How to Escape From Management Hell

How to Escape From Management Hell Are you frustrated with your job or has your workplace become unbearable because of your overly-demanding, demeaning, controlling, intrusive, ineffective, criticizing and ultimately bad boss? Bad bosses or managers are those that create a divide within the team, intimidate, bully, mistrust or disrespect employees and are the main culprit for job dissatisfaction and low morale. These behaviours are defeating and demoralizing, eroding employee self-esteem, physical and psychological wellbeing, and lead us to question and doubt our self-worth, personal and professional skills and aptitudes. However, although bad bosses can loosely fit into two categories: those who know they are bad and continue the behaviour intentionally and those who are oblivious to just how bad they are â€" it is not always easy to bring up into discussion how our boss’s behaviour or leadership style is affecting us, inside and outside the workplace. But what are some leadership styles and how do employees respond to these? The laissez-faire leadership This is one that embraces a hands-off approach. Bosses and managers that adopt this way of working tend to fail to provide employees with any direction and underemphasise the importance of performance and progress feedback.  These bosses and managers often fail to empower their employees and expect them to thrive or succeed with minimal management support or involvement. The autocratic leadership Here is one that embraces a dictatorial approach, one that gives orders and step-by-step directions and fast-tracks results. To a competent and self-directed employee â€" or to any employee for that matter, the autocratic, aggressive and aloof stance, paired with the persistent direction and micromanagement can be straining and blatantly insulting. The democratic leadership This is one that embraces equality amongst team members, emphasises collaboration, encourages and welcomes ideas and suggestions. This leadership style tends to be more effective by comparison with other leaderships behaviours and with this approach employees feel valued, listened to and appreciated. But what could cause your boss to be so bad at his/her job? How are you going to tackle the boss dilemma? If your boss’s behaviour is a reoccurring problem, this could indicate s/he is experiencing high levels of occupational or personal stress. S/he might be overwhelmed by job requirements or lack the skills or training required by such a role. However, trying to tackle the ‘bad boss’ dilemma leaves little room for crisis management. Public disputes over your boss’s shortcomings often prove counterproductive and therefore should only be discussed privately. Throughout our employment history we might have come across a bad boss or manager that perhaps made us forget we deserve a civil and professional work environment; we deserve a boss or manager that contributes to our self-esteem and helps our professional confidence grow; one that helps us to advance in our career and facilitates the opportunity for a positive workplace experience. Have you ever left a job because of your boss or manager or request a transfer to another department within the company or organisation you worked for? Related: So You Want to Leave a Job You Hate. Author: Ioana Lazarov is guest writer and collaborator with Clinical  Psychologist Fernando Tarnogol  and blogger for Express  and Star. She is a University of Wolverhampton  Psychology graduate, who also studied Life Coaching. Her career pursuits and passions  include psychology and mental health rehabilitation, retail and automotive electric  systems manufacturing and engineering.

How Can Federal Resume Writers Help?

How Can Federal Resume Writers Help?The services provided by federal resume writers in the country are several. However, in terms of helping applicants to land jobs as quickly as possible, few can beat the services provided by the government itself. While some may argue that government employment is not for everyone, the fact remains that many job seekers are not being recognized and given a fair shot by most job placement agencies in the country. Why?For one, the vast majority of applicants are not applying through any of the federal job search efforts. They are not even knowing where to look in the first place. This is evident from the fact that the vast majority of these unemployed job seekers would not even try. These people simply do not know what to do or where to turn to find a job.Moreover, they are not even aware of the federal job search that the government itself is currently engaged in. They have no idea about all the services they offer. With so much competition in the m arket, it is important that the government has its finger on the pulse of the public and that it knows just how to help.This is where government-employed resume writers come into play. They help to put their best foot forward by providing resumes that will get the attention of the hiring manager in no time at all. The reality is that the vast majority of applicants that they will deal with will be looking for work within the confines of the federal job search efforts.With the many applicants out there, they will have to focus on some rather specific types of applicants: job seekers that are from special backgrounds and education. This is important because they have nothing else to turn to but such individuals. This is especially true in the case of those that hold degrees and qualifications.The fact is that employers who are looking for particular jobseekers can tell right away whether they are right for the job. This is why the resume writing service that is included in the applica tion package is vital. It is this one piece of the puzzle that will enable the applicant to get a face-to-face meeting with the hiring manager who will provide the opportunity to explain his or her qualifications and the reason for applying for the position.Government-employed resume writers know exactly what the hiring managers want to hear. This is why they are able to get these executives to read the entire application package without any problems. They will also go over all the information provided, along with every paragraph, in detail and make sure that they are accurate enough.The benefits of hiring the services of federal resume writers include the fact that they have the experience and skills to get the job done in a timely manner. To top it off, they also make sure that the applicant is given all the relevant training that he or she needs to get a fair shot at the job.

