Should You Mention Your Divorce in a Job Interview

Should You Mention Your Divorce in a Job InterviewShould You Mention Your Divorce in a Job Interview4When you find yourself in the middle of a job hunt and adivorce at the same time, it can be tempting to link them together. As a time-pressed professional with a LOT on your mind, you may be itching to mention your divorce in a job vorstellungsgesprch with a prospective client. But mentioning marital drama during a job interview isnt just a bad idea, its completely off-limits.Here are five tips about mentioning your divorce in a job interview.1. Im getting divorced, and I need a job.The end of a marriage can prompt anew job search for a number of reasons. You may find yourself relocating after the split. Or you and your soon-to-be-ex worked or contracted together and now thats no longer an option.In most cases, however, your job search has a lot to do with finances. Your income has decreased because a) you no can longer rely on your spouses income, or b) you now have new expenses such as child support or alimony. You need more income and higher paying gigs to make up the difference.2. You cant ask me thatQuestions about yourmarital status are simply off-limits. Your interviewer should be familiar with- and is required to abide by- the federal anti-discrimination laws enforced by theEqual Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).Examples of prohibited questions includeAre you married?Are you divorced?Do you receive alimony or child support?But while its illegal for employers to discriminate against you based on whether youre married or have kids, it still happens. If your interviewer does ask such a question, you may choose to answer it truthfully.Feel no obligation to do so. You may tell the interviewer that the question is notlage relevant to the job and you would prefer not to answer. Your best bet is to play it safe and keep your divorce (and your overall personal life) completely separate from anything job related.3. Play it close to the vest in a job interv iew.Dont reveal that youre recently divorced because you dont know how the employer will interpret the information, advises career coachMishri Someshwar. Will they interpret it as Hmm, this person will work harder because she no longer has a spouses income or will they interpret it as, Hmm, what if this person has lots of family drama that will interfere with the job?4. Sell yourself not your situation.Revealing a divorce wont help close the deal so I wouldnt disclose it, says equal pay consultant Katie Donovan, founder ofEqual Pay Negotiations LLC. A job interview is a sales meetingfocus your efforts on talking about the things that sell you.Donovan adds that youre under no obligation to share anything that could create a qualifikation objection, whether its related to your divorce or not. And that is something that is particularly troublesome for former stay-at-home spouses.If youre not sure how to introduce the reason for a job search after a long break, simply state that youre r eady to reenter the work world, she says.5. What about after youre hired?Someshwar recommends not revealing anything personal until youve been hired. If your divorce will require you to be unavailable on multiple preset occasions, It may be worth bringing up when you have a job offer in hand, she says. Its nice to give your manager a heads up.Joan Fradella, a certified family mediator through the Supreme Court of Florida, agrees with Someshwar in that your marital status has nothing to do with your ability to do a job. But she cautions against disclosing such information even once the job is yours.Keeping your personal life personal means you shouldnt let it impact or interfere with your ability to complete assigned tasks or not be present when you need to be on-site. Make sure your divorce does not cause you to miss work or be on the phone, says Fradella. Mediators and attorneys typically have weekend and evening appointments, so take advantage.Should your final court appointment t ake place during hours youre required to be around in person, be casual about needing that time out of the office, she adds. Its nobodys business but your own.Readers, have you ever been asked questions about your marital status or your divorce in a job interview before? Tell us in the comment section belowMary Fetzer is a professional freelance writer and editor with frequent contributions to Avvo Stories. She has covered an enormous range of topics ranging from personal finance and international trade to pregnancy and senior living. Avvo is the largest online legal marketplace with the goal of making legal easier. They provide fixed fee, on demand legal services that range from general advice sessions to document review, document creation. members can get a discount on Avvo services through the Member Savings program

