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6 Simple Steps for Networking, Interviewing and Thank You Letters

2012-05-13T21:19:57-05:00

6 Simple Steps to Effective Schmoozing (face-to-face networking)

1. Smile
2. Don’t be shy, jump in and introduce yourself to others.
3. Show interest in others
4. Don’t sound desperate. Say you are on the market and seeking advice on how to return to gainful employment. You can also mention that you are there to meet other people within your industry and to learn new things about your industry.
5. Don’t spend all your time with people that can’t help you, i.e. your friends, fellow co-workers.
6. Be prepared to express what it is you bring to the employment table. Know your title you are seeking, know what attributes appeal to an employer. Give specifics about what you are good with in a work environment.

6 Faces of Interviewing

1. We’re desperate; we need someone now! Remain calm and focused in these types of interviews where they may conduct a brief phone interview, followed by a job offer.
2. We’re special and our interview process is intense and extensive. It is especially important to research and learn as much as you can about this company because they have a high impression of their job opportunities and environment. The interview process may involve 2 phone interviews followed by 2 on-site interviews where you will spend anywhere from 3 to 7 hours interviewing with different team members.
3. Behavorial interviews involve a lot of questions asking you to provide examples of your past work experiences. Questions are framed, “Tell me about a time when you…”
4. I’m a jerk and have no business interviewing anybody. This interviewer is out there and if you come across him/her do your best to go with the flow of their ‘style’ of interviewing. Whatever you do, do not correct this boorish person. Remain professional even though they may feel free to cuss, act self-important and dismissive towards you. IF they do not ultimately help you in advancing towards another interview or job offer either write off the experience or send a tactful letter to the person they report to or a leader within the company saying you would appreciate another opportunity to conduct an interview with someone else within the company.
5. Mass interviews, aka, Job Fairs – Dress appropriately, bring plenty of resumes and refer to steps listed above for schmoozing.
6. Traditional interview. Questions will be very straight forward such as, “How many years experience do you have with XYZ.” Or “Why did you apply to this position?”

6 Simple Steps to an Effective Email Thank You Letter

1. Email to recruiter and cc Hiring Manager
2. In subject line include your name and position you interviewed for:
3. Thank people for their time
4. Mention the date, job title and list one or two points why you would be a good match for the role.
5. Say you are looking forward to hearing back and learning about next steps in the interviewing process.
6. Sign off with your full name and contact information.

How to Work the Room at a Career Event

2012-04-14T13:16:43-05:00

Networking can be an effective means for gaining employment leads. Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook and other social web sites allow us to network in a more relaxed state. For the more adventurous networker there are group events, associations, conferences, job fairs and a host of other ways to network via a face-to-face basis. Following are six helpful tips for effective in-person networking:

Be well groomed and dress appropriately. Before we open our mouth’s and give an ‘elevator speech’ we will be judged by our appearance and to some extent the scent we give off. Our physical appearance will be how people gather first impressions, what we say provides a second impression, what we do gives off a third impression. To make that all important first impression it is important to show respect for the event and dress well. For those that like to wear cologne or perfume leave it sitting on the dresser. If you insist on using cologne or perfume try spraying the scent in front of yourself and then walking into the mist, this will allow the scent to be subtle and not offense. Some people are hyper-sensitive or allergic to perfume, cologne or nicotine.

SMILE! For some individuals, face-to-face networking brings out insecurities, fear of rejection and a sense of inferiority. Even if we feel like a shrinking violet on the inside it is important to make ourselves appear approachable and one way to do that is to smile. After a few introductions and small talk conducted with a friendly stature one will find that all insecurities disappear.

Jump right in and introduce yourself. If your networking event includes a sit-down meal try not to sit at a table where you are surrounded by friends and fellow co-workers. Sit at a table with strangers. Be the one that breaks the ice and introduce yourself by including brief information about what it is you do. An example of a successful introduction is, “Hi, my name is Sally, I work for American Metal as a Stamper.” An informative introduction usually draws out the other person to provide you their name and a brief bio.

