a lower fee if you refuse.
4. If you do protest, you can typically kiss promotion goodbye.
5. Employee costs are a significant percentage of total costs and
are usually monitored in budgets and reports. It is often a key
management performance indicator (like production, wastage,
stock levels and so on). So it is in their own promotional interests
to keep them as low as possible.So what's the answer? It depends on your view.
If you need security more than a stunning wage, stay put and argue your case at your annual reviews.
If you want the money, you need to build yourself a glittering CV and jump ship at suitable moments. This may mean volunteering for projects, taking extra responsibility, making suggestions, and sometimes swallowing your pride and compromising your better judgement.In the lower ranks, getting your way is secondary to getting promoted. The difference you can make is not significant, anyway.
The people who can make a difference and can get you promoted are higher up.
Besides, you will eventually have the last laugh when you become more marketable. And nothing annoys your antagonists more than agreeing with them! Be satisfied with that. And make note of No.9 here. Most of all, keep records of your work, your results and your improvements as evidence for your CV.
Whatever you do, you should realise that it is all a means to an end. Your aim is to build an impressive CV and to back it up with the facts and figures of your proof of capability for your next employer. To be cont...to 2# reason,
Thanks!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
How To Manage Virtual Workforce
Virtual Workforce, the latest boon of the technology and globalization, has questioned the very nature of employer employee relationship structure across the world. The concept of virtual workforce is fast welcome by a section of employers and working people in many countries.
An organization’s workforce is said to be virtual when its employees are geographically dispersed, or operating through the differences of time, place and organisational boundaries. In simplified terms, the members of the virtual workforce work from places distant from their offices (their homes, office branches in different states or even different countries) and collaborate effectively even after not being in physical contact with each other.
The emergence of multinational companies, new and flat organisational structures have fuelled the growth of global and virtual workforce, and the changed the very nature of the employer-employee and business relationships. We attempt to look at all the issues related to the concept of virtual workforces in organisations.
Advantages of having virtual workforce;Virtual workforce is proving to be a blessing in disguise for the employees as well as the organisations.
Employees can work from anywhere. Anytime!Technology enabled virtual workforce has helped the organisations to resolve and reduce various HR problems by enabling the employees (especially the working women and the new mothers) to take benefit of the flexible working hours. Now the employees can work from their homes and other locations at their convenience.
Facilitates hiring the best talent irrespective of the location;
Virtual workforce has opened the doors of attracting best talent from anywhere in the world (i.e. eliminating the limitation of distance and the physical separation).
Time and cost savings;One of the most significant benefits to the organisations and the employees is the cost and the time savings resulting from less commutation. Many organisations have admitted of registering reduction in the employee absenteeism. Most importantly, virtual workforce in different countries or locations helps an organisation to compete in the global industry and strengthen its position.
The role of technology;It is only because of technology that the concept of virtual workforce came to existence and also became successful. Technology supports virtual workforce through the hardwares and softwares like mobile phones, laptops, modems, wireless communication links like LAN, WAN etc. the software include the e-mails, remote access softwares, video and tele-conferencing technologies etc.
Technology provides the connecting links to the virtual workforce. Technological tools like video-conferencing enable people to see and talk to each other being spread at different places around the world at a given point of time. It would be apt to say that technology provides and creates the virtual infrastructure and facilities for the virtual workforce.
Issues in virtual workforce;Where the virtual workforce is a blessing for all, the baggage also contains some serious issues to be dealt with, in order to successfully integrate and manage the concept with the organisation and achieve its objectives successfully. When the employees are not physically present at the office every day, one of the issues that crops up is of trust. Away from the management scrutiny and monitoring, and with the management having no control over the working hours and daily monitoring of employees, there is a need on the part of both the employer and the employee to have faith in and trust each other.
Miscommunication problems;In absence of the physical contact and face-to-face interaction, miscommunication is bound to occur. Due to people present in different parts of the world, bringing them together virtually at the same time and the difficulty in contacting each other due to any reason like technological faults, communication gap can creep in.
Managing virtual workforce;The virtual workforce can be dispersed across the country or even to the different continents. The biggest challenge of having virtual workforce is to engage, integrate and manage them in alignment to the organisational goals and objectives. Being away from the organisation, peers and the organisational environment can make the employees feel isolated or not –valued by the organisation. The employees miss the happenings or events in the organisation. Miscommunication problems also arise in the virtual workforce.
The organisation needs to have a complete system or structure in place to effectively manage the virtual workforce which should have the following components;
Training for the managers to mange the virtual workforce effectively and efficiently.
Technology should be put to its best possible use in managing the virtual workforce.
Incorporating trust in the employees and the organisation.
Ensuring proper communication between the organisation and the team.
Conclusion;Virtual workforce has become an integral and inseparable part of the corporate world today. It is a blessing for the organisation and the employees, but only if the organisation handles and manages the issue effectively and efficiently. Stating the expectations clearly to the employees, maintaining constant contact, proper communication channels, periodic meetings are few ways to handle the issue effectively and make it a success.
Thanks!
An organization’s workforce is said to be virtual when its employees are geographically dispersed, or operating through the differences of time, place and organisational boundaries. In simplified terms, the members of the virtual workforce work from places distant from their offices (their homes, office branches in different states or even different countries) and collaborate effectively even after not being in physical contact with each other.
The emergence of multinational companies, new and flat organisational structures have fuelled the growth of global and virtual workforce, and the changed the very nature of the employer-employee and business relationships. We attempt to look at all the issues related to the concept of virtual workforces in organisations.
Advantages of having virtual workforce;Virtual workforce is proving to be a blessing in disguise for the employees as well as the organisations.
Employees can work from anywhere. Anytime!Technology enabled virtual workforce has helped the organisations to resolve and reduce various HR problems by enabling the employees (especially the working women and the new mothers) to take benefit of the flexible working hours. Now the employees can work from their homes and other locations at their convenience.
Facilitates hiring the best talent irrespective of the location;
Virtual workforce has opened the doors of attracting best talent from anywhere in the world (i.e. eliminating the limitation of distance and the physical separation).
Time and cost savings;One of the most significant benefits to the organisations and the employees is the cost and the time savings resulting from less commutation. Many organisations have admitted of registering reduction in the employee absenteeism. Most importantly, virtual workforce in different countries or locations helps an organisation to compete in the global industry and strengthen its position.
The role of technology;It is only because of technology that the concept of virtual workforce came to existence and also became successful. Technology supports virtual workforce through the hardwares and softwares like mobile phones, laptops, modems, wireless communication links like LAN, WAN etc. the software include the e-mails, remote access softwares, video and tele-conferencing technologies etc.
Technology provides the connecting links to the virtual workforce. Technological tools like video-conferencing enable people to see and talk to each other being spread at different places around the world at a given point of time. It would be apt to say that technology provides and creates the virtual infrastructure and facilities for the virtual workforce.
Issues in virtual workforce;Where the virtual workforce is a blessing for all, the baggage also contains some serious issues to be dealt with, in order to successfully integrate and manage the concept with the organisation and achieve its objectives successfully. When the employees are not physically present at the office every day, one of the issues that crops up is of trust. Away from the management scrutiny and monitoring, and with the management having no control over the working hours and daily monitoring of employees, there is a need on the part of both the employer and the employee to have faith in and trust each other.
Miscommunication problems;In absence of the physical contact and face-to-face interaction, miscommunication is bound to occur. Due to people present in different parts of the world, bringing them together virtually at the same time and the difficulty in contacting each other due to any reason like technological faults, communication gap can creep in.
Managing virtual workforce;The virtual workforce can be dispersed across the country or even to the different continents. The biggest challenge of having virtual workforce is to engage, integrate and manage them in alignment to the organisational goals and objectives. Being away from the organisation, peers and the organisational environment can make the employees feel isolated or not –valued by the organisation. The employees miss the happenings or events in the organisation. Miscommunication problems also arise in the virtual workforce.
The organisation needs to have a complete system or structure in place to effectively manage the virtual workforce which should have the following components;
Training for the managers to mange the virtual workforce effectively and efficiently.
Technology should be put to its best possible use in managing the virtual workforce.
Incorporating trust in the employees and the organisation.
Ensuring proper communication between the organisation and the team.
Conclusion;Virtual workforce has become an integral and inseparable part of the corporate world today. It is a blessing for the organisation and the employees, but only if the organisation handles and manages the issue effectively and efficiently. Stating the expectations clearly to the employees, maintaining constant contact, proper communication channels, periodic meetings are few ways to handle the issue effectively and make it a success.
Thanks!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
How To Building an Employer Brand
In today's present job markets, where companies compete for attracting the best of the talent, employer brand, sometimes, becomes more relevant when compared to various critical factors like job profile and the compensation package.
Employer brand is the image of an organization as a great place to work in the minds of its current employees and key stakeholders. It is the development of such an organizational culture which fosters a sense of belongingness with the company and encourages the employees to share organization's goals for success. In short, it is the value of the company in external marketplace. The goal of employer branding is to create loyal customers; the customers here being the employees.
An employer brand represents the core values of an organization. Companies that are considered good employers have a strong identity and an image in the marketplace. Building such a brand requires a lot of introspection by the company, and answering the questions, "what kind of company we are, and want to become?" and "how do we live up to the expectations of our stakeholders?".
What makes an employer a brand? Simon Barrow, who is president of a successful consulting firm in London that specializes in employer branding services describes four elements that work together to make an employer brand. The first element is the Employment Package which is the offer that an employee gets including job responsibilities, financial compensation, work/life balance, the employee's role in organization and professional development. Next comes the Culture and Environment which includes the physical working environment, the size of the organization, and the organization's approach to work. Then there is Integrity. Delivering what has been initially committed always counts. The consequence of a lack of integrity is seen in the form of high attrition rates. And finally Management Performance that plays as a vital role in the Employer Branding process.
Building a brand is typically a twofold process. One is for prospective employees and the other for the current set of employees. While building brand for prospective employees, initiatives are targeted at building a repute in potential recruits about the company as a preferred place to work. On the other hand, while building brand internally, the company has to live up to its standards and incorporate a culture of respect and trust for employees.
Growing Significance;It is said that an unsatisfied customer tells ten people about his experience while an unsatisfied employee tells a hundred. Employer branding reflects the work culture in an organization. It has become more critical in today's times, as most professionals are looking at a stable career and establishing a long-term relationship with the company. Research shows that employees of industrial brands feel a much greater sense of pride, attachment and trust towards their employer. They are also significantly more likely to recommend their company to others and claim it treats employees well. Through right branding, the company can recruit the best talent and reinforce its positioning amongst its employees. It helps build trust and reliability. A good employer brand makes it easy to attract good talent and curb attrition. The strength of an organization's brand has a significant impact on the performance of its employees. Working with one of the largest or most innovative companies in a specific industry acts as a motivator too.