Job Interview Challenge No. 1 What to Do When the Trail Goes Cold

Job Interview Challenge No. 1 What to Do When the Trail Goes ColdJob Interview Challenge No. 1 What to Do When the Trail Goes ColdThe job hunt is full of many frustrating time-delays. Even if you bbrde through the basic frustrations such as finding the right job, writing a compelling resume and crafting an effective cover letter, you can still get hung up on someone elses schedule the busy HR manager.I experienced this myself in the course of my career. I went through a great set of interviews and received positive feedback from the positions supervisor and the HR manager. We even discussed salary ranges, which is usually a good sign that an offer is near. Right before contacting my references, the trail went cold. I waited patiently and then sent each contact one email a week apart from each other. Each time I heard nothing back, until my second, polite follow-up email. And since that interaction? Its still a cold trail.The time between calls was very educational. I got to reconside r whether or not I wanted the position and pursued another job that might be a better fit. Most importantly, it taught me to always exercise patience, especially when HR managers are involved.It may not seem like it to those on the job hunt, but HR managers are prototyp people. They have overflowing inboxes and a mile-long to do list. They have to deal with hurdles and hoops that job seekers cant imagine. So its always better to approach a delay with a polite, formal tone that encourages a response rather than nagging or engaging in destructive behavior that could jeopardize your job offer.If youre ever in this position, here are three email templates you can use to follow up at reasonable intervals to stay on the HR managers radarFollow-Up Template 1 First ContactHello HR Manager,I hope youve enjoyed a productive weekI thought Id check in to make sure that you have received everything you need from me please know I would be delighted to answer any questions you have about my refere nces or resume. I look forward to hearing from youSincerely,Job CandidateFollow-Up Template 2 Follow-Up to the Follow UpHello HR Manager,I hope youre doing wellI thought Id follow up on our conversation from last week and see if you had an update you could share. Im still very much interested in working with you and your team, and Id love to hear your thoughtsSincerely,Job CandidateFollow-Up Template 3 Final, Professional FarewellHello HR Manager,I wanted to check in on our conversation from Last Contact Date regarding Companys Open Position.Im in the process of considering other employment opportunities, and it would be very helpful to know if you have decided to go in another direction or are experiencing an internal delay. I very much appreciate your transparency either way and will respectfully stop following up if that is the case.Sincerely,Job CandidateFinally, here are a few tips that could put you on the callback listAllow at least a full business week to pass between emails to make sure that the HR manager isnt just backlogged and working through her inbox.Write generic email titles that include the term Quick Question. This sends the glaubenszeugnis that the receiver can read and respond to the email quickly, appealing to her desire to clear her inbox quickly.Never use all-caps or aggressive punctuation that would reveal impatience or unprofessionalism.When in doubt, assume the result is out of your control. Perhaps they cannot reveal that the salary requirements have changed, the position moved across the country or their best employee applied for the job at the last minute. If you assume the best, it will be easier to maintain a professional and positive outlook in emails.If they never respond to any email, ask yourself if thats really a company that you want to work for. Professionalism is a two-way street.Have you ever had a job trail go cold? How did you respond?