Show interest in others. Whether you are seated at a table or milling about throughout the convention floor, take the time to get to know others. Show your new acquaintance that you are happy to have met them by asking questions and showing interest in what it is they are sharing with you. Listening to someone with genuine interest will build confidence and endear others to you. You could ask what the person likes best about their career choice. Discussing hobbies almost always brings a quick connection between two people. Compliment someone on a piece of jewelry or clothing item; sincere compliments are appreciated by everyone that receives them.

Have a plan and come prepared. Know before you go. Know what it is you want to accomplish by attending the event. Go with a purpose in mind and build your connections and conversation around your purpose. If you are seeking employment you could share with others that you are currently seeking your next employment opportunity. Don’t appear desperate or pester someone to provide you with job leads, instead when appropriate share that you are on the market and see if the other person responds with some helpful advice/information. Bring business cards.

Follow up. For those people that you bonded fairly well with and you obtained their business card you can follow up with them by searching for their profile on Linkedin and sending them an invite to Linkin with you. Include brief message in your Linkedin invite. Remind the person how you met them and provide them with your phone number or email address. Linkedin will not let you leave an email address or web site in an invitation message. To get around the rule of not leaving an address you can type out your email address by spelling out the address, i.e. Kelly at KellyStaffingExpert dot com. If they do not have a Linkedin account you can send them a follow up email saying what a pleasure it was to have met them at the event and that you hope to have the pleasure of meeting them again in the near future.

Happy Schmoozing!

Video Regarding Job Search Tips

2012-03-17T22:14:53-05:00

Click here to view a 30 minute presentation where I was a guest on local cable tv show. http://vimeo.com/11835512

For Career Success Follow the Metal Brick Road

2012-02-18T12:40:53-06:00

The clients that compose the semi-conductor industry aren’t as sexy as Google, Apple, Amazon or FaceBook but they play a crucial role in the success of these and many of today’s hottest social media and tech savvy companies. Think iPad, iPhone, LCD TV, Laptop and you will realize that all these products contain semiconductors. The semiconductors serve as a transmitter to relay the media that we see and hear on a daily basis around the globe. Semiconductors are made of metals. The metal semiconductors are built with Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) two chemicals from the periodic table.

As a whole semiconductor companies are in a high-growth mode. Since this is a niche industry one size does not fit all when it comes to searching for jobs. If you are an Engineer you would be most wise to get a job within the semiconductor industry. The vast majority of positions that the semiconductor industry is looking to fill is for Engineers (Application, Design, Systems, Failure Analysis, Electronic, Test, etc…). In addition to Engineers some of the other more common positions this industry is looking to fill includes the following: Sales, Research & Development, Accounting/Finance, Administrative, Quality Inspection, I.T. and Legal.

Go to Linkedin.com, select the Companies link at the top, then select Search Companies and view the profiles for the following major semiconductor companies:
• TriQuint Semiconductor
• Skyworks Solutions
• RF Micro Devices
• Cirrus Logic
• OmniVision Technologies
• International Rectifier

Follow the metal brick road, because, because, because, because of the wonderful jobs there are!

3 Weak and 3 Strong Questions to ask During Your Interview

2012-02-11T22:38:51-06:00

Whether you have a phone or face-to-face interview you will probably be asked if you have any questions for the interviewer. It is always helpful to write down a list of questions that you would like answered prior to your interview. Your questions, for the most part, will be industry specific such as a recruiter may ask, “On average, per month, how many positions will I be responsible for filling?” Or a Network Engineer might inquire as to how many users rely on the network. Below are three weak interviewing questions that might make you look like you are making a feeble attempt at interviewing for the job.

1. What is the culture like? If you have been out of work for quite some time the interviewer might be wondering why you are so interested in culture when you really need to get back to work. In the end this question really can’t be answered honestly as the interviewer will put a spin on their answer to attract or repel you. Most answers to this question are rote, such as, “Here at company ZIP we foster a culture of teamwork and excellent customer service to retain our clients”. Company culture is defined by the sum of the company’s core values which you should have discovered in your research of the company prior to coming in for the interview (or conducting it via phone).