But as one moves higher in his career, brand name becomes of little significance as job role takes over. Brand name is the most important factor but at entry level only. When one is a fresher and embarks on one's career, the brand of a company matters. It helps in reflecting a stronger resume. With career growth, one places importance on things that are more meaningful to one's sense of purpose. According to experts, for employees who have spent three-four years in the industry, brand is high on the list. It is easier to sell the company if it is a reputed brand. For those who have spent five years in any industry, it's the job role that's important and for those with 10 year behind them, the job role becomes the most critical factor.
It is also being argued that in most cases, companies treat employer branding as a mere short-cut for attracting the talent. Instead of self-analysis, the HR departments tie up with ad agencies to conjure up an image that may be attractive to their target market, even if not their own. While some argue that organizations like Google with strong employer brand hardly spend money in building the brand; instead they focus on living the brand. Shaken, for example, has a stated 'People First' policy to emphasize that employees are the focus. Fedex has a core philosophy of 'people - service - profit' to indicate what comes first. Some organisations does not get tired of repeating the founder's belief "Take care of the associates, and they'll take good care of the guests, and the guests will come back." These organizations reveal a high degree of trust in the management of the organization. Managements must understand that the core value offering of the organization is to engage employees towards being productive and responsive to customers. In the end, it is believed that if the company takes care of people, people will take care of the company.
Thanks!
Employer brand is the image of an organization as a great place to work in the minds of its current employees and key stakeholders. It is the development of such an organizational culture which fosters a sense of belongingness with the company and encourages the employees to share organization's goals for success. In short, it is the value of the company in external marketplace. The goal of employer branding is to create loyal customers; the customers here being the employees.
An employer brand represents the core values of an organization. Companies that are considered good employers have a strong identity and an image in the marketplace. Building such a brand requires a lot of introspection by the company, and answering the questions, "what kind of company we are, and want to become?" and "how do we live up to the expectations of our stakeholders?".
What makes an employer a brand? Simon Barrow, who is president of a successful consulting firm in London that specializes in employer branding services describes four elements that work together to make an employer brand. The first element is the Employment Package which is the offer that an employee gets including job responsibilities, financial compensation, work/life balance, the employee's role in organization and professional development. Next comes the Culture and Environment which includes the physical working environment, the size of the organization, and the organization's approach to work. Then there is Integrity. Delivering what has been initially committed always counts. The consequence of a lack of integrity is seen in the form of high attrition rates. And finally Management Performance that plays as a vital role in the Employer Branding process.
Building a brand is typically a twofold process. One is for prospective employees and the other for the current set of employees. While building brand for prospective employees, initiatives are targeted at building a repute in potential recruits about the company as a preferred place to work. On the other hand, while building brand internally, the company has to live up to its standards and incorporate a culture of respect and trust for employees.
Growing Significance;It is said that an unsatisfied customer tells ten people about his experience while an unsatisfied employee tells a hundred. Employer branding reflects the work culture in an organization. It has become more critical in today's times, as most professionals are looking at a stable career and establishing a long-term relationship with the company. Research shows that employees of industrial brands feel a much greater sense of pride, attachment and trust towards their employer. They are also significantly more likely to recommend their company to others and claim it treats employees well. Through right branding, the company can recruit the best talent and reinforce its positioning amongst its employees. It helps build trust and reliability. A good employer brand makes it easy to attract good talent and curb attrition. The strength of an organization's brand has a significant impact on the performance of its employees. Working with one of the largest or most innovative companies in a specific industry acts as a motivator too.
But as one moves higher in his career, brand name becomes of little significance as job role takes over. Brand name is the most important factor but at entry level only. When one is a fresher and embarks on one's career, the brand of a company matters. It helps in reflecting a stronger resume. With career growth, one places importance on things that are more meaningful to one's sense of purpose. According to experts, for employees who have spent three-four years in the industry, brand is high on the list. It is easier to sell the company if it is a reputed brand. For those who have spent five years in any industry, it's the job role that's important and for those with 10 year behind them, the job role becomes the most critical factor.
It is also being argued that in most cases, companies treat employer branding as a mere short-cut for attracting the talent. Instead of self-analysis, the HR departments tie up with ad agencies to conjure up an image that may be attractive to their target market, even if not their own. While some argue that organizations like Google with strong employer brand hardly spend money in building the brand; instead they focus on living the brand. Shaken, for example, has a stated 'People First' policy to emphasize that employees are the focus. Fedex has a core philosophy of 'people - service - profit' to indicate what comes first. Some organisations does not get tired of repeating the founder's belief "Take care of the associates, and they'll take good care of the guests, and the guests will come back." These organizations reveal a high degree of trust in the management of the organization. Managements must understand that the core value offering of the organization is to engage employees towards being productive and responsive to customers. In the end, it is believed that if the company takes care of people, people will take care of the company.
Thanks!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Is It Important To Counsel Employee At Workplace?
In these days of world economic meltdown,the latest trend catching up in the corporate Human Resource across the world is that how It's Important To Counsel Employee At Workplace rather is there any need to ?. In the world of ever increasing complexity and the stress in the lives, especially the workplaces of the employees, employee counselling has emerged as the latest HR tool to attract and retain its best employees and also to increase the quality of the workforce.
In today's fast-paced corporate world, there is virtually no organisation free of stress or stress-free employees. The employees can be stressed, depressed, suffering from too much anxiety arising out of various workplace related issues like managing deadlines, meeting targets, lack of time to fulfill personal and family commitments, or bereaved and disturbed due to some personal problem etc.
Organisations have realized the importance of having a stress-free yet motivated and capable workforce. Therefore, many companies have integrated the counseling services in their organisations and making it a part of their culture. Organisations are offering the service of employee counselling to its employees.
What is Employee Counselling?Employee counselling can be explained as providing help and support to the employees to face and sail through the difficult times in life. At many points of time in life or career people come across some problems either in their work or personal life when it starts influencing and affecting their performance and, increasing the stress levels of the individual. Counselling is guiding, consoling, advising and sharing and helping to resolve their problems whenever the need arises.
Technically, Psychological Counselling, a form of counselling is used by the experts to analyze the work related performance and behaviour of the employees to help them cope with it, resolve the conflicts and tribulations and re-enforce the desired results.
Ingredients of counselling:Counselling of staff is becoming an essential function of the managers. The organisation can either take the help of experienced employees or expert, professional counselor to take up the counselling activities. Increasing complexities in the lives of the employees need to address various aspects like:
a).Performance counselling: Ideally, the need for employee counselling arises when the employee shows signs of declining performance, being stressed in office-hours, bad decision-making etc. In such situations, counselling is one of the best ways to deal with them. It should cover all the aspects related to the employee performance like the targets, employee's responsibilities, problems faced, employee aspirations, inter-personal relationships at the workplace, e.t.c.
b).Personal and Family Wellbeing: Families and friends are an important and inseparable part of the employee's life. Many a times, employees carry the baggage of personal problems to their workplaces, which in turn affects their performance adversely. Therefore, the counselor needs to strike a comfort level with the employees and, counselling sessions involving their families can help to resolve their problems and getting them back to work- all fresh and enthusiastic.
c).Other Problems : Other problems can range from work-life balance to health problems. Counselling helps to identify the problem and help him / her to deal with the situation in a better way.
Need of counselling at workplace;Apart from their personal problems, there are various reasons which can create stress for the employees at the workplace like unrealistic targets or work-load, constant pressure to meet the deadlines, career problems, responsibility and accountability, conflicts or bad inter-personal relations with superiors and subordinates, problems in adjusting to the organizational culture. Counselling helps the employee to share and look at his problems from a new perspective, help himself and to face and deal with the problems in a better way. Counselling at workplace is a way of the organisation to care about its employees.
Hurdles faced for counseling at workplace;The biggest bottleneck in employee counselling at the workplace is the lack of trust on the employee's part to believe in the organisation or his superior to share and understand his problems. Also, the confidentiality that the counselor won't disclose his personal problems or issues to others in the organisation. Time, effort and resources required on the part of the organisation are a constraint.
Benefits of counselling
# Helping the individual to understand and help himself
# Understand the situations and look at them with a new perspective and positive outlook
# Helping in better decision making
# Alternate solutions to problems
# Coping with the situation and the stress
Basic requisites of employee counselling :
$ Employee Counselling needs to be tackled carefully, both on the part of the organisation and the counselor. The counselling can turn into a sensitive series of events for the employee and the organisation; therefore, the counselor should be either a professional or an experienced, mature employee.
$ The counselor should be flexible in his approach and a patient listener. He should have the warmth required to win the trust of the employee so that he can share his thoughts and problems with him without any inhibitions.
$ Active and effective listening is one of the most important aspects of the employee counselling.
$ Time should not be a constraint in the process.
$ The counselor should be able to identify the problem and offer concrete advice.
$ The counselor should be able to help the employee to boost the morale and spirit of the employee, create a positive outlook and help him take decisions to deal with the problem.
Conclusion:Counselling can go a long way in helping the employees to have better control over their lives, take their decisions wisely and better charge of their responsibilities, reduce the level of stress and anxiety. Counselling of employees can have desirable consequences for the organisation. It helps the organisation when the employees know that the organization cares for them, and build a sense of commitment with it. It can prove to be of significant help to modify the behaviour of the employees and more so to re-enforce the desired behaviour and improve and increase the employee productivity in any organisation.
Thanks!
In today's fast-paced corporate world, there is virtually no organisation free of stress or stress-free employees. The employees can be stressed, depressed, suffering from too much anxiety arising out of various workplace related issues like managing deadlines, meeting targets, lack of time to fulfill personal and family commitments, or bereaved and disturbed due to some personal problem etc.
Organisations have realized the importance of having a stress-free yet motivated and capable workforce. Therefore, many companies have integrated the counseling services in their organisations and making it a part of their culture. Organisations are offering the service of employee counselling to its employees.
What is Employee Counselling?Employee counselling can be explained as providing help and support to the employees to face and sail through the difficult times in life. At many points of time in life or career people come across some problems either in their work or personal life when it starts influencing and affecting their performance and, increasing the stress levels of the individual. Counselling is guiding, consoling, advising and sharing and helping to resolve their problems whenever the need arises.
Technically, Psychological Counselling, a form of counselling is used by the experts to analyze the work related performance and behaviour of the employees to help them cope with it, resolve the conflicts and tribulations and re-enforce the desired results.
