HR Blog | Human Resources

Jan 24

What Can HR Do To Reinvent Itself

I chose to devote my career to Human Resources due to a passion for business and an understanding of the value human capital brings to a company.

I fear however, that many professionals choose to pursue a career in HR to utilize their soft skills or the desire for a quick route to a corporate job.

Whenever HR professionals gather – either in person, or in a thought-based endeavor — there is always a debate about why organizations seem to not value Human Resources enough, and, how to go about fixing that.

How to avoid to HR status quo

Here’s what is wrong with Human Resources today and how I have avoided falling down into the status quo:

I refuse to consider myself an administrative employee. My job is not planning the company picnic, creating wacky “Sweater Wednesday,” or — please don’t make me say it! — completing faxes for anybody other than myself. I understand the importance of special events and perks to keep employees satisfied, however, these tasks can easily be spearheaded by administrative staff members (including receptionists or office managers). HR needs to stay as far away from unnecessary administrative duties as possible.
Keeping a continuous focus on ensuring decisions and actions are strategic and beneficial to the business as a whole. I prefer not to spend my time following specific directions in favor of giving me more highly defined direction, especially as it pertains to human capital. It’s important to prove to your bosses that you need very little guidance and to gain their trust in order to implement new processes and procedures that increase your value as an individual employee — as well as the value of the company. This is done by providing defined metrics on HR issues including, but not limited to, employee retention, turnover, satisfaction, etc.
If there is a payroll issue, direct it to accounting! Accountants are very good with numbers while I am largely more confident in other areas. Make an attempt to direct the majority of compensation related issues to accounting; it will leave your schedule open for other duties. HR’s time is much better spent on bigger picture issues compared to the monotony of processing payroll. (Thank you accounting!)
Align yourself with the right people. When I first started at my current company, I reported to a middle manager and helped with administrative recruiting duties. Today is my one-year anniversary and I now report directly to the CEO. I have consulted with the business owners on numerous strategic decisions — including where and how money is spent, leading the charge for employment decisions, and presenting detailed information to other decision-makers. My advice: make sure that you are aligned with the right people to make the largest impact possible.

Obvious answers – but how many get them wrong?

All of these remedies may seem obvious, perhaps even simple-minded, but take a moment to consider how many HR professionals get these few things wrong.

A number of HR professionals, whether because of company history and expectations or a lack of business knowledge and confidence, have created and fostered the image HR has in the minds of so many today.

Over time, getting these few things wrong has allowed the value of Human Resources to greatly decrease, and, has provided the largely accepted concept of the HR department as being a necessary workplace evil.

It’s time to turn that around.

This blog post is written by Angela Smitha .Angela is a Human Resources professional who is currently working at a Dallas-based IT staffing firm. She leads all HR efforts with a focus on employee relations, retention, and development as well as joint-employment issues. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Human Resource Management from the University of Oklahoma. Contact her at[email protected].

Jan 12

How to Find a Job During Economic Crisis

It is not simple to find a good job with high salary especially during the economic crisis. Strong competition in job market forces job seekers to do everything that’s in their power in order to find a good job. Only a few people know the best methods that give positive results when going for an interview. I want to discuss the most important methods of finding a job.

The main methods:

1. Friends and family.

This method is especially useful if you have a long list of friends and all of your friends and family members are listed in Facebook. You can post a message that you’re looking for some particular job and everybody sees it. If someone knows about free workplace, then you’re saved. Being sociable and easy going is always an advantage. If you’re communicative and know how to adapt, I don’t think that finding a job will be a problem.

2. Newspaper ads.

If you really want to find a job, buy morning newspapers and open the page, where usually ads are published. Review all the offers posted by employers. Then all you have to do is to make a call and send your CV. And, of course, wait for some kind of response which is the most annoying thing. Even more annoying can be the phrase that all job seekers tremble at “we will call you”.

3. Put an ad in a newspaper

You can put an advertisement at some local newspaper and let employers come to you. If you’re a good expert and your resume is well written chances are that your ad will catch someone’s attention.

4.Online job agencies.

If your qualification for desired job is high, your experience is more than 2 or 3 years, you can address online job agencies. Maybe you already have a job, but you’re not satisfied with salary, location or working conditions. In this case you can also send your CV to online job agencies and wait for their offers. You’re not unemployed, but just looking for better solution. You should know that during economical crisis, when so many people lost their jobs, the competition is much higher. You will have to put a lot of energy and endeavor to get a desirable place, but luck usually smiles to the most persistent.

5. Direct approach to potential employers

Maybe you know about some place that appeared in some company, that you have been dreaming for a long time. Make a list of firms and companies that you would like to work for. Then make an analysis of such companies. Nowadays almost every serious company has its own website. Visit a website and find everything about their products, their lines, export and

import. Read and write down all pros and cons. Maybe you have an idea of how to improve their production. Write this idea in your CV summary and send your CV and photo to that company. Do so with all the companies, that you think you could be useful working at.

You can find out more about top ten highest paying jobs in USA. If you’re unemployed and the look of your bank account is not promising, read more about money saving tips and how to save money.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rolandas_Greiciunas

Thanks

Jappreet Sethi

Dec 20

How To Get A New Job in 2013

With the onset of the holidays and a brand new year just around the corner, along come the traditional resolutions. I will lose XXkgs, I will complete a marathon, I will give up smoking, I will stop working so many hours, I will find more work/life balance and a pretty common one – I will find a new job.

We’ve all done it and in most cases, all failed. What starts with a gusto soon fades as life gets in the way, excuses are made and before we know it we’re right back where we started.

If you want a new job in the new year, want to make the break and enter a new industry or occupation, do yourself a favour and break the goal into manageable and attainable steps.

The first thing you need to do is be clear about your goals. What are you looking for? Break it down – not just the industry, specifically what positions are you interested in?

Now what do employers need in those positions – skills, licences, certificates, training – do your research and make a complete list of what they look for in those roles.

Do you have what they need? If you lack some skills your next step is to gain them. Look at what you can do online, what courses can you take or perhaps volunteer to gain experience.

How will you present yourself to employers? Is your resume ready? Does it sell your greatest strengths and convey the value you offer?

How will you approach employers and find opportunities. Will you dedicate time to speaking to people in your network, reach out to people in the industry who may be able to help you etc? Determine a strategy.

Finding a new job is hard work. It takes enormous effort and patience.

Instead of resolving to find a new job within a prescribed amount of time and then giving up when it all becomes too difficult, how about resolving to do something every week to advance your jobsearch. Take the time to research and prepare before you execute a jobsearch and no matter what life throws at you along the way, stick to your guns – do one thing, every week to advance your search.

I am sure if you tackle it this way instead of the bold “I will get a new job by February”approach, you will find yourself making positive, well thought out steps that will do wonders for your job search.

Good luck and happy 2013!

This article is contributed by Michelle Lopez of One2One Resumes.

Thanks

Jappreet Sethi

Oct 26

Time To Have “Human” Back in Human Resources

“Human Resources.” When it comes to your career, those two words will ultimately influence whether you are hired or fired, have to relocate your family to move up or move out, and whether you receive a holiday bonus or that dreaded membership to the “Jelly of the Month Club” a la Clark Griswold. If there’s one area within a company that should focus solely on the “human” side of human resources, that should be it.

Big data and the perpetual pivot

But somewhere along the line everything started to change. Instead of seeing employees as people, some companies started to think of them purely as resources or commodities.

That might not sound too bad until you start to think about some of the other resources that are out there–coal? wind? water? machinery?

Don’t get me wrong, those are all great. I’m just not sure you’d want to be grouped in with them when the powers that be are making decisions that will directly impact you both professionally and personally.

Putting the “human” back in human resources

Companies have to make tough choices. And some of those will undoubtedly involve their employees. When that happens, it’s critically important for both morale and talent retention to evaluate everyone on your team as individual contributors–not line items on a spreadsheet, percentages, or some predetermined dollar amount.

Instead of focusing solely on “the numbers,” companies must take a more holistic approach to broader staffing issues by looking at 360 feedback, performance reviews, and the impact those changes will have on specific departments and the organization based on each individual.

The ills of human resources and the rise of the free agent workforce

Human resources needs to get back to what it was intended to be–an area dedicated to attracting and retaining the best employees by providing a healthy work environment, opportunities for career and professional growth, and a “human” approach to the way organizations think about staffing. If and when that fails, employee morale usually isn’t too far behind.

We’re all free agents. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. In a corporate environment where employees are seen as resources, you have no choice but to think of yourself that way. If you’re lucky, you’ll avoid getting caught up in all of the layoffs and restructuring. In reality most employees are not much more than one performance review, bad boss, or corporate shakeup away from being shown the door.

Short-term fixes create long-term morale killers

Big data, the speed of information, and a ridiculously competitive global marketplace are forcing companies to pivot at the drop of a hat. Each economic downturn and dip in quarterly earnings has the potential to trigger a shockwave of headcount reductions and corporate restructuring that send hundreds if not thousands of employees into a tailspin. Some of those who are let go are poor performers. I get that. But a lot of others aren’t.

Balancing “human” capital and long-term outcomes

Appeasing anxious shareholders, reacting to unexpected dips in the economy, and managing the day-to-day personnel issues that arise at large companies can be taxing on even the best of human resource areas.

Organizations that “get it”–those that are able to focus on the “human” elements of staffing and balance those considerations with the short- and long-term goals of the business–are the ones who are doing what human resources was intended to do.

This article is written by Shawn Graham and appears on fastcompany.com .Shawn is a marketing and brand strategist for startups and small businesses.

Thanks

Jappreet Sethi

Oct 19

What are the Career Options in HR

HR is not just about liking people. HR isn’t the job for you if you’re not a ‘people person’, but liking people won’t be enough on its own. More precisely, you have to be interested in
getting the absolute best out of people.