2. Describe a day in the life of: insert title for position you are interviewing for Many recruiters may not be able to answer that question as they are usually not part of the team they are hiring you for. The hiring manager might be able to answer this question but they may find it off-putting to verbalize what is in the job description. Some people, whether they are the recruiter or hiring manager simply may be stumped to answer this question off the cuff.

3. How many vacation/personal days/sick days does the company provide? Any questions relating to the number of days for time off will put you in a unbecoming and somewhat lazy light.

Following are three strong interviewing questions that show you are interested in success for both getting the job and doing well once you have the job.

1. What are some of the bigger challenges and opportunities for this role?
2. Do you see the department growing within the next year or so?
3. What are the next steps in the interview process?

Stumped and can’t think of any questions to ask. At the end of the interview if you are asked, ‘Do you have any questions for me?’ It’s OK to say, ‘Actually, during the course of our conversation you have answered all the questions that I had. I have no further questions.’ There are no rules that say you HAVE to ask questions at the end of the interview.

The Offer Letter and Negotiation

2012-01-26T20:52:08-06:00

If you would like to negotiate your salary the key is to clearly define the reasons why you should receive a higher salary. Saving up to purchase a Range Rover Sport or sending your kid to college are not valid reasons for asking for a higher salary. Following are some solid reasons you can seek to negotiate a higher salary: your skills are in high-demand within the marketplace, you received a competitive offer from another company, You have advanced degrees and/or highly desired specialized certifications, you would be taking too steep of a cut in pay if you were to accept the offer, you will need to self-relocate and a little boost in the salary would go a long way in assisting with the move, your skills will be more advanced than the other team members so you will be able to mentor and coach others therefore it would be nice if you were to compensated for this extra bonus you would bring to the team. Other reasons to negotiate a higher salary can be that you possess a special skill such as being fluent in 2nd language or agreeing to work a swing shift. Use the following resources to research your correct salary range:

*GlassDoor.com
*Salary.com
*Indeed.com – see top left corner of page and select ‘salaries’ link
*Payscale.com
*SalaryExpert.com

If you know for a fact that your skill is in high-demand or if the position will require a high amount of travel then you should inquire as to whether or not a sign-on bonus is available. A typical sign-on bonus runs between $3,000 to $5,000.
As you go through the negotiation phase keep in mind that most companies have set financial parameters to work with for each job they are seeking to fill. When determining how much money to extend with an offer the company will consider your skill set, education, the market rate and what the internal staff is earning for performing the same job duties.

Sometimes it is a smart move to accept a lateral position or to even take a pay cut. A pay cut might be a consideration if you will be transferring to a skill set where you have no experience and will be learning a great deal from working in your new role. Some companies are more reputable and offer better long-term career opportunities thus taking a cut in pay to get in the door may be an option.

How to be Visible to Hiring Authorities

2012-01-04T21:48:43-06:00

There are two #1 ways to be visible to hiring authorities. The number one, #1 way is to create a complete Linkedin profile. The number two, #1 way is to post your resume on the job boards.

Linkedin is still a free resource which makes it very appealing to recruiters. Recruiters love the fact that they can not only get a snapshot of the person’s work history but also get a glimpse into the character of the person through their associations, groups, books they are reading, posts, recommendations, who they have written recommendations for and photo of candidate. I will cover Linkedin in more detail later on in this chapter.

As a recruiter I love using the job boards. I feel like a kid in a candy store when I enter my username and password and find myself able to view thousands of resumes. I like the hunt of cold-calling new candidates and being able to develop brand new and hopefully lasting professional relationships. I will spend hours scouring Monster, DICE, TheLadders, 6FigureJobs, and niche sites such as HIMSS (healthcare information and management systems society) or AttorneyJobs. In the past ten years the majority of my contract assignments have come from an agency recruiter seeing my resume posted on Monster or by viewing my Linkedin profile. I’ve also obtained jobs by other people recommending me or by my directly applying to the job. But I consider it sweet when I receive invitations to contemplate job openings simply because someone viewed my resume on Monster. Post a profile on the major job boards: Monster, CareerBuilder and HotJobs.