What resistance to change reveals about your leadership

What resistance to change reveals about your leadershipWhat resistance to change reveals about your leadershipResistance has a bad reputation.We see resistance as something negative - we blame people for getting in the way. As a former CEO, Ive been there many times. We are so focused on driving change, that we have little patience for those who resist (us).However, resistance is a necessary force of change. As Stanfords Bob Sutton said If you are leid facing resistance, it is because you are not pushing too hard.Stop fighting resistance and start paying attention. Lets use it to reflect on what we can improve as change leaders.The True Meaning of ResistanceIt is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end. ? Leonardo da VinciMany times people resist change because they dont want to try something new. Maybe they are too comfortable or afraid of uncertainty. Sometimes, they fear failure or believe they dont have what it takes.However, many times people are just tired, confused, or not feeling safe. They are not fighting change - they just expect clear rules.If you want people to act differently, you have to behave differently too.Here are the six most frequent signals I observe when coaching gruppes improve their change-fitness. Youd better pay attention to them.1. People resist being exhaustedSelf-control represents the mental power we all need to focus, innovate, resist our impulses or to keep going in spite of failure or frustration. Self-control builds the resilience necessary to drive change.Research shows that self-control is an exhaustible resource. As cited on the book Switch, when people restrain their emotions, they burn the ability to control their feelings and behaviors.Change wears people out - what looks like laziness is always exhaustion.Any business transformation requires extra effort from your team members. Are you taking other tasks off their plates?2. People resist the lack of benefitsYou cant ignore self-interest. People are driven by both functional and emotional benefits. If you cant connect the need for change with an apparent personal gain, they will stop paying attention.People are pragmatic - what looks like resistance is actually lack of interest.People wont bother doing something that wont provide them any clear benefit. Are you addressing the whats in it for me?3. People resist lack of contextYour team doesnt just want to do a job - people want to be part of a mission larger than themselves. Change initiatives should be tied to a meaningful purpose.People want to understand the big picture - what looks like indifference is often a lack of context.Dont assume. Provide context. Does your team understand the why behind a new initiative?4. People resist stupiditySometimes, certain initiatives dont make sense. Pressure from the board or the pressure to be perceived as innovative drive organizations to make foolish decisions.People dont like stupidity - what looks like resistance is usually sheer common sense.Be open to getting pushback from your team. Sometimes, we all miss what doesnt make sense. Do you allow your team to challenge you the same way you challenge them?5. People resist lack of prioritizationMost people dont know where their leaders are coming from. CEOs see things differently - they usually assume their teams shared their views. From a distance, things seem simpler said than done. What seems like a simple strategic direction might look complex and demanding for those who are in the trenches.People cant do everything at once - what looks like avoidance is basically lack of capacity.New initiatives always add more tasks and deadlines. Does your team have the autonomy to adjust priorities accordingly?6. People resist unsafe culturesThe culture of an organization is what is rewarded and punished. You cant have it both. Some companies encourage people to take risks but dont provide Psychological Safety - people are afraid of being attacked or fired if they make mist akes.People need a safe space to experiment - what looks like a people problem is always a culture problem.Trying new ways of working requires taking risks too. Are you providing a safe culture for people to experiment and make mistakes?Whatever you resist, persistsWhere there is power, there is resistance. ? Michel FoucaultAn organizational transformation is never a smooth ride. It creates internal resistance in both leaders and their teams. Reflect on your own behavior.Navigating uncharted waters test the whole crew, not just the sailors.Resistance is a signal. Are you paying attention?Upgrade your teams mindsetDownload my ebook Stretch Your Team how to thrive in a changing world get your free copy.Receive my weekly Insights for Changemakers Sign Up NowThis article first appeared on Medium.

How to Influence an Interviewer With a Thank-You Letter

How to Influence an Interviewer With a Thank-You LetterHow to Influence an Interviewer With a Thank-You LetterYouve done all you could to prepare for the most commonly asked interview questions, but you need to make a lasting impression even after you leave the potential employer. Its always great to write a good thank-you note after aninterview, but you should also consider sending a letter that will help influence the hiring manager to choose you for the job, henceforth called an influence letter. Its hard to know how to move on from job rejection, but confront any doubts you think might have been raised during the interview and stress the ways in which youve performed in the past and how you can successfully fill this employers position. Additionally, if you think any extra persuasion is necessary post-interview, an influence letter highlighting your qualifications and skills will carry much mora weight than a simple thank you letter. Heres an example of an influence letter sent b y email. Influence Letter Example Subject LineSales Representative PositionDear Mr. Williamson,It was a pleasure meeting you last week and discussing the sales representative position at XYZ Financial Company. Thank you for introducing me to Mr. James and Mr. White, with whom I would be working.I am glad I had the opportunity to explain to you my exemplary sales record, which I believe would make me an asset on your team. I realize you expressed that the ideal candidate for the position should be experienced in team sales while most of my experience has been as an individual salesman, I thrive in collaborative settings. As a sales representative at ABC Company, I met weekly with the other 20 sales representatives to collaboratively develop sales strategies and troubleshoot various sales issues. I flourish in this collective setting and would love the opportunity to bring my passion for teamwork to your company.I also have a history of developing and maintaining long-lasting relation ships with both clients and colleagues. At ABC Company, I maintained more than 75 percent of my clients for my entire tenure as a sales representative. Im confident that my ability to develop strong relationships will also make me a strong team salesman.I hope this illustration of my collaborative skills will instill confidence that I am the ideal candidate for the sales position. Thank you again for taking the time to speak with me and if you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you about this position.Best regards,First Name Last Name Expand Influence Letter Example After Job Rejection You can send a standard follow-up email after a job rejection, but its even better to send a strong influence letter if youve been rejected for a position. This letter would address whatever issues the interviewer noted when he turned you down for the job. For example, maybe you lacked experience or didnt have a certain set of skills. Commu nicate to the employer that youre not afraid of challenges and can step up to the plate if given another chance. While one influence letter probably wont win you the job, it will tell the employer that you are confident and persistent two traits that are sure to impress and may keep you on a short list for future job openings. Influence Letter After Reject Example Subject LineMarketing Assistant PositionDear Ms. Snow,Thank you so much for taking the time to inform me that you have hired another candidate for the Marketing Assistant position with IceBreakers Inc. While I am, of course, disappointed that I was not selected for this role, I am very grateful that you took the time to interview me twice.It was good to learn that you chose your new Marketing Assistant because they had slightly more experience than I did and possessed a greater knowledge of how to create original graphic designs on the multiple Adobe Creative Cloud platforms (Adobe InDesign and Illustrator). Realizing my l imitations in the use of this software, Ive just enrolled in a certification course at Valley View Community College so that I will soon be able to add digital design skills to my professional toolbelt. I know that this training will significantly extend my effectiveness in social media management, public relations, and marketing communicationsAgain, thanks for making our interviews so collegial and informative. I was truly impressed by IceBreakers office culture, and I would be grateful if you would consider me for future appropriate positions that may open with your company.Best regards,First Name Last Name Expand

