Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom Navigating a Personal Friendship at Work

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom Navigating a Personal Friendship at Work Heres another reader question from DailyWorth.com: I work in a small credit union as a temp with a close friend who has been watching me closely at the office. How do I keep work separate from social? I know she is just trying to help me become permanent, but it can be stressful.â€" Marie, New York What came first: the close friendship or the job? If the friendship came first, then it’s probably worth protecting the relationship and giving this person the benefit of the doubt. After church one day, go out by yourselves. Ask her if you can talk about something that’s bothering you, and then be honest. First, say that you really want this job to become permanent and you appreciate her help to make it happen. Next, ask if she could give you a little breathing room because working so closely with a friend makes you nervous (and you don’t want to screw up). If she says she’s concerned about mistakes you’re making, ask if she could talk to you about these outside the office. While it’s difficult to hear constructive criticism in any forum, it’s much better to receive it on your home turf where you aren’t under the pressure of the spotlight.If the friendship indeed came first, I would take her feedback as valuable. Although it’s possible she feels threatened by your new role, it’s more likely that this is a person with an inside scoop who genuinely wants to assist you.However, if you became close while working together at the same company, you may want to ask yourself if this person really qualifies as a real friend â€" someone you trust implicitly with your well-being. You can assess this through questions like: “When I see this person at church, could we make conversation for 10 minutes without mentioning work?” and “Do I regularly hang out with this person one on one, and have I met her significant other or family?â €If you answer no to these questions, I’d be careful about taking her scrutiny too much to heart. Maybe her motives are pure, but maybe they aren’t. Until your position becomes permanent, don’t spend a lot of time with her or confide in her too much â€" either personally or professionally. Ask for feedback from others on the team so her input is balanced by other perspectives.

How to Grow, Attract and Retain Talent in 2016

How to Grow, Attract and Retain Talent in 2016 Our friends at INSEAD  have released the 2015-2016 edition of its annual Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI). The study  was produced in collaboration with the Human Capital Leadership Institute of Singapore (HCLI) and Adecco Group. Movement of talent and economic prosperity This years theme of Talent Attraction and International Mobility focuses on findings linked to the significant correlation between movement of talent and economic prosperity. Mobility is vital to fill skill gaps; and a high proportion of innovative, entrepreneurial people were born or studied abroad. It is hence not surprising that top ranking countries have positioned themselves as desirable destinations for high-skilled workers. Faced with new types of migration flows, decision makers need to shape policies and strategies to address both the immediate concerns of their constituencies and the longer-term interests of their citizens. What countries rank best? The top three countries ranked on talent competitiveness are Switzerland at number one, followed by Singapore and Luxembourg in second and third places, respectively, remaining the same as in 2014. Countries ranked in the top 10 clearly demonstrated openness in terms of talent mobility close to 25% of the respective populations of Switzerland and Luxembourg were born abroad; the proportion is even 43% in Singapore. The proportion is also significant in the United States (4), Canada (9), New Zealand (11), Austria (15), and Ireland (16). There has been little change in the top 20 since the release of the last edition of the GTCI report, with the exception of Czech Republic (20) entering this group, New Zealand improving its performance significantly, while Canada and Ireland saw modest declines. Specific themes around mobility Through analyses and comparisons of the scores registered by individual countries, a number of patterns and similarities emerge, converging towards eight key messages relating to this years theme: Mobility has become a key ingredient of talent development: creative talent cannot be fully developed if international mobility and brain circulation are not encouraged. The migration debate needs to move from emotions to solutions: countries will find it advantageous to address movements of people through a talent perspective. Management practices make a difference in attracting talent: apart from monetary incentives and standard of living, another important differentiator in talent attraction is the professionalism of management and investment in employee development. Jobs and people move While people continue to move to jobs and opportunities, jobs are now moving to where the talent is: some countries have started to attract the attention of international investors because of creative talent at a reasonable cost: China, South Korea, Philippines and Vietnam in the Asia Pacific region; Malta, Slovenia, Cyprus and Moldova in the European region; Turkey, Jordan and Tunisia in the MENA region; and Panama in Central America. Talent magnets are emerging New talent magnets are emerging: While the US, Singapore and Switzerland have long been attractive to talent, competition may become fierce among emerging talent hubs such as Indonesia, Jordan, Chile, South Korea, Rwanda and Azerbaijan, as more aspire to join these increasingly attractive destinations. Robots  and algorithms move in Low-skilled workers continue to be replaced by robots, while knowledge workers are displaced by algorithms: as mobility continues to be redefined in new ways, notably through technology, knowledge workers are affected and this shift signals that entire sectors of activity may be displaced. Some people may have to work virtually for different employers from their homes, while others have to retrain and move far to obtain jobs. Talent circulation is the new normal In a world of talent circulation, cities and regions are becoming critical players in the competition for global talent: agility and branding of cities seem to be more critical differentiators than size as an increasing number of large cities adopt imaginative policies to attract global talent. Lack of vocational skills in emerging markets Scarce vocational skills continue to handicap emerging countries: gaps in vocational skills continue to exist in emerging countries such as China, India, and South Africa, and particularly in Brazil where talent capabilities show signs of weakening on all fronts. This is also true for some high-income countries such as Ireland, Belgium and Spain. This years GTCI country coverage has improved, allowing the report to cover 109 countries (versus 93 countries in 2014), representing 83.8 percent of the worlds population and 96.2 percent of the worlds GDP.