It’s not just the softer ‘people skills’ that are important. You’ll have a strong interest in business and the strategy that underpins its success. You’ll need a good level of numeracy and analytical skills. Being able to work closely with your colleagues and earn their trust and respect is another critical factor

Each organisation is unique and the scope of the HR function adapts accordingly. HR departments often embody the values of their organisations. You should look first for organisations whose values you share. Then you can choose between generalist HR positions and a wide variety of specialist roles.

What does a HR generalist do?

When you’re an HR Generalist, variety is the order of the day and you’ll get involved in a wide range of specialist areas. One day, you could be working with management to decide on the people you need to deliver your business strategy. The next, you could be running an employee focus group, getting to grips with the issues that motivate teams. You could even develop a new benefits package or make sure a new HR information system delivers streamlined processes and support.

As an HR Generalist, you may often find yourself supporting – and even challenging – managers as they lead their teams. Your insight into building lasting performance will be a vital tool of your trade.

What does a Recruitment /resourcing / talent planning person do?

If you’re working in a recruitment, resourcing and talent-planning role, you’ll need to manage resources (people in the organisation) to meet the changing needs of the business and in particular to fulfil the short and long-term requirements of the organisation’s strategy. To do this, you need to plan around changing demographics, supply and demand, staff turnover and scarce skills.

You’ll also be responsible for identifying and attracting key people who can create a competitive advantage for the organisation. In times of economic uncertainty where recruitment is frozen or limited, this might include keeping talent engaged and interested for when roles arise and developing effective networks of talented individuals that you can tap into cost-effectively.

Additionally, you’ll have an important role in developing processes to identify talent across the organisation and integrating them with succession planning and other HR activities such as performance management.

What does a Learning and Talent Development person do?

Getting the best out of people and linking their skills and capabilities drives performance. It can also help people find their strengths and potential. That’s where learning and talent development (L&TD) comes in. L&TD specialists manage learning and potential. In this role, you may deliver activities as diverse as firearms training for police officers and mentoring programmes for fund managers. Or you could be involved in supporting managers in your business to act as a ‘coaches’ to their team.. L&TD specialists But it won’t just be about the delivery of these learning and talent development events. Having the analytical skills to evaluate the benefits to the business will be vital.

Learning and talent development professionals are involved in supporting, developing and accelerating learning in order to build agile and responsive organisations with the capability they need to execute their chosen strategy.

What does an Organisation Development Expert do?

Organisations are constantly reinventing themselves. ‘Change-ready’ and agile businesses are best-placed to cope with the challenges of a fast-changing external environment. If you’re involved in organisation development (OD), you’ll have a crucial part to play in change management. You’ll also be maintaining the health of the organisation in the long term.

The change activities you lead or deliver could be about developing the organisation’s culture or the capability of its people. Or they may involve re-organisations and creating more effective and customer-focused processes. You’ll also require a focus on how you communicate with employees. Additionally, you need to paint a picture, not just of what successful change will look like, but the risks and challenges that lie ahead.

Organisation development practitioners work in a planned and systematic way – diagnosing issues using relevant data. They consider the whole organisation and look to achieve sustained business performance by involving its people.

What is the role of Employee Relations professionals in HR?

Employee relations (ER) professionals have a wide-ranging brief to maintain and develop effective working relationships across the organisation. You’ll be looking to create a trust-based culture that drives long-term performance. To do this, you need a good understanding of what drives your organisation’s strategy, goals and performance. You’ll also need to speak the ‘language of the business’ and understand how people management drives organisation performance.

In practice, the job involves supporting line managers in motivating and engaging the workforce, treating people as individuals and ensuring fair access to opportunities. You may be involved in managing the organisation’s relationship with its trade unions and managing workplace conflict. A commitment to diversity and ensuring fairness in the workplace is an important part of employee relations. Another key aspect is supporting effective internal communications inside the organisation. Employees will perform best where they have a good understanding of the goals and purpose of the organisation. They’ll also be more motivated to deliver when they have the opportunity to feed their views upwards to senior management.

What is the role of Employee Engagement Resources in HR?

Employee engagement can sit alongside responsibilities for areas such as the employer ‘brand’ and internal communication. It also forms an important part of today’s employee relations roles. It’s about understanding what really makes your employees get out of bed in the morning – and what motivates them to go the extra mile when they get to work.

An ability to use quantitative and qualitative information is important. You’ll need to help develop and analyse surveys to measure the attitudes of the workforce and, for example, gauge their understanding of company values or the trust they have in senior management. You’ll also need to sense the ‘mood’ of the business. You might do this through informal and formal means, such as focus groups and workshops, to make connections and share insights with your management colleagues.

Building a successful business depends on making sure people understand and want to deliver the organisation’s objectives. Your analysis and advice will be vital here.

What is the role of Performance and Reward Expert in HR?

Performance and reward is about ensuring people’s skills, behaviours, values, attitudes and contribution to the success of their organisations are rewarded and recognised in a fair, market-based and cost-effective way.
You’ll be involved in a wide range of reward activities such as establishing salary levels and allowances and managing pay relativities. You may create incentive and recognition schemes, establish the case for employee benefits, and manage the benefit package and evaluate its effectiveness. This is all part of the organisation’s aim to create and sustain a high-performance culture.

As well as being numerate and aware of legal and regulatory requirements, performance and reward specialists need to be able to communicate and educate employees and line managers about the reward strategy; work with colleagues in other departments to create a ‘joined-up ‘total reward’ approach and support people related programmes initiatives such as talent and diversity. You will need to identify and manage the risks around pay and benefits. You’ll be able to get involved in government consultations relating to reward. As well as taking part in public policy discussion and consultations on the subject, with issues on your agenda as important as pensions and bonuses, you will also be involved in facilitating senior management discussion around the role of reward.

The beauty of a career in HR is that you get such great insights into all aspects of business.

The original article appears on the website of The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) ,the world’s largest Chartered HR and development professional body.

Thanks

Jappreet Sethi

Sep 08

HR as a Career: How did I end up in a job in HR ? -Tom Haak

How did I end up in a job in HR? Did you ever meet people who told you that already at age ten they wanted to become an HR manager?

I was trained to be an experimental psychologist (at Groningen University in The Netherlands). My specialism was in Traffic Psychology, and my final paper was on the influence of Diazepam on driving behavior (see “Diazepam Impairs Lateral Position Control in Highway Driving“, Science 2 July 1982). After my studies the plan was to work at a research institute for applied psychology.

I could work there for 18 months, instead of military service (still mandatory in those years). The only military training you had to do was six weeks light training somewhere in the north of The Netherlands, and then it was 18 months doing research. In November 1981, when I had nearly finished my studies, I phoned the institute and asked when I could start. My name was unknown, and I was not on any list. It took me a couple of telephone calls and then the reason became clear.

The only condition for participating in this scheme, especially developed for men with a university degree, was that you had to pass the military officer test. I had done that test years earlier, in 1977 or so, and I had never heard back. It turned out I had not passed the test. Weeks later I was able to have an appointment at the test center, where they had dug up my file. The file showed good results on all tests (intelligence, personality), and also the assault course I had finished within the required time.

My interview with the military psychologist had not been good. They showed me his short report, and the final sentence read “Maverick, unsuitable for officer positions”. I had vague recollections of this conversation.

He had asked me about my view of the NATO (“No problem, we need to defend democracy”) and then he had asked about my hobbies. Why had I not filled in any hobbies in the questionnaire I had completed at the beginning of the test day? I was a young psychologist in training with principles. My question to the test officer was: what conclusions can you draw when you know my hobbies? Is reading a good hobby? Is a team sport better than running? If I answer “playing war games”, is that a red flag or a positive sign? And what about my large Barbie collection? And so on and so on…. The psychologist just took notes. And I probably thought: he will appreciate a man with solid principles, that is what you need as an officer. No way. He wrote down ‘maverick’ and my file was transferred to the section Infantry. Unfortunately I only learned this four years later.

The next stop (again: weeks later) after the explanation at the test center was the Military Hospital in Utrecht. With my serious hay fever and lung problems I should be unfit as foot soldier I had reasoned. It took the assistant who conducted the test just one of my blows through the lung capacity measurement machine to draw his conclusion. “Simulator” he wrote clearly visible for me of the graphical paper where my test results were recorded. And I could go.

In the end I found another way to avoid the military service (all legal). Philips Electronics was the only company that had been willing to write a letter that could help me to get exemption from the military service (“Mr. Haak can be part of a unique training program, if he turns down this opportunity there will be no other chance…”), and to show my gratitude I turned to Philips after my pre-military adventures. This is the background about my start in HR .

Would I recommend anybody to start in HR today? Sure. Working in HR can be very rewarding. The HR profession is changing though.

The HR profession is slowly divided in two clearly distinct groups.A group of HR specialists in various disciplines (recruitment & selection, training, assessment, talent development, coaching, compensation & benefits, HR administration) and a very small group of high level HR generalists. The middle group is disappearing. HR generalists who do not have a solid specialism, and who do not have the potential to grow to a senior HR leadership/ advisory positions will be out of a job.

So: think twice before you start in HR, and if you choose this profession, developing a real specialism has the best perspective in my view.

HR as a Career This article is contributed by Tom Haak. He is the Corporate Director- HR for ARCADIS. Tom has over 30 years of experience in Human Resources.

Tom Haak publishes a weekly blog on http://tomhaakhr.wordpress.com.

Thanks

Jappreet Sethi

Sep 02

Fast-Track Your Real Estate Career In India

Built environment (comprising of construction, the buying, selling and leasing out of property estate and various other related real estate-related activities) is one of the major contributors to the Indian economy. It accounted for approximately 17.7% of the country’s GDP in the year 2009–10 (from a mere 10% in 1991-92). There is a projected area requirement of almost 95 billion sq. feet between 2010 and 2020 across the various real estate segments. *

This means that the manpower requirement has become one of the most critical elements that will drive this growth. This is good news for everyone who is pursuing a real estate career In India.