Ingredients of counselling:Counselling of staff is becoming an essential function of the managers. The organisation can either take the help of experienced employees or expert, professional counselor to take up the counselling activities. Increasing complexities in the lives of the employees need to address various aspects like:
a).Performance counselling: Ideally, the need for employee counselling arises when the employee shows signs of declining performance, being stressed in office-hours, bad decision-making etc. In such situations, counselling is one of the best ways to deal with them. It should cover all the aspects related to the employee performance like the targets, employee's responsibilities, problems faced, employee aspirations, inter-personal relationships at the workplace, e.t.c.
b).Personal and Family Wellbeing: Families and friends are an important and inseparable part of the employee's life. Many a times, employees carry the baggage of personal problems to their workplaces, which in turn affects their performance adversely. Therefore, the counselor needs to strike a comfort level with the employees and, counselling sessions involving their families can help to resolve their problems and getting them back to work- all fresh and enthusiastic.
c).Other Problems : Other problems can range from work-life balance to health problems. Counselling helps to identify the problem and help him / her to deal with the situation in a better way.
Need of counselling at workplace;Apart from their personal problems, there are various reasons which can create stress for the employees at the workplace like unrealistic targets or work-load, constant pressure to meet the deadlines, career problems, responsibility and accountability, conflicts or bad inter-personal relations with superiors and subordinates, problems in adjusting to the organizational culture. Counselling helps the employee to share and look at his problems from a new perspective, help himself and to face and deal with the problems in a better way. Counselling at workplace is a way of the organisation to care about its employees.
Hurdles faced for counseling at workplace;The biggest bottleneck in employee counselling at the workplace is the lack of trust on the employee's part to believe in the organisation or his superior to share and understand his problems. Also, the confidentiality that the counselor won't disclose his personal problems or issues to others in the organisation. Time, effort and resources required on the part of the organisation are a constraint.
Benefits of counselling
# Helping the individual to understand and help himself
# Understand the situations and look at them with a new perspective and positive outlook
# Helping in better decision making
# Alternate solutions to problems
# Coping with the situation and the stress
Basic requisites of employee counselling :
$ Employee Counselling needs to be tackled carefully, both on the part of the organisation and the counselor. The counselling can turn into a sensitive series of events for the employee and the organisation; therefore, the counselor should be either a professional or an experienced, mature employee.
$ The counselor should be flexible in his approach and a patient listener. He should have the warmth required to win the trust of the employee so that he can share his thoughts and problems with him without any inhibitions.
$ Active and effective listening is one of the most important aspects of the employee counselling.
$ Time should not be a constraint in the process.
$ The counselor should be able to identify the problem and offer concrete advice.
$ The counselor should be able to help the employee to boost the morale and spirit of the employee, create a positive outlook and help him take decisions to deal with the problem.
Conclusion:Counselling can go a long way in helping the employees to have better control over their lives, take their decisions wisely and better charge of their responsibilities, reduce the level of stress and anxiety. Counselling of employees can have desirable consequences for the organisation. It helps the organisation when the employees know that the organization cares for them, and build a sense of commitment with it. It can prove to be of significant help to modify the behaviour of the employees and more so to re-enforce the desired behaviour and improve and increase the employee productivity in any organisation.
Thanks!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Cost Of Employee Fraud
Goldenberg scandal ,Anglo-Leasing scandal the name immediately brings back the memories of the most popular scam of Kenya. The fraud cost 5.5 billion to the 10 major commercial banks of Kenya. An employee fraud is not a new concept or term for Kenya. The annual survey by KPMG (a leading management consultant) has provided many interesting insights to the recent scenario concerning employee frauds. The sample of the survey covered more than 1000 public and private organisations in Kenya. According to the survey, 47 percent of the frauds in the organisations have been done by either the employees or the senior executives with a decision making authority.
Types of frauds:The most common fraud reported by the organisations is the magnified or the inflated expense account by the employees. In these types of fraud, the expenses incurred by the employees are exaggerated and false invoices are submitted to the organisation for re-imbursement. Such frauds account for almost 50 per cent of the total losses incurred by the organisations because of employee frauds.
Other types of frauds faced by the organisations are:
• Keeping a secret share of commissions from suppliers for self
• Counterfeiting or faking the company cheques
• Purchase of goods for personal use on company expense
• Manipulating customer’s accounts
• Using official information for personal benefits
• Forging financial statements
• Misappropriation of other company resources
• Corporate espionage
Frauds related to manipulating and misusing the power to access the confidential information about the customers and the organisation and theft of data were also found to be more common than the rest.
Dimensions of frauds;Any or every employee/ executive fraud, has the following magnitude or dimensions:
• The human dimension - There is always a human mind behind every executive fraud. It has been found to be of an internal employee or management in 90 per cent of the cases. Employees use their power and intelligence for corporate espionage.
• The technology dimension - Technology has emerged as a very important dimension to the employee frauds. New technologies have given way to unethical practices like hacking etc. On one hand, where the information technology can be effectively used to check frauds, it can and is giving opportunities and assistance to the people in planning and executing frauds.
• The legal dimension – The last dimension is the legal dimension that the legal framework and the institutional system regarding the frauds. It also includes organizational practices and policies regarding frauds.
Detection of frauds;According to the survey report of KPMG, a majority of the frauds were exposed by internal controls or check measures. Whistle-blowers or, many a times, anonymous notifications received also help to detect frauds. What follows the detection is the investigation by the management of the organisation , a review of the entire situation, followed by actions like firing the concerned employee, formal police investigation, and sometimes – letting the employee resign.
The study by KPMG also sights the fact that most of the Kenyan organisations are unprepared to detect, handle or deal with fraud. Also, shocking was the fact that as much as 77 per cent of the respondents do not even conduct or has fraud diagnostic review systems in their organisations; nor do 84 per cent of the respondents have a written fraud policy. Assured of their security and internal control systems, 52 percent of the respondents (corporate heads) did not consider frauds as a threat or major problem.
Scenario in Kenyan sectors;The percentage of risk from corporate espionage of the information communication and entertainment sectors, and financial sector of Kenya (including all the financial service providers) is as high as 84 and 81 per cent respectively. But the sector which is facing the frequent brunt of the problem is the emerging BPO sector in Kenya. Cases of frauds in BPO sector, employees using the customer’s confidential information, manipulation in accounts are getting common. The reasons being quoted for the increasing number of frauds are:
• Weakening of society's values,
• The growing economic pressures,
• More sophisticated technologies to assist criminals
• Urbane and intelligent criminals and
• Inadequate punishment for those who are caught
Solutions;The first and the foremost solution to the problem are the reference checks and affirming the employee details of the employees before their confirmation in an organisation. To reduce the possibilities of frauds, it is advisable to design and incorporate the fraud diagnostic systems in the organisations creating internal detection systems. Also, regular periodic rotation of the staff can help reduce the possibilities of the employee frauds.
It is also being planned to create a common database for an industry vertical by all organisations of all employees who have been identified and have been proved as fraudsters in the past. This would help the other companies to check for them before hiring them for their organisation.
Thanks!
Types of frauds:The most common fraud reported by the organisations is the magnified or the inflated expense account by the employees. In these types of fraud, the expenses incurred by the employees are exaggerated and false invoices are submitted to the organisation for re-imbursement. Such frauds account for almost 50 per cent of the total losses incurred by the organisations because of employee frauds.
Other types of frauds faced by the organisations are:
• Keeping a secret share of commissions from suppliers for self
• Counterfeiting or faking the company cheques
• Purchase of goods for personal use on company expense
• Manipulating customer’s accounts
• Using official information for personal benefits
• Forging financial statements
• Misappropriation of other company resources
• Corporate espionage
Frauds related to manipulating and misusing the power to access the confidential information about the customers and the organisation and theft of data were also found to be more common than the rest.
Dimensions of frauds;Any or every employee/ executive fraud, has the following magnitude or dimensions:
• The human dimension - There is always a human mind behind every executive fraud. It has been found to be of an internal employee or management in 90 per cent of the cases. Employees use their power and intelligence for corporate espionage.
• The technology dimension - Technology has emerged as a very important dimension to the employee frauds. New technologies have given way to unethical practices like hacking etc. On one hand, where the information technology can be effectively used to check frauds, it can and is giving opportunities and assistance to the people in planning and executing frauds.
• The legal dimension – The last dimension is the legal dimension that the legal framework and the institutional system regarding the frauds. It also includes organizational practices and policies regarding frauds.
Detection of frauds;According to the survey report of KPMG, a majority of the frauds were exposed by internal controls or check measures. Whistle-blowers or, many a times, anonymous notifications received also help to detect frauds. What follows the detection is the investigation by the management of the organisation , a review of the entire situation, followed by actions like firing the concerned employee, formal police investigation, and sometimes – letting the employee resign.
The study by KPMG also sights the fact that most of the Kenyan organisations are unprepared to detect, handle or deal with fraud. Also, shocking was the fact that as much as 77 per cent of the respondents do not even conduct or has fraud diagnostic review systems in their organisations; nor do 84 per cent of the respondents have a written fraud policy. Assured of their security and internal control systems, 52 percent of the respondents (corporate heads) did not consider frauds as a threat or major problem.
Scenario in Kenyan sectors;The percentage of risk from corporate espionage of the information communication and entertainment sectors, and financial sector of Kenya (including all the financial service providers) is as high as 84 and 81 per cent respectively. But the sector which is facing the frequent brunt of the problem is the emerging BPO sector in Kenya. Cases of frauds in BPO sector, employees using the customer’s confidential information, manipulation in accounts are getting common. The reasons being quoted for the increasing number of frauds are:
• Weakening of society's values,
• The growing economic pressures,
• More sophisticated technologies to assist criminals
• Urbane and intelligent criminals and
• Inadequate punishment for those who are caught
Solutions;The first and the foremost solution to the problem are the reference checks and affirming the employee details of the employees before their confirmation in an organisation. To reduce the possibilities of frauds, it is advisable to design and incorporate the fraud diagnostic systems in the organisations creating internal detection systems. Also, regular periodic rotation of the staff can help reduce the possibilities of the employee frauds.
It is also being planned to create a common database for an industry vertical by all organisations of all employees who have been identified and have been proved as fraudsters in the past. This would help the other companies to check for them before hiring them for their organisation.
Thanks!
How Work And Play Are Human Resources' Initiatives?
What does this worlds means to you?Work Hard, Play Harder!Imagine a workplace, an environment with no interaction or concern between the employees, no laughter, no jokes with only hectic monotonous work; and a workplace having friendly environment with an embedded tinge of fun and laughter. Which would you prefer and enjoy working in??
Just as the above mentioned environments, 'work' and 'play' are complete opposites. But when combined, they can be of crucial importance in the success of the organisation. The results of various researches conducted throughout the world have proved the fact that "Happy workers are productive workers". A strained, tedious and boring corporate culture and work environment is the common de-motivating factor for the employees in an organisation. Having fun while being at work enables an employee to enjoy his work and even make that extra effort or even stretch himself for his job. Working in a relaxed environment, adding the fun element to the work atmosphere helps makes the job a pleasure for the employees. A right corporate culture conduces the full potential of the employees. Initiatives like celebrating the success of the projects of teams (even on a small scale) can help improve team spirit and synergy in the organisation.
