Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom How to Love What You Do

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom How to Love What You Do Although my friends sometimes accuse me of being unromantic, I don’t believe in the concept of soulmates. I just don’t think that there is one person out there with whom we are destined to spend our lives. Rather, I feel that there are a number of people out there who could make us happy. It’s the same thing with careers. Far too often, I see people putting unimaginable pressure on themselves as they struggle to find their one true passion. But in fact, it’s likely that they could be satisfied doing a variety of jobs. A better solution is often to love what you do instead of endlessly striving to do what you love. Marty Nemko is a friend of mine and a pioneer in the advice space. I have been reading his work for years, and I’ll never forget one article he wrote for Kiplinger.com. In the piece, Nemko agrees with me that finding career contentment is often a matter of diving in wholeheartedly into the job you have, or the best job that’s available to you. He suggests that the best path for most people is to pick a practical career with the following characteristics: Moderately challenging Meaningful work A kind, competent boss Pleasant co-workers Learning opportunities Reasonable pay Reasonable work hours A short commute Nemko says that a job with even half of these will make you more likely to love your job than if you had pursued a long shot career. He illustrates the idea with the story of Gary, a mentee who recently graduated from Michigan State with no clue what he wanted to do. His cousin told him that a job was open in a dashboard manufacturing plant. Gary wasn’t passionate about dashboards; who is? But he was tired of living on his parents’ sofa, so he took the job. Because Gary was bright and curious, he asked lots of questions and soon became the go-to guy on the factory floor. Soon after that, Gary got a promotion and a raise and felt genuinely excited about his future in the industry. Apparently, feeling expert at something â€" even something as mundane as dashboards â€" and being recognized for that expertise, is more likely to create career passion than going after a pipe-dream career.Here are some tips for loving what you do and creating a more meaningful work experience where you are. Jumpstart your engagement Imagine you are one of the hundreds of people who apply for jobs with your organization every day. What is going through these candidates’ minds? What do they view about your job as desirable? Think back to when you first started your job. Pretend it’s your first day and echo your initial enthusiasm for your work. - For more tips, check out the full post at Intuits Fast Track blog.

