Traits that Hamper Hiring Potential – Part II
“One of the most important steps you can take toward achieving your greatest potential in business is to learn to monitor your attitude and its impact on your work performance, relationships and everyone around you,” says Alex Pirouz. It’s true. Attitude plays a huge role in a person’s overall life, so naturally, it will have a major impact on all things related to job performance. A fact every boss and HR manager have stenciled on a plaque somewhere. So, what particular attitude concerns are those making the hiring decisions watching for? Apathy/Lack of Enthusiasm Maybe you approach life with a…
Traits that Hamper Your Hiring Potential – Part I
You’ve already discovered there’s a lot of competition out there for the best jobs. Employers have high expectations. Savvy hiring managers are looking for just the right blend of technical expertise paired with a generous helping of those ever-so-important “soft skills” that will result in a truly valuable employee. With the time loss and high cost of a bad hire, choosing to be picky is an essential. And savvy employers won’t hesitate to steer clear of anyone who gives them cause for concern. What will give you an edge? More importantly, what will harm your chances of landing one of…
What Employers Want – Part II
Long gone are the days of interviews like this. “Can you do this . . . and that . . . and yes, this one other thing as well?” “Why yes, I can!” “You can? That’s great! You’re hired.” Hiring managers and business owners want and need candidates with more than just the technical know-how to get the job done. They’re looking for employees who are good communicators, well-organized, personable, and possess a host of other “soft skills.” “Hard skills vary based on the job, but soft skills are required for every job,” notes Guy Berger. “That makes soft skills…
What Employers Want – Part I
Want to trade in your “candidate” status for “employee” status? Candidates who possess the sought-after traits employers are looking for, won’t be “candidates” for long. And increasingly those traits are coming in under the heading “soft skills,” as employers realize how essential this intangible set of skills is in today’s workforce. “Most companies are hiring talent based on soft skills like attitude and hard work, with the hope that they can train them to be up to par on things like tech skills and industry knowledge,” said Davis Bell, Instructure’s vice president of corporate markets. Especially where entry-level positions are…
Strategies for Moving to a Better Position
If you’re happy in your current job, satisfied with the position and all that goes with it, bravo. Stay put and excel. But if you have a hankering to move onward and upward soon, or even down the road, then here’s some tips—centered around goals, building a reputation, and networking—that will head you in that direction. Goals First things first, set aside some time to take stock of where you’d like to be in 5 or 10 years, and then turn the focus to you, as an employee. Hmm, wait – let’s switch that up. Look at your performance first.…
Strategies for Responding to Dysfunctional Colleagues
On television or at the movie theater, workplace dysfunction is always good for a laugh. An entire plot can be built around the antics, quirks, and miss-everything’s that go with dysfunction on the job site. But in real life, at your workplace? Well, then it’s not nearly so amusing. Here are some questions to ask yourself when the tension escalates, paired with a couple of strategies for rising above the fray enough to accomplish your assigned tasks and you know, preserve your sanity, too. What’s really going on? Underlying issues such as illness or family situations may be contributing to…