Infographic Top 10 Funny Resume Mistakes

Infographic Top 10 Funny Resume Mistakes Editor We all make CV/Resume mistakes, some are simply typos and sorted out at the first or second review. Some CV/Resume mistakes are beyond belief. The infographic below shows Top 10 Funny CV/Resume Mistakes. As funny as those mistakes sound or read, remember, these are still real-life scenarios that youd like to avoid.  

Maybe there will be a recession. Heres what to do just in case

Maybe there will be a recession. Heres what to do just in case The debate continues about whether and when a recession is coming, and what the markers would be. Most of us are in no position to do the analysis ourselves, but you dont need to be an economist to know that if people are talking about recession, you should do some thinking about what you would do if one occurs. As a gen-Xer, I am a master of recessionary times: I graduated into one of the worst job markets since the depression and then lived through the dot-com bust. But since were not actually in bad times right now, the question really is, what do you do in a job you have if you want to get ready for a downswing in the economy? Here are four ways to prepare for a job market that might turn sour: 1. Specialize People think that if there are fewer jobs, a wide range of skills makes someone more employable. Its not the case, though. In a tight job market, employers can hold out for the perfect fit. And if you are not clearly defined as a specialist, then you are not going to be a perfect fit for anything. Researchers have found that you get the most benefits from specializing after you have three to five years of experience under your belt. So dont specialize too early because you wont have learned enough about what you want. But if you have a few years of experience, and you see layoffs looming, try to get on some focused, short-term projects that will allow you to market yourself as a specialist in something when you have to get your next job. 2. Do something great right now Most people have been participants in the last decade of manic job hopping. Which means most people have followed a pattern of performing well at a company, writing those achievements on their resume, and then making the next hop. This works in a job market where you can control when you leave. But if you get laid off before you accomplish something significant, you will end up with a dark spot on your resume a place where you did not do anything particularly notable. So do something now, fast, that you will be able to quantify as an achievement on your resume as in completed X project in X percent less time than anticipated, or saved X dollars by working twice as fast as normal. 3. Consider graduate school Theres a reason why so many Generation Xers went to graduate school: There were no jobs in the early 90s. In a down job market, grad school is a way to enhance your skills when there are no available jobs that will do that. One of the most popular choices is law school because a law firm provides a clear path (and an A in organic chemistry is not a pre-requisite). I have never been a fan of law school as a fall-back plan, because 44% of practicing lawyers recommend that you do not go into the field. That said, law firms have become much more accepting of peoples personal lives since the last recession. Many law firms have retooled how they operate to give people more time to have a life outside work, and they have changed their policies to accommodate different stages of life. Grad school is a treacherous route, though: Be careful about spending money for a degree with no career path to follow it. But also, be careful of investing in a career path you wouldnt want to follow. (Hat tip: Elise) 4. Focus on the quality of work and quality of mentoring The hardest thing to do in a bad job market is to keep your learning curve high. If the market goes sour, instead of focusing on the perfect industry or the perfect company, focus on developing new skills. And then refocus your career into a more suitable industry or location when the job market gets better. By cultivating a great mentor in your current job, you can make your job a spot where you can wait out an economic slump should one come. So instead of focusing on the negative predictions of economic doom, focus on the positive conversations that build a solid mentoring relationship, and you will weather the storm better because you wont weather it alone.