Employee Retention Strategies to Boost Your Recruiting Efforts

Employee Retention Strategies to Boost Your Recruiting Efforts Employee retention plays a big part in how recruiting, and sourcing strategies are created and executed. That’s a given. However, there’s a lot of conversation and noise in the industry about how everyone wants to find and hire top talent, while the retention aspect often gets assimilated or assumed as part of that process and forgotten.  Having highly engaged employees also leads to employee referrals. While referrals might be the smallest population of candidates, they are much more likely to be hired and fit the company culture.  The reality of the recruiting and sourcing industry is retention is the foundation recruiting, and sourcing are built on â€" we all want to add the best people to our teams and keep them active, productive and satisfied in their space, but we need to have a mindful and proactive strategy in place to retain them so they will stay with our organization in the long run. However, employee retention and candidate engagement aren’t just items to cross off at the end of your recruiting and sourcing to-do’s â€" it’s how your employees and their unique personalities fit into your strategy. The truth lies in your employee and candidate voice. Here are some ways to better get to know your team, empower their employee voice and boost your retention strategies: Advocate for your team Employee engagement is the most significant hurdle that can make or break your hiring strategies, but it’s the underlying foundation for building a strong relationship with your candidates. It’s the culmination of all the hard work you’ve accomplished throughout your hiring efforts. You’ve developed all these relationships with candidates, but how can you know whether your efforts are having a substantial impact on whether the candidate stays in your organization longer than a year, three years, or even five years and beyond? That’s where culture and calibration come into the engagement process. You can’t expect to keep top-performing employees in a single role or position forever. If you aren’t actively helping them find ways to grow and develop, they’ll do so on their own â€" and likely look for opportunities outside of your business. You need to help your team build their careers if you want them to place increasing value on their position with your organization. Invest in your team Investment is more than just throwing money at development programs or the latest and greatest technology. Companies spend more than $750 million a year in attempts to boost employee engagement, but 1 in 3 American workers are engaged in their jobs. Due to this fact, US businesses report $450 billion to $550 billion in lost productivity each year. One solution to this issue is employee empowerment: Employees are 26% more satisfied with their work when they have an element of authority and/or autonomy in their position. 70% of employees rank empowerment as an essential element of their engagement. Highly empowered employees showed engagement levels in the 79th percentile, whereas disempowered workers rated in the 24th percentile for engagement. Going beyond making your team feel important and valuable in their roles, making your team feel critical to your company culture is a great way to invest in your employees. They’re more than just workers â€" they’re team members, i.e., your friends and work family. “One way we empower employees at IQTalent Partners is by allowing them to own and lead in areas where they have a personal passion.  Our team members initiate our quarterly corporate community outreach programs. They evaluate nonprofits within the Nashville community and then become a part of the process in deciding which charity will receive our firm’s financial and volunteer support.” Kendra Deas, Director of Human Resources, IQTalent Partners, Inc. While empowerment is very much related to engagement, it’s crucial to acknowledge that they are also separate retention strategies. After all, it’s entirely possible for employees to be engaged without being empowered. If your focus is retention, you want your team to know they can speak up when they feel disengaged and burned-out, but more importantly, you want them to trust that you will do something about it to meet their needs. The idea with empowerment is to tackle employee issues like frustration, burnout, disengagement, low productivity, and even attrition at their roots and give employees the means to overcome these issues. Empowered employees are 67% more willing to put in extra effort on the job, meaning these are the people your team needs. Why? Because they take creative risks, driving business growth that results in higher revenue gains. They’re your “go-getter” rockstar employees. So how can hiring managers, recruiting and sourcing teams, and HR executives empower within their organizations? Grant employees autonomy over their work. When employees are allowed to make decisions on their own, it enables them to perform their best, unhindered work. Delegating authority to your team members shows them they are trusted.  We trust them to make decisions and let them know that it’s OK to make mistakes, as long as they are learning and don’t repeat the same ones again and again. Part of empowering your team is giving them the ability to solve their problems. We can be there as a resource, but they are the decision makers. Have your team’s back Arguably the most crucial retention strategy you can incorporate into your recruiting and sourcing strategies is relationship building. It’s the vital trust that lets employees know that you always have their best interest in mind. Hiring and onboarding processes can be a whirlwind, so it’s essential to devote a good chunk of your interactions with your team to get to know them in and out of your recruiting and sourcing strategies. Different personality types have different work styles, and youre bound to have some combination of introverts and extroverts on your team. Empowering your team by giving them importance and autonomy in their roles enables them to decide how to go about meeting goals and benchmarks. This helps foster a positive and inclusive work environment for your company culture while allowing your team to unleash their creativity and unique ideas. The overarching theme here is the employees’ needs matter. As hiring managers and leaders, we can use our influence and reach to empower them. An investment in employee retention will pay dividends in the long run. Building relationships, strengthening trust, and engaging employees in ways that cater to their unique lifestyles and personalities will create team members who become long-term, valuable employees for the future. About the author:  Chris Murdock is the Chief Sourcing Officer and Founder of IQTalent Partners. Chris has over 12 years of executive recruiting experience and leads search execution and client relationships along with supporting searches across the firm. Prior to Founding IQTalent Partners, Chris was a Sourcer with Yahoo!’s internal Executive Recruiting team in the corporate offices in Sunnyvale, California. Previous to Yahoo!, Chris was an Associate in the Menlo Park, California office of with Heidrick Struggles, where he recruited for software, hardware, professional services, and semiconductor clients. Before Heidrick Struggles, Chris worked in the Retail Practice of TMP Worldwide in Atlanta, Georgia. While with TMP Worldwide, he worked on CEO, General Merchandise Manager, and various VP and Buyer level searches. Chris earned a bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University.

Infuse Media for High Energy Results - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Infuse Media for High Energy Results - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Our world is shrinking through increasing popularity of online networking. Are you savvy to the latest techniques for attracting opportunities and clientele? The mark of a good brand As you begin to apply everything you know to the many media venues, you build your brand more quickly. Branding gurus agree, the mark of a good brand is when you become noticed, remembered and referred. This holds true for building business and for landing the job your desire. When you apply relationship building and selling techniques to intertwine with all media outlets now available, you soon enjoy exponential results. Over the years, I implemented in the following order: newsletter, blog, articles, authoring books, online radio show materials, webinars, videos for YouTube, public speaking, social media usage, and am now applying video technology to all of these venues. Follow this link to see video in action. Step by step, you become the leader and expert in your field. This is the point where traditional media experts seek you out for interviews. Your brand sells for you resulting in a fabulous Smooth Sale! Author: Elinor Stutz is the CEO of Smooth Sale, LLC â€" a motivational speaker and the author of the International Best-Selling book, “Nice Girls DO Get the Sale: Relationship Building That Gets Results” published by Sourcebooks. Elinor’s new book, “HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews” is based upon years of community service teaching job-seekers how to land the job they desire. Elinor provides team sales training, private coaching to grow you business, and is available upon request for consultation.