The key to successful posting is to post an excellent resume and fill out as many fields of information as possible. After you have posted on one or more of the major, general job boards then find the niche job boards that apply to your skills set and post your resume on those sites. If you do not know which job boards are available for your skills set just go to Google and type in your skills and/or title and the words Job Board Niche, i.e. Graphic Artist Job Board Niche. You can also go to Indeed and put in your skills and/or title and view the web sites that are populating the jobs. Most of the web sites will be directly from the company career sites but other web sites will be from smaller, niche job boards. Other ways to find niche job boards is to join associations and create a profile where you put your resume into their job board. Recruiters actively seek candidates on association job boards because they know those candidates are dedicated to the professional field that they are looking to fill a position in. To find your associations go to Google and type in your skills and/or title and the word, Association.

Another reason you should post your resume on the job boards is that when someone is fired, quits or announces that they will need to go on Family Leave the hiring manager and human resource professionals may not have time to post an ad and wait to receive the right resume. Recruiters will start searching the web to find the person to fill the vacant slot. The hiring team will also network with co-workers, agencies and various associations and groups. Over the years it is important to develop positive lasting relationships with your co-workers and those agency recruiters that are responsible for placing professionals with your specific skills set.

Is there a particular company that you would like to work for? If so, one way to be visible to the hiring authorities at your desired company is to visit their web site and create a profile on their career site. Even if you do not see a job listed that you are qualified for or are interested in you should be able to create a profile and attach a copy of your resume to your profile. By creating a profile your skills will be available to the recruiter when they do a keyword search on their company career site for candidates. Corporate recruiters place ads, search the web, network and search for candidates via their vast and ever growing company candidate database, also known as their ATS (Applicant Tracking System).

Career fairs and conferences are another way you can make yourself visible to hiring authorities. Sometimes a company will extend job offers on the spot at career fairs/hiring events, these offers will be contingent on passing a drug screen and background check. When attending a career fair keep in mind that, along with your resume, your appearance, communication skills and attitude are being assessed for consideration for future employment; the same is true for when you attend an industry conference. Attending an industry conference is a great way to network with peers and industry professional at all levels of experience. Do a Google search to see if an industry conference will be close your hometown. If you can afford to attend you would be wise to go and network as well as learn what is happening in your industry. When networking at conferences don’t pester or appear desperate for employment, instead mention that you are ‘on the market’ or ‘available to consider employment options’.

There is a saying that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, make yourself visible so that the right employer can find you and your skills beautiful!

Do's & Don'ts for Career Success

2011-12-23T11:16:08-06:00

It used to be you considered yourself successful in your career you were a Manager, perhaps working your way from the floor, to leader, to supervisor and finally to management. From Management your worked your way to upper management then to the executive suite. While that paradigm still exists in today’s world career success may depend on how flexible and nimble you are within the workforce.
1 Yes – communicate effectively – verbally, written and physically – When we think of communication skills we tend to first think of verbal. Do we verbally communicate well? Can people understand what we are trying to communicate? Do we curse around others? Do we use slang or sloppy English such as ‘you guys’ or ‘yeah’? It is always wise to mimic the speech of the people in power. Are we good listeners? Next we tend to think of written. Are we able to write well? Can others comprehend what we are conveying in writing? Do we have a good concept of grammar and is our spelling accurate? What many of us don’t realize is that our physical appearance is also a way of communicating. Does our clothing say I have respect for my position within the company? Does your dress attire convey a sense of power, prosperity and self-confidence? Do you offend others with smells of perspiration, nicotine, perfume? Are your clothes clean and pressed? Do you have so much bling on you can be heard clanging down the halls as you move from one room to the next? Do you have the same hair-style that you had 20 years ago?
2 Yes – Be a team-player – Do what it takes to get the job done. Document your job duties so you can cross-train your co-workers if you ever need to be absent. By having written procedures that others can follow you are showing that you can write, are proactive in your duties and are showing concern for the health of the company in case you need to be replaced. If you have subordinates be a mentor to them.
3 Yes – Be a Problem Solver – Contribute towards the overall success of your dept/co
Can you save the company $, can you stream-line a process at work? – Meetings are excellent places to show that you are a problem solver. Take notes and participate in the meeting. Don’t just sit there. When interviewing candidates I often as a situational question to see if their response reflects that of an analytical mindset or if the response alludes to that of a person that requires constant direction. Following is an example of a situational question that I employ when interviewing candidates: You were promoted into a new position in a newly-formed Business Unit. It is not clear what your role is supposed to be, or what the expectations are for this position. You’ve tried asking your leader once, but the response wasn’t very helpful. What would you do?
A poor response to the above question would be, “I would ask my leader again” An analytical and appropriate response would be, “I would ask my co-workers and related department heads what they expected to receive from the person that filled this role. I would research via the intranet and internet what are some of the related job duties for this particular position. I would join groups and associations that could better assist me in excelling in this role. I would document all my newfound information on this role so that the next person that fills this role would have a base to work from. I would provide my leader and human resources with my job description research material.” The second response utilized a variety of resources both in-house and out of company context.

