Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Do You Reject Candidates Politely

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Do You Reject Candidates Politely Once your first choice has accepted the job, how do you close the loop with the other candidates who have interviewed? My first piece of advice is to contact them and let them know of your decision. This may sound obvious, but it’s shocking how many organizations don’t do it and just leave candidates hanging. If a candidate takes the time to interview with you, you at least owe her the courtesy of a phone call or email. Here are some general best practices: Err on the side of overcommunicating You can get things off on the right foot by explaining your selection process before or during an interview. When you provide this information, the candidate will know exactly when they can expect communication from you and will be less likely to check in repeatedly about offer status (or sit and stew about why they haven’t heard from you). Yes, you must use a phone Now that most organizations have an applicant tracking system and/or career portal that can send automated emails to candidates at various stages of the recruitment process, there’s no excuse for allowing a rejected candidate to disappear into a black hole. However, if they went through the trouble of coming in for an interview, you should really call them as soon as you’ve given an offer to someone else â€" if not sooner. You’d be surprised how fast word gets around in local job hunting circles. If your call gets sent to voicemail, leave one. They might be one of those non-checkers, but that’s not your problem. A voicemail is better than no call at all. For the rest of my tips, head over to the SilkRoad blog.

Resume Writing Tips - What Is the Difference Between Latex and Non-Latex Resumes?

Resume Writing Tips - What Is the Difference Between Latex and Non-Latex Resumes?A lot of people are wondering what the difference is between latex and its counterpart the non-latex variety. The answer to that question is, latex has two types: natural latex and man-made.Natural latex is made from rubber tree sap and comes from the sap, which is then extracted through the process of hydrolysis. The resultant latex is then molded into the required shapes. In other words, the latex is derived from rubber tree sap through a natural process.Man-made latex is not so different from the natural one. The only major difference is that the man-made varieties have been manufactured through an advanced process. For example, many of the products that we use in our homes are made with man-made latex. Some of these are popular household items like condoms, lubricants, tampons, and lubricants, all of which are made with man-made latex.Another example is the use of soy in a variety of products like lo tions, bath gels, lotions, and similar items. All of these products are made with man-made latex, which gives them the same smooth, luxurious feel as the natural one.If you have latex allergies, then there is no problem at all because, even though man-made, the natural latex does not contain any latex. It is in fact made from soy beans, which are non-allergenic.With regards to the level of comfort it provides, the natural latex also gets better ratings when it comes to the comfort factor of a person's resume. This is because the natural latex does not contain any lanolin which is a substance which is commonly found in many other forms of lube or lubricants.Resume writing is an important part of your job search. You should make sure that you make a proper resume, including a cover letter, and a cover page. Do not make the mistake of trying to get the first job that you get, and instead focus on making your resume look great, and your cover letter convincing.This means that you should make your resume stand out, rather than just creating a resume that would fit perfectly. You do not want the wrong impression of your resume to be given, and the last thing you want is to write an excellent cover letter, then realize you left off a vital piece of information or had one very tiny omission.

