Managing the right person at work - Hallie Crawford

Managing the right person at work Do you lead a team at work? Have you struggled with how to communicate with your boss? There are many moving interpersonal parts in the workplace, and sometimes we direct our efforts to the wrong place. Ever wonder why you don’t see the results you desire from your co-workers? Sometimes the key is managing yourself. Worrying about how others perform and annoy us can prevent us from accurately perceiving the root cause of why we feel stuck ourselves. Your communication skills have the power to effectively manage most situations as well as influence group productivity. Here are three ways you can become a better self-manager: 1.  Observe how people respond when you talk â€" this includes body language, eye contact, tone of voice, level of interest, and duration of interaction. 2. Assess your ratio of complaining to motivating â€" if those around you know exactly what you’re unhappy about, you’re weighing heavily on the complaining side. Instead, shift your focus to creating solutions and collaborative ideas. 3. Schedule bi-weekly performance and task check-ins with your boss â€" take initiative to cultivate a mentoring relationship where you can receive consistent feedback on your work. This way, you always know where you stand. Improving your performance and problem-solving, interpersonal issues at work can be very challenging. Don’t be afraid to self-assess and be accountable for your own contribution. Learning to maximize the sometimes forgotten but critical soft skills of communication, leadership, and a positive attitude will help ensure a happy performance evaluation. Check out this Practice 360 Evaluation to pinpoint your strengths and areas needing improvement. Want more help diagnosing your workplace ills? Our career coaching provides you with essential tools to manage yourself to advancement. Please contact us today to set up a complimentary consultation. Stacy Smyk-Santiago Certified Career Coach

Which of the Following is Optional When Writing Your Resume?

Which of the Following is Optional When Writing Your Resume?What are some of the questions you should ask yourself when writing your resume? Which of the following section is optional when writing your resume?The most obvious one would be, which of the following section is optional when writing your resume? Most applicants either can't figure out which section is required and which is optional. But we can help you out by asking you to consider all the main sections as a whole. In that way, you'll know more about what is required and what is optional.Let's take the example of the computer industry. If you look at an application form for a job that does not have any section for 'technical skills'vocational skills' - it is useless to apply to the job, because you have no idea what is required.How do you find the answer to the question, which of the following section is optional when writing your resume? It is simple, once you decide to focus on the entire resume form. You just need to r ead the whole form and choose one section to focus on and let the rest stay out of your mind.An important part of this exercise is to decide what section of the form you want to focus on. If you are more interested in the people section, write in that. If you are more interested in the personal achievements, put them in there.If you can think of an option in your mind, then you are most likely in the right track. You don't even need to worry about what the professional recruiters will make of your resume. They will see whether or not the information in your resume is relevant to their purpose of hiring you. It's your call.Before you apply for the job, you have to gather enough information so that you can write a properly written resume. Once you have completed that task, you will realize that yes, your resume is optional. Just try to write in a manner that you think is easy to read.

Is it Rude to Cold Email Strangers for Career Advice

Is it Rude to Cold Email Strangers for Career Advice Q: I’m a recent college graduate currently trying to explore my options on what career I want to pursue. I’d love to talk to people who are actually working in those areas and get a real perspective about what it’s likeâ€"and what it would take to get there. How do I go about it? Many of the ideas I’m considering would be very small fields, and it’s unlikely that my few contacts at my alma mater would be able to help me. If I can find people online working in those areas, would it be considered rude or strange for me to email them for advice? How should I approach writing these emails? Should I ask the majority of my questions in the initial letter or ask if they would be willing to talk to me first? A: No, it’s definitely not rude! Some people will be glad to help you and others won’t have the time or interest, but it’s absolutely not a rude thing for you to reach out and ask. Here are some things that you can do that will make people more likely to want to help you: * Explain why you’re reaching out to them in particular. Whether it’s because they’re doing the type of work you want to do, you admire a particular project they worked on, they went to your school, or whatever it is, explain that to give them some context for your request. If you can genuinely say something flattering about their work or their career, that’s good to do too. Close Modal DialogThis is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button. * Include some of your questions in the initial email (but not an overwhelming number â€" probably two to four), so that they get a solid understanding of what you’re asking for help with. That will help them better assess whether they can be helpful, but â€" importantly â€" it will also demonstrate that you’ve thought this through and aren’t asking them to commit time before you’ve figured out how best to use that time. This matters because a lot of people ask for informational interviews and that kind of thing without putting any planning into how to use the time, and then end up saying things like, “So, uh, I guess tell me about this field.” It’s annoying to be on the receiving end of that. But if you have specific, thoughtful questions already prepared, people will be much more enthusiastic about helping you and will have a better understanding of what you’re asking them to say yes to. * Similarly, make sure that the questions you’re asking aren’t ones that you could find the answer to yourself with a bit of research. You don’t want to ask someone to spend time answering questions that you could just google the answer to. Here are some examples of the kind of questions that you could ask. Read Next: How to Write Email That Will Actually Land You a Job * Offer to make it as easy for them as possible. For example: “I’d love to jump on the phone with you, but if it’s easier to answer over email, that’s fine too! Also, I’ve listed some of the questions below that I’m interested in, but if it’s too many or you’d just rather not answer some, please feel free to answer only as many as interest you. I’d be grateful for any help you’re willing to provide, even if it’s just a couple of these questions.” * Thank them, in a real way. You’d be surprised by how often people asking for this kind of help don’t respond back with sincere appreciation once they get it. That means more than just a perfunctory one-sentence thank-you email â€" it means expressing real appreciation, such as by telling them specifically how their advice was helpful or how you think you’ll be able to apply it. Ideally, it could also mean circling back to them down the road at some point in the future to let them know how things are going for you. People who take the time to give career advice to strangers are doing it because it feels good to know they’re helping someone else â€" so complete that circle for them by letting them know that they did help, and later letting them know how it worked out. Q: My manager posted a list of names of people who are always on time to work. Recently my supervisor posted a list with five names out of the 22 people who work in our dept as “being on time 100% of the time.” I feel like this a little bit passive aggressive shaming of employees who were tardy. Granted, we have a few who are late 100% of the time, but some are late by one minute once! Your thoughts would be appreciated. A: It’s a really weird thing for your manager to make such a big deal out of â€" surely there are more important measures of success than whether you’re at work at 9:00 or 9:01? I don’t think it’s shaming so much (if anything, this highlights that more than three-quarters of your coworkers are all in the same boat), just a dumb thing to make a focus point. And really, if there’s any issue with people’s punctuality, your manager should address it with those people one on one. Just posting a list like this is a really passive, ineffective way of conveying that message and of doing her job. These questions are adapted from ones that originally appeared on Ask a Manager. Some have been edited for length.