Interview Preparation Wins Candidate Competitions

Interview Preparation Wins Candidate CompetitionsInterview Preparation Wins Candidate CompetitionsWhen its time to interview, youll need more than attitude do your homework to put yourself ahead of the pack. The will to win is overrated. If you think about it, who doesnt have the will to win? What makes people successful - whether in sports competitions or job interviews - is what basketball Coach Bob Knight called the will to prepare to win.Thats what sets people apart, said Lisa Panarello, founder and CEO of Careers Advance, a professional training and coaching agency in New York.She said applicants should put in at least 15 minutes of research just to compose an effective cover letter.That basic homework, it makes you look interested and really engaged in the process, but it also makes you more confident in the interview, said Kay Piatt, employment manager of The Houstonian Hotel, Club Spa in Houston. Its good for both parties.Piatt has conducted many interviews as the head of employment and recruiting for the luxury hotel, and she knows when a candidate is prepared and when theyre not.But just doing the obvious research isnt enough at the $100K-plus level.Piatt said job seekers should be well versed in how a company is structured, industry trends that are relevant to the position theyre seeking and any current events involving the company. You might even want to study up on the person who will be interviewing you, she added.According to Piatt, a lot of the basic information youll need for preparation can be found online or - better yet - from someone you know who may work there.Mark Grimm, a public speaking coach and author of Everyone Can Be a Dynamic Speaker, stresses offering your interviewer value - and that entails doing the homework necessary to know what it is shes looking for.Go to their Web site, Grimm said. Theres no excuse for not doing research now.He suggested calling the office, chatting up the secretary and fishing out as much informati on as you can.What do you have to lose? he said. Find out as much as you can about what they really want.When it comes to online research, sometimes cyberspace can become overwhelming Theres just too much information to process.Not a problem, Panarello said Narrow it down to what is most relevant for the position at hand and the growth of the company. Peg it to the future.Be methodical and efficient, she said. Google one or two key people from the company, and print out the articles, she said. Read an article. Try to come up with three questions. Then try to answer it.This strategy, she said, will help focus you for the interview. And once youve done the research, bring physical evidence of your work to the interview.Treat an interview as if its a business meeting. Bring the printouts in a folder, Panarello advised. Pull out the article and reference it. Theyre going to think, This person is going to come to a meeting like this. Next, take your homework to the next level, Panarello said, and do the saatkorn research about the companys competitors.When somebody is sitting across my desk, it is really interesting to talk about (competitors) rather than my list of 10 questions, Piatt said.When a candidate can demonstrate a full understanding of the companys competitive needs, Grimm said, that person is in the best position to make a convincing case.The more you talk about how you help the company - rather than help yourself - the better their hearing gets, Grimm said.

