In: Best Work Places
30 Jul 2010The bosses we have pretty much dictate how good- or Bad- our working lives will be. But whether your boss is an angel or a devil is immaterial. You’ve got to be clued in on the best way to deal with them. Here’s a list of the kinds of bosses you may be working for-along with practical strategies you can use on their good side.
All-Business Boss
SOP: This boss always takes things seriously and stays on work mode-even after work hours.
How to deal: Respect this boss’ space and keep your professional distance. Just keep projecting a positive attitude. You don’t have to be chummy to impress this boss-just deliver.
Congeniality Nut
SOP: This boss forces his or her employees to mingle in out-of-office activities, masking his or her need for attention by making it seem that his or her staff need to bond.
How to deal: Beg off when this boss schedules yet another weekend group activity. His or her intentions may be good-but it’s more important for you to take a break from your workmates and touch base with your family and friends. If you let this boss encroach on your personal time, he or she will keep obligating you to attend his or her organized gatherings.
Dangerous Dictator
SOP: This boss is a power tripper who won’t hesitate to humiliate you for mistakes-both real and imagined.
How to deal: You can test your patience threshold by being exposed to this boss’ rage on a daily basis. But the smartest move you can make may very well be to run the exit and seek a safer environment.
Dazed Dreamer
SOP: This boss specialized in brainstorming sessions and grand plans that are anything but realistic.
How to Deal: Suggest more pragmatic moves whenever this boss latches on to yet another fascinating plan that will disrupt your workflow. Make sure to praise his or her brilliant plan before you respectfully give him or her a dose of reality. Make him or her understand that while his or her grand ideas are fabulous, they often take too much time or money.
Mad Micromanager
SOP: This boss is a control freak who’ll be constantly looking over your shoulder.
How to Deal: Don’t take personally when this boss second-guesses you. Practice full disclosure and transparency. Soon, you won’t be “policed” as much anymore. Of course, you have to understand that this boss always has to know you’re doing. He or she may even require you to make a detailed accounting of your workday-down to the last minute.
Paranoia Specialist
SOP: This boss always thinks that everyone is after his or her job so he or she constantly tests your loyalty.
How to Deal: Just do your job and ignore this boss’ insecurity. You can try to reassure him or her that you don’t want to overthrow him or her. However, keep in mind that playing psychiatrist to him or her is not part of your job description.
Perfect Critic
SOP: This boss is a perfectionist who specializes in finding something wrong in everything.
How to Deal: Don’t take it personally when this boss nitpicks on your work. Just think of it as a manifestation of his or her anxiety. On the upside, working for this boss will make you more vigilant about doing quality checks on your own work.
Saintly Leader
SOP: This boss want to be liked-so much so he or she lets everyone gets away with mediocrity.
How to Deal: Even if this boss treats you with kid gloves, it doesn’t mean you can abuse his or her kindness. Do your job well and consult him or her even if he or she is content to let you do your own thing.
Throughout your job search you need to seriously consider several questions about your financial value and future income. What, for example, are you worth? How much should you be paid for your work. How can you best demonstrate your value to an employer? Salary negotiation is something at which hiring managers are usually a lot more proficient than the people they hire are. In the interest of leveling the playing field, here is a list of tips for salary negotiation that has worked for many people.
When you’re gunning for a job, the answers you give during the interview affect your chances of snagging the position. As such, here’s a quick guide to answering five crucial job interview questions.
In: CV writing tips
22 Apr 2010Misspellings, typing, and grammatical errors
Always have several people proofread your resume. You cannot count on the spell-checking or grammar-checking functions of your word processing system alone. Remember that a single error can land your resume in the reject pile.
Using the pronouns and articles
Resumes should always be written in the third person without the use of I or me. A resume should also be concise with minimal use of articles such as the, a, or an. Instead of writing “I was responsible for managing a 12-person production department where the result was a more streamlined operations unit.”, write “Managed 12-person production department, which resulted in 26% increase in productivity.”