Executive Assistant Cover Letter Sample - Algrim.co

Executive Assistant Cover Letter Sample - Algrim.co Executive Assistant Cover Letter Template Download our cover letter template in Word format. Instant download. No email required. Download Template Related Hiring Resources 5+ Best Executive Assistant Interview Questions Answers Executive Assistant Resume Example Executive Assistant Job Description

Resume Writing For Your Hospitality Management Career Transition

Resume Writing For Your Hospitality Management Career TransitionOne of the most difficult parts of a career change is the process of resume writing. Writing a successful resume for one's new position can be an extremely tough task, especially if you don't know exactly what to put on it.When applying for a new job, there are a number of things that need to be put on your resume. Whether you are applying for a job as a manager or as a receptionist, the type of resume that you write should be as unique as possible. There are many different types of resumes, but not all of them are going to be suitable for the kind of job that you are applying for.When you are applying for a position that has a job description that is more detailed than a general job description, then you will need to make sure that your resume does not look too much like the many other job descriptions out there. If you do not follow the job description closely enough, you could find yourself in a position where your re sume is rejected.The first thing that you should do when you begin your hospitality management career transition is to take a little bit of time and think about the purpose that your resume is intended for. This will help you to know what to put on it and where to put it. You should also consider which job that you are applying for will need more detail, such as a management position, so that you know how to present yourself.You should also take into consideration the types of positions that you are interested in, since they will determine what information you should put on your resume and what to leave off. If you want to apply for positions as a manager, then you should put this information on your resume and any other information that you might have to offer.Hospitality management is a very exciting career, and you can find opportunities with any number of different establishments. Your experience should be specifically tailored to the specific position that you are applying for. Some of the duties that a management position requires include determining staffing needs, establishing goals and objectives, providing a solid work ethic, and providing the proper training and education to the employees that you are managing.Also, the training you receive can vary depending on the particular establishment that you work for and the various staffing needs that they may have. It is important to always make sure that you provide relevant information to the hiring manager, so that they know what the position will entail. This will save you a lot of unnecessary stress down the road.Remember that a hospitality management career transition can be difficult at times, but it is one that you should not hesitate to go through. By keeping these things in mind, you will be able to increase your chances of success while you are in your career change.

How to Engage Millennials in Workplace Wellness Programs [Infographic]

How to Engage Millennials in Workplace Wellness Programs [Infographic] Meet the Millennials Millennial employees are becoming increasingly critical to the world economy with experts predicting that they will comprise 75% of the global workforce by 2020. However, millennials are also the least engaged generation with an astonishing 55% reporting that they are not engaged at work. As the millennial becomes more predominant and older workers retire, employers will need to develop new engagement programs that take generational differences into account. Encouraging Engagement through Workplace Wellness Many organisations make use of workplace wellness programs to engage employees. These allow employers to boost engagement while also promoting healthy behaviors in three distinct areas: nutrition, fitness and mental health. This is typically achieved by making improvements to the working environment and engaging employees in health promotion activities. Both employers and employees benefit greatly from such programmes. While employees enjoy reduced stress and higher job satisfaction, employers can take advantage of increased productivity and engagement. Engaging Disengaged Millennials in Workplace Wellness Workplace wellness programs are a great way for employers to tackle millennial worker disengagement. Millennials view wellness and work as interdependent, in other words when one is improved the other benefits. This attitude is evidenced in millennial surveys which reveal that 33% cite “well-being programs and incentives” as one of their top priorities when considering a new job. If you are interested in learning how to engage millennials in workplace wellness programs, I recommend that you take a look at the below infographic from Hussey Fraser. This handy graphic offers some practical pointers on how to tweak such programs to maximize their appeal to millennial employees.

