At some point in your career, you’ll question whether you’re on the right path. When your boss starts questioning your career path, it’s time to take a serious look at what you’re doing and why.
If your boss makes a suggestion that you may want to look for another job, there are a few steps you can take to find your next career move.
1: Assess What You Really Want
The first thing to do in this case is to step back and consider what direction you want to go in your career with this company. Be honest with yourself by asking “do you really want this job?” There is no reason to fight for something that no longer excited you.
2: Meet With Your Manager
After you evaluate your job and career path and decide you want to stay with your company, schedule a time to meet with your manager and discuss how you can move forward. This is a good time to talk about what issues the management team sees, where they feel you fit best within the company and what you’d like to do. During the meeting, you should share not only what you want moving forward, but also how you plan to address the original issue.
3: Create a Plan
What if you decide that you really don’t want to be in this job anymore? You have two options, stay and wait for things to improve or start looking for a new positon. Either way, you should evaluate your career and where/what your next role should include—you don’t want to make a bad decision. Finally, create plan for your registration. Evaluate the timing, insurance transitions and your registration.
References are a must have. We all need them when finalizing a new job or temporary position. “References are similar to mentors. . Recruiters and those in HR use references as a way to fill in the gaps about a candidate, to learn more about a candidate’s work style, and to gauge their success in previous roles. As a job seeker and candidate, it is essential to have a list of people who can provide glowing references about who you are as a person and a hard worker.
Step 1: Find your core references
Determine 3-4 individuals that you can use as a professional reference. These people should be former managers and /or key client contacts.
Step 2: Ask the for the professional reference
Once you have your core references identified, you may not need to ask each person for a reference. Like finding the perfect role, think about the person on your team who would be a perfect fit to write a recommendation or reference for you. Evaluate the referrals needed by your recruiter or HR manager and determine who you feel will give you the best professional reference. Additionally, not all companies ask for the same number of type of professional reference. Be sure to evaluate each reference request individually and give your professional references advance warning of any call or reference checks.
Step 3: Help them
Often times the people we ask for references are busy folks. Executives and managers can get asked for references all the time and be bogged down with other work. It is helpful to remind them of projects you worked on together, or instances where you collaborated. The goal is to help provide anecdotes that your power team can use when talking to a recruiter or writing you a letter of recommendation.
Step 5: Say thank you
It’s easy to get caught up in the craziness of job applications, but remaining in touch with your core references and saying thank you to nurture the ongoing relationship are key to your professional growth. Be mindful of the give and take in the relationship, as well.
Most of us experience stress during our work week. However, some people experience an extreme amount of workplace stress daily. It’s no wonder, more job hunters are looking for roles and positions that offer low stress day-to day.
If you’ve already tried to balance your stress at your current job, it may be time to start interviewing for a new one. Unfortunately, sometimes asking questions about workload can give the impression you want to slack off. Here are three questions that will help you determine the stress level for prospective roles/positions.
#1: Why is this position open?
Asking this question will help you understand the role in terms of the overall company and team. Often jobs are created because there is a new need in the company. However, sometimes the role is a replacement, Understanding why someone left this role can help you determine what’s expected and the anticipated stress level.
#2: Tell me about the typical day-to-day of this position.
Not only is this interview question a great way to see if the job will line up with your skills, but it also will give you an idea of who you’ll be interacting with and what you’ll be doing on a daily basis. Look out for phrases like “it depends”. This shows that the role is evolving and changing every day and this can be a sign of potential stress.
#3: What defines success for this position?
This is an all-around exceptional question to ask a prospective employer because it allows you to clearly identify the job expectations. However, it also works to scan for a stressful job because it allows you to assess how stressful the clearly defined goals will be to achieve.
Stress in the workplace often occurs when you’re responsible for things you cannot control. Understanding what defines success for the position will allow you to assess whether or not that role is empowered to actually achieve those results.
l the job will be. In your next interview, be sure to ask these interview questions to gauge just how stressful a new job might be in the future
These days there is a lot of conversation about employee satisfaction and happiness. Company consistently evaluate and add perks and benefits in an attempt to achieve this happiness. Unlimited time off, flexible work schedules, and even stocked break rooms are some of the ways companies work to ensure their employees are happy and love their jobs.
Here are some clues to help you determine if you love your job and are happy:
1. Passion—if you feel passionate about your job already, congratulations. However, for many people the passion for their job is harder to quantify. Take some time to evaluate your job and task that you love or feel passionate about. Once you identify the areas of your job that make you happy, ask your manager to increase those responsibilities. This will help you increase the areas of your positon you feel passionate about and create more happiness.
2. Independence—everyone wants a job that offers a little bit of flexibility, whether that’s the opportunity to choose roles on projects, the ability work from home or go to your child’s school pay. This flexibility can help with your work life balance and make your job happier.
3. Cultural Fit—this term gets used too much, but creating friendships at work and having camaraderie can help you find happiness at work.
4. Compensation—we all want to be valued for the work we perform. This compensation includes not only your salary, but benefits and perks. Money alone can’t buy happiness at work, but being under compensated can quickly lead to discontent.
Most people feel comfortable in a fulltime, permanent role. It represents security and comes with benefits. However, contract role can be a great deal. In this economic client, contract roles are becoming more common place. By their nature, they allow you the flexibility and often more growth potential than a full time, permanent role. Additionally, seeking contract roles through a staffing or agency can give you the benefits (like health insurance and 401k) and security of a full time role with the added benefits of contracting.
