Thursday, November 28, 2019

Should I take the water 5 tips for interviewing with confidence

Should I take the water 5 tips for interviewing with confidenceShould I take the water 5 tips for interviewing with confidenceWith more and more qualified candidates entering the job market, self-assurance may be the key to impressing your next employer.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

How to Deal with Tough Conversations in Human Resources

How to Deal with Tough Conversations in Human ResourcesHow to Deal with Tough Conversations in Human ResourcesIf theres one certainty for professionals working in the field of HR, its the ongoing need to hold tough conversations. From communicating about layoffs to following up about certain employees behavior at the last company party, HR is tasked with working through sticky situations on a continuous basis.This series will provide a toolkit to handle the toughest conversations that HR has to facilitate. Although some discussions will always be at least a little awkward, by the end of the series you will be fully prepared to carry them out as gracefully as possible.The No. 1 skill needed in any HR conversation is directness. Many Americans struggle with being direct. Fearing that the recipient of the feedback will make a scene or that the future relationship will be tense, we tiptoe around the issue at hand and try to soften the message by hiding it in praise or minimizing the true impact of the behavior that needs to change. The role of an HR professional requires tact and diplomacy as well as the proficiency to communicate clearly and directly in contentious conversations. After all, HR generally isnt called in to bestow promotions and raises. Managers like to take care of delivering the good news themselves.Conversation 1 Firing an Underperforming EmployeeBefore moving to the step of firing someone, work with that employees manager to make sure that the harte nusss leading to the firing have been clearly communicated. Even if you are operating in a state that allows at-will employment, protect your company by requiring managers to follow up performance conversations with documentation. When you hold the conversation to terminate an employee, be calm and matter-of-fact. Explain the behavior that the employee has displayed, why its a problem to the company, and review the steps taken to resolve it. A sample script might look like this.Janet, one of our value s at ABC Company is speed to execution. You have missed five key deadlines over the last quarter. This has caused delays and problems for Team X and Team Y, which depend on your work. Additionally, this resulted in a delay in our product launch that impacted our revenue. Your manager spoke to you about this after each deadline that was missed, but we havent seen any improvement.This is why we need to end your employment with ABC Company.Conversation 2 Facilitating a LayoffThe key in facilitating a layoff is to work with the executive team to determine a clear rationale of who is being laid off and why. Whether youre eliminating a department or regional office, or whether the logic is merely last in, first out, look for a way to group all of the designated employees together. This serves two purposes. Your organization will have an easier time managing morale for the remaining employees if the layoff appears to be rational rather than capricious. And documenting the rationale for the layoff beforehand will also help should someone decide to sue for a discriminatory termination.Often companies will use layoffs as an opportunity to eliminate employees who havent been performing up to standard. In this case, employees should be made aware that theyre being let go due to performance, but that the company has chosen to technically treat the situation like a layoff for that employee. For the rest of the employees of the layoff, here is a suggested script.Based on where the business (product, division, etc.) is right now, today will be your last day. We are eliminating people (based on this logic the x division, the y office, etc.). Heres what will happen next. (We would like you to take the next 30 minutes to pack up your desk, etc.)Although HR departments have many pleasant conversations with employees each day, its the tough conversations that give HR professionals the opportunity to demonstrate true skill in communication. Stay with us for the next article in the series How to talk about body odor and hygiene in the workplace.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

How to Not Be Nervous When Interviewing for a Job

How to Not Be Nervous When Interviewing for a JobHow to Not Be Nervous When Interviewing for a JobMost people feel at least a little anxious when einstellungsgesprching for a job. There are several things you can do to make yourself more at ease before and during telephone and in-person job interviews. A Learning Opportunity The most important way to ease nervousness about a job interview is to look at it as a method of determining whether you and the company are a good fit. If you look at an interview only as something you might mess up and thus lose out on a golden opportunity, youre putting too much pressure on yourself. Job interviews should not be about your landing a job no matter what, although its understandable you might feel that type of stress if you really need the income, health insurance, and other benefits. Its more helpful and more realistic to see your initial phone interview and follow-up in-person interviews as opportunities for you to learn more about the comp any and for the company to learn more about you. The end result for both you and the company should be figuring out whether you are a good fit for the company and the particular job youre applying for. If the culture of a company would make you miserable or if you dont have a skill that is required but wasnt included in the job description, its better for both parties to learn that before you take the job. Company Research Learn as much as you can about the company where youve applied for a job, so it will be clear during interviews that youre a serious candidate. Youll also feel more confident going into interviews with some knowledge you can share with the HR representative and hiring manager. Resume and Cover Letter Review Before the phone interview, its a good idea to look over the resume and titelblatt letter you sent. Remind yourself of the skills you offer and the experience you could bring to this job. Have the resume and cover letter handy during the interview so yo u can refer back to it and also write down any additional selling points you can think of that you might have left out of your application materials. Breathe Take some deep breaths before the phone interview begins and before you head into the office where youll be meeting your in-person interviewers. You can also imagine yourself speaking confidently and intelligently to the interviewer as you inhale and think release or confidence as you exhale. Company Focus During the phone interview and any subsequent in-person interviews, be prepared to share details about yourself, your values, and your skills and experiences. But be sure to emphasize what you could contribute to the company. The HR representative and anyone else you speak with will want to learn more about you but mostly in the context of how you would fit in at the company and how you would add to its success. Questions for the Interviewers Its helpful to have some questions ready for your interviewers, so youll feel prepared, intelligent, and probably even less anxious. You can practice asking the questions at home to get the phrasing right. Make sure that when you leave, you will have enough information to make the right choice should the company offer you the job. If someone from the company hasnt told you enough about the corporate culture, their expectations for you, or the exact role you will play in the company or a specific department, ask for clarification. If youre meeting with the person who will be your boss, ask about their background and how they got to their current role in the company. Ask what they like and what they would change about the company, what their most urgent need is from someone in the job youre applying for, and what previous people who had that job did well and could have done better. Finally, its OK to ask what the next step in the hiring process would be and when they expect to make their decision. Post-Interview Confidence If youve done all of those t hings, you should leave that last interview feeling confident that youve done everything you could to help you and the company draw the right conclusions about your working there.