Rosetta Stone - Work-At-Home Job Company Profile

Rosetta Stone - Work-At-Home Job Company ProfileRosetta Stone - Work-At-Home Job Company ProfileIndustry Education Software, verbunden Education Company Description Founded in 1992, Rosetta Stone was one of the first companies to employ interactive software to for language learning. And while software is still its main product, it does offer online language classes, for which it hires work-at-home online tutors and teachers. Types of Work-at-Home Opportunities at Rosetta Stone Online Language Tutors - Rosetta hires native speakers to facilitate language classes for beginner to advanced students.Languages that Rosetta Stone seeks online tutors in include Vietnamese, Irish, Swedish, Arabic, Japanese, and Chinese. Prior experience in foreign language teaching is welcome, but not required.UK English Teacher Online - - Company hires native speakers of British English with four-year degrees (TESOL certificate preferred), three to five years of experience teaching adult learners and experie nce with corporate clients in ESL to facilitate online classes Applying to Rosetta Stone Browse or search for the above positions at the Rosetta Stone careers page. Searching for work from home does not work. To apply you will need to make an account and upload your resume. Requirements Tutors and teachers must have access to broadband Internet from a personal computer and be comfortable using a computer. They should be available to work up to 10 hours per week in a flexible schedule that includes weekdays and weekends (mornings, afternoons, evenings). Applicants must be located in the United States and sponsorship is not available. Pay and Benefits This is a part-time employment. position. Both positions pay $15 per hour. Find More Online Teaching JobsBilingual Jobs