If you are ready to make the transition from full time employee to contractor, there are some tips to help.
1. Be Up Front
Before anything else, you should make it clear that you’re interested in a contract position during the interview. Many companies may ask why you are moving from full time to contact. Remember to discuss the growth potential and flexibility.
2. Become Indispensable
It goes without saying that a company want contracts to outperform their expectations, but even meeting the expectations of your role isn’t always enough. To truly stand out (especially as a contractor, you should work to stand out by working hard and exceeding expectations.
3. Make Sure to Mingle
Sometimes, contract workers make the mistake of isolating themselves from colleagues since they don’t see themselves as a “real” team member. This is a missed opportunity. When you are part of the team, companies will want to extend your contract. This can create long term contract opportunity and allow you to create personal connections that will go a long way in your career.
We all know that your appearance is the first thing people notice, especially during an interview. With the tech startups on the rise, more job seekers moved to a more casual attire for interviews. However, more and more interviewers expect that job seekers dress professionally during the interview process. What’s appropriate attire depends on the industry…interviewing at a bank is different from interviewing at a gaming company. So, do your research to understand the company’s culture and attire standards. If you are unsure, you can always ask the company’s HR department or your recruiter. However, the best rule is always to dress more conservatively.
Tips for all candidates:
Searching for a job is never easy, but searching during the holiday season can be challenging and discouraging. Here are 5 tips for your holiday search:
Companies Do Hire in December—Don’t believe people who say that no one hires in December. While it’s true that some searches slow down or get put on hold, plenty of hiring still happens around the holidays. December is still a great time to get your resume out to companies and have interviews. Often, manager are scrambling to hire for open positions before January 1st, so the decision making process can be faster.
There is Less Competition— Most job seekers get discouraged during the holiday season or choose to wait until the New Year. So, often your resume will get noticed faster during the holiday. In fact, some hiring managers report that job applications slow to a trickle around this time of year and they have trouble finding suitable candidates for jobs that must be filled quickly.3.
Remember to Be Flexible—Often companies that are trying to make a hire before the new year are often trying to move quickly but may have limited interviewing slots available because of the vacation schedules of those involved in the interview process You’ll have a leg up if you’re willing to juggle your schedule to make yourself available when they can talk. So, remember to be flexible and it will pay off.
Be Prepared for the Holiday Rejection—Realize that some rejection might come along with the mistletoe this year. If you are searching for a job in December, you could get a rejection near Christmas. Don’t let the possible rejection interfere with your holidays.
Take Advantage of Holiday Networking—We all go to holiday parties and events during this time of year. Most likely, you will be asked about your job search. So be prepared to make the most of these events and the opportunity to network. Networking at any time is a great way to learn about new positions and job opportunities.
Body language reveals a lot about a person. Your body language at work….how professional interact conveys a lot to your peers and manager.
So what does your body language say about you?
Body Language #1: Leaning back in your chair
What It Says About You: It says you are leaving forward into a problem. Don’t lean backwards because it shows that you’re alienating.
Body Language #2: Crossing your arms in a meeting
What It Says About You: Crossing your arms shows you are cut off from receiving ideas…you are defensive. If your body position is open, you are open to receiving new ideas and what people are saying.]
Body Language #3: Gesturing with your hands
What It Says About You: Gesturing with open palms shows you are honest and sensitive.
Body Language #4: Tapping your pen on the table
What It Says About You: This shows you are impatient or in discomfort
Body Language #5: Licking your lips
What It Says About You: Chewing on your lips or licking your lips shows you are nervous and /or bored
Body Language #6: Stretching or yawning.
What It Says About You: Stretching or rubbing you head in meetings signals that you’re bored.
Having a group of friends at work definitely makes life easier. When you have friends at work, you have people to talk to when you need a break and have people to make lunch plans when you want them. Often, work just feels more fun when you know you have some friends by your side, especially if you have a high-stress job.
If this sounds intriguing but you’re not totally sure how to foster work friendships and a team mentality, here are some tips to get you started.
A resume is the most important step in getting a job. The smallest error can cost you the interview and your dream job. Your resume paints a picture of your experience, successes and career. Most hiring managers weigh an applicant’s resume heavily when filling a position. Every piece of information in the resume should be clear, accurate and well-thought-out.
Below are 4 common resume mistakes job seekers should avoid:
Typos and grammatical errors are costly errors because such mistakes can easily destroy your credibility. This can be easily avoided by proofreading your resume. Give it to a friend or family member for a fresh set of eyes. It’s not worth missing out on a job opportunity because of an avoidable spelling mistake.
A common mistake in many resumes where many job applicants spend most of the space highlighting the job responsibilities instead of focusing on their accomplishments. Prospective employers want to see specific, quantifiable accomplishments on your resume. These accomplishment speak to your ability and what you can bring to their team and company.
Exhibiting your specific skillsets are important, especially when you are seeking a technical or IT job, but too much jargon or too much “tech talk” in your resume can often prevent the company from identifying your accomplishment and viewing your experience.
It is important to highlight your experience and accomplishments, but if your resume is too long the hiring manager may not finish reading it….a miss important details that relate to their opportunity. A good rule of thumb is to give enough details about your previous positions, while emphasizing your accomplishment, but leave some more detail you can expand on in an interview. This will help you peak the hiring managers interest in you and help you empress them during the interview.
Delta Computer Consulting, Inc. is certified through the WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council) as a woman-owned and woman-operated business.