The dynamic and vibrant work environment helps create a feel-good factor within the organisation and a positive and cohesive attitude amongst the employees. It also acts as a great booster of employee morale, a stress buster, a change in the monotonous work schedule. Work & play organisation culture also plays an important role in the retention process of the organisations. In many cases it has been proved that the retention rates of the organisations with the same culture have better retention rates than other organisations. HR initiatives of creating such environment show the people that the organisation cares for them.
Realizing the value and advantages of fun at workplace, the HR professionals are taking special measures to incorporate the same in their organizational cultures. Some of such Hr initiatives are:
#.Arranging meetings over lunch & dinner which fosters the communication between the employees and the management.
#.Celebrating the major festivals
#.Arranging sports facilities within the organisation and sports events regularly.
#.Conducting events where the families of the employees can also participate.
#.Giving paid vacations to employees (yearly or on successful completion of projects)
Such initiatives provide a platform to understand, imbibe and integrate with the organisation and the organizational culture. Also, binding the employees to the core values and ethics of the organisation.
Such "Work and Play" organisational culture is also known as HEDONISM culture. It is the work culture marked by periodic celebrations, parties and fun being a part of the overall workplace culture. Hedonism emphasizes on enjoying the work and providing a relaxed environment to work.
Arguments against the work & play culture;Many researchers, professionals and employees oppose such culture at the workplace. They argue that such people lack the commitment and seriousness towards their work. Unfortunately, many see such fun to be a waste of time. Contrary to the belief that happy workers are productive workers, many people argue that fun leads to a decline in the productivity.
This argument has already been proved wrong by various researches conducted on the same subject. A humorless or an environment devoid of fun may build frustration and stress in the employees (also affecting their personal live in some cases). It can create communication gaps in the employees and the management, and making the change management difficult.
Many organisations are already reaping the benefits of this culture. For example: Southwest Airlines has the motto - "Take yourself lightly and take your job and your responsibilities seriously. By adopting this motto, you may soon discover that life's burdens and anxieties are lighter-sometimes even lighter than air.." and motivate the employees to .Think funny; $ Adopt a playful attitude;$ Be the first to laugh; $ Laugh with, not at;$ Laugh at yourself; $ Take work seriously, but not yourself
In the recent survey to find - Great Places to Work in Kenya - the opinion of employees regarding the work and play culture, the fun element in the atmosphere was a vital point under consideration in deciding the results. The only constraint to the whole situation is that it is not always appropriate to take everything lightly. There are times when fun is not appropriate.
As long as deadlines are met, targets are achieved, projects are successful and the results are leading to the achievement of the organizational goals, celebrating success and having fun at work is not wrong. Such culture promotes optimism, organizational values, team building and motivate employees to bring out the best in themselves. That is why, many organisations are taking fun seriously!
Thanks!
Just as the above mentioned environments, 'work' and 'play' are complete opposites. But when combined, they can be of crucial importance in the success of the organisation. The results of various researches conducted throughout the world have proved the fact that "Happy workers are productive workers". A strained, tedious and boring corporate culture and work environment is the common de-motivating factor for the employees in an organisation. Having fun while being at work enables an employee to enjoy his work and even make that extra effort or even stretch himself for his job. Working in a relaxed environment, adding the fun element to the work atmosphere helps makes the job a pleasure for the employees. A right corporate culture conduces the full potential of the employees. Initiatives like celebrating the success of the projects of teams (even on a small scale) can help improve team spirit and synergy in the organisation.
The dynamic and vibrant work environment helps create a feel-good factor within the organisation and a positive and cohesive attitude amongst the employees. It also acts as a great booster of employee morale, a stress buster, a change in the monotonous work schedule. Work & play organisation culture also plays an important role in the retention process of the organisations. In many cases it has been proved that the retention rates of the organisations with the same culture have better retention rates than other organisations. HR initiatives of creating such environment show the people that the organisation cares for them.
Realizing the value and advantages of fun at workplace, the HR professionals are taking special measures to incorporate the same in their organizational cultures. Some of such Hr initiatives are:
#.Arranging meetings over lunch & dinner which fosters the communication between the employees and the management.
#.Celebrating the major festivals
#.Arranging sports facilities within the organisation and sports events regularly.
#.Conducting events where the families of the employees can also participate.
#.Giving paid vacations to employees (yearly or on successful completion of projects)
Such initiatives provide a platform to understand, imbibe and integrate with the organisation and the organizational culture. Also, binding the employees to the core values and ethics of the organisation.
Such "Work and Play" organisational culture is also known as HEDONISM culture. It is the work culture marked by periodic celebrations, parties and fun being a part of the overall workplace culture. Hedonism emphasizes on enjoying the work and providing a relaxed environment to work.
Arguments against the work & play culture;Many researchers, professionals and employees oppose such culture at the workplace. They argue that such people lack the commitment and seriousness towards their work. Unfortunately, many see such fun to be a waste of time. Contrary to the belief that happy workers are productive workers, many people argue that fun leads to a decline in the productivity.
This argument has already been proved wrong by various researches conducted on the same subject. A humorless or an environment devoid of fun may build frustration and stress in the employees (also affecting their personal live in some cases). It can create communication gaps in the employees and the management, and making the change management difficult.
Many organisations are already reaping the benefits of this culture. For example: Southwest Airlines has the motto - "Take yourself lightly and take your job and your responsibilities seriously. By adopting this motto, you may soon discover that life's burdens and anxieties are lighter-sometimes even lighter than air.." and motivate the employees to .Think funny; $ Adopt a playful attitude;$ Be the first to laugh; $ Laugh with, not at;$ Laugh at yourself; $ Take work seriously, but not yourself
In the recent survey to find - Great Places to Work in Kenya - the opinion of employees regarding the work and play culture, the fun element in the atmosphere was a vital point under consideration in deciding the results. The only constraint to the whole situation is that it is not always appropriate to take everything lightly. There are times when fun is not appropriate.
As long as deadlines are met, targets are achieved, projects are successful and the results are leading to the achievement of the organizational goals, celebrating success and having fun at work is not wrong. Such culture promotes optimism, organizational values, team building and motivate employees to bring out the best in themselves. That is why, many organisations are taking fun seriously!
Thanks!
Why Cooporates Choose Temporary Staffing?
The face of HR fraternity in Kenya is undergoing sea level changes with upcoming trends like e-recruitments, outsourcing HR functions, and the like. Now the next big thing - Temporary Staffing is gaining acceptance across industries. Few months back the job market was overflowed with people who were labeled as leftover guys who could not find a permanent job for themselves. But that is passe now. Companies are recruiting employees on temporary basis mainly for a particular project, paying them off and then letting them go as soon as the project is over.
What is Temping? Temping is the process of hiring temporary workers or, as they are called - Temps, for a shorter duration of time for a particular project and remain in the company till the project lasts.
The temps work for one Client Company while being on rolls of a third party. A temp is contract worker who is being hired for a short time, typically till a project lasts. The contract ranges from a period of 2 months to 15 months. These temps are made available by the employee leasing firms like Team Lease. Such companies provide a wide range of temporary staffing solutions including temporary-to-permanent services where in the company hires an employee for trial basis and absorbs him within the company on the basis on his performance; and long-term contracts where temps are hired for a longer period of time which may last up to two years.
The non core functions like sales, front office, customer support, finance, back end operations and administration demand more temps. The reason seems to be quite obvious - companies focus on their core functions to sustain the cut throat competition, while they outsource their non core functions.
So how often do these temporary workers turn into permanent employees? Though, earlier, the chance of being absorbed by the company was almost negligible, the trend is gaining pace as the demand for skilled workforce is increasing. The conversion rate has grown up to 25 to 35 percent form four percent.
Why Temping;Temping started off with MNC's hiring contract workers. It comes with a packet of benefits for the organizations as well as for the employees. Organizations enjoy the benefit of workforce flexibility and ease of recruitments and quick replacements. Temping also saves training costs as leasing companies direct skilled and experienced workers to the companies. Moreover, non productive employees can be chucked out without many complications. By outsourcing non core functions, the company deeply focuses on its core functions only. The companies also get more work done from temporary workers and also escape for paying them perks and incentives.
From employee's point of view, temping helps an employee to acquire different skills and upgrade basic skills by working in different setups. Employees acquire multiple skills to remain employable is competitive job markets. Temping even offers tempting career opportunities to housewives, retired personnel, people with defense backgrounds, freelancers and freshers. Temps who work for big brands also boast about the same in their resumes, thus, giving them an advantage over others.
These are some flip sides of temping too. Job insecurity always acts as a demotivator for others candidates. The temps hardly get any perks and incentives like the permanent employees. The chances of becoming permanent with the client company are also less so possibility of achieving a stable career lacks. The under performers are always at risk as they can be sacked anytime and that too without a notice. Moreover, too much hopping act as red flags in one's resume.
Sustaining the trend;Though job security is still essential for many in Kenya, an increasing number of young people are opting for temporary jobs. The market for such jobs will grow exponentially in coming years. Almost every sector, be it capital intensive or labor intensive, is showing keen interest in temps. Moreover, those candidates who have a hunger for multiple skills, are increasingly taking up these jobs. Permanent job assurance is now passé as downsizing can happen any time. Temping will prove to be a viable option in such cases. The industry watchers believe that this new HR trend is here to stay.
Thanks
What is Temping? Temping is the process of hiring temporary workers or, as they are called - Temps, for a shorter duration of time for a particular project and remain in the company till the project lasts.
The temps work for one Client Company while being on rolls of a third party. A temp is contract worker who is being hired for a short time, typically till a project lasts. The contract ranges from a period of 2 months to 15 months. These temps are made available by the employee leasing firms like Team Lease. Such companies provide a wide range of temporary staffing solutions including temporary-to-permanent services where in the company hires an employee for trial basis and absorbs him within the company on the basis on his performance; and long-term contracts where temps are hired for a longer period of time which may last up to two years.
The non core functions like sales, front office, customer support, finance, back end operations and administration demand more temps. The reason seems to be quite obvious - companies focus on their core functions to sustain the cut throat competition, while they outsource their non core functions.
So how often do these temporary workers turn into permanent employees? Though, earlier, the chance of being absorbed by the company was almost negligible, the trend is gaining pace as the demand for skilled workforce is increasing. The conversion rate has grown up to 25 to 35 percent form four percent.
Why Temping;Temping started off with MNC's hiring contract workers. It comes with a packet of benefits for the organizations as well as for the employees. Organizations enjoy the benefit of workforce flexibility and ease of recruitments and quick replacements. Temping also saves training costs as leasing companies direct skilled and experienced workers to the companies. Moreover, non productive employees can be chucked out without many complications. By outsourcing non core functions, the company deeply focuses on its core functions only. The companies also get more work done from temporary workers and also escape for paying them perks and incentives.