Outrageous Skills Resume Templates Tips

Outrageous Skills Resume Templates Tips Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Skills Resume Templates While resume vorlages could be effortless to follow along with the template presented may not be best suited for your distinct employment background. All templates arent created equal. Last, some templates can be hard to work with and may wind up taking more time to update versus making your own style. A few of the templates are particular to given industries. Templates come from an assortment of sources like the ones which are available to you in Microsoft Word, and free or paid examples out there for download from a plethora of websites. MS word templates will present your resume a skilled and artistic appearance. Modifying a Microsoft Word resume template is straightforward and makes the work search process a great deal simpler.Below are a few important benefits of using readymade CV templates Professional Appeal lots of people feel that using the resume templates will influenc e your odds of getting job. Templates will supply you the raw format of resume. Template for resume is a typical layout which can be used for any work ort. Using a template can help to minimize a number of the extraneous tasks related to creating a resume and allows the writer to concentrate on the content. The most recent tool to utilize for writing a good resume is the template which is readily available online and for free in addition to paid versions. In the event the template isnt in an appropriate format there isnt any value of using it. Moreover, utilizing a resume template wont only accelerate the procedure for writing a resume, but in addition help in crafting a professional looking, eye-catching resume. The Ultimate Approach to Skills Resume Templates Employers have a tendency to read a lot of resumes. Job applicants have the ability to create different resumes at home after theyve downloaded the several styles of resume templates that they wish to use. Resume is not just a document. however, it defines you and is the very first important key that ensures your prospective employer takes interest in you. Using Microsoft word to create a resume can be quite straightforward but at the exact time just a little bit sophisticated if you dont find out how to start it. A well written resume with the assistance of professional resume templates can grab the interest of the employer and earn good impression. The key in selecting the right resume template is scouring through your many alternatives to get the one which will make a long-lasting impression on the possible employer. The templates offer you a simple time getting everything together. Utilizing resume templates enable you to make sure that you are correctly laying out each of the accomplishments that youve done, and also enable you to make sure that you have the ability to place your thoughts together in a way that will cause you to get attractive for a broad sortiment of unique work in the industry in which youre applying for. Often, youre just required to send in work application or submit your resume. Applying with the work targeted resume for each job is a superb practice rather than sending same resume for each job. You may even be able to come across a resume template made for the particular job that you are trying to get. Resume template will be able to help you in earning your application impressive and as stated by the expectations of the employer. Characteristics of Skills Resume Templates Templates play a major part in your job search as it saves a great deal of your time and supply you a better format for your CV. A template will inform you all of the relevant data that you ought to be mentioning in your CV, with particular reference to the type of position you are looking for. It should have a section for writing skills and about the certification one might have. One of the greatest ways that produce certain you find yourself with a perfect resu me is the use of resume examples. Each and every work type needs different kind of resumes. Each illustration is targeting a particular job such as Photographer, Librarian and so forth. First and possibly the most obvious rationale is because it makes the practice of writing a resume very simple and straightforward.

How to Get Industry Leaders to Join Your Team - Spark Hire

How to Get Industry Leaders to Join Your Team - Spark HireWhen youre looking to grow your team, you want to be sure that the people youre hiring will add value to your business. Ideally, youd like to identify industry leaders, and then target ansicht individuals as you recruit. But sometimes it feels like this is easier said than done. If youre searching for those one or two key players who can make a major impact on your organization, keep behauptung tips in mindSocial media makes this task much easierIf you want to figure out whos running the conversation in your industry, simply jump on Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms. Over time, youll quickly begin to identify industry leaders based on their comments and interaction with others. From there, you can work to build your own relationships with these individuals. If you know someone who is already connected to this person, you can also ask them to help make an introduction. Being approached by someone they know and trust can break down any barriers that may exist, particularly if this person has demands on their time that might otherwise prevent them from connecting with you.Identify where this leader would fit inWhile youre working on networking with this individual, take some time and figure out where they might fit within your company. You dont want to bring someone on board in any capacity just to have them on your team, and then discover that the position wasnt right for them and that they plan on leaving in a few months. Develop a well thought out strategy for how youd like to get this industry leader involved in your brand.Understand what drives themIf you truly want to hire someone who can reshape your business, youll need to understand what motivates them. In many cases, these factors will be drastically different than what motivates other employees. It probably wont be solely money or vacation days. Things like freedom, strong company culture, and the ability to take on exciting pro jects often carry more weight with true leaders. Keep this in mind as you try to recruit.Wait for an appropriate timeIf youre introduced to this person and immediately offer them a job, dont be shocked when your connection goes sour quickly. Though you may be excited about the potential of working with this individual, immediately suggesting that they join your team can be off-putting to them. Work on building up your relationship first before making this suggestion.How have you gotten an industry leader to join your company? Share your tips with us in the commentsImage monkeybusinessimages/BigStock.com