How the Gender Empathy Gap Affects Women at Work

How the Gender Empathy eu-agrarpolitik Affects Women at WorkHow the Gender Empathy Gap Affects Women at WorkHave you ever felt like your anfhrer (or company in general) doesnt understand your needs? This ability to understand abedrngnisher persons feelings is called empathy, and when other people understand your feelings, your life is easier and more rewarding. This is true in all aspects of life, but you may feel it keenly in the workplace. If your bossor companylacks empathy toward you, youre experiencing an empathy eu-agrarpolitik. According to the 2018 State of Workplace Empathy Report, Businessolver found that 96% of the responders stated that empathy was an essential value for companies to demonstrate to their employees in the workplace, but 92% believe empathy remains under-demonstrated and undervalued. What is the Gender Empathy Gap? The empathy gap is the difference between how you think people feel and how they feel. You can have an empathy gap in your own mind. For ins tance, signing up for a gym membership because you want to get in shape. The gym has classes and equipment that you are sure youll love. After you pay your money and sign a contract for your membership, you start to go to the gym, and you find that you hate it. This is called the hot-cold empathy gap. When you sign up, you are in one state (cold) thinking your membership will be great, reduce your stress, reduce your waistline, and perhaps even help you to meet new people. But when you actually go to the gym, you are in a hot state. It turns out that you find working out while other people are near you or watch you is stressful so your waistline wont budge. How you thought youd feel turns out very differently from how you actually feel. This is, undoubtedly, the cause of so many unused gym memberships, unread self-help books, and abandoned paleo diets. The Empathy Gap in Action at Work An empathy gap at the office often occurs when the boss thinks people will feel one way, but t hey feel another. A typical example is when a small business owner devotes every waking hour to her business and expects her employees to do the same. She loves the business, wants it to succeed and makes every sacrifice necessary for the business success. The employees, however, see the business as a place of employment. They may also love their business and want it to succeed, but they also want to go home at 530 p.m. and not think about it again until 800 a.m. the next morning. This can cause conflict between the boss and the employees. The boss wonders why people arent working as hard as she is and the employees think their boss is an unreasonable taskmaster. The disconnect is the empathy gap. And, the empathy gap can adversely affect women more than men. In the study cited above, employees feel that workplace empathy is improving. But, they also demonstrate that a gender gap exists between how men and women feel. Only 70% of women feel that their employers are empathetic as com pared to 85% of men. How Does the Gender Empathy Gap Affect Women in the Workplace? Men and women have different priorities (generally speaking, of course). Women, for instance, prefer temporal flexibility over higher pay, while men will sacrifice time away from home for a bigger paycheck. A company thats run by people who value money above all else will reward its employees with raises and bonuses. But, a company thats run by people who value temporal flexibility may provide smaller paychecks but offer telecommuting, part-time work, and flexible schedules. Because more men statistically are found in leadership roles than women, and because men have shown a preference for money over flexibility, you may experience an empathy gap between what the employees want and what the management offers. Offerings such as maternity leave, nursing rooms, and childcare are often factors that attract and help retain women but those benefits arent a priority for everyone. Even a woman whose chil dren are in high school may not empathize (shes in the cold state) with a woman who is trying to maintain her milk supply while working full time (in the hot state). What Can HR Do to Help Close the Empathy Gap? Just knowing an empathy gap exists is the first step towards closing the gap. After all, the empathy gap is merely another form of unconscious bias. If you realize that not everyone has the same needs, wants, and priorities as you (or the CEO) have, you can start working to solve the problem. But, proceed with caution do not ask employees to respond to a survey if you dont intend to act on the information you receive. If you know that your employees value X and you not only dont give them X but you dont even address why youre not, its not just an empathy gap, its cruelty. You may find convincing senior leadership that change is needed difficult. But, if HR can present the data in a business fashion and discuss the return on investment, you can increase the probability of making the changes your employees want to happen. Build Your Own Empathy In addition to asking employees, you can work to build your own empathy and help train others. Career advisor Andrew Sobel suggests eight ways you can increase your empathy Challenge yourself.Get out of your usual environment.Get feedback.Explore your heart, not just the head.Walk in others shoes.Examine your biases.Cultivate your sense of curiosity.Ask better questions. Picking just one of these opportunities and working on it can help grow your empathy and close the gap. But, as an HR manager, you can also use these tips to help your employees. While Sobel talks about travel as a way to get out of your environment, you can use tip number two in the workplace by implementing cross-training programs. If you teach the finance people about absatzwirtschaft and vice versa, both groups can gain empathy for the other group, allowing for a better relationship. Additionally, you can teach tip eight, ask better qu estions, through training. If a person gives a presentation and then walks away, without questions, people dont have the opportunity to gain a better understanding. You can help participants learn how to ask better questions and help presenters learn how to ask questions of the audience. Its most helpful for both groups to understand each other. Senior leadership does need to understand what their employees experience, but the employees need to understand how leadership thinks. This will reduce tension. As an HR person, you should also point out problems with the empathy gap when you see them. For instance, if the boss announces that no money is available for bonuses this year, but then shows up driving a new sports car, the employees will feel that he doesnt care about them. He may not care or the car may be a gift from a rich uncle. But, the damage is done regardless of the source. A savvy HR person can help the boss see how this is problematic. More empathy expressed in your work environment will help your employees feel valued, and that will help them succeed. When they succeed, your organization succeeds.