Indian Real Estate: Rife With Opportunity

A nationwide study by RICS indicates a likely demand supply gap of 44 million core professionals comprising of civil engineers, architects and planners by the 2020. New demand for specialized professions is now emerging in order to enhance professional expertise and improve productivity in this fast-paced sector. Among others, these are:

Valuation
Quantity surveying
Project Management
Facilities management, and
Sustainable development

If you are pursuing a career in real estate in any of its various verticals, it is recommended that you plan your career to leverage future and current opportunities. One of the ways to focus your career on the fast growth is to have a well-conceived career development that bridges all foreseeable gaps. What gets measured gets done.

Career development is a favorite topic on the agenda of employees and their managers, but it often lacks the robustness needed to propel careers and skill enhancement. The following tips will help you to formulate a relevant career development plan which reflects the skills and capabilities you need to advance your real estate career.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

Most of the employees feel that they are slaves of the insurmountable limitations in their careers. Accordingly, they appear at their career review meetings unprepared and feeling slightly lost and hopeless. Such employees are generally unaware of the possible areas of growth available to them in their company.

It makes sense to study the various real estate verticals that you company is active in, and to pinpoint the verticals which you feel you can excel in. Plan your pitch in advance so that you can communicate to your manager your interest in the growth vertical of your choice.

Is Your Career Development Plan Still Relevant?

The world economy is undergoing major changes and global cycles are shorter and deeper. It may make sense to validate some of your goals against the economic reality, industry needs and your current job responsibility. Don’t get me wrong – I do not advocate that you change your goals every six months. What I do advocate is strategic course alignment for maximum benefit.

For example – if you have specialized in residential real estate brokerage but have a talent for organization and people management, you may be a prime candidate for a management role. Likewise, if you feel your deep knowledge of the market is wasted in your current role, your company may find much better use for your talent in its Research division.

Is Your Career Development Plan Achievable Within Your Projected Time-frame?

It is your career and it is your job to set the pace for your developmental goals with a realistic timeline. There is little point in setting goals which are not achievable in a set time. My advice would be to start slow and build momentum along the way. A great career is always marathon – never a sprint race.

Does Your Career Development Plan Incorporate Recent Feedback?

You may have gained new insights into your working style which helps you to see your strengths and limitations holistically. In case the recent feedback is important for you to grow in a career, make sure you incorporate it in the career development plan.

Do You Have A New Manager?

Like most corporations, real estate companies of all stripes have their fair share of churn at the managerial level. Sooner or later, you may find yourself with a new manager. When this happens, there is a danger of finding yourself ‘slotted’ in your current role because the new manager has no idea of your own career plan. Make it a point to schedule an appointment to explain your career advancement plans to him or her.

Once the new manager has settled into the new role, be sure to mention that your current plan has been set in consultation with your old manager and that it was being reviewed regularly.

Optimally Use Existing Resources For Career Development

Both time and money are finite resources in the modern corporate world. Take the time to review your manager’s coaching efforts and see if they are aligned with your career development plan. If you wish to make changes in it, be prepared to discuss how your manager can help you to achieve your goals.

Make sure that your career plan balances current performance expectations with future career aspirations and challenges you to build on your strengths. Always remember that there will be resources which you may want and never get. This may be due to economic factors or your manager’s own constraints. Identify what is readily available – successful people make their careers out of what they have on hand.

Thanks

Jappreet Sethi

*Source: RICS report – ‘Real Estate and Construction Professionals in India by 2020’

Aug 29

My 30 years in HR: 10 lessons learned

On July 1, 2012, I worked 30 years in HR. What did I learn?

Most people have no clue what people in HR actually do
The photo by the side of this blog is made by Natascha Libbert, a Dutch photographer. This photo hangs on the wall in our kitchen at home. When my son brings friends to our house, they often ask: “Is that your father?”. And they wonder why my wife allows me to show this photo. It is not me, and the stewardesses are not real stewardesses. It is at an air-show, where the guests can be photographed. This is the picture my children have of my job. That I am traveling around the world, hiring and firing people, like George Clooney in “Up in the Air”. I leave it at that, I think it is a nice image.
My engagement is mainly determined by the people I work closely with
Of course there are many drivers of my engagement. The company I work for.The challenges.The opportunity to make a difference.The international aspect of the job. But most important are the people I work closely with. My boss, the other people in the teams I am part of, and, most important, the core team I lead. Fortunately I have always been able to build my own team. What works best for me: a small team with ambitious professionals with whom it is fun to work. This is probably the same for most people, but I sometimes wonder why people accept mediocre teams around them. It is very difficult to build great things with a mediocre team.
Do not quit your job to quick,but also, do not stay too long
The shortest period I have worked somewhere was four years (at KPMG). The longest eight years, at Aon. At Philip I worked in total 12 years, but in two big chunks of six years. In my experience my jobs have become richer after a couple of years. The challenge is to keep renewing yourself. If you can do this successfully, the reward is big. What helped me in times I was more negative about my job was to say to myself: ” I do not have to work here…”.
Human Resources as a profession is developing slowly
Last week I was talking to a friend who is also approaching 30 years in the Human Resources arena. The question on the table was: what are the “Human Resources laws/practices” of which we think that every organization should implement these, as the evidence is clear that they contribute to the success of companies?Unfortunately our list was not very long. On top of our list: “Real attention to the people”. This is of course very obvious. Do you need HR for this? Probably not. But why is it that in many organizations this basic HR/ leadership law is not practiced to the fullest extent? Talk with people, listen to people, challenge people, have constructive fights with people, and you will be more successful. Some Human Resource Professionals (performance management) try to facilitate constructive conversations between people. Often the process becomes the goal, and the effectiveness can be disputed. Ask around you: how many people are really looking forward to their annual performance review (if they have one)? Selection is another good example.There is ample proof that interviews are a very poor selection instrument. Still, in most organizations, most selection processes use interviews as the main instrument.
HR should be tougher
I am convinced that HR can contribute a lot to a high performance culture. But Human Resources Professionals should be willing to be tough and persistent. In most organizations I have worked in, performance issues were not dealt with in an appropriate way. Of course, when the performance is really poor and obvious, there is no problem. It is mediocre performance that is the issue. We blame the market. We hope next year will be better. We hope a new financial director in the team will make the difference. We do not want to be ruthless and give another chance. Often the signals of mediocre performance have been there for years. Employees see it, and wonder why management is not taking action. The main lesson for me, which I try to practice: HR step up to the plate, and take your leadership role seriously. If you only consider yourself as just an advisor, you cannot be effective.
Big companies can learn from small companies
Often smaller companies look at the Human Resource practices of big multinationals as Shell, GE and Philips as the holy Grail .But often these big companies are struggling.They have become so big that it is difficult to find the right human scale.They implement global systems and procedures. They publish guidelines and committees to check if the guidelines are followed. They put people goals in the balanced scorecards of their leaders. They design rigid career tracks that should be followed if you want to be successful. Many good things, but the question is if all of this leads to the desired result:engaged people, from diverse backgrounds,who feel connected to their organization, who feel attached to the vision and who are willing to give their best to the company. A father I meet regularly at the soccer field, when our sons are playing . He has his own company with more than 200 people. Hiring new people is important for him, and he is constantly busy making his company more attractive for new people and for the people who already work for him. Every Monday town hall meeting to inform everybody about plans and results. Every month something fun/ nice (a small party, a treasure hunt on Saturday). He does not have the Human Resources department, but the way he takes ownership and deals with Human Resource issues can be an example for many leaders in big companies.
Change is difficult, and will remain difficult.
The ability of people to change, is continuously over-estimated. Human Resource Professionals often fuels these expectations. How can we transform poor people managers into empathic coaches? (Preferably in one week). How can we transform obedient employees into entrepreneurs? (Preferably obedient entrepreneurs). How can we transform high-level technical experts into global account managers? (Take your time, the results are only expected next year). Human Resource Professionals should temper high expectations. Old habits are very difficult to change, even when there is a burning platform (e.g. all the fruitless efforts to tackle obesity).
HR to change from followers to leaders.
The times are ideal for Human Resource Professionals to have a big impact on the organization. But Human Resource Professionals should step up to the plate.Organizations are struggling to create the conditions where people can flourish and give their best to create an exciting future. Organizations are struggling to accelerate from hierarchy to network. HR, with their knowledge on people, organizations and change management, is ideally positioned to take the lead in realizing the necessary changes.
The social media revolution has just started.
In 1994, 18 years ago, I had my first experience with internet, and in 1995 I got my first mobile phone. In the last years the use of social media has accelerated. Organizations are wondering how to use this development for their benefit. Tackling the challenge with traditional approaches (“We need a Social Media policy”, “We should ask Communications to develop a plan”) is a dead-end street. Again, big chance for Human Resource Professionals, as recruitment and marketing are areas at the front of social media usage.
Let’s finally get rid of “One size fits all”.
“One size fits all” or the socialistic approach to Human Resource are difficult to get rid of. HR often has its roots in “Rules & Regulations”, and with these roots it is difficult to promote diversity and segmentation. HR can learn here from other disciplines (as marketing and advertising). Modern advertising agencies develop several versions of their marketing material and test on-line what works for what group. The yellow version might work for women over 50, the red version for men who own a Harley Davidson etc. Then they use the different versions to approach the different target groups. How can Human Resource Professionals transfer these lessons, e.g. to learning and development, or career management?

This article is contributed by Tom Haak. He is the Corporate Director- HR for ARCADIS. Tom has over 30 years of experience in Human Resources.

Tom Haak publishes a weekly blog on http://tomhaakhr.wordpress.com.

Thanks

Jappreet Sethi

Aug 25

Ten Things Your HR Head Should Be Doing Now

If you ask a CEO “What does your HR leader do?” he or she is likely to say: “You got me. I just know I need to have one.” We expect our HR execs to look after employee records, hire and train people, administer performance reviews, and see that comp and benefits practices chug along. Beyond that, the mission can get fuzzy, fast. Most CEOs I know don’t have a ready answer to the question “How does your HR leader help your organization compete?” nor do they have a handy list of must-do activities for an HR exec charged with boosting the organization’s competitive mojo.