From employee's point of view, temping helps an employee to acquire different skills and upgrade basic skills by working in different setups. Employees acquire multiple skills to remain employable is competitive job markets. Temping even offers tempting career opportunities to housewives, retired personnel, people with defense backgrounds, freelancers and freshers. Temps who work for big brands also boast about the same in their resumes, thus, giving them an advantage over others.
These are some flip sides of temping too. Job insecurity always acts as a demotivator for others candidates. The temps hardly get any perks and incentives like the permanent employees. The chances of becoming permanent with the client company are also less so possibility of achieving a stable career lacks. The under performers are always at risk as they can be sacked anytime and that too without a notice. Moreover, too much hopping act as red flags in one's resume.
Sustaining the trend;Though job security is still essential for many in Kenya, an increasing number of young people are opting for temporary jobs. The market for such jobs will grow exponentially in coming years. Almost every sector, be it capital intensive or labor intensive, is showing keen interest in temps. Moreover, those candidates who have a hunger for multiple skills, are increasingly taking up these jobs. Permanent job assurance is now passé as downsizing can happen any time. Temping will prove to be a viable option in such cases. The industry watchers believe that this new HR trend is here to stay.
Thanks
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Are You Thinking Going Abroad For A Job?
International mobility of Employees;What was earlier known as the 'Brain Drain' and had become a matter of concern for many countries has taken the shape of international mobility of employees. Of late, international mobility of employees has become the latest trend and one of the top HR issues of present, courtesy increasing globalization, widening horizon of operation of MNC's, attraction by the greener pastures at the other side, etc.
With the influx of globalization, with flow of technology and capital across geographic and political barriers to help creating new resources, the concept of distance became virtually non factor.International mobility of highly skilled workers has increased significantly and far more complications and intricacies involved. International mobility of employees - there are the following two perspectives of looking at the prevalent scenario:
People moving across the globe freely for jobs.International mobility of employees is increasing. People tend to not to limit themselves to working in their home country. People going to work in other countries are known as expatriates. . The emerging rationale behind the trend is the quest for better work exposure in complex work environments than simple, homely environment that would have left them less competent to face future challenges. This is a paradigm shift from the motive which people attributed for migrating to foreign lands - that lack of sufficient opportunity to get employed suitably. The new trend is most commonly seen in the IT industry, international experiences and exposure are considered crucial in pharmaceuticals industry, scientific research, and the professions like sales and distribution for career development and progress.
With the MNC's increasing their foothold in almost every country, they are also providing ample opportunities to talented and experienced employees from foreign locations to utilize their skills for the organisation. Employees are also willing to cover that extra mile for new, challenging and rewarding career opportunities and growth, better standards of life and greener pastures at the other side. An overseas opportunity by an employer is also taken as a sign of empowerment by organisation and a move upwards in the career.
The other side of the same coin is working with and for the cross-border clients.
With the widespread and transnational operations of MNC's, changing work practices, increasing off shoring and outsourcing of work, the international mobility of employees is increasing at a rapid rate. The intricacies of international mobility involve being sent to the client locations in other countries and even remote locations, to work with the client itself. Moreover, to fill the positions with the right kind of person has become of supreme importance for the organisations, and they are willing to recruit expatriates and deploy the best person irrespective of his/her nationality to the place having the requirement. Refusing any such offer of the company can have its own consequences for the employee.
Body-Shopping:Another concept related to the international mobility of employees is "Body shops". Body shops is a term that refers to manpower supplier or recruitment outsourcing companies, especially in the IT sector, which deploy and cater to the requirements for skilled IT labourers of its clients placed across the globe. Body shops are contributing significantly to the tremendous growth of the international mobility of employees by recruiting employees for their clients to work in foreign countries.
Issues rather challenges involved:Various factors like technological advancement, International mobility of employees has changed fundamentally and traditional nature of the concept. There are many issues and considerations involved for the organisation, the concerned employee and his/her family. For companies that do business globally, the need for broad, comprehensive HR programs that anticipate, and address, the myriad issues that come with having an internationally-dispersed workforce is absolutely crucial. It's essential that you have in place a competitive international mobility programme that is not only aligned with your business strategy but also facilitates the transactional aspects of international mobility.
The challenge for the Organisation;Talent Management,The main challenges for the organisation are;Selecting the candidate keeping in mind the factors like cultural adaptability, communication factors, family background etc.Performance management: Clearly defining the objectives of the assignment, the standards, measurement of performance etc.Reward aspects: The compensation during the assignment including all the benefits and other privileges.Immigration requirements and tax procedures for the employee should be arranged by the organisation.
The organisation should have policies and strategies for dealing with the requirements of international mobility of its employees aligned to its overall strategy and business objectives systematically.
The challenge for the family;Another major concern is the immediate andlong term and direct andindirect implications of the relocation of an employee on their family. Generally seen as the concern of the employer and the concerned employee, most neglected are the life partners or the families of the employee. The effect on the career of the partner or the families can become a hindrance for an employee in accepting the offer to relocate. Relocating the children and spouse in midst of their own education or careers, can harm the same. Bring new opportunities as well as challenges and problems for the family.
The challenge for the individual;Before accepting or taking up any such assignment, the concerned employee should seriously consider its impact on career development, impact on the immediate family, adjusting to the new environment etc.
A trade-off between the costs and benefits for the employee who is supposed to relocate is nearly impossible (qualitative factors). But comparing the costs and benefits from the side of the organisation is the most logical and the feasible step. Keeping in mind all the developments taking place towards globalization, international mobility of employees will increase with time.
Thanks!
With the influx of globalization, with flow of technology and capital across geographic and political barriers to help creating new resources, the concept of distance became virtually non factor.International mobility of highly skilled workers has increased significantly and far more complications and intricacies involved. International mobility of employees - there are the following two perspectives of looking at the prevalent scenario:
People moving across the globe freely for jobs.International mobility of employees is increasing. People tend to not to limit themselves to working in their home country. People going to work in other countries are known as expatriates. . The emerging rationale behind the trend is the quest for better work exposure in complex work environments than simple, homely environment that would have left them less competent to face future challenges. This is a paradigm shift from the motive which people attributed for migrating to foreign lands - that lack of sufficient opportunity to get employed suitably. The new trend is most commonly seen in the IT industry, international experiences and exposure are considered crucial in pharmaceuticals industry, scientific research, and the professions like sales and distribution for career development and progress.
With the MNC's increasing their foothold in almost every country, they are also providing ample opportunities to talented and experienced employees from foreign locations to utilize their skills for the organisation. Employees are also willing to cover that extra mile for new, challenging and rewarding career opportunities and growth, better standards of life and greener pastures at the other side. An overseas opportunity by an employer is also taken as a sign of empowerment by organisation and a move upwards in the career.
The other side of the same coin is working with and for the cross-border clients.
With the widespread and transnational operations of MNC's, changing work practices, increasing off shoring and outsourcing of work, the international mobility of employees is increasing at a rapid rate. The intricacies of international mobility involve being sent to the client locations in other countries and even remote locations, to work with the client itself. Moreover, to fill the positions with the right kind of person has become of supreme importance for the organisations, and they are willing to recruit expatriates and deploy the best person irrespective of his/her nationality to the place having the requirement. Refusing any such offer of the company can have its own consequences for the employee.
Body-Shopping:Another concept related to the international mobility of employees is "Body shops". Body shops is a term that refers to manpower supplier or recruitment outsourcing companies, especially in the IT sector, which deploy and cater to the requirements for skilled IT labourers of its clients placed across the globe. Body shops are contributing significantly to the tremendous growth of the international mobility of employees by recruiting employees for their clients to work in foreign countries.
Issues rather challenges involved:Various factors like technological advancement, International mobility of employees has changed fundamentally and traditional nature of the concept. There are many issues and considerations involved for the organisation, the concerned employee and his/her family. For companies that do business globally, the need for broad, comprehensive HR programs that anticipate, and address, the myriad issues that come with having an internationally-dispersed workforce is absolutely crucial. It's essential that you have in place a competitive international mobility programme that is not only aligned with your business strategy but also facilitates the transactional aspects of international mobility.
The challenge for the Organisation;Talent Management,The main challenges for the organisation are;Selecting the candidate keeping in mind the factors like cultural adaptability, communication factors, family background etc.Performance management: Clearly defining the objectives of the assignment, the standards, measurement of performance etc.Reward aspects: The compensation during the assignment including all the benefits and other privileges.Immigration requirements and tax procedures for the employee should be arranged by the organisation.
The organisation should have policies and strategies for dealing with the requirements of international mobility of its employees aligned to its overall strategy and business objectives systematically.
The challenge for the family;Another major concern is the immediate andlong term and direct andindirect implications of the relocation of an employee on their family. Generally seen as the concern of the employer and the concerned employee, most neglected are the life partners or the families of the employee. The effect on the career of the partner or the families can become a hindrance for an employee in accepting the offer to relocate. Relocating the children and spouse in midst of their own education or careers, can harm the same. Bring new opportunities as well as challenges and problems for the family.
The challenge for the individual;Before accepting or taking up any such assignment, the concerned employee should seriously consider its impact on career development, impact on the immediate family, adjusting to the new environment etc.
A trade-off between the costs and benefits for the employee who is supposed to relocate is nearly impossible (qualitative factors). But comparing the costs and benefits from the side of the organisation is the most logical and the feasible step. Keeping in mind all the developments taking place towards globalization, international mobility of employees will increase with time.
Thanks!
Internet & New Media Jobs In Kenya
If you think that internet is just for E-mail and chatting,then you're wrong!With technology advancements getting into the homes of everyone there has been a boom in the Internet and Media sectors. Thus more and more Internet & New Media Jobs are getting created in the market, which is in turn enhancing the prospects of employment in this sector.
The glamorous and sensational nature of these job profiles has often seen to tempt youngsters who are taking Internet & New Media Jobs very seriously. Creative, confident and the urge to take on a path, not many would want to take, are quintessential characteristics of people who want to try their luck in the Internet & New Media Jobs.
Internet & New Media Jobs take care of all the profiles ranging from Digital Media (audio/video) to advertising, online marketing and even search engines.
Thanks!
The glamorous and sensational nature of these job profiles has often seen to tempt youngsters who are taking Internet & New Media Jobs very seriously. Creative, confident and the urge to take on a path, not many would want to take, are quintessential characteristics of people who want to try their luck in the Internet & New Media Jobs.
Internet & New Media Jobs take care of all the profiles ranging from Digital Media (audio/video) to advertising, online marketing and even search engines.
Thanks!
Information Technology Jobs In Kenya
Information Technology Jobs have helped generate a new breed of professionals who are passionately associated with the different aspects of communicating information generated through computers.
There are several links to the profiles connected to the Information Technology Jobs with Software, Hardware, Networking, System Design, Analyst and DBA completing the full circle. Software development jobs are premium career option for many young people and IT industry is expanding enough to offer lucrative job opportunities for many computer engineering graduates.