Employee Benefits Are They Enough

Employee Benefits Are They Enough For months I have listened to the continuous complaints of my colleagues. The main gripe is that the local start-up that has employed us has not provided us with adequate benefits. My colleagues tackle this favored subject with a serious mien and with impressive persistence. I rarely join in these riveting sessions of employee bonding. I have no issue with complaining as a form of team bonding; I have a time or two delved into my horror over the non-refrigerated milk that my company provides with a few close colleagues. It’s just that I can’t get the ever logical portion of my brain from pointing out that the company is, in general, providing fairly good benefits due to the fact theyve only been in business for three years. After all, the company at the time was providing six out of the ten perks listed on this infographic about benefits that employers offer. And they were actively planning what it would take to provide more perks. At the moment, I am satisfied. Importance of Perks Satisfaction is not guaranteed when you land a new job. After the panic of being unemployed has faded from memory, employees begin to analyze whether that job offers enough short term and long term perks to become a career. The result of that personal analysis will affect how long the professional will remain at the company. Salary and benefits are two factors that will directly affect employee retention. CareerBuilder conducted a survey that delves into employee work satisfaction. The survey revealed that 66% of unhappy employees were dissatisfied with their salary. How do you prevent those employees from jumping ship? Perks and salary directly affect quality of life. They allow career women to afford more, live more comfortable, and care for any children or pets, so it is no surprise that the workers surveyed suggested two ways to increase employee retention: higher salaries and better benefits. What Can the Company Afford? When employees asked when better benefits were coming, the answer that management gave was consistent. The message was simple. We’re a start-up. We can’t afford to give you the benefits and salaries you want and deserve right now. That can be a hard message to swallow. We’re employees, but we are also people with bills, student loans to repay, and retirement funds to start. We need to get started now. One of my former colleagues felt this desire so thoroughly that they suggested that by raising our salaries, we would be motivated to work harder. Nice thought, however highly illogical. Most people do not work harder when raises are handed to them. They work harder to achieve a goal. And a smart company should not gamble with the fact that employees might become more productive if they are given a benefit the company can’t afford. And a career woman, who wants a long term gig, should not put their livelihood in the hands of a company that is so cavalier with their own long-term sustainability. You must decide. Remain at the company that promises a killer benefit package or move to a company that already has an established benefits package? At the root of that decision is the question, can I afford to wait? As a single female who has no plans of having children in the near future, I can afford to give the start-up I’ve been working at another year to become stabilized. Some of my former colleagues do not have the ability to wait. So have you assessed your career situation for 2014? This is the time to do so. Share your thoughts with us!