It’s every HR chief’s highest calling to make sure his or her employer has the most excited, switched-on, and capable people on the market. Here’s a list of the things your HR head should be doing right now:

Collaborating with you and other leaders to design and communicate a vision for the company, using every communication vehicle you have.
Selling your company to the “talent population,” in person, online, and via print and broadcast media. An HR leader should articulate the organization’s culture and story, not only for recruiting purposes but to fuel all of your activities with clients, vendors, media, and the business community.
Teaching all employees to tell the truth at work, especially when sticky interpersonal or political wrangles crop up. (Note to CEO: This includes telling you when you sound like a crazy person.)
Reinforcing a culture that emphasizes ingenuity over irrelevant, one-size-fits-all metrics.
Building a pipeline of qualified, energized people to fuel the company’s growth—scrapping the requisition-by-requisition, transactional recruitment model.
Shifting the HR function away from a break/fix model (“Benefits question? Second door on the left.”) to an embedded function in your business units.
Installing just enough HR process to meet your company’s regulatory compliance needs but not so much that people are stymied or treated like children.
Building a culture of collaboration that fuels every important program at your company. If your HR chief isn’t the advocate for people and evangelist for your culture, that’s a bad sign.
Asking your team members every day for their input on your business, their own careers, and life in general—not via a sterile, once-a-year “employee engagement survey.”
Replacing fear with trust at every opportunity, in policies, training sessions, management practices, and via every conversation in the place.

It’s a new day in HR. Is your company on the cutting edge, or bringing up the rear?

This article appears on the management blog of businessweek.com and is written by Liz Ryan, who is an expert on the new-millennium workplace and a former Fortune 500 HR executive.

Thanks

Japreet Sethi

The author uses real life stories to demystify the day to day Human Resources Challenges we face at work. His HR Blog – Human Resources Blog endeavours to simplify the HR jargon.

Aug 11

How to Handle Panel Interviews

As if a one-on-one interview wasn’t stressful enough …. there is the dreaded Panel Interview! If the thought of facing a panel of interviews sends you into a tailspin, you are not alone.

Panel interviews are most commonly used for government positions within Australia. The panel is made up of representatives from different business units including human resources, line management and senior employees. Numbers vary but typically range between 3 and 6 panel members. On a positive note, panel interviews usually negate the need for a second round of interviews.

Feeling intimidated in these interviews is common because questions can be fired at you from all angles. With a one-on-one interview you have time to catch your breath in-between questions while the interviewer makes notes. However, in a panel interview, another member will pick up where one left off. Try to relax and answer as best you can.

The key to a good panel interview is to connect and build rapport with each member. Remember too, that each member will have his or her own agenda. For instance, the needs of a representative from the HR department will be different to that of the sales or operations areas. Try to tailor your response to meet the agenda of the member who asked the question.

The main area of concern for panel interviews is eye contact. This is a challenge, but when responding to a question, direct your answer to the person who asked the question. However, be sure to make eye contact with other members of the panel as well. Engaging everyone on the panel will help you to make a good impression.

Tips:

At the time of making your interview appointment, don’t be afraid to ask who will be on the panel. Note their names and position within the organisation.
Your preparation for a panel interview is similar to that of a regular interview. Review your resume in advance, study the job description and develop examples of your ability to meet the criteria.
When you arrive greet and shake hands with every panel member. Try to remember their names. It is good to use their names during the interview. A good trick is to use your notepad and make notes of the panel member’s names in the order they are sitting so that at a glance you can remember their name.
Maintain eye contact with each member of the panel. A good rule of thumb is to address your response primarily to the person who asked the question, but let your eyes drift briefly to other members during the response.
If you need a moment to gather your thoughts during the interview say so. There is no shame in taking a moment to come up with the best example.
As with other interviews, a follow up letter is a must. Make sure you send one to each member of the panel and tailor it towards their area of the business.

This article is contributed by Michelle Lopez of One2One Resumes.

Thanks

Jappreet Sethi

Aug 11

How To Handle One-on-One Interviews?

These are by far the most popular style of interview. You meet one-on-one with a representative of the company, more often than not, the manager you will be reporting to, or, in some cases, a representative from the HR department. If you reach this stage of being offered an interview you more than likely have the right qualifications and skills for the job. So now is the time to determine if you are a good ‘fit’ for the organisation.

These interviews are usually structured. The interviewer may have a list of questions that he/she will ask all candidates in order to compare apples with apples. Bear in mind though, that some interviews are unstructured. In other words, an interviewer may ask questions prompted from your responses, so come armed with examples.

Interview questions will be of a technical and general nature. The interviewer will be looking for specific examples of how you have, and will, handle certain situations in the workplace. To that end you may be asked questions like – “What would you do if faced with….. ?” or “How would you handle a situation where …..?”. Other questions may include “Tell me about yourself”, “Why would you be a good fit for the role?” etc.

The interviewer will be working from your resume and will undoubtedly ask questions about its content, so be ready to answer more in depth questions about your background, skills and experience.

There will be other candidates who are being interviewed so your aim in this interview is to show them that you are the person they need. Talking about your achievements and unique selling points is the most effective way of differentiating yourself from other candidates.

Tips:

Be prepared! Review the job advertisement/description and make notes of areas where you have a lot to offer.
Review your resume and highlight points that you want to elaborate upon.
Look at the achievements in your resume and come up with different examples to demonstrate the breadth and depth of your experience.
Think about the STAR method when answering questions. What was the ssituation, your task, the approach taken and the result. See Understanding STAR for more information.
Try to establish rapport. Be professional, friendly and engaged. Watch your body language. Listen attentively and maintain eye contact throughout the interview.
Research the company. Use the Internet, industry associations, your network, publications etc to understand the company and their products/services. Be ready to ask questions about the company. This shows the interviewer that you’ve taken the time to research them and demonstrates interest.
Always thank the interviewer for their time and remember to follow up with a thank you letter.

This article is contributed by Michelle Lopez of One2One Resumes.

Thanks

Jappreet Sethi

Aug 11

How To Handle Telephone Interviews ?

The key to a good interview lies in your ability to research, prepare and rehearse. There are many different styles of interview and understanding how these work can help you prepare in advance so you don’t freeze with nerves.

Telephone interviews are becoming increasingly common. However, the mere thought of them make some people literally quiver at the knees! Here are a few suggestions to help make your preparation and hopefully, experience of telephone interviews, a little more pleasant.

Employers and recruiters use phone interviews as a means of narrowing down the number of candidates who will be given a face to face interview. They are just as important as traditional interviews and you should be prepared.

Remember, this is your first point of contact, aside from your resume, with the employer. Your telephone manner, tone of voice and overall professionalism will be monitored and you want to make the interaction a positive one. This is your chance to shine – to add a touch of ‘you’ to your application, to build rapport, get more information on the role and present highlights of your background; all of which could land you a face to face interview.

Smile! Yes, no one can see you, but I guarantee they will hear your smile. This will also increase your confidence and settle the nerves.

Make sure you are in a quiet space where you won’t be interrupted. You don’t want background noise, screaming kids or traffic in the background. Try to use a landline if you can to overcome the potential for poor reception or drop outs.

Keep a glass of water with you.

Don’t forget the pleasantries. Just because you’re not in front of the person doesn’t mean manners don’t count. Be polite. Listen attentively to what is being said or asked and try not to interrupt to make a point. Wait until the person has finished and then put forth your answers.

In many ways a telephone interview can be easier because you can have a ‘cheat-sheet’ in front of you. Write down what you want to say so you have a list of key points which you won’t forget in the event of nerves.

Questions are impressive. If you’ve done your research and have some well thought out, intelligent questions to ask, you come across as someone with initiative who is well prepared and interested. Don’t read them verbatim because you risk sounding stiff, but have them in front of you to use as a prompt.

Make sure you have your diary nearby in case you are asked for an interview at the end of the call – you don’t want to appear unorganised.

No matter how the call ends, always thank the person warmly for their time and consideration. We hope this makes preparing for a telephone interview a little easier. Good luck!

This article is contributed by Michelle Lopez of One2One Resumes.

Thanks

Jappreet Sethi

Jul 28

How Becoming a Leader Can Help You Get a Promotion

Many companies today are looking for leaders, not just managers, to take on greater roles within the organization. As a result, competition for higher-level positions can be fierce. Leaders have the ability to inspire others and foster teamwork, which leads to achieving results. No matter what your current position is, becoming a leader can help you stand out and increase your chances of securing a promotion.

Qualities of Workplace Leadership

A leader is someone who motivates, unites and guides others towards a common goal. Leaders are usually highly effective communicators who are competent, trustworthy and organized. They are also often charismatic and inspirational. In order to be recognized as a leader in your workplace, you should seek to exhibit the following:

Honesty – this builds trust with your co-workers and superiors
Passion – enthusiasm and excitement are positive and contagious, which draws others to you
Commitment – a strong work ethic and discipline make you highly productive and can create a favorable impression of you in others
Goals – by setting and working toward goals you show others that you are able to strategize and execute work to accomplish something meaningful
Humility – giving credit where it’s due and emphasizing the team’s efforts instead of just your own makes people more inclined to work with you and go the extra mile

In addition to the traits listed above, leaders are also adept at planning, strategizing, managing change, solving problems and creatively addressing opportunities and difficulties.

How to Show Your Leadership Skills

Most jobs offer opportunities to exhibit leadership qualities, no matter what the level or job title is. Below are a few key opportunities that you can use to demonstrate leadership skills and set yourself on the path to promotion:

Day-to-Day Work: By developing and maintaining a high standard of quality and productivity in your own work, you show that you’re ready to take on more responsibility. The absence of a good job performance will likely mean that you will be passed over for other opportunities to develop and display true leadership qualities.