Omitting keywords
Given the number of companies that are storing the resumes they receive electronically, simply including the proper keywords may be enough to get your resume pulled for review. Keywords are mostly nouns that describe what you do, your experience, your skills and abilities, and the processes and software in which you are knowledgeable. You can determine appropriate keywords by reading job descriptions for the type of job you are seeking and including keywords in your resume, either interspersed throughout the resume or listed in a separate Skills section.
Overuse of highlighting, such as bold, italics, or underline
Drawing attention to everything is the same as drawing attention to nothing. Use highlighting such as bold, italics, and underline sparingly for maximum effect on specific areas you want to draw attention to and be consistent in your highlighting technique.
Including too much or irrelevant information
A resume should only include information that will help convince an employer to interview you. Descriptions of relevant skills and accomplishments should be concise and to the point. Including irrelevant experience and lengthy descriptions will bury the important information. Only include personal information where it demonstrates an important personal quality or qualification. A resume should represent what you can do on the job, not what you do in your personal life.
Negative information
Never include any negative information about yourself or anyone else. Your resume should only make positive statements about you, your qualifications, and should never imply anything negative about former employers.
Missing an opening statement at the top of the resume
If you are a recent graduate or have limited experience in your career, you should include a Job Objective statement at the top of your resume, which will help focus the reader’s attention and describe what type of position you are looking for. If you have experience in your career field, you want a powerful Summary statement that illustrates your best qualifications for the position at the top of the resume. A well-crafted opening statement should convince an employer to keep reading.
Using Clichés
Avoid using adjective clichés like “self-motivated” or “dynamic.” Instead, demonstrate these qualities through powerful and measurable Action-Benefit statements in your Skills, Capabilities, Accomplishments, and/or Experience sections.
Using a boring list of job responsibilities
The best resumes describe experience using Action-Benefit statements, which describe an action you took in response to a challenge or opportunity, and explain how your action had a positive benefit for your company. This method brings your experience statements to life and demonstrates how you can achieve success and produce results.
Repeatedly using the same Action Words
Never use the same action word repeatedly. Instead of using a word like directed over and over, use synonyms such as controlled, supervised, guided, or managed. Use ResumeMaker’s Action Word thesaurus to help.
Using a chronological resume when a functional resume was needed
If you are looking for a job for which you have relevant experience and a consistent work record, then the chronological resume is probably your best choice. If you are seeking a job for which you have no recent experience, a functional resume might be better. A functional resume allows you to de-emphasize your work history, recent jobs, and any gaps in employment. It also enables you to list your relevant skills and experience at the top of your resume where a potential employer will notice it first.
Describing the reason you left your former job
If discussed at all, discuss your reasons for leaving previous employers at your interview, and always put your departure in a positive light. Rather than focus employers on the negative aspects of your former job, discuss the exciting opportunities you see in your new job or career.
Before you begin your career search, ask yourself a few questions—and answer them. What do you want to do? What are you trying to do? What kind of job do you want? By answering these questions at the outset, you create a career plan—a clear, targeted objective you can use to focus your search. Review the following 25 tips organized to help your further in your career planning process.
In: CV writing tips
25 Mar 2010Are you suffering from resume-writer’s block? Does everyone else’s resume seem more professional and better worded than yours? The following are some guidelines to help you create a better electronic resume:
List only recent information. The general rule of thumb is to show your work experience only for the last 10 to 15 years.
Is a job change in order? Peruse the 25 most effective ways to job hunt. If it’s time for new beginnings, and if you’re searching for a job, it’s a good time to make sure your priorities are in check. Begin with some basic soul-searching, move to creative networking, and conclude with the foremost ways to investigate prospective companies. These are all sure strategies for getting a competitive edge in the job market. But finding a job means more than being competitive. In the bewildering new world of technology—online boards, career centers, and growing numbers of complex web sites—it also means knowing your way around. Here are 25 tips to learn how to maximize your time, your effectiveness, and your chances of success in your next career search!
In: Best Work Places
12 Mar 2010In: CV writing tips
11 Mar 2010Global Job Center aims to provide you with the best jobs and also delivering you new ways and new technology to make it easier to find a job. Global Job Center not only provides you with the best jobs but also career advice that will make your job application stand out.