Solar Parking

Solar Parking Solar Parking Solar ParkingYou probably havent parked under a heated tensile fabric structureor even heard that phrase beforebut you likely will in the not-too-distant future. One company that produces cloth that incorporates flexible, thin-film photovoltaics into the material is seeing its products increasingly mounted over parking lots and other environments while another company uses a similar material to create tents that can be deployed by humanitarian aid workers.Take the case of geschftliches miteinander park owner Clearbell Capital LLP of London. A few years ago, the company sought a way to turn the parking lots outside 15 of its business parks into solar structures. The company wanted to continue the low-carbon footprint used within the parks office buildings. But it sought a flexible and attractive parking cover that would blend into surrounding settings that were both industrial and natural, says Natasha Prior, business manager at the Solar Cloth Co.Clearbell Capital eventually turned to Priors company of Cambridge, UK, for a solution. The Solar Cloth Co. makes flexible, solar modules bonded to lightweight fabric or plastic that can be rolled and fit onto curved and flexible structures. The modules are comprised of thin film photovoltaics lightweight, flexible, solar panels, Prior says.Perry Carroll, founder of Solar Cloth Company. Image Kate Warner / Wikimedia CommonsThe Solar Cloth Co. calls its technology tensile photovoltaics. The cloth can take solar applications into areas where traditional silicon panels wont work or arent practical, Prior adds.Under the tensile fabric now topping the Clearbell Capital lots, the cars stay warm during the workday.With this background in the yachting industry, Solar Cloth Co. owner Perry Carroll first began work on a solar sail, also sold by the company and used to power electrical devices on the yacht. The principles behind the yacht sail and solar cloth are the saatkorn, Carroll says.The solar cl oth does come with tradeoffs. While the thin-film photovoltaics weigh much less than conventional solar panels, they produce 15 percent less power than generated by the current generation panels, says Natasha Prior, the companys business manager.The modules within the fabric produce power for around 20 years, she adds.The Solar Cloth covers a car park near Cambridge, England. Photo credit Solar Cloth Co.The company uses a photovoltaic technology called copper indium gallium selenide.This is very different from the silicon solar that people are used to seeing on roofs, Prior says. The CIGS panels are lightweight and flexible, meaning that they can be installed on curved or non-load bearing roofs where other solar would not be suitable.CIGS thin-film solar cells are created by depositing a thin layer of copper, indium, gallium, and selenide on glass or plastic backing along with electrodes on the front and back to collect current. Because they strongly absorb sunlight, the solar cells can be made from a thinner film than other types of cells, according to a stellungnahme from Solar Frontier Kabushiki, a Tokyo, Japan, photovoltaic company that makes thin film solar films through the CIGS process.The panels absorb light for long periods, so they generate energy from dawn until dusk, and capture light on cloudy days. They also have a higher shading tolerance, meaning they can be installed in tricky locations that may not face south and may be shaded by trees or surrounding buildings, a feature Clearbell Capital sought as many of its lots are partially shaded, Prior adds.The number of flexible solar modules bonded within one foot of the solar cloth depend on the design and the size of the installation, Prior says.The PowerShade The company is not alone in manufacturing flexible, solar fabrics, though the market is relatively open. A tent, the PowerShade, made from a similar-style fabric from PowerFilm Inc. of Ames, Iowa, can generate one kilowatt of energy. In addit ion to keeping its occupants warm, the material could help power emergency equipment at short notice in remote places during humanitarian or natural disasters, says a PowerFilm Inc. spokesperson.For commercial use, one hindrance to solar panel adoption is that they can be difficult to install and integrate with existing architecture functionally and aesthetically, Prior says.Flexible solar cloth overcomes all of these problems and can add real value to existing and upcoming sites, Prior adds.A ten-square-meter solar cloth weighs around 7.3 pounds, much less than conventionalsolar panels, which, to cover the same space, would weigh between 35 and 48 pounds, Prior says. Clearbell Capital, for example, implemented the tensile technology because it was lighter weight and less expensive than traditional solar cell technology, she says.Solar Cloth recently merged with Base Structures, a fabric manufacturer in Bristol, England. Prior says she anticipates a range of colorful solar cloth wit h the merger.Its getting to be like you dont even know youre looking at a solar installation, she says.Jean Thilmany is an independent writer.Learn about the latest energy solutions at ASMEs Power Energy Conference and Exhibition. For Further DiscussionThis is very different from the silicon solar that people are used to seeing on roofs. The CIGS panels are lightweight and flexible, meaning that they can be installed on curved or nonload-bearing roofs where other solar would not be suitable.Natasha Prior, Solar Cloth Co.