Take on a Project: Projects can be one of the best ways to show leadership skills. You can volunteer to participate on projects or create your own opportunities by looking for steps you can take to improve a process or output. No matter what your role is on the project team, you should seek to exceed expectations. Meet or beat deadlines, show yourself to be a team player by giving credit to others when appropriate and offering a helping hand when needed, and produce work or results with excellence.

Assume a Formal or Informal Leadership Role:

If you’re in a supervisory capacity, your leadership quality may be judged mostly on your team’s productivity and quality. By helping your team set and achieve goals, prioritize work and maintain or improve quality, you can show that you’re ready for higher levels of responsibility. Even if your current position isn’t supervisory, you can still exhibit leadership qualities, which can positively influence co-workers and position you as a role model.

By implementing these suggestions, you can develop and demonstrate the leadership qualities that will help set you apart from other employees and can get you noticed when an opportunity for career advancement arises.

This guest post was provided by Jessica Edmondson who discusses online education in the business leadership and management industry.

Thanks

Jappreet Sethi

Jul 03

20 Ways to Kill Your Job Application!

We spend a great deal of time talking to recruiters, employers and human resource staff every week. I recently sent an email asking some of them what they would list as their top 3 peeves when it came to receiving resumes and short-listing candidates. You should have seen my inbox fill up with responses! Many were repeated, so I thought I would share a list of the top 20.

Straight from the mouths of the people reading your resumes:

Rambling! I wish people would get to the point. I haven’t got time to read a novel.
Resumes that are a straight list of duties. Tell us what you did differently, what you did well.
I want people to tell me how they meet my need. If not, I move on to the next resume. Simple.
People who don’t meet the criteria for the role. If you don’t have the essential skills required, then don’t apply. Essential and desirable criteria are listed for a reason.
Career Objectives. OMG, these are so annoying. I don’t want to know what you want. I want to know what you can do for me!
Incorrect contact details. If an email bounces or the wrong phone number has been given, I won’t search for them, I’ll just move on to the next application.
Poor grammar and spelling mistakes. It amazes me how many people apply for a role where written business communication is a major component of the role and send me a resume riddled with errors. These people usually claim they pay attention to detail as well!
An application addressed to someone else. Its obvious they use the same application for every job and haven’t changed the salutation. These usually hit the shredder.
Clutter. Personally, I can’t stand looking at resumes that are jammed so tight and written using the smallest font to get as much information on the page as possible. They are too hard to read and very unappealing.
A cover letter that repeats, verbatim, what is in the resume. Why bother? You’ve wasted my time and yours.
Long resumes. Resumes longer than 3 pages lose me.
When you call a candidate about a job application and they say something along the lines of “Sorry, what job is this about again?” Keep track of your applications.
Resumes without dates for each position. My first thought is “What are you trying to hide?”
I’m sick of reading that everyone is a team player, has attention to detail and can see the big picture. Really? Prove it.
When I ask about salary expectations and get the “What is this role offering?” question in return. You should have an expectation and be prepared to discuss it.
Candidates who can’t make the time for an interview. I spent close to 20mins on the phone the other day with a woman who couldn’t seem to lock in a time to meet. It interfered with soccer practice, music practice, a monthly ‘girls’ movie night, and of course, her current role. If you’re serious about job hunting – make the time to be available for the interview.
Template driven resumes. One day recently I saw 4 resumes, the exact same format, and in some sections, the exact same wording! Write it yourself or get a reputable writer to do it for you.
Resumes that are not in chronological order. It is too hard to follow resumes that jump all over the place.
Trying to figure out locations of positions. People who have worked internationally or nationally need to include this information – I am not an atlas!
Gaps in employment that haven’t been explained. I know you will have a reason for it, but try telling me, I’m not a psychic.

So there you have it …. 20 ways in which to kill your application and lose an opportunity. I hope by sharing these, you will be able to avoid some of these pitfalls in your job search.

This article is contributed by Michelle Lopez of One2One Resumes.

Thanks

Jappreet Sethi

Jun 25

How To Crack HR Interview – Using STAR Model

Using the STAR method is one of the most effective ways of getting your message across to potential employers whether in your resume or at interview. Applied correctly the STAR method can significantly improve your job search. It works!

The STAR acronym stands for:

Situation
Task
Action
Result

Following the STAR technique enables you to give employers a clear, concise and informative response which outlines a situation and the part you played. It tells them how you approached the task and the results of your actions. This gives credibility to your claims.

So how does it work?

Situation: Give an example of a work situation you were involved in with a positive outcome. Briefly outline the situation and your role.

Task: Describe the tasks involved. What were your tasks, duties or responsibilities? What needed to be done? What obstacles had to be overcome?

Action: Describe the action you took to address the situation. What did you do? What steps did you take to complete the task? What was the allocation of resources and/or people involved?

Result: Describe what resulted from your actions. What was the outcome? What were the improvements or benefits? How did the situation end?

An example of a STAR response in an interview works like this:

Question: Can you tell me about a time when you increased sales?

Answer: In my role at ABC Pty Ltd I was hired to drive sales by actively reaching new customers. There was also a major problem with declining sales from existing customers. Many were no longer purchasing from us and of those that were, the frequency and volume had significantly decreased. (Situation/Task)

The first thing I did on commencement was telephone all existing customers including those who hadn’t purchased with us in awhile. I introduced myself as a new member of staff and asked them for feedback on our products and service. I catalogued their feedback into an Excel spreadsheet and identified the key areas of concern. I presented my findings to management who were alarmed to find so many customers dissatisfied with the delivery contractors they were using. (Action)

As a result of this, management negotiated a new delivery contractor who promised to deliver on time. I notified every customer, both in person and in writing, and actively sought their business with an assurance of improved delivery service.

In 6 months I had increased sales in the division by 45% (from 26k to 38k) and am proud to say, managed to get all but 3 customers to buy from us regularly again. (Result)

Can you see how this technique is so effective at actually telling the employer not just what you did, but how you did it and the resulting benefits? Applied to your resume, this technique gives instant credibility to your claims.

Think about using the STAR method for your next interview and why not take a look at your resume again. Could it be improved now you understand the technique?

This article is contributed by Michelle Lopez of One2One Resumes.

Thanks

Jappreet Sethi

Jun 10

What will your body language tell the interviewer?

How you present at interview is so important. But have you thought about how your body language will either support or kill your chances of securing the job?

Being given an interview is exciting and your preparation starts straight away – what you will wear, how you will get there, researching the company, study your resume and rehearse the interview questions.

Very few candidates actually stop and think about body language.

We all know that first impressions count. When you first meet your interviewer you want to be brimming with confidence: a great big smile, firm handshake and an audible “nice to meet you” whilst looking into the interviewer’s eyes. Imagine if you met an interviewer with a tiny little voice which screams “timid”, a limp handshake and someone who looked at the floor or muttered into their shoulder when they spoke … not a good impression and it wouldn’t fill you with confidence about their ability to interview you fairly.

You’ve worked hard to get to interview stage, so put some real thought and preparation into your body language. There is no better way to prepare than to practise. Stand in front of the mirror and see what you look like. Silly as it seems, it’s a great way of finding out how others see you. Video yourself (enlist the help of a friend if necessary), but you need to watch the way in which you present yourself and your message.

Body language is not just the physical aspects, it is also your voice. How do you project message? Do you have an audible voice? (notice your pitch and tone) Painful as it can be, record yourself and then listen back – a great way of modifying your voice. Sometimes when people concentrate on an answer, as happens in interviews, their voice drops down a few notches. Hearing this in yourself and being aware of it can help you overcome the problem at interview.

When I first started recruiting I was amazed at the number of people I interviewed with poor body language. I could never understand how, after working so hard for an interview, they could blow their chances in this way.

One candidate, a lovely woman with an impressive background and the skills my client sought appeared to be the ‘perfect’ candidate on paper. At interview though, she seemed to shrink into herself. Whenever I asked her about an achievement or situation she had handled she crept back in the chair, went red, cocked her head to the side and lowered her voice when answering. These were her achievements – she should have owned them, been proud of them, expanded on them and confidently spoken about them!

Other people give you gruff one-word answers or direct you back to their resume, “Well, it’s all in there if you look at page 2”. I am sure it is a symptom of nerves for most people, but irrespective of the reason, it doesn’t impress interviewers and most certainly doesn’t present you in the best light.

So, how do you make sure your body language is appropriate for an interview?

Body language don’ts

Don’t keep your hands in your pockets.
Never cross your arms – it makes you look defensive.
Don’t hold your handbag/briefcase or portfolio in your lap – it makes you look like you’re ready to bolt!
No slouching – sit up straight and tall.
Never look away from the interviewer when answering questions or when they are talking to you – maintain eye contact.
Fidgeting such as shaking your leg or tapping your foot or drumming your nails on the desk is annoying and distracting.
Staring at the wall or floor – nothing screams disinterest more!
Relax to the point of appearing blasé – leaning back in the chair in a relaxed manner more suited to the lounge at home, or resting your head on your hand with an elbow on the chair.
Don’t rub your nose every time you make a point – some say it is a sign of deceit.
Never lean on the desk and towards your interviewer – it invades their space.

Body language is relatively easy to control. Simply being mindful of it can help enormously.

Have a think about your last interview – do you recognise any of the above points?

Next time you have an interview put your best foot forward, a strong confident voice, loads of eye contact and a professional presentation, to give yourself every chance of being offered the role.

This article is contributed by Michelle Lopez of One2One Resumes.

Thanks

Jappreet Sethi

Dec 30

Redefine Your Limits – Live to your Full Potential

We are limited by the beliefs we set in our mind, history shows that successful people are able to break these shackles and unleash their potential. The difference is the “ T ” between Can Do and Can’t Do. The “ T ” is your Thought.

Achieving your Potential

Steve Jobs was one of the best examples of breaking free of boundaries set by human mind; he questioned the traditional thoughts and his failure and unleashed his potential to create history.