How to Get a Job in Hospitality with No Experience

How to Get a Job in Hospitality with No Experience Typically, it is easier to find work in a field that you have experience in. However, what happens if you don’t have any relevant experience in a field that you want to work in? Let’s take a look at what you need to do if you want to get a hospitality job despite your lack of a resume.Photo Credit- Pixabay.comHow to Get a Job in HospitalityevalIf you are looking for career opportunities in hospitality industry, it may be a good idea to start by getting a college degree or other relevant certifications. Employers love workers who have a formal education because they tend to have an understanding of how the industry works today and how to leverage that understanding to increase the company’s bottom line.In addition to a college degree, in some country you may need to have certifications such as RMLV certificate, a mandatory course in Queensland,Australia â€" which must be completed by the licensee or an applicant for an Approved Managers Licence for a licensed premise or course l ike RSA refresher training to ensure you are aware of their obligations and that in-house training particularly in reference to RSA.evalIn most cases, you can either get this training on the job or at some point after you have been hired but before your first shift. It may be a good idea for business owners in the hospitality field to undergo this training to help them relate to their workers.1. Job Opportunities in Hospitality Are PlentifulThere are plenty of job opportunities for those who are looking for part-time work, a full-time job or a full-time job that may lead to a career. As there are relatively high levels of turnover in restaurants, bars and hotels, there are almost always positions available for those who meet the legal requirements to hold a job.As a hospitality worker, you will need to show a willingness to learn and a willingness to offer quality customer service. For the most part, this means smiling when addressing customers and talking to them in a courteous and respectful manner.The goal is to treat them well and make them enjoy their experience. If you can do that, you should have no trouble getting getting entry level work.2. Connections Can Help You Find WorkIf you lack experience or any type of formal education, you may be able to get a job based on who you know. For instance, if you know someone who owns a restaurant or stays at a hotel in town, that person may be willing to hire you or put in a good word that may lead to getting a job.It is important that you don’t embarrass anyone who does vouch for you or give you an opportunity in the industry. Therefore, make it a point to show up on time, do everything that is asked of you and do everything possible to represent the company in a positive well wherever you go.3. Showcase Relevant Skills That Could Translate WellIn some cases, it may be a good idea to show that you have skills that could translate well in the hospitality industry. For instance, you may want to mention any previ ous customer service jobs that you have held or the fact that you once ran your own company. This may indicate that you have the skills necessary to be successful as a bartender, a hotel front desk employee or a waitress at a restaurant.evalIf you are going to highlight previous jobs when applying for a hospitality position, make sure that those jobs were in the recent past. Showing a job gap may cause an employer to ask questions that may actually hurt you in your quest to find work.4. Stay Determined In Your Search for WorkThere is a chance that your application could be denied or thrown away without ever receiving an interview. However, this is not necessarily an indication that you should give up.Instead, try to get feedback from the employers that you applied to in an effort to learn why you weren’t chosen for a job and what you can do to get better. This may help you either refine your pitch to employers or help you understand what skills you may need to eventually land your first hospitality job.While it can be tough to find work without experience, it is not impossible to do so. This is especially true in the hospitality field where many workers are college students or others who are hired on a part-time or seasonal basis. However you choose to find work, make sure that you prominently showcase your skills and personality to ensure that employers know how well you can do if given the chance.