1 NO – Commit Social Blunders
a) Contradict boss in public
b) Act in-appropriately at a co. event 1) poor table manners, 2) dance suggestively 3) get drunk 4) over-eat or order too many cocktails on the company dime 5) bring food to a company meeting 6) twirl your hair, bite your nails, scribble drawings, text, or any distracting thing during a company meeting 7) whisper, talk in another language, text during a company presentation whether it be on-site or off-site. 8) at the company pic-nic is there more focus on your clothes, or lack thereof than there is on you, if so you need to adjust your wardrobe. – at any company social functions be them in-house or out of the office don’t trigger anyone’s weirdometer.
2 NO – Send poor email messages1) jokes of any kind 2) gossip 3) is the message confusing? Could it be construed as negative? 4) are there spelling or grammatical errors? 5) don’t abuse the cc or bcc function on email. Will the original recipient appreciate that you cc someone else? Will the bcc reveal to the original recipient that you copied them on the message.
3 NO – Negativity 1) put down co-workers 2) bad mouth boss 3) bad mouth your company 4) bad mouth the industry (Even a fool is counted wise when he holdeth his peace – Proverbs)

The Counter-Offer and Chuck's Sneaky Move

2011-11-27T15:37:54-06:00

The main reason that most companies make counter-offers is so that they, not you, are in control of the timetable for your transition. After you have informed your boss that you are leaving you might be asked why you are leaving and what could your current employer do to retain your services. Have an open and honest conversation with your boss about the reasons for why you are leaving but let them know that your mind is made up that you will be vacating your role with the company.

Over the years I have lost several good candidates that have been lured by counter-offers that involve more pay, greater benefits, vain-glorious titles, premature promotions along with other frivolous perks. The candidate seems to have all but forgotten why they were considering leaving in the first place. They don’t take the time to ask themselves if they are this valuable to the company why didn’t their boss extend the generous offers to them prior to their announcing that they were resigning.

Once you accept the counter-offer there is a chance that your boss is searching for your replacement. Management might be wondering when you will once again search out greater options for your career with another company. You will be viewed with suspicion as you handle confidential company information, wondering if you might take it with you to a competitor at a later date. There may be some feelings of contempt for the way that you forced the company to provide you with the good things that came with the counter-offer. Your co-workers will be resentful for the way that you handled your new promotion, pay or whatever you received in the counter-offer.

One thing is certain and that is the relationships you made with the company that made you the offer has been tainted. Recruiters, hiring manager’s and human resource professionals have long memories of people that have played them for fools for wasting valuable time preparing an offer for a candidate that accepts a counter-offer.

Below is the email that a candidate sent to me after we waited a couple of days for him to respond to our offer letter only to find out he was accepting a counter-offer.

Dear Ms. Smith

It is with deepest regret I must decline the offer. I needed to give my current employer enough time to counter. They had until close of business EST today to come up with an offer to keep me. They exceeded my expectations and have proven to me I am a much needed asset in their eyes.