How to Quit Your Job Nicely

How to Quit Your Job Nicely This post on how to quit your job nicely can easily be called, “NEVER burn bridges!”. But the focus here is to avoid dramatic reactions and explain how to quit your job with dignity. We want you to stay on a positive career path. Even though you may feel some bridges need burning down, we challenge you to stop and reconsider.Why Explain How to Quit Your Job Nicely?All people who quit a job need to protect their business relationships going forward in their career. So, you hated your boss. But you had many other colleagues in the company. What about them?Burning your bridge with the boss or company may also sever your relationship with former co-workers. After all, they have to protect their relationship with the company they still work with. We live in a smaller, well-connected LinkedIn resume world. Careers are lasting longer and people’s memories are enhanced by online content that lives on Google for years. Besides, we usually do not quit jobs. We quit the people we work wit h.There is no valid long-term reason why an employee of a company should go out in a dramatic blaze of glory. Leave that stuff for the movies. Yes, you may feel strongly that some bridges need burning down, but overreacting in the short-term can leave you with long-term negative consequences for your career.Quit With a Professional EmailWords are very powerful. If you choose to write a resignation letter, leave the emotion out of it. Avoid writing emails with sarcasm, venom, or subtle passive-aggressive tones. Do not go into explanations about your feelings. Above all, do not email everyone in the company, including the people you do not work with.Stick to a simple resignation letter that shows you are neither petty nor childish. Go out with your head held high.Try Something New...Keep the Complaints off GlassdoorThis author will probably be met with disagreement on this approach. But I write this because, at first, Glassdoor made sense. People never had an outlet to express why com panies were unfair. It was all done anonymously and in public forum.But just like anything created with a good intention, it is killed off by fanatical abuse. When business advice for complaints becomes, “Just say thank you”, the usefulness of a platform is lost. Social platforms that allow for people to complain about companies and bosses, also invite retaliatory and angry responses. It may seem “safe” at the time. But if what you write on Glassdoor sounds like what you said when you burned the bridge at work yesterday, everyone who knows you also knows who wrote it. It is easy to figure out.Keep your Glassdoor review to yourself. If you really want some sort of vindication, start your own company and do it better. Stay positive. You will always be the bigger person that way.Give the Company Time to Prepare. Go out With a Smile.Stop and think before you storm out of the office for good. Think about this for a moment:What are the short-term benefits of burning bridges at wor k? What are the long-term benefits?After you have written your answers down, write out the answer to this question:Do they compare to the long-term benefits of showing employees respect?In the past, the many people I had seen burn bridges apologized several years later. The anger felt from that burnt bridge, and the people involved, were hurting their career progression. It was an attempt to fix a burning bridge. And even though an apology was accepted, the trust between the former colleagues was broken. You don’t get trust back once it is broken.Another problem was that the colleagues who dealt with some sort of wrath in the workplace after you had quit suddenly, no longer trust you. They do not hate you perhaps they hated the job also. But the bridge burner was seen as someone who could not be trusted during challenging times. Many business connections were lost because you did not know how to quit your job nicely. You left people in a jam. By human nature, we are all not big on giving people second chances.Remember to Keep CalmCooler heads always prevail. Quit nicely. Don’t burn career bridges. You can never rebuild them once they are lost. And you never know if your career path will circle back around to needing old colleagues again.

Dressing Up Your Home Office

Dressing Up Your Home Office When we first put together our home offices, we tend to cobble together whatever we can from around the house. Our desks are folding tables or old desks our kids have grown out of. The computer we use is our personal laptop. The decorations are often pilfered from other rooms. This is fine when we are first starting out. As we start to make money, though, it is absolutely okay to upgrade and to put some real work into your workspace. Here are some tips to help you create an amazing and gorgeous home office: It Is All About the Desk Your desk is the most important piece of furniture in your home office. Yes, it is even more important than the chair you sit in. It is important to choose a desk that speaks to you and makes you want to sit down and work at it. For many of us, that desk is a gorgeous piece of real furniture made from real wood. Even if the lines are simple, we want a desk that doesn’t feel mass produced. If you’re not sure what that looks like, spend some time looking at galleries online. The Henkel Harris Furniture desk gallery, for example, features dozens of desks with many different design concepts. A Comfortable Chair It is time to stop sitting on the chair you stole from your kitchen table or the folding metal contraption you squirreled away from the garage. You need a proper chair with lumbar support and that promotes ergonomic health. Mesh chairs, when made well, are especially good for thismuch better than their overly padded counterparts. If you’re going to be shifting from standing to sitting (and back) as you work, you might want to consider a stool so that you don’t have to try to reach over the back of a chair when you set your computer up on its elevation stand. Don’t Blend With all due respect to your home’s obviously gorgeous decorating scheme, it is in your best interests to create a workspace that does not blend in with the rest of your house’s “feel.” Why? Because you don’t want your family to treat your office as casually as they treat the rest of your home. You want them to respect the space, and giving it its own look and feel is a good way to subtly reinforce those boundaries. Paint the walls a contrasting color to the rest of your scheme (or just plain white). Cover the floor with a different kind of area rug than you use in other parts of your home. If your home is completely carpeted, strip the carpet out of your office or have new carpet in a different fiber and color installed. Contrast is Your Friend Contrasts within your space can also work well in your favor. For example, if you’ve gone with a traditional wooden desk and cabinetry, use metal and chrome based framing for your artwork and your accessories. Install a modern floor lamp or new modern styled fixture on your overhead light. Choose a chair or sofa (if there is room in the space) designed to look sleek and covered in a bright fabric. Speaking of Art… It is very important to create a space that inspires you and helps you be productive. This means that some of your wall space will likely be dedicated to a whiteboard or magnetic board on which you can write notes and scheduling reminders, stick up event invitations, etc. You do not, however, have to put this workspace directly in front of you. Instead, put it on a side walla place where you’ll be able to see it easily of coursebut for the space in front of your desk, put up photos and artwork that help you feel inspired and that encourage you to work. For the rest of the space, choose a few pieces to act as focal points and choose them carefully. You don’t have to go with some boring corporate neutral art. Instead, spend some time hunting through your local art scene for prints and pieces that are unique and affordable. This way you’ll support your local business community and decorate your office at the same time. You might even be able to expand your network! The point is this: create a space that feels purposeful and unique to you and the business you’re starting/running. If you let it be a hodge podge of leftovers, it will be harder to be productive and more difficult to enforce your work-home boundaries. Image Source  Image Source  Image Source