Steve Jobs said in his autobiography:

I didn’t see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life. [...] Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did .We limit our growth by putting limitations and glass ceiling on them and tell ourselves that I cannot go any further.

Where do these Self Limiting Beliefs come from?

These beliefs may have a represented a valid limit in the past, like your inability to write a speech when you were a toddler. As you grow you learn / unlearn skills and progress in life, it would have been logical to move beyond the original limitations set by you. Incidentally for some of us, this does not happen and we continue to hold on to them.

Failures are building blocks of success and not meant to be chains of trauma which will never let you live that way you wanted to live. Life will throw brickbats at you and it may be a different one each time, don’t accumulate all of them in note book, some of them may not repeat. Like Steve Jobs you can make your greatest failure into your greatest success.

Thoughts which ground you to do the same things day in day out and blame destiny for it will never allow you to live fullest to your potential.

The Flea Experiment

Put Fleas in an open transparent jar ,they can jump extremely high and are fully capable of jumping right out of the jar. Then if you put a clear lid on the jar, the fleas jump and bump their heads on the lid feeling the pain. The fleas eventually realize that they are unable to escape the confinement of the jar . Over the next hour or so the fleas give up and only jumps to the brim of the jar. Its a very Intelligent way to adapt to situation and avoid pain.

Later on when the lid is removed the fleas will not jump any higher. It continues to believe that it cannot get out of the jar and stops trying. The barrier has vanished physically but mentally it still present and hard coded.

And further more each flea is totally convinced that it is trying to escape just as hard as they can. But they are wrong! There was a barrier, but it’s no longer there!

So what are your Self Limiting Beliefs?

It is difficult to think outside the set beliefs. We use our beliefs to predict the future as connection is old data and experiences. You must look at things differently, Try to identify your self-limiting beliefs and see how you can break free of them.

How long have you been jumping just to the height that keeps everybody happy, without taking the risk of trying that little bit harder? Occasionally it may be worthwhile to bang your head against the limit; you may discover that the barrier is no longer there.

We all have our self-limiting beliefs, look at things you would want to do but have a coding that you cannot do it. Then re-look at the environment and your resources. Maybe you have acquired new abilities that will make you succeed this time. Knock the ” T ” off.

Jappreet Sethi

Dec 17

Tips to Make Your Career Development Plan Work

Career Development is a favourite topic on the agenda of employees and their managers. Career development plans are created at the start of the year and then put on back burner till the year end or next formal performance appraisal. What can you do to avoid getting into this trap and use it to propel career growth and pay raise.

The following tips are provided to help you ensure that your career development plans are relevant and reflect the skills and capabilities you want or need to build in a world where change is the only constant!

Does the Career Development Plan work for you?

At the end of the day, it’s your development and your career. You are responsible for proactively ensuring that your development is in line with your own performance expectations or career aspirations.

Prepare in advance

Most of the employees feel that they are in grip of their career and walk in unprepared for the career plan review meetings with their manger. The discussions are generally vague with a lot of feel good factor and no solid action. Knowing your manager very well cannot be the excuse for not having prepared for the meeting.

Is the Career Development Plan still relevant?

The world economy is undergoing major changes and global cycles are shorter and deeper, it may make sense to validate some of your goals against the economic reality, industry needs and your current job responsibility. Don’t get me wrong, it does not mean changing the goals every six months; however it may need alteration for maximum career benefit.

Is the Career Development Plan achievable in time frame set by you?

It is your career and you set the pace for your developmental goals with a timeline, what is the fun in setting goals which are not achievable in a set time and giving yourself a too big a stretch every time. Take a tough look at the time-lines, You can increase the pace over a period of time. My advice would be to start slow and build momentum on the way, A great career is marathon and not a sprint race.

Does it incorporate recent developmental feedback?

You may have gained new insights in your working style which helps you see your strengths and limitations in a better way. In case the recent feedback is important for you to grow in career, make sure you incorporate it in the career development plan.

Do you have a new Manger?

In case you have a new manager it may be good to run your career development plan with him, make sure you tell the current plan has been set in consultation with your old manager and you would review the progress with him quarterly. After a six month period your new manger would have settled down and you should sit review the plan with him intensely. You need to align the thoughts / goals of your manger’s role with the plan.

Make optimum usage of resources at hand

Both time and money are scarce resources in the modern corporate world. Take the time to review your manager’s coaching efforts to date, and see if they are aligned with your career developmental plan. If you wish to make changes to your development plan, you should be prepared to discuss how your manager can best help you achieve any new goals

Make sure that your career plan balances current performance expectations with future career aspirations and challenges you to build on your strengths . Always remember that there will be resources which you want and never get, maybe due to economic factors or your mangers visible or unstated constraints. Make best use of what you have readily available and not what you continue to fight for. Successful people make career out of what they have on hand and seldom squander energy on what they cannot have.

Jappreet Sethi

22 comments

Nov 29

How To Switch Jobs In A Market Slowdown

All things considered, this is not the best of times for switching jobs in India. This country has seen a fair bit of negative fallout of the economic problems in Europe and the US, and most MNCs in India are tightening their belts on recruitment. If you are looking to get a senior-level job in one of the bigger corporates, you will need to rethink the traditional job switching strategies.

Move Beyond Job Portals

To begin with, move beyond job portals like Naukri.com and Monster.com. In the current scenario, these platforms may not offer you what you are looking for. While they do serve their purpose at certain job levels, they may not be of great help to those seeking high-level placements. In times when good jobs are hard to come by, all you will find on these portals is the jobs that are not being filled because they are less than lucrative.

Remember that the HR departments of most MNCs have their own trusted recruitment routes and networks, and turning to job portals is usually their last option. Even when the occasional senior management job pops up there, your chances of your application getting short-listed are pretty slim. The queue is simply too long.

How To Get Through To Real Decision Makers

If you are looking for a senior management job today, your only real hope is to get face-time with senior decision makers within such companies. If you attempt to do this via the company’s HR department, the odds are heavily stacked against you. As already mentioned, the HR department of this company would already be in contact with the most suitable candidates in their database. You, as a stranger to this database, are therefore a wild card at best.

How do you manage to meet the senior decision makers and bypass the HR route? Tap into your own industry contacts and start working upwards till you get an email ID, a mobile number or a direct line. Remember not to shoot straight for the top. There is no point in talking to the CEO, since he or she will probably not be aware of the company’s managerial needs. Also, CEOs are unlikely to entertain unsolicited calls or emails, which would usually be fielded by their PAs. What you need is a direct line to the head of the department you are aiming to join.

Upgrade Your Resume to Reflect Your Achievements

Sit down with your existing resume and mercilessly edit out everything that looks like window dressing. Forget about your hobbies and club memberships. Never mind your personal objectives or ‘mission statement’. In a job recession, the only things that matter are your abilities to beef up a company’s bottom line.

Succinctly state how your skills can help make a difference to the department in terms of increased sales and greater visibility. Mention your past successes in some detail. Do not forget to include credible references. If you find yourself stumped, using a good resume writing service may be a good option.

Make A Strong Case In Your Covering Letter

Once your resume has been amended, compose a brief, winning covering email, attach your updated CV and send it to your designated ‘mark.’ If you have a phone number, follow up with a call later in the day. Explain that you are eager for a personal meeting to discuss your potential worth to the company. This direct and forthright approach is very likely to get you noticed. It emphasizes the fact that you have courage and conviction, and that you know what it takes to get something done.

Follow Up Strategically

Sending your resume is the start of the game, not the end – the action starts now. Make sure you follow up periodically. Find out if someone else knows the decision maker and get a reference call to him or her. It is all about making your case stronger than that of other possible applicants. However, temper your follow-ups with prudence – you do not want to seem desperate, either.

Networking In Conferences Works

The other way is to increase networking opportunities so that you can bump into senior executives at conferences, seminars and panel discussions. It would work best if your are actively participating in the event, since you could strike strategic conversations. In the course of such conversations, it becomes easy to infer that you would be interested in working for the organization. Often, companies sponsor executives for such events. However, my advice would be to not shy away from investing in an entry ticket. It pays off in the long run.

Jappreet Sethi

Nov 26

How To Achieve Career Mastery

You have worked hard at mastering yourself – your habits, your outlook on life, your relationships and your finances. Now is the time to master the course of your career, as well. You achieve career mastery when you can integrate your personal development and growth into your professional growth and development.

There are different elements for career mastery.

Becoming Proactive: The most important aspect of career mastery is going after what you want. This means identifying your goal and taking the necessary action towards it. It will not be easy, which is why you have avoided taking these steps in the past. Getting proactive about your career also means that you will regularly have to overcome barriers and limitations. You do not have to overcome everything at once; all that is required it consistent action
Networking: Obviously, you will need to interact with other people and build your treasury of valuable contacts. If you have not been very successful at this so far, you may have overlooked one very important aspect of connecting with others. You need to understand that to effectively connect with other people, you need to connect with yourself first. In other words, you have to gain a thorough understanding of who and what you are. Once you have this understanding, networking with the right people becomes effortless.
Becoming Informed: Have you put all your time and effort into staying informed about issues related to your current profession – to the exclusion of everything else? This is a mistake, because it closes you off from other career options. Career mastery may involve changing the current story-line altogether. Inform yourself about other professions that may interest you, as well.
Knowing Your True Potential: It is important to know your potential and your strengths and weaknesses. This will allow you to focus on what is feasible and workable in your professional life, and save you the wasted time and effort of Quixotic endeavors.

These principles hold true whether you are working for an organization or self-employed. The idea is to take charge of your career, no matter how and where you are placed right now. Remember that the onus of career mastery is completely on you – the world does not owe you better opportunities. Other people will not promote you in your professional life – only you can do that. Throughout your professional life, you will have to accept total responsibility for right and wrong career decisions.