Thank you so much for the opportunity. Please again let me reiterate the point; I appreciate and am so grateful for the opportunity Company A has presented me, but at this point in my life it does not fit into my families (sic) values.

Thanks (sic) you so much
Chuck M

Chuck never mentioned to me that our offer would somehow affect his family values, nor did we know that he was delaying a response to our offer so he could allow his current employer more time to prepare a better offer for him. I responded to his email and bcc all the team members that were involved in the offer process so they would know he would not be joining the team after all.

Hi Chuck,

The team and I appreciate your responding before the week-end came. We have had daily conference calls as filling these positions is critical. We all wish you well but must say it is very disheartening to think that we invested so much time so that our offer could be used as leverage for you to obtain a better offer with your current employer.

Best Wishes,
Kelly Smith
Company X

When the team found out that he purposely used our offer as leverage for a better offer with his current employer the team was livid. High ranking management, other team members and the client that relied on us to provide services learned of Chuck’s counter-offer acceptance and were not happy. Eight months later Chuck was laid off. I was no longer consulting with the company that created the offer for Chuck but I had remained friends with the team. One of the hiring manager’s contacted me to let me know that Chuck was asking if the company would be interested in hiring him as he was recently laid off. The manager said Chuck’s desire to return to the company that he had previously wasted time with was simply laughed off by all the team members. The new company that I was consulting with at the time could have used someone with Chuck’s skills but there was no way I was going to deal with him ever again. I took a lot of heat for Chuck’s sneaky move.

Your Offer Might be Rescinded if...

2011-11-27T14:25:16-06:00

Your offer might be rescinded if:
• You lied on your employment application about your criminal history, financial history, employment history or education credentials.
• You cuss and scream at the recruiter that the offer letter process is taking too long
• You email your soon to be hiring manager that your current employer is pressuring you to stay.
• You bad-mouth via email, social network postings, or other means, any aspect of your interviewing experience you had with your soon to be new employer.
• Your position has been eliminated.
• Budgets were suddenly slashed.
• The client we are working with changes direction.
• You failed your drug screening.
• If it is a government company or depends on government funds the offer can be rescinded if the government contract is cancelled for the project they were hiring you for.
• You took too long to respond to the offer letter.

Are You an Effective Communicator?

2011-10-02T21:30:26-05:00

Showcase your abilities through effective communication. Good communication skills are one of the most important skills an employee can master. On one hand effective communication skills may be taken for granted but on the other hand poor communication skills will stick out like a sore thumb. While the ability to verbally express our ideas and directions will always be important, technology has demanded that we sharpen our written communication skills. Emailing, texting, blogging, web posting and instant-messaging are sometimes the only way to communicate with co-workers and upper management within the corporate environment.

If you are unsure about your ability to communicate effectively purchase books on the subject, take a course online or via your local community college. Challenge yourself to build your writing and presentation skills through exercises and assignments. The more you practice and concentrate on communicating effectively the better you will get. The employee that can send a well crafted email and assist with a critical proposal will be highly valued and sought after.

Internal Employee Salary Negotiations: Right Way/Wrong Way

2011-10-01T20:38:53-05:00

As you reach for the next rung on the corporate ladder you’ll have a better grip by knowing how to effectively negotiate your internal salary.

The wrong way: If you are applying for a position internally do not ask the person that is already performing the job you want to have how much they are being paid. Somehow word gets around when people begin discussing their salaries and the end result is never pretty. Don’t say that you need the extra income because your kids would like an in-ground swimming pool this year, or you are behind in your mortgage or any other personal dramatic scenarios you can lay before the unsuspecting recipient. No crying, yelling, pounding of desks, slamming of phones, or eye-daggers should be thrown during the negotiation process.

The right way:Do your own research and do not divulge the information to your co-workers. You will want to research whether the role you are going after offers a bonus or commission. Most positions are paid on either a salaried (exempt level) or hourly (non-exempt level) basis. Great web sites to check out that will reveal what salary range should be offered for your role are:
• GlassDoor.com
• Salary.com
• Indeed.com – see top left corner of page and select ‘salaries’ link
• Payscale.com
• SalaryExpert.com
Be calm, courteous, rational and firm with your well-thought-out reasons for why you should receive your requested salary.