Using Academic Writing Skills to Land a Job

Using Academic Writing Skills to Land a JobIf you are serious about advancing your career, you will need to learn how to write an academic resume. Most of the skills that you learn in high school or college will carry over into your resume. In fact, most employers want resumes that reflect the type of student they are hiring.The first step is to prepare for the interview by studying and learning about the company or job that you are looking for. Studying a job description will help you determine if you have what it takes to do the job. You should also take time to figure out the specific duties of the job. Doing so will help you decide how you will market yourself to be hired.The second step to using good academic writing skills is to practice what you have learned. Many times you will be surprised how much you can write. Keep notes of what you write and when. This will give you an idea of how you will market yourself and help you prepare for what you might expect to hear from the hi ring manager. This will also give you an idea of what you should not say on your resume.After you have learned how to write a resume, you should then use the information that you have learned to write a cover letter. Make sure that you write your cover letter in the same way that you would to get a job interview. The only difference is that you write your cover letter a week or two before you start looking for a job. You want to have a bit of time between the application and the interview to make sure that you have everything prepared. Make sure that you let the hiring manager know that you would like to be contacted and that you are available to be interviewed.Keep the information that you have about the company that you are interviewing with and apply it to the job description. Be as specific as possible with the duties and responsibilities that you are applying for. Be sure to list all of the necessary qualifications that you have that are required to fill the position. Also make sure that you list any certifications that you have that will help them make a decision. By being specific, you will also give yourself a better chance of getting a call from the company that you are applying for.Another tip for how to use good academic writing skills is to include a portfolio. It is perfectly acceptable to include a resume and a letter of employment together at the interview. However, sometimes the hiring manager may not be able to tell whether you have writing skills or not.You can show your portfolio by giving a speech or working as a consultant. You can also use the portfolio to showcase examples of your work. Keep it updated with examples of both current projects and past projects. This will give the hiring manager a sense of how you have developed your academic writing skills.Remember that you will be submitting your resume to many different companies. You will want to be ready for anything that you might encounter at each interview. By using the tips that I have shared with you, you will be able to use academic writing skills to your advantage.

Im getting married o) - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Im getting married o) - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Todays big news has nothing to do with happiness at work and everything to do with happiness in life: This weekend I proposed to my wonderful girlfriend Patricia and she said yes. Here are some pictures. Yes, Im wearing an Elvis costume it was a Vegas party :o) We will marry October 1st. 2009 in Las Vegas. Woooo-hoooooooooooooooo :o) Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Enthusiasm - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Enthusiasm - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Scott H. Young has a great post on enthusiasm: Enthusiasm is like any other skill. If it is continually practiced and exercised, it gets better. If it is not, then it will atrophy. Enthusiasm rarely comes naturally and it must be the result of conscious effort. Practicing the ability to use enthusiasm can keep you excited and driven even in horrible circumstances. Go read it, its a great piece. My ability to be enthusiastic is without a doubt my greatest skill. When some new idea really grabs me, my enthusiasm Makes me do something about it Helps me get others involved by infecting them with enhusiasm Gives me the energy to get through the difficult parts and the problems Lets me believe I can do it or at least that it will be fun trying Enthusiasm also gives me a certain half-blind optimism. I see mostly the opportunities and internally minimize problems and risks. Which is a great thing when youre trying to do something big. Looking back, all of the greatest things I have achieved look nearly impossible on paper. If I hadnt had my enhusiasm to slightly blind me to the challenges involved, I would probably never have tried it. And I certainly wouldnt have succeeded. So I say be enthusiastic and let it show! Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related