Here is a fundamental standard to guide you in whatever you do from now on – you will only succeed at something if you love doing it. Successful people do not create and build their careers or businesses for economic reasons alone. They succeed because they love their company, their jobs or their business.

Probably the biggest challenge here lies in knowing what you really love to do. It is difficult to find and attain your true potential when you choose to act solely on the basis of logic and common sense. Peter Senge, the American scientist and director of the Center for Organizational Learning at the MIT Sloan School of Management, has correctly pointed out that adults have little sense of real vision. Most of us have goals and objectives in our lives, but having a vision and following up on that vision is a very different ballgame.

Changing or shifting your career as a professional or an entrepreneur is not easy. You have to master yourself first before you start changing. Career mastery begins with self-mastery. Self-mastery, in turn, begins with uncompromising self-examination, facing up to the immutable truths of one’s abilities and potential, and following through with determined, concerted action.

Jappreet Sethi

Nov 22

How To Do A Good Performance Review

The ingredients of a bad performance review are haste, lack of focus, a non-empathic attitude and a mechanical approach to the process. A good performance review obviously calls for a diametrically opposite approach. Here are some tips for managers whose duties include conducting performance reviews of their team members.

Be Prepared: The intention behind a performance appraisal is to have a fruitful discussion based on previous findings. Meaningful preparation for a team member’s annual appraisal includes referring to old emails, memos and other communications as well as mental notes pertaining to his or her performance. This is, in fact, a two-way process. The employee should be asked to complete a self-appraisal against the previously set goals, backing this up with all possible documentation. This reduces potential fireworks and enhances the quality of the discussion.

Set A Positive Tone: A manager should keep in mind that most employees tend to be anxious about their annual performance appraisals. After all, a lot of things that affect them directly depend on it. Reaffirm that the purpose of the meeting is to help both the employee and the organization to benefit from his or her work. The last thing that a manager should do is allow the employee to feel trapped or confronted. The best way to begin is by asking the employee to present his or her self-appraisal. During this, the manager should pay careful and courteous attention while the employee relates key achievements during the year.

Identify Performance Gaps: After the self-appraisal, the manager can proceed with his or her own appraisal of the employee‘s performance. This should focus on whether the employee‘s perceived accomplishments are in line with the performance goals set in the previous year. The purpose here is to identify gaps between the actual and expected performance. The employees should be made aware of how a particular performance deficit or achievement/goal imbalance impacts the organization. Employees tend to agree if they see how their work fits into the larger picture. The manager needs to watch out for signs of defensiveness or any kind of negative reaction, keeping in mind that the objective is not to confront but to find solutions.

The manager should:

Allow the employee to articulate disagreement
Not pass judgments or make depreciating personal comments
Stick to areas that matter
Use praise as well as criticism

Agree On An Action Plan: The employee should be allowed to suggest an action plan first. There should be no spoon-feeding from the manager at this stage. The manager should, however, ensure that the plan is smart, doable and addresses the established performance deficits.

Summarize And Set New Goals: The performance review discussion should lead to the establishment of new goals, or amendments to the previous goals. Again, this is a two-way process which should take into account the employee‘s skills and capabilities. The manager should explain how these goals relate and lead to organizational success, and how business would suffer if the mutually agreed goals are not achieved.

Set A Follow-Up Plan: Even if the conversation has been tense, the manager should ensure that the final summary includes performance strengths. The final task is to set up monthly meetings for following up on the mutually agreed plan.

Annual performance appraisals have their place as a formal system. They serve as a discussion forum that allows all concerned to examine an employee’s performance over the bygone year. However, this process must always be balanced and complemented with abundant recognition and real-time feedback throughout the year.

Nov 05

How To Manage Stress And Regain Well-being

Without doubt, wellbeing is the ultimate objective of human existence. Paradoxically, we often wind up surrendering well-being in order to earn money, and then spend a major part of the earnings in attempts to regain it. These efforts are invariably fruitless – so why do we do it? More often than not, the only real beneficiary of the eternal rat race is the healthcare industry.

For most of us, work is the central pursuit in life. We strive to move up the career ladder, putting up massive efforts at the expense of other important factors that make life meaningful. We are not unaware of the toll this takes; the effort leads to physical and mental stress, while the subconscious knowledge that we engaged in a fool’s errand leads to psychological and spiritual stress.

Managing stress is essential for maintaining a sense of well-being. Stress occurs when we face situations for which we don’t have ready-made responses. The stress factor remains in check and can even be exhilarating as long as our minds entertain the hope that success is imminent. As soon as a feeling of impending defeat or loss sets in, stress becomes unpleasant, unhealthy and draining. This also leads to loss of motivation and destroys all feelings of well-being.

The Building Blocks Of Stress

Stress is multi-faced demon which we create to drive success, and which eventually gobbles us up. It consists of:

Threat perception
Feeling of negativity
The resultant psychological arousal

The drivers of stress are called stressors, and everything perceived as an impediment to what one desires to achieve is a stressor. The defense reaction causes a psychological alarm to go off, and makes us to muster all our energy to achieve the goal. If the situation continues for a prolonged time, the human mind prepares for long-term battle by remaining in a persistent state of active alertness. Eventually, both mind and body tire of this constant stage of red alert. Energy levels drop and there are increased chances of failure at the task level.

The Effects Of Stress

At the mental level, persistent and continuous stress leads to anxiety, insecurity and lack of concentration. At the physical level, it leads to changes in our hormonal secretion, in turn leading to cardiac problems and reduced immunity levels. In the societal realm, it leads to the steady erosion and breakdown of relationships. Burnout – emotional, physical and mental exhaustion mixed with reduced self-confidence and morale – sets in.

The Causes Of Stress

In an organization, some of the commonly observed caused of stress among employees are:

Very high or very low role demands
Lack of sufficient authority to discharge duties effectively
Favoritism and poorly-handled appraisal discussions
Lack of career prospects
Impending layoff or role redundancy

At a more individual level, existing personal circumstances, learned responses as well as inherent genetic dispositions cause us to react to stress differently. Major life transitions such as the death of family member, family breakdown, illness or loss of friends also play a role and make us sensitive to stressors that would have been ignored under other circumstances.

How to Manage Stress

Here are some of the most effective stress management precepts:

Be conscious of your thoughts and deeds, and of what your action do to you and others
Maintain a healthy and balanced diet
Draw up an integrated life plan – give equal weightage to work, family and society
Practice regular yoga and meditation to balance body and mind – there are very easy modules run by several agencies
Remember that it is not about winning at all costs but winning without any damage to you

Finally, remember that we cannot remove stress from our life. There are too many causative factors, and not all of them can be stopped. A reasonable degree of stress can actually be beneficial, because it makes us strive for more. However, it is essential to how much is enough for each one of us.

Jappreet Sethi

Oct 22

Tips On How To Choose The Right Business School

Choosing the right business school is a matter of extensive research. The time you spend doing this research is a very worthwhile investment, so do not take shortcuts. Most business students tend to choose the institute with the best reputation – in other words, ‘A’ grade institutes which have the highest ratings. In terms of overall value, this is obviously a good strategy.

However, the courses offered must also suit you in all respects or you might not be able to finish it. Dropping out because the business school you chose is no longer affordable is also not very helpful. So choose wisely and poll all the options open to you before you make a final choice.

There are many practical factors that you should consider:

Is it affordable? The higher the ranking of the business school, the higher the fees will be.
What are your chances of selection? Go through some of the institute’s previous entrance examination papers and determine how prepared you are for its standards of entry.
How would it affect your personal life? Attending a particular business school may mean that you have to leave your hometown. You may lose touch with your friends or valuable contacts. If you are married, this could be very significant.
What are your career goals? The institute’s syllabus will tell you whether you really need to learn it all. There is little point in acquiring skills and knowledge you may never need.

If you will launch your career only after completing your course, choose the one with the highest rate of job placements. Decide what you are looking for. Make a clear set of career goals. Assess your financial capabilities. Afterwards, shortlist the business schools you are most interested in and visit them personally.

Do not depend on rankings alone – they may not be accurate. You must feel comfortable in its environment. Ensure that there is no discrimination on colour, creed or gender. Calculate your chances of completing your chosen course there successfully.

Career Opportunities

Your final choice of business school must also depend on what kind of career opportunities and scope for personal development are implied. You can gauge an institute’s potential for creating career opportunities for graduating students in many ways:

Check on the diversity of recruiters that visit the business school campus. Find out how many industry sectors they represent.
Find out the percentage of graduates who have secured good jobs within three months of their graduation
Find out if the business school offer its own careers service and how many students benefit from it each year. Poll previous and existing students on whether the business school’s careers services department helped them meet their goals
Find out the effectiveness of the business school’s alumni network. Previous students who have succeeded in their chosen professions are often invaluable career contacts

The business school should have specific programs to help students to identify career objectives and develop career plans. It should also give importance on honing career management skills and give opportunities to implement professional development during the course.

Apart from the academic curriculum, the business school should feature career-oriented workshops and hold regular company information sessions. You should also have the option of individual career counselling sessions with resident career guidance counselors.

Many business schools have their own career opportunities resource centres. These usually operate a regularly updated database of employment options.

Jappreet Sethi

5 comments

Oct 08

Human Resources Jobs: Skills And Qualities

Human resource professionals are important personnel in an organization. This is because they contribute to the viability and the success of the business through the strategic organization of human capital. While most people think that ‘people’ skills are the main ingredient of a successful human resource professional, one actually needs to have a perfect mix of ‘people’ and technical skills. Most of jobs in human resources entail collecting data, dealing with complex paperwork, analyzing information, and presenting the findings of this information to the top management.

Human resource professionals require a clear understanding of applicable laws as well as of business administration. They also need to be very conversant with the goals and missions of their organization. Because of this, a majority of employers prefer hiring human resource professional possessing a diploma or degree in any field that is related to human resources. The fields that are generally considered as related to human resource include commerce, business administration, industrial relation or any other social science.