Look at the job description sometimes it will tell you what the pay range is. Also, sometimes the pay-grade will be listed on the job description. If you are an internal candidate then you can gauge the salary range via the pay-grade. If the pay-grade is listed at a 14 and your current pay-grade is 13, then you will know that the position will pay more than your current role.

If you receive a phone interview or introductory call from a recruiter or hiring manager it is appropriate to ask what is the pay being offered for the role; be sure to save this question for the end of the conversation. Even if you learn that the pay is less than what you are currently earning you may want to consider other factors before you decide whether or not to move forward with the role.

Factors to consider along with the salary:

Management – Will you like your new management team?
Co-Workers – Will you like your new co-workers? Will you fit in with the group?
Training/Education – Will training or educational courses be offered for your department?
New Challenges – Will you be learning anything new at your new job?
Career Growth – Will there be room for you to move upwards within your new department/company?
Benefits – Will this new role come with a better set of benefits such as management bonus, stock options, more personal time off, telecommuting options, etc…?
Hours – Will your new job require you to work more than 50 hours a week? Your work-life balance is sure to suffer if you are consistently working up to/or over 50 hours a week.
Shift – Will you be working the shift that will suite your lifestyle?
Reputation – Does your new department have a good reputation? Working for a prestigious or reputable department will enhance your ability to further climb the corporate ladder.

Exempt Level Status – Many people have difficulty going from non-exempt (hourly paid where you are eligible to receive overtime pay) to exempt (salaried paid position that does not offer overtime pay) status. When employees have come to rely on their overtime pay they think that they will actually take a pay-cut if they accept a salaried position. Initially you might receive less pay but in the long run it will prove to be a wise move. Overtime hours are not a guarantee. When preparing your offer, the decision makers will more than likely factor in your overtime pay (this is true primarily for internal candidates). The move from non-exempt to exempt is necessary in order to move up within your career. If you want to move upwards you will have to make this move sometime, you might as well do it when the opportunity is presented to you.

When to walk away: If you learn that the salary is considerably lower than what you are earning and there will not be much room for advancement, or there will not be any new challenges to learn something new, then you may want to remove yourself from consideration. If your work-life balance will be severely impacted for the negative you should reconsider the job opportunity.

Gather your thoughts, do your research and you won’t slip up the next time you are offered an internal job offer; happy corporate climbing!

Job Search Presentation TH Sept 8th, 2011 in MI

2011-09-06T20:03:21-05:00

I will be giving a Job Search Presentation at St. Andrews Church in Rochester, MI this Thursday, September 8th from 7pm -9pm. I'll be covering the following 4 topics: the Resume, Interview Preparation, How to Effectively use Linkedin and Important Communication Skills. If you have the time and feel these topics may be of interest to you please stop by and attend this free presentation.

St. Andrews Church * I'll be speaking at the multi-purpose room
1400 Inglewood
Rochester, MI 48307

25 Funny Jokes to Take to Work

2011-08-14T19:58:06-05:00

Every stress-filled job needs a little injection of humor to lighten the workday load. With deadlines zooming, quotas not being met, mistakes made, boss not pleased with your performance, co-workers complaining, and back-stabbing...some days the workplace can seem like nothing but one big self-esteem sucking machine. Since the innate desire to shout and slam will not be acceptable try taking two jokes and laughing your way to the next part of your day.

1. I remember when my attitude at the office was “Look all you want, just don’t touch.” Fast-forward 20 years, and now I’m like, “Touch all you want, just don’t look!”

2. Work, the ultimate self-esteem-sucking machine.

3. I work for a good cause: ‘cause I need the money.

4. It’s true that gray hair makes you look distinguished. It distinguishes you from the younger-looking employees.

5. My boss tried to give me advice, he said I look frumpy and that I dressed better ten years ago. I don’t know why he said that… I wear the same clothes.