Viewing Prospective Employers Mirror or Glass Door - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Viewing Prospective Employers Mirror or Glass Door - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Face it: Most people are changing jobs more often than ever before. Some by choice, many against their wills. Average tenures, even at executive levels, are running 18 to 36 months. This steady-state  churn means you are likely to be conducting many job searches in your lifetime and contemplating many new employers. If you are in your early 50s and want to work 10 more years and then retire,  expect to work with three employers during that time period. If you are a twenty-something millennial, it would be reasonable to expect to work for 12 or more employers if you intend to have a corporate career. Your decision (however well intended) to go to work for a rotten boss or employer may result in you being back on the street in short order, with a black eye on your resume which  you must explain. Conversely, your decision to go to work for a great boss or employer could provide you fabulous personal/income opportunities and a wonderful work environment in which you thrive and are deliriously happy. Most job seekers and career changers I meet, and I meet a lot of them every month, either dont have the tools to evaluate prospective employers properly or they are simply careless. I can relate. When I was corporate  job searching earlier in my career, I would do my best to evaluate the new boss and company culture throughout the interview process. Having an engineering background, my powers of perception were how can I say this politely and not alienate my engineer friends? limited. When the internet came along, I would pore over the companys web site (propaganda?), review their financials (if available) at finance.yahoo.com, and search for articles (hit and miss) about them. Then, armed with far too little information to make a well informed  important life decision, I would throw myself over the cliff and into the new work situation with blind faith or eternally-springing hope. Sometimes it did, sometimes it didnt. Sound like anybody you know? So, how could I have made and how can you make a more informed decision regarding future bosses and employers?  Are you going to read the types of information I mentioned and stop there, drawing conclusions that are a reflection of your own biases and eternally-springing hopes? (the mirror option). Or, are you going to go further and look past the reflecting mirror by leveraging the experiences  of others who have gone before you? The latter approach, which I recommend you use to  supplement your own independent research, is what one smart company terms the glass door. At glassdoor.com, you can gain the views and opinions of people who work within the company and those who have interviewed there previously. A recent study by Software Advice titled  How Job Seekers Use Glassdoor Reviews  revealed many interesting facts from the respondents: approximately half of the people surveyed use glassdoor.com  during their job searches and the majority of those tend to use it earlier in their searches to identify top employers. The information most important to them was compensation and benefits, followed next by work/life balance. Of the many other potential sources of information available to you, for brevity I want to share  one more: LinkedIn.  I have been an avid LinkedIn user for over 10 years and have over 8,000 contacts. As I mention in Chapter 13 of Fast Track Your Job Search (and Career!), one of the most important questions you should ask yourself is “How can I leverage LinkedIn to improve my career networking results?” One answer is that you can leverage advanced people searches to find people inside and outside prospective employers, contact them, and get their opinions about bosses and companies before you decide to join them.  I hope I have stimulated you to be more diligent in your research of prospective employers and bosses and have provided some useful ideas that will help you accomplish this. If so, my work here is done. Best wishes for your career success!

Careers Booster Resume Writing Reviews

Careers Booster Resume Writing ReviewsCoaching, coaching writing and other career advice are available in many places but now you can find a lot of other resources as well - the careers booster resume writing reviews. These reviews are not comprehensive, but they are good resources that can provide the guidance and help you need to get your career off to a great start. They contain pointers and tips on what you can do to get ahead in the business world, plus solutions to your most pressing problems.You can find a good review site by simply doing a simple search using the keywords 'careers booster resume writing reviews.' Most likely, you will find many sites offering their help to new writers. What you should look for in a career booster resume writing review is helpful, proven techniques and strategies. In addition, you should expect to be told about strategies that you may have been ignoring.The skills and abilities that you have are the ones that will attract the best job opportun ities to you but you must also be equipped with the knowledge to work with them, and work with your target clients. You may want to learn from these reviews so that you can make yourself more marketable to employers.Each person has his or her own strengths and weaknesses. These reviews will tell you about how you can overcome these flaws to help you get ahead. These are not just techniques and strategies but strategies that can help you get the career of your dreams.The various career booster resume writing reviews contain tips on how to write a strong cover letter, how to write a strong resume, how to write about yourself in the essay sections and how to make sure that the essays are free of grammatical errors. With all this information at your fingertips, you will be able to pick up where you left off and be even better prepared for the real test of a career.You will need to be disciplined and motivated. The coach of these websites will take care of your motivation. This means tha t you have to be disciplined about putting in the time and doing the necessary research to learn the tactics that are required. You will also need to be passionate about writing so that the coach will teach you all the necessary skills needed to be an effective writer.The coach will also take care of teaching you how to find more reviews of your ability and teach you about writing your own reviews. This is also part of the process of taking control of your future, which is often neglected by the business community.Finally, the coach will guide you so that you will need to follow up with your coach. Once you get hold of all the pointers and tips that are given, you will not be able to think of the question 'what next?'