Personal Characteristics

Hr Jobs call for a wide range of skills. A background in social sciences and a broad base of business skills and knowledge are particularly important. The best human resources professional normally possess excellent verbal and written skills as well as proficiency with computers and basic Information Technology. Not all HR jobs ask for all these skills; however, it is incumbent upon applicants to learn them as soon as possible after landing the job, or in specific training courses.

Human resource jobs fall in various categories such as selection, placement, recruitment managers, training and development managers, compensation and benefits specialists, labour and employee relations specialists and safety, health and security specialists.

Human resource jobs in the category of selection, placement and recruiting normally call for someone who is a good judge of character, is tactful yet self-confident and has excellent written, verbal and presentation skills. HR professionals in such roles also need to be capable of ‘selling’ the organization, making cold calls and building relationships within and outside the organization.

Training and development specialists’ jobs require persons with excellent verbal, writing, and interpersonal skills. Such people also need a good sense of humour, a fertile imagination, cutting-edge knowledge in training fields and good understanding of the future knowledge needs of the organization.

Compensation and benefits specialists’ jobs require persons with strong analytical and quantitative skills, writing and verbal skills, knowledge of local and state level laws, a flair with statistics and the ability to communicate in plain language the meaning of statistical numbers.

Labour and employee relations specialists’ jobs require, above everything else, persons with high levels of integrity, the ability to speak comfortably with people irrespective of their education levels, negotiation skills and communication skills.

Lastly, health, safety, and security Specialists’ jobs applicants ought to possess outstanding levels of attention to details, honesty, communication skills and familiarity with the various human resources laws at the local and state levels, not to mention familiarity with regulatory agencies concerned safety, health and wellness.

Jappreet Sethi

7 comments

Sep 17

Career Tips For Aspiring Women Achievers

We are finally seeing the entry of women in board-level positions at leading multinational companies. However, the numbers are not stacking up as anticipated – many businesses continue to have a less-than-balanced equation in terms of gender diversity in leadership roles.

Without doubt, it is still an uphill climb for women achievers who have set their sights at the top. After the deconstruction of the women’s liberation mind-set of the late ’70s, there seems to be a lack of both purpose and opportunities. Women realized that Mother Nature never meant to be men, and that their essential femininity is in fact their greatest strength. However, they also discovered that it takes more than strength to break into certain time-enabled silos.

The corporate world – especially in developing countries – still seems to be more geared more towards male domination at the top. Women who deem themselves of suitable caliber to breach these vaults need a clear strategy. Here are some tips for aspiring women achievers:

Chart Out A Clear Course Of Action

Take a dispassionate look at where you are today, and decide on where exactly you hope to land up within a certain time frame. Without a clear goal, all your efforts will be futile. Don’t set your goals without considering your existing or future family responsibilities. The pursuit of your career goals should not entail giving up on other important aspects of life.

Discuss Your Goals With Your Manager Or A Trusted HR Representative

Every company has different nuances wired into its employee growth equation, and you may not be privy to these. It is wise to discuss the way forward with someone who can advise you on your company’s policies and corporate culture. This will clarify your thinking and give you more objectivity.

Evaluate The Challenges

Ask yourself the following questions:

Who else is in line for the promotion you are seeking? What are their abilities and weaknesses?
Who are their connections and how did they build them?
How can you leverage someone else’s abilities to manage your limitations?
What can you do to have your candidature noticed even in the presence of these contenders?

Build A Personal Network Of Influential Men And Women Within The Company System

Construct and grow your network and then leverage your contacts tactfully. While many would view such a course of action as office politics, there is really no substitute for strategic thinking. Arrange to meet these people in formal and informal settings, and offer innovative ideas that will get you noticed. Also establish what their business objectives are, and how you may be helpful in fulfilling them.

Begin To Dress Like A Winner

Women have a much harder time dressing for success than men, and there are fine lines that must not be crossed. If your dress code is rather casual now, you need to gradually adopt a more formal look. The key concept is ‘gradual’, since a sudden change of dress code may proclaim your aspirations and goals too loudly. You do not want to invite antagonism from other aspirants to the higher echelons of company leadership.

Ensure That Your Achievements Are Noticed By The Right People At The RIght Time

This does not mean shouting them from the roof-tops – again, you do not want to antagonize the competition. You can do this more subtle and focused ways:

Copy your manager on a mail thanking a client for awarding you a contract
Schedule a meeting with your business head – ask him or her what would be the best way to build on a recent success
Ask about what achievement awards you may be entitled to, and make sure you send in your candidature
Keep a track of your achievements in your diary and use it for your mid-year or year-end review.

Do not allow yourself any feelings of entitlement. Nothing succeeds like success – it is your triumphs that will get you to the top, not the fact that you are a woman. Above all, beware of token positions that many companies create merely because of political correctness. These are dead-ends from where there is no upward trajectory at all.

Jappreet Sethi

5 comments

Aug 08

Are You A Manager Or A Leader?

It is a known fact that people who do what they are good at are happier people. As a happy adjunct – happier people tend to be better at what they do! Interestingly, the amount of satisfaction that qualified people derive from their jobs depends on whether they are managers or leaders.

“Is there an essential difference?” you may ask yourself. “After all, managers lead people, don’t they?” Technically, this may be true. However, the fact is that managers are people who know how to get things done. They operate best when they surround themselves with people who have vision. They serve a vital and useful purpose, but managers are not necessarily highly creative people. Rather, good managers keep whatever processes already exist running smoothly.

Leaders, on the other hand, are creators. They are people who know precisely what to do, and they operate best when they surround themselves with people who can help them create. In a corporate setting, the act of creation may lie in opening up new business avenues or revamping current ones to make them more profitable.

For leaders, the job they do is a matter of passion, and they have the ability to use their passion to energize others. Observe anyone in your company in a leadership role. On phone calls, in meetings, or even next to the water cooler, they act passionately – and others follow suit. They have a specific vision, a specific game-plan and the capacity to organize combined effort to create something new.

To identify whether you are better at a manager’s job or are indeed leadership material, you obviously need to have a very clearer picture of your abilities. Your company’s employee review is one way of finding out; however, it may not always be an accurate representation of your abilities. If the company review lacks sufficient depth, it may only be able gauge how effective you are at what you have chosen to do. It may not be able to identify leadership abilities.

There are various assessment modules and aptitude tests that can give you a very accurate picture. If you have ever experienced even a twinge of career frustration because you feel you are able to do a lot more, it makes sense to avail of them.

Over the course of our lives, we make and achieve specific career goals because we want to advance ourselves. In the process, it is possible for us to subconsciously convince ourselves that the work we do is good and that we are successful and happy. However, many people in managerial positions find themselves in situations that challenge these assumptions. At such points, they no longer love what they’re doing – and they soon lose their effectiveness.

Are you among them?

One possible reason for this could be that you have frustrated leadership abilities. You may have true passion for what you do, but are stuck in a manager’s position that limits these abilities. At such a point, it is worthwhile asking yourself if you’re in the right job at all. Changing this status quo would require a major change of mindset, because we tend to burrow ourselves into our comfort zones.

On the other hand, the passion that burns in a person with leadership qualities will make him or her challenge the status quo. If you genuinely feel you can do justice to a leadership position, you will muster the courage to ask for one within your company. If this proves ineffective, you will quit and find a job that is equal to your abilities. However, do all you can to establish that your leadership aspirations are not based on illusions of grandeur, but rather on real passion and vision – and the aptitude to back them up.

In the final analysis, both managers and leaders serve a vital purpose in any company’s scheme of things. Both can safely be said to be indispensable in their own right, and no company can function without either. Find your calling and answer to it. The trick is be able to assess your calling accurately.

Jappreet Sethi

Jun 20

Asked to Relocate? What To Ask Your Employer

Have you been asked by your employer to relocate? If so, you are in a situation which an increasing number of employees are finding themselves in today. There can be any number of reasons why you may have been asked to relocate. For instance, with many companies finding it difficult to manage financially in areas with high real estate costs, a number of them are choosing to relocate to areas from where it is cheaper to operate. If you have been asked to relocate for such or any other reasons, there are certain pointed questions that you should ask your employer before officially agreeing to the move.

Obviously, one of the primary concerns that you will want to address with your employer if you have been asked to relocate will be with regards to your salary. In cases where a company chooses to relocate to an area where operational costs are lower, lower pay for employees may also be on the agenda. It is therefore important that you determine what your pay will be after relocation. As a current employee, you shouldn’t be asked to take a reduction in pay – but there is always a chance that you may be.

Another area of concern in such a situation would pertain to your existing designation. Are you working in management or do you hold a similarly high position? If so, find out if your position will stay the same, or perhaps increase. Certainly, relocating at the behest of your employer shouldn’t mean that you receive a reduction in status or a reduction in salary – but, as already observed, there are no guarantees. In other words, it is essential that you find out as much as you can about your new position before you officially decide to transplant your and your family’s life and household to another city .

Don’t neglect to find out all you can about the duties you will be expected to fulfil after relocating. Since companies often relocate to save money, this may also involve eliminating positions and having the remaining employees assume a larger workload. If you would be expected to perform more duties, you may want to negotiate yourself a higher salary. Don’t forget – these are all questions that you should ask before you make the decision to relocate for your job or not.

Yet another query to place before your employer concerns relocation expenses. You should most definitely establish whether your employer will cover the cost of relocating for you or your family. The financial assistance, if any, may not cover every expense that you are likely to incur, but it may be enough to help cover your travel expenses or the costs of hiring a moving company. Most employers will notify you upfront if they plan on assisting you with the cost of relocating. If yours doesn’t, you definitely need to ask about it.

Finally, take out the time to learn as much about your new location as possible. You will want to focus on points such as the current real estate market, crime rate, availability of civic and social infrastructure such as shopping outlets, medical care, public transport, etc. If you have children, you will want to examine the local school districts, and it would be prudent to scope out the current job outlook for your spouse’s line of work in the new city.

Jappreet Sethi