Is your resume getting to first base - Hire Imaging

Is your resume getting to first base - Hire Imaging Today’s hiring world is certainly not simple. If you haven’t applied to jobs in some time, it’s a different ball game. And speaking of ball games, ever wonder why you apply to openings and hear nothing back? It may be that you’re out before you get to first base. You may be absolutely qualified for the position. But for a number of potential reasons, you might have not passed the ATS prescreening. It’s complicated Narrowing down a large field of job applicants to one person is a complex process that recruiters and human resource professionals deal with daily. There are numerous vendors providing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) to help them sift and sort through what might be hundreds of candidates. No longer is it just large companies or organizations. It’s an approach used by the job boards, the small business owner and â€" well, most hiring these days. You may well know this. You may well realize the importance of keywords in your resume. But is it enough? A couple months ago, I attended a webinar by Jonathan Ciampi. It was more than informative; it was an eye opener. And keep in mind that the “class” was comprised of career professionals. Jonathan, a former executive with an ATS company, spoke about how ATS works and its implications for your resume’s success in making it past the first-step prescreening â€" first base. ATS optimization tips Yes, it’s a bit complicated. I still write pretty resumes for clients. I often use color, charts, even a graphic occasionally. I create Word, PDF and Text versions. This gives my clients a dashboard of documents. The key is in strategy. Picking the right document for the right occasion. It often involves taking the master and tweaking for the situation. I’m not an advocate of a one-size-fits-all resume â€" either in content or format. Based on the ATS webinar with Jonathan, here are some takeaways on optimizing your resume in an ATS situation. Contact Information. Don’t put it in the Header and Footer sections. Put content at the top of page one. Include both home and mobile phone numbers if you have them. Format. Your resume may be gorgeous and creative. That’s great for an interview or networking situation. Don’t submit a highly-formatted resume electronically. It can be confusing, because many sites will tell you to upload a Word resume. They increasingly take a PDF (they honestly don’t want your phone calls should you not have Word). But here’s what often happens. Many ATS will scramble charts, tables and graphics. They often jumble a PDF, fragmenting it so that it’s iffy whether the most important information appears where you want it to be! Your beautiful resume has backfired on you. Save your resume to a .txt (ASCII) file and submit this version to ensure that your resume will be seen in its entirety. Headings. Most ATS will only recognize common headings: Professional Experience or Work Experience, Education and sometimes Professional Summary. Avoid creative titles like “Career Highlights” or even “Education Training”. Sections. Extra sections that don’t have recognizable titles listed in #3, will probably not be stored. So, if you have volunteer and paid experience, include it all under one major heading. If you have publications, professional development, memberships, etc., I suggest you place it under either an Education or Experience section. Abbreviations and Acronyms. Don’t assume these can stand alone. Include the complete name or phrase. For example, don’t just use OEM for “Original Equipment Manufacturer.” Include both. The ATS simply may not process business or technical acronyms correctly. Why take the risk? Method.   If you have the option, upload your resume rather than pasting it online. The odds of your format remaining intact are better. Keywords. It’s not enough to include common keywords for your industry, function, position or even the job posting. And this next one was a light-bulb moment for me. Many ATS will identify as keywords the rare, unique-to-the job-posting words or phrases in the job ad. This practice significantly reduces the number of resumes pulled for consideration by the hiring person.   Jonathan suggests underlining keywords that you identify as industry keywords. Then doing a second pass through the job ad to spot and note keywords (or phrases) more unique to that position. It’s often the rarity of the word that garners the higher ranking. Keyword Strategy. And it’s good to remember that the more current ATS recognizes words in appropriate context within a sentence or group of words, i.e. “sales, sell, sold.” Don’t just plunk a keyword section down and leave it at that. Mine the job posting to find those you should use throughout your resume. Yes, you may have to tweak. And to cover your bases, you can still use a keyword list at the top under Summary or at the end under Education. Job Description. The ATS software searches job descriptions. Although metrics-driven successes are still important, this means there’s a shift to put back in the job descriptions we took out as dry. Oh, the times they keep a changing! How You Know. Include how you heard about the job. It could make a difference. ATS often rank some sources more highly than others â€" such as employee referrals over job boards. More reality First, some good news. While I still advocate brevity for the master “pretty” resume â€" and even a suite of shorter documents â€" in the scenario of submitting your resume in .text to an ATS, go ahead and go longer. Add in more job description or rare words that will rank you. The computer could care less about length. You’re proud of your resume. It’s beautiful in content and appearance. Unfortunately, it’s often not seen by the human eye at first base. The resume you submit to organizations is going to be mined for data and then correlated to fields on a form. This is what the HR or recruiter folks see. Not your resume. The truth is, your resume may only be seen during an interview. To make it to second base â€" and hopefully to a home run, you have to play within the parameters of today’s ATS hiring world.