There are several leading brands across the various fields that have also contributed towards the growth of Information Technology Jobs in the market. Excellent pay packages and interesting silhouette of the profiles have made Information Technology Jobs more lucrative than ever.
There are also several professional International organizations that are continually striving to better the prospects of these Computer jobs and they have representations in most of the countries across the globe.
Internet has played an instrumental role in creating a revolution in the world of Technology. There has been a steep rise in the demand for Information generated through computers. Today, from Ticket Bookings to Hotel reservations, Job Search to is made possible on the Internet.
Thanks!
There are several links to the profiles connected to the Information Technology Jobs with Software, Hardware, Networking, System Design, Analyst and DBA completing the full circle. Software development jobs are premium career option for many young people and IT industry is expanding enough to offer lucrative job opportunities for many computer engineering graduates.
There are several leading brands across the various fields that have also contributed towards the growth of Information Technology Jobs in the market. Excellent pay packages and interesting silhouette of the profiles have made Information Technology Jobs more lucrative than ever.
There are also several professional International organizations that are continually striving to better the prospects of these Computer jobs and they have representations in most of the countries across the globe.
Internet has played an instrumental role in creating a revolution in the world of Technology. There has been a steep rise in the demand for Information generated through computers. Today, from Ticket Bookings to Hotel reservations, Job Search to is made possible on the Internet.
Thanks!
Airlines Jobs in Kenya
With more people tend to take flights for their travel and Air cargo services business is speeding up, the airline industry in the country is on the path of increasing its base. New airline companies have come in to existence, which gave rise to the number of flights and number and size of air ports in Kenya.
Consequently it gave spurt to jobs in the airline of Kenya like Pilot jobs, ATR pilot jobs, Boeing Pilot Jobs, Flight Engineer jobs, Aircraft Engineer Jobs, Chef jobs, Cockpit crew jobs, Crew jobs, Aircraft Maintenance Engineers jobs, Airport Services jobs, Flight Attendant jobs etc. In this section you can find jobs in Airline companies operating in Kenya, Kenya based international flight jobs, Pilot jobs, ATR pilot jobs, Cabin Crew jobs, Cargo flight jobs and jobs in chartered flights.
This page concentrates on Airlines jobs in Kenya. On this page, we list the relevant India Airways job sites, Air Jobs, Flight job vacancies, Air cargo jobs in Kenya, Pilot job openings, Chef Jobs in Kenya as well as Cargo Pilot job vacancies. Through these Airlines job sites, you can search the various Airways company job opportunities available in Kenya. We have attempted to put on this page Airline Job search in Kenya to help those who seek flight job vacancies and Pilot job openings.
Thanks!
Consequently it gave spurt to jobs in the airline of Kenya like Pilot jobs, ATR pilot jobs, Boeing Pilot Jobs, Flight Engineer jobs, Aircraft Engineer Jobs, Chef jobs, Cockpit crew jobs, Crew jobs, Aircraft Maintenance Engineers jobs, Airport Services jobs, Flight Attendant jobs etc. In this section you can find jobs in Airline companies operating in Kenya, Kenya based international flight jobs, Pilot jobs, ATR pilot jobs, Cabin Crew jobs, Cargo flight jobs and jobs in chartered flights.
This page concentrates on Airlines jobs in Kenya. On this page, we list the relevant India Airways job sites, Air Jobs, Flight job vacancies, Air cargo jobs in Kenya, Pilot job openings, Chef Jobs in Kenya as well as Cargo Pilot job vacancies. Through these Airlines job sites, you can search the various Airways company job opportunities available in Kenya. We have attempted to put on this page Airline Job search in Kenya to help those who seek flight job vacancies and Pilot job openings.
Thanks!
Accounting Jobs in Kenya
Well,Accounting as a profession holds its roots back to the early days of human civilization. It’s one of the oldest professions that have ever existed. With the recent phenomena of globalization taking hold of the world economies, accounting jobs Kenya has made their presence felt in the corporate sector. It has again made its way up to the top jobs category. Accounting jobs in Kenya are among the most sought after jobs. Every small, medium and large corporate house is on the hunt for efficient accountants. If you have it in you, fat pay-packets are there for the grab.
What it takes:If you are interested in making it big in the accounting profession, you may try various options. Colleges offer bachelors degree in commerce with specialization in either accountancy or finance. A B.Com Honors degree is all what it takes for a well paid job. There would be at least one institute in every small town who provide specialized trainings and crash courses to prepare you with some practical demos for accounting job.
Job Description:Once you pass out with flying colors, getting a job of your liking isn’t a big deal.A company accountant is trusted with duties like:
Setting up an accounting system $ Preparing the annual audit $ Filing the annual tax return of the company $ Help in company secretarial work $ Provide interim help with preparing accounts or book-keeping $ Running the company’s payroll $ Advise in corporate finance .
The accounting discipline offers the following accounts jobs: Accountant *Accounts Executive* Financial Accountant *Cost Accountant *Chartered Accountant *Accounts Manager *Taxation Manager
Scope: If you thought that the scopes with this profession lie only with corporate houses, you aren’t probably aware of the bigger picture. Accounting has its applications in the following sectors, which also offer number of opportunities to qualified accountants, such as Schools, Colleges, Universities, Government organizations, NGOs, Small, medium and large scale commercial units
Jobs Ahead: Finance jobs, Finance job search and top Finance jobs. Job search by job description, Company, Experience, Location.
Financial Jobs: Financial Jobs, the source for professional careers in banking, accounting, corporate finance and investment. Browse this site for open positions accounting & financial jobs, entry level jobs in finance, corporate finance jobs, banking finance job, financial job search, financial job listing, finance manager job, finance director jobs, and real estate finance jobs.
Accounting Jobs :Accounting and financial jobs site that has openings in disciplines like Accounting & financial job USA, finance jobs in Canada, healthcare finance jobs, finance executive jobs, MBA Finance jobs, financial jobs in Dubai, auto finance jobs, finance jobs in UK etc.
Thanks.
What it takes:If you are interested in making it big in the accounting profession, you may try various options. Colleges offer bachelors degree in commerce with specialization in either accountancy or finance. A B.Com Honors degree is all what it takes for a well paid job. There would be at least one institute in every small town who provide specialized trainings and crash courses to prepare you with some practical demos for accounting job.
Job Description:Once you pass out with flying colors, getting a job of your liking isn’t a big deal.A company accountant is trusted with duties like:
Setting up an accounting system $ Preparing the annual audit $ Filing the annual tax return of the company $ Help in company secretarial work $ Provide interim help with preparing accounts or book-keeping $ Running the company’s payroll $ Advise in corporate finance .
The accounting discipline offers the following accounts jobs: Accountant *Accounts Executive* Financial Accountant *Cost Accountant *Chartered Accountant *Accounts Manager *Taxation Manager
Scope: If you thought that the scopes with this profession lie only with corporate houses, you aren’t probably aware of the bigger picture. Accounting has its applications in the following sectors, which also offer number of opportunities to qualified accountants, such as Schools, Colleges, Universities, Government organizations, NGOs, Small, medium and large scale commercial units
Jobs Ahead: Finance jobs, Finance job search and top Finance jobs. Job search by job description, Company, Experience, Location.
Financial Jobs: Financial Jobs, the source for professional careers in banking, accounting, corporate finance and investment. Browse this site for open positions accounting & financial jobs, entry level jobs in finance, corporate finance jobs, banking finance job, financial job search, financial job listing, finance manager job, finance director jobs, and real estate finance jobs.
Accounting Jobs :Accounting and financial jobs site that has openings in disciplines like Accounting & financial job USA, finance jobs in Canada, healthcare finance jobs, finance executive jobs, MBA Finance jobs, financial jobs in Dubai, auto finance jobs, finance jobs in UK etc.
Thanks.
Advertising Jobs in Kenya
What it takes for one to join in advertisement?Advertising or Publicity is one of the key activities in every business. It is equally important as producing something using raw material, or as capital, manpower, planning, organizing etc. Publicising the products or services that the business offers to the targeted customers is called advertising. It is integral part of marketing, and an essential precondition for selling. Advertising something in a country with vast population requires organizing and applying human skill and talent and technology backed media.
Advertising companies use multifaceted talents to carry out successful campaigns. With the development of electronic media, advertising has grown as an organized industry, offering a lot of employment opportunities.
There are ample Advertising jobs in Kenya and abroad. Advertising Job opportunities include that of account planner, executive, copywriter, visualizer, creative art director, animator, multimedia expert, photographer, printer, TV producer, media planner, web developer jobs, web planner, and marketing professional. Those who are qualified in Commercial Art have great opportunities. MBAs can also play a significant role in client servicing.
However, individual creativity and ability for innovation count more than academic degrees. The advertising industry always has a perennial demand of talent. In order to succeed in the advertising area, one has to have competency laced with diverse talents. The copywriter, the visualizer, the art director, and the studio technician have to work in tandem, as the ultimate objective of a good advertisement is to build a strong bond between the product and the consumer. However, the backbone of the advertising industry is the ad agency, though the nutrients come from the advertiser.
Tanks.
Advertising companies use multifaceted talents to carry out successful campaigns. With the development of electronic media, advertising has grown as an organized industry, offering a lot of employment opportunities.
There are ample Advertising jobs in Kenya and abroad. Advertising Job opportunities include that of account planner, executive, copywriter, visualizer, creative art director, animator, multimedia expert, photographer, printer, TV producer, media planner, web developer jobs, web planner, and marketing professional. Those who are qualified in Commercial Art have great opportunities. MBAs can also play a significant role in client servicing.
However, individual creativity and ability for innovation count more than academic degrees. The advertising industry always has a perennial demand of talent. In order to succeed in the advertising area, one has to have competency laced with diverse talents. The copywriter, the visualizer, the art director, and the studio technician have to work in tandem, as the ultimate objective of a good advertisement is to build a strong bond between the product and the consumer. However, the backbone of the advertising industry is the ad agency, though the nutrients come from the advertiser.
Tanks.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Effect Of Emotions On Job Performance
There was a time when emotions in the workplace were considered important in relation to employee well being and job satisfaction only. In recent years, the organizations have realized that employee emotions are pervasive in the workplace. The emotions are not only a deep-seated part of work life but have an important role to play in one's job performance. An employee's emotions and overall temperament have a significant impact on his job performance, decision making skills, team spirit, leadership and turnover. Its is believed that employees bring their feelings of anger, fear, love and respect with them when they come to work. An employee's emotions are essential to what happens in an organization. Emotions matter because they drive one's performance.
Emotions at work place, generally, fall into the category of positive (good) and negative (bad) emotions. Positive emotions are those feelings of an individual that are favorable to the attainment of organizational goals while negative emotions are those that are perceived to be destructive for the organization. To classify them further, emotions can be categorized as discrete, dispositional and as moods. Discrete emotions reflect short lived emotions like joy, anger, fear and disgust which arise from the occurrence of a particular event; while dispositional define an employees overall approach towards life like cheerful, negative, etc. Moods, however, are long lasting as compared to discrete emotions.