Become the Most Productive Person at Work

Become the Most Productive Person at WorkBecome the Most Productive Person at WorkIncrease work productivity and get elendiced for executing tasks efficiently.Everyone assumes that being more productive means working more in less time. In essence, this is true. Those who efficiently manage their projects definitely tend to accomplish more than other people do in years.However, productivity is more of a way of being rather than office hacks. Get into rhythm with behauptung career tips and advice.Take some downtimeYoure probably going through your emails within the first ten minutes of your workday. This puts you in a reactive mindset rather than a proactive one. Instead of taking control of your agenda, youre allowing your inbox to do it for you.Start the day off managing your time proactively. Get up 20 minutes before you normally would to send important emails before entering the office. Devise a to-do list beforehand so you can direct your full attention towards the tasks to come.P rioritize your workYou probably have a mountain of work for the week, never mind each day. Although it sounds counterintuitive, minimize stress by organizing assignments regularly.Start off with the tasks that take the most willpower and focus. Grunt work and the more enjoyable responsibilities should be set off for the end of the day. Just like a track star, its important to pace yourself and finish off strong.If you are a bit of a slacker, try using Carrot. Unlike general to-do apps, Carrot is a gamified task manager with a sassy personality. Shell reward you for completing tasks and reprimand you in moments of laziness.Block out eignung distractionsReduce the number of frivolous meetings.According to the DailyMuse, office workers get distracted every 11 minutes. Constant emails, text message notifications, and chatty neighbors can constantly get in the way of staying focused. Grabbing a pair of noise-cancelling headphones and playing ambient music can improve your focus by 35 per cent.Your co-workers are not going to be put off if you shut the door to your office a few times. When you have important projects to work on, close yourself off from office noise. Speaking of chatty neighbors, hold off the personal conversations to happy-hour after workRegulate weekly meetingsWe all know that one worker who loves to arrange a number of meetings throughout the week, but with no clear objective or cause. Most workers attribute most of the time they waste in the office is with these conferences.The best way to manage your time more efficiently is to avoid these frivolous arrangements. First, it is important to determine if your presence is absolutely necessary. If not, tentatively decline invitations for these kinds of meetings. Another option is to provide an alternative method of communication or resolution. If all else fails, suggest an objective list for the meeting and provide constructive feedback.Stay in for lunchLunch break can take a lot longer than planned due to the sheer volume of workers going out for a bite to eat. Rather than stepping out for lunch, pack your lunch instead. Not only does this give you full control of what you eat, but you can also pick foods that are great fuel for your brain. These include fish, nuts, and whole grains.Choosing to stay in the office during your precious leisure time does not mean you have to be slouched over your computer screen. In fact, you should take this time to rest and regroup. Even if it is for 15 to 20 minutes, a moment of relaxation can help you in the long run.Posture is everythingWe spend most of our days sitting at the office. An unhealthy posture can negatively affect your spine and cardiovascular health. While you may think that exercising after work would make up for the hours hunched over your desk, this does not fully compensate for your health.Contrary to popular belief, sitting totally upright may cause stress on your vertebrae. Instead, find an ergonomic chair that has back s upport. Alternatively, an active seat will force your body to work even as you are sitting. This can improve your core strength and burn calories. A standing desk can keep you fresh since your body fares the best if you change positions frequently.Take regular productivity breaks Summers sweltering heat and post-lunch fatigue are key players in afternoon lethargy. Take your focus off of work and look around. Listen to your surroundings and take a timeout. Its important to be mindful of your environment and momentarily stop reacting to external stimuli.Make sure to stand up and walk around every hour to get the blood pumping. Since you are sitting down for the majority of the day, it is important to rotate your shoulders and stretch your muscles. Circulation will make your mind stay sharp and improve brain function.Eat chocolateMorning coffee gets the mind going, but what about later in the day? After lunch you may be suffering from food coma and feel sluggish. Eating a piece of dark chocolate will activate your brain and make you sharp.This confection has a small amount of caffeine. It also contains magnesium which stimulates the production of endorphins and serotonin.