How to Be a Great Communicator

How to Be a Great Communicator If you could choose just one ability to excel at to help you succeed in your career and life, what would that be? Over the course of my career, I might have said leadership, judgment, confidence, or any number of equally credible choices. It depended on the day I was asked. But with the benefit of hindsight, I now realize that the capability that makes the biggest difference to career advancement is this: being a great communicator. What It Means to Be a Great Communicator Being a great communicator means being able to read your audience, get your point across in a way that lands with others, and influences outcomes. It doesn’t mean you have to be a charismatic orator, or speak in the Queen’s English. It means that you are able to connect with people, engage them and inspire them to take action. And this is at the core of being a great leader. It’s funny that communicating is something we do every day, in person, in writing, over the phone, on social media. Yet, most of us are not even thinking about all the interactions we have â€" we’re just doing it. And most of the time without much training. That means we’re leaving a lot on the table and there’s significant upside benefit if we can improve. Why It’s Important to Your Career In fact, communication is a fundamental, linchpin capability â€" one that has a knock-on effect on just about everything else we do whether that’s leading a team, working on strategy, handling a difficult conversation, negotiating a contract, or explaining our services to a client. I like to think of being a great communicator as a “Super Food” that boosts your entire system by helping you: Build relationships and influence at every level â€" with clients, your boss, colleagues and juniors. Create buy-in for the projects and initiatives you lead. Negotiate effectively for what you want and need. In short, communicating effectively is a crucial aspect of your success, whenever you’re working with or for other people. And that’s most of the time. “It is simply impossible to become a great leader without being a great communicator.” â€" Michael Myatt, bestselling author of Hacking Leadership But as they say, just because you can talk doesn’t make you a good communicator. So what does it take to be a great communicator? 3 Things You Can Do to Be a Great Communicator In my experience, the difference between being good versus great comes down to whether or not you do the following three things: Notice, Practice, Invest. These will help you become the very best communicator you can be, which in turn will make all the other things you do even more effective and high impact. 1. Notice “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.” â€" George Bernard Shaw The first thing is to notice how you’re doing on the communication front. I’ve become more conscious in the moment of how effective I’m being in my communications, whether in writing, in person, on the phone and in personal as well as professional settings. I also do a periodic “check-in” on whether I’m improving. One thing I can tell you is that I’m still far from perfect! Sometimes I do a better job than at other times, and unfortunately, there are also times when I completely blow it. But that’s okay because I’m creating a feedback loop for myself regularly so that I can learn and improve. The other thing about noticing is that you don’t want to make yourself paranoid or self-conscious by overanalyzing the situation. Here are some useful questions to use to help you notice in a way that’s productive: Settings: What situations are harder vs. easier for you to be a great communicator? Think about who you’re with, the size of the audience, the topic, how much preparation you’ve done. For me, the toughest situation was always internal team meetings, where it felt like a giant chest-pounding exercise. What you’re doing: Are you taking up your space, whether it’s sitting at a table or standing at a cocktail reception? And if you’re on the phone are you hunched over the phone? Are you breathing smoothly and feeling calm or is your chest pounding and your mouth dry? Are you making eye contact? Do you have nervous habits like adjusting your glasses frequently or twirling your hair? What you’re saying: Are you using positive words or negative ones that come across as whining and complaining? Are you using powerful language or weak “apology language”? Are you using too much jargon (in which case others may not understand), or too little (in which case they may think you’re not a fellow insider)? How you’re saying it: What’s the tone of your voice? Can they hear you clearly or do people strain to listen? Are you talking non-stop vs. pausing and listening? Are you talking too fast for your audience to absorb what you’re saying? Your mindset and attention: Are you coming at this from your perspective, or thinking about what’s in it for your audience? Are you paying attention to how your message is landing with the audience? Are you listening to what the other person is saying? As the saying goes, it’s about progress, not perfection. So don’t be afraid of noticing how you’re doing and stop worrying about whether you’re falling short. It’s all about making forward progress. 