Dont Let Technology Hurt Your Productivity

Dont Let Technology Hurt Your Productivity Image Source Whether you’re a business owner working with a dozen employees or you’re a solopreneur working from home, we all rely on technology every single day in an effort to be more productive. We use different digital tools to automate certain business processes, we communicate via digital channels with our clients as well as our colleagues, and we strive to use a range of project management software solutions to make sure we’re on top of all of our tasks and deadlines. In the rush to find the latest tech product that promises to boost productivity, many businesses fail to notice that some of these decisions can actually hinder their performance. It all depends on how you implement these solutions, and how you train yourself as well as your employees to use them. While every business and every person has unique needs and preferences, there are certain tech-based commonalities that can jeopardize our productivity. Here are a few to keep in mind, alongside solutions that will help you solve and prevent productivity issues in the future. Digital distractions As soon as your phone alerts you of a new text message or an email, your brain responds even if you choose to ignore the notification. Alas, it’s too late for your brain, since the distraction has already prevented your mind from seamlessly directing its attention towards the task at hand. To be more precise, it can take as much as 23 minutes to restore your focus after a digital distraction. Although communication depends on digital tools, reducing your number of active notifications and alerts can make a tremendous impact on your productivity. Screen your calls, mute your social media, and schedule communication slots such as email correspondence so that you can truly focus on the task at hand. Equipment malfunctions One of the main perks of using tech in the workplace is to save time on menial tasks, automate a range of different processes, and simplify communication to reduce delays. All in all, it’s all about greater efficacy. Businesses also rely on tech to create and provide entire services, from customer support, web development, to content creation and graphic design. If your key people end up with a computer that’s on a rampage or a security threat, you have to deal with the issue immediately to save time and reduce your losses. One of the simplest ways to stay on top of your tech needs is to allow an experienced IT provider such as Computer Emergency to keep an eye on your systems, spot any issues and resolve them in time, and protect your data with advanced security measures. Letting someone who’s an expert in the field handle your equipment can prevent unwanted emergency situations and protect your productivity every day. Security risks A business can only be productive when work is done in a safe and secure environment, including its digital realm. Most, if not all businesses today rely on their internet connection to communicate during the day, to complete projects, and to answer customer queries. Remove the internet connection, and you suddenly have an office in chaos. However, that very same internet connection provides an opportunity for hackers to penetrate your network and wreak havoc on your systems and steal your data. Such security breaches are more than enough to rob you of hours of productive work since you need to work on mitigating the problem immediately. Smart devices are only as smart as the people who use them, so make sure that your employees are well-versed in the latest cybersecurity preventative measures that will help them make smarter decisions when using the internet and their tech. This is a pivotal issue for any business today, and it will not only save your reputation, but also your day-to-day business efficacy. The oversaturation of tech at work Sitting at your office desk means that you’re surrounded by various seemingly helpful items such as your laptop, your tablet, your smartphone, and perhaps a slew of other gadgets that promise streamlined work. Alas, research has shown that even the presence of your smartphone can decrease your cognitive capacity, since the object’s vicinity is enough to cause you to be distracted, anticipate notifications, calls, messages, and regularly glance at it from your workstation. Although it’s not productive to ban phones altogether, either, you can start by reducing the number of tech tools you have at your disposal. Perhaps it’s time to put away your phone into your jacket or your drawer. Maybe your tablet won’t be necessary until it’s time for a pitch or a presentation, so you can stick to your laptop only. This will help you avoid that brain-drain and sustain your focus in order to be productive during your work hours. Yes, the emergence of different digital and tech-based solutions has enabled us to grow new business ideas and develop our careers immeasurably. However, there are certain pitfalls of technology that too many driven professionals fail to notice in time, and it can cost them their productivity and their reputation down the line. Use these pointers to keep an eye on your own behaviors with technology, so that you can build a more beneficial relationship with all of your tools and preserve your productivity in the process.

Manufacturing Resume Writing Examples

Manufacturing Resume Writing ExamplesManufacturing resume writing examples will help you create a well-designed and complete application. The information included is often very basic, but it is a good starting point for those with a professional or academic background. A good example will teach you how to make the most of your resume and what to write in order to get the highest chances of success.It is also a good way to compare one example to another. You can also use the samples to decide whether or not you should follow the examples exactly or deviate slightly to fit your needs. Once you have read an example, you will be better prepared to write your own resume.The first step in writing a resume example is to sit down and gather together all of your qualifications. Take note of what skills you possess, how well you can perform those skills, and what are your strengths and weaknesses. What are your responsibilities in the workplace? Which of these responsibilities would you want a s a job?Manufacturing professionals typically have skills that are related to several areas. They may be considered creative, analytical, or technical. They may be efficient or personable. Where do you want to fit into your future career?Do you have a strong personality? Does your personality help you work well in groups? What kinds of groups would you be interested in working in?Are you willing to travel and relocate to pursue manufacturing experience? This is an important factor when it comes to picking up work abroad. If so, you need to explain your reasons for being willing to do so.Try to write examples that will emphasize your strengths as well as your weaknesses. Make sure that you remember to keep your resume concise, not too long, and to include your contact information. Also, try to outline your strengths and duties to ensure that you don't miss any opportunities.Any experience or education beyond what you already have in your employment history will probably be discussed in the resume. For example, do you have experience working in operations management, sales, or marketing? If so, highlight the pertinent details. If you don't have any work experience in those areas, be sure to mention that in your resume.