6. I used our company Employee Health Referral program. The psychologist asked me, ‘Is it difficult to please your boss?’ I replied, “I don’t know, I never tried.”

7. I worked at a ‘I’ll scratch your back, you stab mine’ kind of place.

8. My boss has different colored eyes…two of them are green

9. Hell…where you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t

10. Love is blind, that’s why we feel around so much

11. Top of the morn’ to ye…rest o’ the day to me-self!

12. Our office fridge doesn’t have a crisper…it’s more like a rotter.

13. I work too much. I never have time to date. I’m beginning to think that my headstone will read…’Here lies Kelly, still sleeping alone.’

14. The patient started to settle down after he had been in the hospital for a week, we know because he finally starting waiving at the nurses with all five fingers.

15. The doctor put Sally on a diet, she’s trying to get down to her original weight … six pounds, seven ounces.

16. You know you’ve had a tough day at work when you get home and try to open the front door with your car clicker.

17. The stress level has gotten out of hand when you find yourself at lunchtime standing in front of the microwave yelling, “Hurry!”

18. You know you’ll be working more than 40 hour work weeks when your first day on the job they issue you a badge, lap-top, cell phone and a sleeping bag.

19. The barista at the company coffee shop is getting a big aggressive. First his tip jar said, ‘Thanks a latte’, then it read, ‘Feeling Tipsy?’ now it has a big sign with, ‘Don’t make me put a bug in your drink!’.

20. My friends think I’m pretty and smart…which is why, of course, they are my friends.

21. What do you call a cow with no legs? Ground beef

22. Why don’t cannibals eat comedians? Because they taste funny.

23. There ought to be more accurate names for deodorants. Why don’t they have names like, Pitt Stop, No Sweat, or for the deodorant that is so effective you don’t even know it’s there, Vice President.

24. They should rename Starbucks to Steal-bucks.

25. I’ve got a frog in my throat; tastes like chicken.

Top 10 Ways to Infuriate Your Co-Workers

2011-08-08T08:18:28-05:00

Oh the ways to $%*&-off your co-workers, the possibilities are endless. Just like family you don’t get to pick your co-workers and yet you need to find a way to get along with them. Following are the top ten ways that are sure to tork-off your fellow working brethren:
1)Gossip

2)When someone asks you a question and really need your assistance be vague with your response. ?Following is an actual instant messaging conversation that I had with an I.T. professional at one of the companies I worked for as a consultant:
Kelly: Hi Guy, I’ve been informed that you might know if our email tool for the recruiting database has been repaired.
Guy: Email tool?
Kelly: Yes, that is the term that has been referred to me as what is causing our
recruiting database to not function with the candidate employment applications.
The recruiting team has not been able to receive their candidate’s employment
Application into the database.
Guy: Oh, that.
Kelly: Yes, ‘that’. It has been a serious issue that we desperately need resolved as soon
as possible. Do you happen to know if this issue has been resolved.
Guy: No, not completely.
Kelly: Thanks.
I wanted to sign off, ‘Thanks for nothing!’. He could have referred me to the correct person that could answer our question. He could have clarified approximately how much longer it would take to resolve the problem. He could have taken my phone number and promised to call and email me when he knew the problem has been solved. He could have done a lot of things other than leave me hanging in the wind wondering what to do next.

3)Undermine others by being passive/aggressive. For example, act like you are someone’s friend but then turn around and make fun of their mistakes during a team meeting. To make matters worse you are the one that can assist the person so they can learn how not to make the mistake again but you refuse to lend a helping hand.

4)Don’t carry your weight in a team project.

5)Act like your personal life is more important than your team member’s such as constantly having reasons for not putting in extra hours while other team members pitch in working late or on the week-ends in order to get the job done on time.

6)Have poor hygiene.

7)Talk on the speaker phone so everyone can hear.

8)Start a conversation…that never ends, keeping your co-worker from getting their work completed.

9)Be a depressing, deadbeat, negative drag!

10) Complain about your co-workers to their boss without first approaching the co-worker to try and resolve whatever issue is at hand, aka: be a crybaby