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Thursday, 21 March 2013
Saturday, 9 March 2013
Wednesday, 27 February 2013
Top Tips to Get a Promotion at Work
Top Tips to Get a Promotion at Work
A promotion won't just fall into your lap. If you want to climb up the career ladder, you need to be proactive. Denise Taylor offers some tips.
"Anything is possible it's just hard work and grafting," Mo Farah.
That attitude might get you a double Olympic gold but will it get you promoted at work? Probably not. Too many people think that doing a good job is all they need to get a promotion or an exciting new assignment, but it's unlikely to be enough. Here are some tips to make sure your grafting isn't wasted.
Know your goal
The biggest misconception about promotions is that they naturally occur with time. It's not enough to think you deserve one; you must understand and clearly demonstrate how you meet the requirements. Also, do you want a promotion within your current job or are you looking for a position elsewhere? Be clear on what you want from the offset so you can take the right action to help you get there.
Get your boss on your side
If you are aiming for an internal promotion you need to get your boss on your side. Schedule a one to one review meeting and let him/her know that you want to find out how you can be more effective at work.
Seek honest feedback from your manager on how you match up to higher levels within your company. You may need to learn to take a more strategic rather than tactical view of your organisation. Too many people only see their organisation through the view of their own department or profession. Look broader into IT, marketing and do some competitor analysis.
Help your boss
Set up a meeting with your boss to find out more about their objectives, so you can focus on helping him or her be successful. Volunteer to stay late if an urgent task needs completing - it demonstrates commitment to the job.
Anticipate
You can help your boss by anticipating what they will need. While Fran's boss was on holiday a new project request came in, with a deadline just two days after her boss's return. She collected relevant research and made suggestions for how to work on this. Her boss was very impressed and Fran was taken along to the meeting and was involved in developing future project proposals.
Keep your boss informed
Our bosses are often unaware of the mini successes we have in our jobs each week, so make sure you document them and send your boss a summary each month. If you have people who work for you, give your boss an update on their successes as well. Make sure you are on LinkedIn and start to get recommendations from your boss and the people you work with.
Demonstrate commitment to your own professional development
What courses could you take to increase your knowledge/experience? It doesn't have to be a masters level qualification, a short course may be useful. Make sure people within your organisation know when you have qualified. I was featured in my company newspaper after gaining an Open University degree part time alongside my full time job.
Identify trends and look out for new opportunities
In a competitive world your organisation will be seeking new projects, so if you notice a gap in the market make sure to let people know. You can produce an internal white paper based on research you have undertaken. Make sure your name gets known by including your name on the cover and some brief bio data at the end.
Look the part
If everyone else dresses casually you will stand out through being a bit smarter. Sound advice is to dress as if you are doing the job the level above, it helps others to visualise you in a different role. This also can help to increase our confidence, it makes us feel better and thus act better.
Get known
Offer to write for the company magazine. Doing so will mean you'll be seen by many people within the company. Get chatting to people from other parts of the organisation and find out about their work and challenges. You never know when this will prove useful, and there is often a need for cross functional project teams, the more you are known the more likely your name will be suggested.
Denise Taylor is a double award winning career coach and Chartered Psychologist with Amazing People, established in 1998. She is also the author of 7 books including How To Get A Job In A Recession, Now You've Been Shortlisted and Fat to Fantastic
SOURCE LINK: http://careers.guardian.co.uk/top-tips-get-promotion-at-work
Friday, 22 February 2013
Online Job Applications (HOW TO APPLY)
Online Job Applications (HOW TO APPLY)
In some cases, job seekers are required to register and to build an employment profile. Once you've built your profile, you can apply for jobs online and set up search agents to email you when new jobs are added to the system.
Applicants can then apply online for specific positions at any time that is convenient for them, with just a few mouse clicks. At larger employers, and on many job sites, job seekers can keep track of the positions they have applied for.
How Online Job Application Systems Work
Some sites let you upload an existing resume with the click of a button. On other sites, you can copy and paste from your resume or use a resume builder that is incorporated into the application system.