2. Practice You can’t become great at communicating without practice. That’s what gets you comfortable with communicating when the stakes are high, and helps you to make the most of unexpected situations that come up in every day life. And while it’s clear that you need to practice the set piece presentations think TED Talks or addressing the executive committee â€" it’s equally important for being effective with informal interactions. In fact, it can take more effort and thinking to be effective at the informal conversations. It’s the equivalent of needing a grounding in music theory before you can excel at jazz. Or practicing the art of improvisation so you can perform improv smoothly on stage. And the key to useful practice is preparation and feedback. If you don’t prepare your message, then you’re just talking. And if you aren’t open to and seeking feedback, then you’re just talking to yourself. Preparation doesn’t have to take a long time. It’s often just about gathering your thoughts and reminding yourself of your objectives. And when you prepare, your communications are more likely to be purposeful and positive. As you do your practicing in various settings, you’ll benefit from getting feedback from people. In fact, be fearless about it. Others see and hear you anyway, so you may as well have the benefit of learning from it. You may even be pleasantly surprised! When it comes to getting feedback, dig deeper beyond just the overall impression of whether your part of the communication was “great”, “good” or something else. Find out which parts were most effective and why. Ask what would make you more effective next time. By creating a feedback loop each time, you’ll bring your practice up another notch in terms of usefulness. Otherwise, you may be grooving in some bad habits. 3. Invest in Yourself Inside every successful professional is someone who’s done the work to be a great communicator. After all, we’re not born great communicators. We all had to learn to read, to speak, to listen, and to make ourselves understood. You can learn techniques from a variety of sources, such as books, videos, and watching great communicators at work. But, I’ve found that the best way to go about it is to learn from professionals. It speeds up your learning and builds your confidence in a way that’s hard to replicate on your own. Early on in my career, I really lucked out and got one-on-one presentation skills coaching that was meant for only the top people. A managing director had to drop out five minutes before his session was due to start, and the department head pointed to me and said, “You. Go!” Well, this coaching made a huge difference in my career. I was better at presenting pitches to clients, speaking in those dreaded team meetings, and briefing senior management on my business. It helped polish my brand and gave me a greater ability to influence others and deliver results. But investing in yourself is not a “once and done” event. The thing about communicating is that you can always be better. And as you progress in your career, the bar just gets higher: there’s more at stake, there’s greater complexity and you need to be more nuanced. That’s why people at the top of their fields tend to increase their investment in coaching and training as they move up. You can be sure that CEOs and heads of state are continuing to invest in this skill. How I'm Becoming a Great Communicator I’ve been investing as well â€" I’m in Victoria Labalme’s Rock the Room ® program, which includes the Rock the Room ® online learning course, a private community of support, and the Rock the Room ® Live event. Victoria is one of the very best at helping you transform an ordinary communication into an unforgettable experience your prospects, customers and clients will never forget. That’s why I’ve chosen to learn from her. She coaches top executives and teams at Microsoft, Starbucks, PayPal, IBM, McAfee/Intel, New York Life Insurance, Oracle, and dozens more, as well as leading entrepreneurs, NY Times Best Selling Authors, guests on Oprah, and experts developing their keynotes, high stakes pitches or TED Talks. What her Rock the Room ® program has done for me already is: Cut my prep time in half (which I love because time is the only thing we can’t make more of) Made me more confident about my message and how to convey it Helped me to feel more natural and authentic onstage and on video And that’s even before next month’s live event in Los Angeles where Victoria will be helping me and the other attendees hone our ability to be a great communicator! If you want to be a great communicator, then Victoria’s Rock the Room ® program has my highest endorsement (most large companies will reimburse you; ask your HR team). By the way, if you’re also going to the Rock the Room ® Live event, please look me up or send me an email. I’d love to meet you there! What Will You Do? So, to have the success you want in your career and to be the kind of leader you are capable of being, Take some time to notice how you communicate, Practice your craft purposefully, and Invest in yourself. Being a great communicator will pay off tremendously when it comes to your career advancement and success in all areas of life. What will you do to become a better communicator? Leave a comment and let me know. And if you’re going to Rock the Room ® Live on March 3-5th in LA, come say hello!

Job Search Advice...it doesnt take an expert

Job Search Advice...it doesnt take an expert I was watching CNNs special coverage of the most asked for topics yesterdayjob search advice. People wrote in with some of the dumbest questions. One man complained that he had been out of work since August. His resume was stellar and he had been on several interviews. I dont even remember his question because this is where I stopped listening. Out of work since August and only several interviews is not good if this is supposed to be his full time job. He obviously isnt putting in enough effort. He should have had many more interviews in that time frame. And, what makes him think his resume is good? It cant be if he has only had several interviews. Lesson learned: Apply to as many jobs as possible and spend 20 hours outside of your house networking. Measure your success monthlyadjust accordingly. Another write-in job seeker asked what to do because they had a contract job and had also gotten a permanent job offer with the parent company through another source. Duh, take the permanent job. Why do people think they owe anything to employers? You are being paid to do a solid days work. If they had to lay you off, would they think twice? NO. Lesson learned: Keep your options open, always be applying and looking for your next job (even when employed). Be polite,and redefine loyalty. For additional advice on how to endure/survive a period of unemployment, read this summary of No Job, No Prob by Nicholas Nigro. I was given a subscription to The Week by Pop and it is a great way to keep up on events.