5 Ways You Can Develop Your Career While In College

5 Ways You Can Develop Your Career While In College5 Ways You Can Develop Your Career While In CollegeThe days are getting shorter, and the leaves have begun to change colors and fall. Youve wrapped up that summer job, said goodbye to your family and are heading back to college. Dont let the excitement of seeing your friends and beginning classes distract you from an important task building your resume. While the economy is recovering from the 2008 recession and unemployment rates are improving, for recent graduates (ages 20-24), the situation can still be quite frustrating. The unemployment rate for recent grads is at about 5%, but 45% are underemployed, working in low-skilled and low-paying roles. Follow these five tips for building your career prior to graduation.Get a part time job or internshipAccording to a report in the Chronicle of Higher Education, employers say that internships and employment during college are the two most important factors they consider on a recent colleg e graduates resume. Worried about your class load? Consider working on campus in a library or computer center where you can use downtime to work on your homework or explore the many opportunities to work part-time for only a few hours a week in close proximity to your campus.Build mentor relationships with professorsReferences are invaluable during job search, particularly when you dont have a long and storied work history to lean on. In fact, 69% of employers have said that they have changed their minds about a candidate after speaking with a reference. Do everything that you can to cultivate relationships that could result in positive references of your work ethic, character and interests. A great place to start for such relationships is in the classroom with your professors or teaching assistants.Attend networking events with alumniWhile its important to get your resume up-to-date and to apply to jobs angeschlossen on sites such as Simply Hired, its also in your best interest to get out and mingle and network with working professionals. More than 70% of people land jobs through such networking. A great place to start is your college or universitys career services center. Many schools post alumni networking events that you can attend or will pair you with a mentor.Get involved on campusGrades are notlage everything. Academics are important, but your GPA will not get you a job. Make sure youre involved on campus join clubs, organizations and anything that interests you. For students who dont have the opportunity to work throughout college, school clubs and organizations are a great way to build your resume. It can be particularly impressive if you maintain a consistent membership in a select few organizations and take leadership roles when possible. This will not only help you gain useful skills, it will also provide you with a marketable work history of sorts.Volunteer for a worthy causeIn the midst of all of this resume-building, networking and career-focus ed work, take moment and give back to a cause that resonates with you. Volunteering will simultaneously provide you with an opportunity to do the aforementioned things, introducing you to interesting people with whom you can network, and it will allow you to gain new skills. Not to mention, volunteering will also give you a bit of perspective.Your college years are a great time to learn, grow and discover who you are. However, theyre also an opportunity to ensure your future, so dont lose focus of your goal to love what you do.