Once you have uploaded your resume, you will be able to search for jobs that interest you and submit your application or resume with a click of your mouse.
Applying For Jobs On Company Websites
If you are interested in working for a particular company, visit their website. Career information is usually listed in the "Careers" or the "About Us" section of the site. Follow the instructions for searching for and applying to jobs online.
What You Need to Apply Online
Online application systems typically ask for your contact information, educational background and employment history. You will need to know when you worked and what you were paid at your previous jobs. You may also be asked what days and hours you are available to work.
Download a sample job application and complete it before you start your online applications. You will have all the information you need, ready to enter.
Online Employment Tests
Depending on the company, you may need to take - and pass - an online test to be considered for employment. Pre-employment tests, also called talent assessments, employment tests, or career tests, are used to help an employer identify candidates who will be a good fit for jobs at the company.
Employers (Walmart's pre-employment is an example) that utilize testing often do it in conjunction with an online job application, so you will take the test when you apply for a job. The results of the test will determine whether you are invited to interview. Read more about online employment tests and how to take them.
Check Your Application
Before you click the Submit button, it's important to double-check your application for errors. Typos and grammatical errors count, so carefully check your application. If you're not sure your spelling is correct, use Microsoft Word and spell/grammar check, then copy/paste into the online application.
Source : http://jobsearch.about.com/od/jobapplications/a/jobapplicationguide_3.htm
Monday, 18 February 2013
Sunday, 17 February 2013
CV vs. Resume: The Difference And When To Use Which
CV vs. Resume: The Difference And When To Use Which
Ever wondered why a Brit applies with a CV and an American with a resume? And why does an Aussie apply with both? There are a few differences between the two types of application documents and this article will straighten out your queries as well as tell you where in the world you are likely to use which document. Let me kick off the bonanza by introducing the contender in the blue corner…
CV
A CV (Curriculum Vitæ, which means course of life in Latin) is an in-depth document that can be laid out over two or more pages and it contains a high level of detail about your achievements, a great deal more than just a career biography. The CV covers your education as well as any other accomplishments like publications, awards, honors etc.
The document tends to be organized chronologically and should make it easy to get an overview of an individual’s full working career. A CV is static and doesn’t change for different positions, the difference would be in the cover letter.
Resume
A resume, or résumé, is a concise document typically not longer than one page as the intended the reader will not dwell on your document for very long. The goal of a resume is to make an individual stand out from the competition.
The job seeker should adapt the resume to every position they apply for. It is in the applicant’s interest to change the resume from one job application to another and to tailor it to the needs of the specific post. A resume doesn't have to be ordered chronologically, doesn't have to cover your whole career like and is a highly customizable document.
Differences
As stated, three major differences between CVs and resumes are the length, the purpose and the layout. A resume is a brief summary of your skills and experience over one or two pages, a CV is more detailed and can stretch well beyond two pages. The resume will be tailored to each position whereas the CV will stay put and any changes will be in the cover letter.
A CV has a clear chronological order listing the whole career of the individual whereas a resume’s information can be shuffled around to best suit the applicant. I would say the main difference between a resume and a CV is that a CV is intended to be a full record of your career history and a resume is a brief, targeted list of skills and achievements.
Let’s revise:
CV – long, covers your entire career, static
Resume – short, no particular format rule, highly customisable
Usage around the world
A resume is the preferred application document in the US and Canada. Americans and Canadians would only use a CV when applying for a job abroad or if searching for an academic or research oriented position.
In the UK, Ireland and New Zealand, a CV is used in all contexts and resumes aren't used at all. The CV prevails in mainland Europe and there is even a European Union CV format available for download.
In Germany, the CV is more commonly known as a Lebenslauf (true to the Latin origins) and is only one of many application document the poor German job seekers must produce to get an interview.
In Australia, India and South Africa, the terms resume and CV are used interchangeably. The term resume is used more for jobs in the private sector and CV is more commonplace when applying for public service positions.
Reference: theundercoverrecruiter.com/cv-vs-resume-difference-and-when-use-which/
Friday, 15 February 2013
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