The impact of emotions, whether positive or negative, is well researched on. Studies suggest that negative feelings have adverse effects on job performances. Anger often leads to aggressions towards colleagues while sadness leads to dissatisfaction with the job. Envy or conflict with peers also leads to frequent fights and in turn results absenteeism. It is not always that only bad emotions lead to bad results. Office romance, despite being a positive feeling, can have negative effect on others. However, emotions can have positive effects as well. Positive emotions increase creativity, encourage helping behavior and cooperation and reduce aggression both against the organization and against people. Research suggests that positive people have better cognitive abilities and tend to do better in the workplace and with accuracy.
Emotions influence the task on which an employee is working, the efforts he puts and how he influences other employees around him. In other words, what employees feel and how they express their emotions affects their performance.
Effect on decision making : Studies have shown that positive mood leads to better and efficient decision making. However, this doesn't mean that decisions taken in a bad mood are disruptive. Studies have also found that negative emotions can lead to more effective decision making. Negative emotions, sometimes, may lead to more concentrated, detailed, and analytic processing of the facts.
Emotions and absenteeism: Positive mood is associated with reduced absence and intention to quit the job while negative mood increase absenteeism, intention to turnover, and actual turnover.
Effects on creativity: Positive emotions influence creativity positively as it creates a content state of mind which is open to all ideas. It also leads to a more complex and flexible thinking.
Interpersonal relations: Positive feelings induce helping behaviors while feelings of jealousy of hatred lead to poor relations with colleagues.
Managing emotions
Emotions directly influence behavior, so one has to manage emotions while at work. Some jobs simply cannot be done, if emotions are not dealt with first. Imagine how employees whose jobs asks compulsion towards specific emotions, like the front desk people or customer care executives, manage their emotions. This is where the concept of emotional labor comes in to play. Emotional labour or emotion work is the effort, planning and control needed to express desired level of emotions while on work. Emotional labor is a form of regulation in which workers are expected to display certain emotions as part of their job and to promote organizational goals. When interacting with coworkers, customers, suppliers, and others, employees are expected to abide by such rules.
There are two main ways of managing emotions at work - surface acting and deep acting. In surface acting, employees are required to show emotions that they actually might not feel. For example an employee may fake a smile for his client even if in actual he is unhappy because of some personal reasons. This method of managing emotions may lead to discrepancy between what employee expresses and what he actually feels and result in job dissatisfaction. This leads to emotional dissonance, which refers to a state of disagreement between internal expression of emotions and publicly displayed emotions. Emotional dissonance is often accompanied by high emotional exhaustion, low organizational commitment, and low job satisfaction .
In deep acting, instead of expressing fake emotions, employees try to experience the emotions that they are supposed to express. This method of requires more effort but leads to greater job satisfaction. Thus, the containment of unpleasant emotions decreases job satisfaction and increases intentions of quitting the job.
Thanks.
Emotions at work place, generally, fall into the category of positive (good) and negative (bad) emotions. Positive emotions are those feelings of an individual that are favorable to the attainment of organizational goals while negative emotions are those that are perceived to be destructive for the organization. To classify them further, emotions can be categorized as discrete, dispositional and as moods. Discrete emotions reflect short lived emotions like joy, anger, fear and disgust which arise from the occurrence of a particular event; while dispositional define an employees overall approach towards life like cheerful, negative, etc. Moods, however, are long lasting as compared to discrete emotions.
The impact of emotions, whether positive or negative, is well researched on. Studies suggest that negative feelings have adverse effects on job performances. Anger often leads to aggressions towards colleagues while sadness leads to dissatisfaction with the job. Envy or conflict with peers also leads to frequent fights and in turn results absenteeism. It is not always that only bad emotions lead to bad results. Office romance, despite being a positive feeling, can have negative effect on others. However, emotions can have positive effects as well. Positive emotions increase creativity, encourage helping behavior and cooperation and reduce aggression both against the organization and against people. Research suggests that positive people have better cognitive abilities and tend to do better in the workplace and with accuracy.
Emotions influence the task on which an employee is working, the efforts he puts and how he influences other employees around him. In other words, what employees feel and how they express their emotions affects their performance.
Effect on decision making : Studies have shown that positive mood leads to better and efficient decision making. However, this doesn't mean that decisions taken in a bad mood are disruptive. Studies have also found that negative emotions can lead to more effective decision making. Negative emotions, sometimes, may lead to more concentrated, detailed, and analytic processing of the facts.
Emotions and absenteeism: Positive mood is associated with reduced absence and intention to quit the job while negative mood increase absenteeism, intention to turnover, and actual turnover.
Effects on creativity: Positive emotions influence creativity positively as it creates a content state of mind which is open to all ideas. It also leads to a more complex and flexible thinking.
Interpersonal relations: Positive feelings induce helping behaviors while feelings of jealousy of hatred lead to poor relations with colleagues.
Managing emotions
Emotions directly influence behavior, so one has to manage emotions while at work. Some jobs simply cannot be done, if emotions are not dealt with first. Imagine how employees whose jobs asks compulsion towards specific emotions, like the front desk people or customer care executives, manage their emotions. This is where the concept of emotional labor comes in to play. Emotional labour or emotion work is the effort, planning and control needed to express desired level of emotions while on work. Emotional labor is a form of regulation in which workers are expected to display certain emotions as part of their job and to promote organizational goals. When interacting with coworkers, customers, suppliers, and others, employees are expected to abide by such rules.
There are two main ways of managing emotions at work - surface acting and deep acting. In surface acting, employees are required to show emotions that they actually might not feel. For example an employee may fake a smile for his client even if in actual he is unhappy because of some personal reasons. This method of managing emotions may lead to discrepancy between what employee expresses and what he actually feels and result in job dissatisfaction. This leads to emotional dissonance, which refers to a state of disagreement between internal expression of emotions and publicly displayed emotions. Emotional dissonance is often accompanied by high emotional exhaustion, low organizational commitment, and low job satisfaction .
In deep acting, instead of expressing fake emotions, employees try to experience the emotions that they are supposed to express. This method of requires more effort but leads to greater job satisfaction. Thus, the containment of unpleasant emotions decreases job satisfaction and increases intentions of quitting the job.
Thanks.
Friday, February 13, 2009
How To Attract Talent Through Employee Referrals
At this time when the labor markets are facing severe shortage of skilled manpower and when companies experiment with wide range of recruitment models (job portals, newspaper ads, direct hiring, recruitment agencies) to fill their vacant positions with quality talent and combat attrition, ‘Employee Referrals’ is the new buzz that is catching up too fast. The concept is not novel though, however, of late it has increasingly become the favorite option for every other organization for hiring best talent. In most companies 30 to 40 per cent (or even more) of the new hires come through the channels of internal referrals, i.e., those candidates recommended by the company’s own employees. The HR managers assert that employee referrals give them the best results and are highly cost effective.
Why Referrals?
There are a number of reasons why employee referrals are becoming preferred model of hiring. Firstly, companies believe that their employee are more clear of what skills are required for a particular profile. Therefore, chances that the referral candidate belongs to the best-fit-lot are high and thus his chances of getting selected are also high.
Secondly, employee referrals help in cutting costs which are associated with hiring. Companies work on reducing the average cost per hire. Recruiting candidates through the referral system results in huge savings as large amounts on advertisements and placement agencies costs are saved. Companies reveal that the cost of hiring a referral candidate works out to be 60 percent to 70 percent cheaper than that of going through an external agency and recruitment advertisement. Recruiting through referral programs help in finding the right person with right skills and that too at a nominal cost. It is the most cheapest but effective mode of recruitment. It also help foster a stronger commitment with employees.
The referrers also supply quality candidates who are expected to perform better. This is because they want to make an impact on the organization by showing their commitment to the organization. Moreover, the candidates referred are well versed with information about the company’s culture and goals as provided by their friends. They are informed, well in advance, about the company’s work environment and expectations.
Also, the candidates hired through referrals are expected to stay for long with the company than those hired through recruitment agencies. Thus, infant mortality (that is the percentage of people who leave within one year) is low when employees come through internal referrals.
The referrals lead to shorter recruitment cycles as compared to those hired otherwise. Moreover, employee turnover is also lesser in case of referrals. This is because most referred candidates prefer to work in an organization where he is known to someone, where he has a buddy by his side to help him out or guide him through. It also helps them to settle down easily in case they are from different cities.
Employee Advantage
The referral programs are made tempting by the employers so that employees are motivated enough to refer their known ones to their organization. The companies, now-a-days, are giving up huge rewards to the employees who bring in candidates, specially for hard-to-fill positions, and award them when the candidate is inducted. The rewards range from cash bonuses to gift coupons and even luxury items. For instance, Adobe Kenya runs a referral scheme where all employees who have successfully referred a candidate are eligible for a lucky draw where they can win a luxury car.
Companies are encouraging their employees to refer candidates whom they know. It also helps in team-building, as it gives employees a reason to feel that they are contributing to the growth of the company.
What goes wrong
Hiring potential recruits through referrals seems to be most advantageous than other options, however, there are always flips sides to it. Hiring through referrals might encourage nepotism and other concerns.
Enticed by lucrative bonuses, employees may recommend candidates left, right and centre. It is also believed that this process has diminishing returns to scale for rather than referring quality candidates, employees refer tom, dick and harries. Tempted by the referring incentives, employee recommend candidates who even are unknown to them. Statistics also reveal that most of the employees refer candidates only to help the person instead of helping the company or to fetch themselves the incentives and cash bonuses.
One of the concerns that needs to be given a serious thought is where referrers are yet to realize that they are accountable for the quality of recommendations they make. A bad recommendation from them affects their goodwill and commitment towards the organization.
Some argue that referrals give encouragement to Groupism. Organizations should ensure that favoritism does not happen and it does not act as a roadblock in recruitment process. It is also seen that employees refer candidates with same backgrounds as theirs which results in building up of a uniform workforce and reduces diversity.
Conclusion
To ensure a successful referral system, it has to be designed and implemented well. it is important to suitably award those employees who are bringing suitable candidates to the organization. Apart from this, the recruiting firms are getting affected by this trend. For senior level positions, companies are relying on recruitment agencies-so that area remains unaffected. However, for junior and middle levels, companies are trying their luck with referrals, which is impacting agencies and consultants significantly.
Thanks.
Why Referrals?
There are a number of reasons why employee referrals are becoming preferred model of hiring. Firstly, companies believe that their employee are more clear of what skills are required for a particular profile. Therefore, chances that the referral candidate belongs to the best-fit-lot are high and thus his chances of getting selected are also high.