Recruiting Leaders 101 Prioritize Soft Skills and Fit

Recruiting Leaders 101 Prioritize Soft Skills and FitRecruiting Leaders 101 Prioritize Soft Skills and FitNothing has a greater impact on your organization than the leaders who steer it. For the professionals tasked with recruiting them, you have two equally important dimensions to your search you are looking for a candidate who has the credentials to get the job done plus the charisma and the likabilitythe fitto get your colleagues buy-in.Education and experiencea candidates professional backgroundis fairly straightforward and easy to gleen from their resumes. But the other set of skills, a candidates potential to fit with your corporate culture, is more abstract and elusive.The Versatility of Soft SkillsChange breeds uneasiness, especially in the workplace. Leadership transitions can be particularly complicated to weather, but a good leader is up for the challenge and brings confidence and clarity in uncertain times.While their past experience gives those in leadership roles some o f the necessary background to succeed, soft skills like emotional intelligence, flexibility and communication skills are equally valuable. Although these qualities may be more difficult to tease out on paper, they are vital skills for a candidate to exhibit. These qualities define the essence of a leader.Although difficult to demonstrate, once one has soft skills they are transferable. They make for a versatile leader who is able to acclimate to a variety of cultures. Soft skills are about understanding people, anticipating their needs, putting them at ease and communicating with them on an emotional level. If candidates have these skills, they will understand how to fit into the culture comfortably and add to it without making it look like they are dominating it or trying to redefine it too quickly in a way that makes staff feel as though they are losing their place.In an article published inHarvard Business ReviewJean Martin notes that fit is even more important than other skills that a candidate brings to the table. She captures the alarming failure rates of leaders unable to achieve fit Astoundingly, C-suite executives report that only one out of five executives hired from outside are viewed as high performers at the end of their first year in house. And ultimately, of the 40 percent of leaders who are hired from outside each year, nearly half fail within the first 18 months. The direct and indirect costs of the failures are staggering, far exceeding the cost of the search that found the executive.Pursue Soft SkillsSo how do you find a candidate who will integrate successfully into your professional culture? How do you find the candidate who will be the right fit? It starts with the job description and extends through the bewerbungsinterview process.According to Simply Hired data, the most commonly used words in the job descriptions that recruit leaders tend to be categorical or focus more on skills than on fit. These terms most commonly appearStrategic th inkerGoal-orientedAssertiveSelf-starterEffective communicatorWhile these qualities speak to the hard skills associated with leadership, they dont specifically explore the skills that foster fit. Enhancing position posting to include discussions about the psychology of leadership starts this conversation, which can then continue in the interview. Isolating what makes a candidate successful when assuming a new leadership role and then pursuing those qualities sets the search up for a greater chance of success.Clearly Communicate What your Organization Needs in a LeaderAsk for what you want. Position descriptions for leadership roles come in an array of shapes and sizes. Positions at nonprofit organizations, for example, tend to explore expectations about soft skills, citing mission statements that shape expectations throughout the posting. While posting for leadership jobs in engineering firms, for example, often focus largely on credentials citing the leadership components of the rol es as more secondary, less defined qualities.While credentials and experience are undoubtedly important in all leadership hires, the psychological dimension of the job cant be ignored. Its a defining feature of the job.Here are some examples of language that can bolster job postings to recruit candidates who possess soft skillsValues creativity and flexibilityFacilitates constructive and productive communicationFosters a culture that recognizes talents and strength of each member of the teamEmbraces changeWell-developed interpersonal and relationship-building skillsChallenge existing job posting. See if there is room to enhance them to outline more specific expectations about the leadership candidates they attract. Simply Hired is an excellent tool to use to review other postings and see what language other companies use to define the soft skills they require in the leaders they recruit.Once you have solidified your search teams values, carry those through the interview process. Gea ring interviews to discuss instances where candidates successfully employed soft skills will yield useful results untersttzunging fit for exampleHave you found yourself in a leadership role during a difficult timeperhaps a time when layoffs or downsizing were taking place? How did you communicate with your colleagues to minimize the stress of this and to keep morale as high as possible? How did you support your colleagues through this difficult time?What are some of your strategies for creating a culture that facilitates professional development and fosters staff retention?If hired, how do you plan to integrate your expertise into this professional culture? How has this gone for you in the past? How do you achieve the balance of making staff comfortable with change on the one hand and ushering them into a new era of leadership on the other hand?Make your recruitment plan a clear and focused package that aims to attract and capture candidates who have both the hard and the softs skil ls and ultimately the fit that your company needs.Reward Flexibility with FlexibilityPreparing an attractive compensation package may require listening to your candidates and identifying what forms of currency they most value. Compensation is so much more than financial in todays workplace. Increased flexibility including opportunities to work remotely are gaining ground while increased paid time off is rounding out many compensation packages. This trend will increase as more Millennials assume leadership roles, so exercise your own soft skills and be prepared to be flexible.Create a Culture that Incubates LeadershipIts no surprise that all executive positions have a leadership dimension, but leadership is important in other roles as well 52% of middle management jobs and 25% of juniorchef level roles include leadership responsibilities as well.While soft skills can be innate, they can also be taught and refined. Providing training to hone these skills in an excellent way to support leadership development on all levels.Did you miss any of the previous articles? You can read them hereFollow the Leader, Build the Perfect Leadership EnvironmentHow to Define Leadership in Recruiting (And Why It Matters)Influence Company Leadership With These 4 StepsHow to Become a Leader Your Employees Can Count On