Secondly, employee referrals help in cutting costs which are associated with hiring. Companies work on reducing the average cost per hire. Recruiting candidates through the referral system results in huge savings as large amounts on advertisements and placement agencies costs are saved. Companies reveal that the cost of hiring a referral candidate works out to be 60 percent to 70 percent cheaper than that of going through an external agency and recruitment advertisement. Recruiting through referral programs help in finding the right person with right skills and that too at a nominal cost. It is the most cheapest but effective mode of recruitment. It also help foster a stronger commitment with employees.
The referrers also supply quality candidates who are expected to perform better. This is because they want to make an impact on the organization by showing their commitment to the organization. Moreover, the candidates referred are well versed with information about the company’s culture and goals as provided by their friends. They are informed, well in advance, about the company’s work environment and expectations.
Also, the candidates hired through referrals are expected to stay for long with the company than those hired through recruitment agencies. Thus, infant mortality (that is the percentage of people who leave within one year) is low when employees come through internal referrals.
The referrals lead to shorter recruitment cycles as compared to those hired otherwise. Moreover, employee turnover is also lesser in case of referrals. This is because most referred candidates prefer to work in an organization where he is known to someone, where he has a buddy by his side to help him out or guide him through. It also helps them to settle down easily in case they are from different cities.
Employee Advantage
The referral programs are made tempting by the employers so that employees are motivated enough to refer their known ones to their organization. The companies, now-a-days, are giving up huge rewards to the employees who bring in candidates, specially for hard-to-fill positions, and award them when the candidate is inducted. The rewards range from cash bonuses to gift coupons and even luxury items. For instance, Adobe Kenya runs a referral scheme where all employees who have successfully referred a candidate are eligible for a lucky draw where they can win a luxury car.
Companies are encouraging their employees to refer candidates whom they know. It also helps in team-building, as it gives employees a reason to feel that they are contributing to the growth of the company.
What goes wrong
Hiring potential recruits through referrals seems to be most advantageous than other options, however, there are always flips sides to it. Hiring through referrals might encourage nepotism and other concerns.
Enticed by lucrative bonuses, employees may recommend candidates left, right and centre. It is also believed that this process has diminishing returns to scale for rather than referring quality candidates, employees refer tom, dick and harries. Tempted by the referring incentives, employee recommend candidates who even are unknown to them. Statistics also reveal that most of the employees refer candidates only to help the person instead of helping the company or to fetch themselves the incentives and cash bonuses.
One of the concerns that needs to be given a serious thought is where referrers are yet to realize that they are accountable for the quality of recommendations they make. A bad recommendation from them affects their goodwill and commitment towards the organization.
Some argue that referrals give encouragement to Groupism. Organizations should ensure that favoritism does not happen and it does not act as a roadblock in recruitment process. It is also seen that employees refer candidates with same backgrounds as theirs which results in building up of a uniform workforce and reduces diversity.
Conclusion
To ensure a successful referral system, it has to be designed and implemented well. it is important to suitably award those employees who are bringing suitable candidates to the organization. Apart from this, the recruiting firms are getting affected by this trend. For senior level positions, companies are relying on recruitment agencies-so that area remains unaffected. However, for junior and middle levels, companies are trying their luck with referrals, which is impacting agencies and consultants significantly.
Thanks.
The Essence of Employee Communication
People with diverse backgrounds, different cultures, varied qualifications, contrasting experiences and unique skills – all, when taken together, form the greatest assets of an organization, or rather the organization itself. So what force holds them together? Well, the answer is Communication. It acts as a glue that binds every single employee with every other employee, every employee with his superiors and all the employees with the organization. Earlier being considered as a source of control and power, communication has now become liberal in organizations where every employee has now a right to access the information he needs. However, due to failures of mergers and acquisitions and huge layoffs, employees these days feel more disconnected from their employers.
This also puts a question on their loyalty for the company. Here comes the role of employee communication. Effective communication is thus, critical to the organization as it directly affects the organizational performance.
What to communicate?
Most corporate firms believe that employee communication is all about dispatching a weekly or monthly newsletter on everyone’s desk. For most companies communication means informing employees about the weekly or monthly happenings that occurred in the company during a specific time frame like the CEO inaugurating some internal function, or employee picnics and other miscellaneous events. What most of the companies miss out is the information which will help the employees in knowing the organization better like the new training systems being implemented, or the business models which the company follows. Such initiatives equip the employees to understand and adapt to the company’s strategic initiatives.
Before an employee is engaged and shows off his best performance, the Employee Communication Program in an organization should satisfy the following three key employee needs. The employee needs to:
•Know the organization, what businesses the company is in, who are the customers, specific details about the product or service, where forms are located, who to see when there is a problem and the like, the values and philosophy of the organization and the like.
•Know about his job profile, what purpose he is supposed to solve and what is expected out of him. He is also to be made aware of what practical skills will be required to do the job, the resources he will use, specification guidelines, etc.
•Know the teams with which he will interact, his supervisors, and his team leader and peers. The essence of this is to inculcate into him a sense of belonging with the company. Effective communication should make him realize his worth to the company and ensure him that he will be listened to, respected, trusted, and valued by the company.
It is being observed that even though a company is a brand in the market, however, it fails to be the same in eyes of its own employees. The employee communication, thus, should aim towards having a common consensus about the organization in the minds of its employees. It should promoting loyalty among employees, inspire quality work that satisfies the need of the customers, and encourage employees to represent the company in a manner consistent with the image defined in the market. Moreover, the company should work towards promoting transparency and openness in employee communication.
There are four fundamental levels of communication in an organization. The first level deals with organization wide communication involves communicating all employees about practices and policies being followed or to be followed at organization level. It will include communicating about recruitment practices, remuneration policy, or change in pay grades. Such information has an organization wide impact and thus is to be communicated throughout the company. The next is departmental communication which is specific to a particular department or unit. Then there are team communications which deal within one cohesive team and include communication about targets to be met, resources to be used, etc. finally there are individual communications which are specific to one employee at any one time or occurs between employees.
Impact on performance
Employee communication is directly linked with the success of an organization. Generally, effective employee communication is linked to productivity and morale of the employees. The effective the communication, the better is the performance. Employees, today, want to have access to more and better information. Researches have revealed that effective communication has a positive impact on employee satisfaction, productivity, turnover, and morale. Research show that employees are most highly motivated and make their best contribution to the business when there is full and open communication at work. It is also proved that where there is an adequate flow of information and ideas among employees, productivity is enhanced and confusion, duplication, and unproductive conflict are minimized. Moreover, employee communication should not be seen as impersonal and a formality of dissemination information among the employees. It should be considered to be an empathetic transfer of understanding and deeper feelings.
Conclusion
Does this mean we have become experts in the field and that howsoever we communicate, its effective? Well, there are always scopes for improvement. With every new day, corporates are facing new challenges and barriers to communications. Huge number of employees on rolls, workforce diversity, cultural shifts, easy access to large databases, and employee attrition being some of them. Apart from this, there is an increasing demand for monitoring the employee communications. Many employers fear that employees can pass on the confidential data out of the company through emails or other channels. Moreover these facilities can be used for non business activities or personal uses which only adds to the costs incurred. It is a dilemma for employers whether they should monitor their outgoing mail or not. To deal with such challenges the future HR departments will have to acquire special competencies in order make the communication more effective and transparent.
Thanks.
This also puts a question on their loyalty for the company. Here comes the role of employee communication. Effective communication is thus, critical to the organization as it directly affects the organizational performance.
What to communicate?
Most corporate firms believe that employee communication is all about dispatching a weekly or monthly newsletter on everyone’s desk. For most companies communication means informing employees about the weekly or monthly happenings that occurred in the company during a specific time frame like the CEO inaugurating some internal function, or employee picnics and other miscellaneous events. What most of the companies miss out is the information which will help the employees in knowing the organization better like the new training systems being implemented, or the business models which the company follows. Such initiatives equip the employees to understand and adapt to the company’s strategic initiatives.
Before an employee is engaged and shows off his best performance, the Employee Communication Program in an organization should satisfy the following three key employee needs. The employee needs to:
•Know the organization, what businesses the company is in, who are the customers, specific details about the product or service, where forms are located, who to see when there is a problem and the like, the values and philosophy of the organization and the like.
•Know about his job profile, what purpose he is supposed to solve and what is expected out of him. He is also to be made aware of what practical skills will be required to do the job, the resources he will use, specification guidelines, etc.
•Know the teams with which he will interact, his supervisors, and his team leader and peers. The essence of this is to inculcate into him a sense of belonging with the company. Effective communication should make him realize his worth to the company and ensure him that he will be listened to, respected, trusted, and valued by the company.
It is being observed that even though a company is a brand in the market, however, it fails to be the same in eyes of its own employees. The employee communication, thus, should aim towards having a common consensus about the organization in the minds of its employees. It should promoting loyalty among employees, inspire quality work that satisfies the need of the customers, and encourage employees to represent the company in a manner consistent with the image defined in the market. Moreover, the company should work towards promoting transparency and openness in employee communication.
There are four fundamental levels of communication in an organization. The first level deals with organization wide communication involves communicating all employees about practices and policies being followed or to be followed at organization level. It will include communicating about recruitment practices, remuneration policy, or change in pay grades. Such information has an organization wide impact and thus is to be communicated throughout the company. The next is departmental communication which is specific to a particular department or unit. Then there are team communications which deal within one cohesive team and include communication about targets to be met, resources to be used, etc. finally there are individual communications which are specific to one employee at any one time or occurs between employees.
Impact on performance
Employee communication is directly linked with the success of an organization. Generally, effective employee communication is linked to productivity and morale of the employees. The effective the communication, the better is the performance. Employees, today, want to have access to more and better information. Researches have revealed that effective communication has a positive impact on employee satisfaction, productivity, turnover, and morale. Research show that employees are most highly motivated and make their best contribution to the business when there is full and open communication at work. It is also proved that where there is an adequate flow of information and ideas among employees, productivity is enhanced and confusion, duplication, and unproductive conflict are minimized. Moreover, employee communication should not be seen as impersonal and a formality of dissemination information among the employees. It should be considered to be an empathetic transfer of understanding and deeper feelings.
Conclusion
Does this mean we have become experts in the field and that howsoever we communicate, its effective? Well, there are always scopes for improvement. With every new day, corporates are facing new challenges and barriers to communications. Huge number of employees on rolls, workforce diversity, cultural shifts, easy access to large databases, and employee attrition being some of them. Apart from this, there is an increasing demand for monitoring the employee communications. Many employers fear that employees can pass on the confidential data out of the company through emails or other channels. Moreover these facilities can be used for non business activities or personal uses which only adds to the costs incurred. It is a dilemma for employers whether they should monitor their outgoing mail or not. To deal with such challenges the future HR departments will have to acquire special competencies in order make the communication more effective and transparent.
Thanks.
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