7 Bad Manager Behaviors to Be Wary of

7 Bad Manager Behaviors to Be Wary of Managing a team of recruiters is a tough gig, especially when youre expected to make placements yourself. Youve  no doubt done really well to get you to the point of having your own team but managing people is a completely different ball game.  You cant just worry about yourself and your own performance anymore; youre now responsible for the  well-being and profitability  of others, too. Finding a management method that works for you takes time; no one gets it right immediately. Striking the correct balance  of  friendliness, seniority, delegation, praise and deserved discipline is extremely difficult. Whether you are a first time manager or a decorated  boss with years of experience, its important to continually check your habits. Failing to nurture potential and encourage success in the right way  will eventually result in higher employee turnover, dips in performance, unsatisfied team members and low morale.  In one way or another their consequences are costly and avoidable. How? By checking your leadership style against  these red flag bad manager behaviors: 1. Hypocrisy Watching someone delegate task after task, without practicing what they preach is extremely frustrating. Great managers lead by example and set the bar high. 2. Crushing comparisons Continually making comparisons between the work of some employees vs others is really patronizing and belittling.  Making examples out of people doing really well can be inspirational, but can also have negative effects if people start to feel theyre never going to be as good as you want them to be. 3. Favoritism Favoring certain people in the team might not be a conscious decision you make, but can happen without you realizing. Who do you consistently ask for extra assistance? Who do you spend the most time with? Who do you praise the most? Who do you feel has the most potential? If the same person keeps springing to mind, the other people in your team are probably noticing too. Each person will require a different level of management and support, but employees in the same team should feel  as valued as each other. 3.  Insufficient feedback Leaving people to their own devices encourages independence and the use of initiative, however, failing to provide proper constructive criticism or praise can leave employees feeling unsure as to how they are performing. Your employees shouldnt be kept guessing as to whether they are doing a good job or not. 4.  Being too friendly Trying to be too cool with your employees can make  them  feel they dont have a proper figure of authority to look up to.  If you try to be too friendly and connect with them on a super personal level, they might feel uncomfortable raising serious issues with you about their role, your actions or other serious issues concerning colleagues. There is a balance to be struck between being friendly and being too friendly. 5. Being a  dictator Further on from my previous point, its important not to be too stern, bossy and unapproachable. Yes, you are more senior than your team members, however, a team is supposed to work together and gel as one unit. If you only ever talk about work, targets, and performances, your colleagues wont feel they connect with you as a person. Theres no exact science about how to strike the perfect friend/manager balance, but its important to remain professional and open. 6.  Lack of comms  lines Great managers should advertise an  open door policy, where employees know they will have an avenue of speaking with you and raising any concerns. Setting up weekly meetings can be extremely helpful in making sure that workloads dont get in the way of frequent feedback sessions. By holding regular one-to-one, youll be able to spot a dissatisfied employee quicker and address the case before its too late. 7.  KPI inflexibility Having KPIs is great, especially in recruitment where your success is only as good as your output. However, all recruiters will have a different style of working, different clients and different strengths and weaknesses, so its important to create individual KPIs for different individuals. All employees cant be  painted with the same brush.

Three Ways To Encourage Unity at Work

Three Ways To Encourage Unity at Work Whether you’re a manager at a business or own your own organization, you likely understand the importance of togetherness. It is typically a lot easier to achieve a common goal when everyone is on the same page. When there is discord, it can have negative effects on an organization and cause setbacks in different ways. For this reason, it’s important that you continuously look for ways to encourage unity and togetherness amongst employees. There are several ways that you can do so, and many require being creative and exploring ways to get people to bond. This article is going to explore a few ways that you can encourage unity at work. Team Building Exercises One of the first and likely most popular ways that you can encourage unity at work is by proposing team building exercises. These are usually a fantastic way of ensuring staff get to know one another and are able to work together in different ways. Some of the best team building exercises that employees may enjoy include zombie escape, two truths and a lie, paper tearing, and reflecting on the day. You should find that these games are an effective way of breaking the ice, creating familiarity, teaching them to work together to solve problems as well as igniting the spirit of unity. You can also explore other team building games that help you achieve your objectives in terms of togetherness. Branded Items Branded items have a unique way of making people feel as though they are a part of a community or cause. It helps people identify with a brand, and the same can be achieved with your employees. For this reason, you should think about branded items such as t-shirts, pens, USB sticks, tote bags, flasks, and notebooks. You could also try something out of the box like customized Challenge Coins as they can often be useful when it comes to helping promote team spirit. For the most part, you may find that branded items are something employees use as a means of bonding. Social Events Organizing social events outside of the office is another way to create unity at work. This is typically a good idea as it creates a chance for staff to see one another in a non-work setting. This can sometimes make them seem more down to earth as well as relatable. Ideas for social events outside work include dinner at an employee’s house, workouts, as well as lunches. This should help them get to know one another better which, hopefully, should improve their interactions and work. In any organization, it is important that there’s a level of unity. It often ensures that goals are reached at a faster pace, people derive more pleasure and satisfaction from work, and are also proud to be associated with the brand they’re working for. However, as with any relationship, it requires a level of work to help build authentic relationships amongst employees. Hopefully, this article has successfully been able to spark a few useful ideas that you can use in your workplace.

Archivist Job Description - Algrim.co

Archivist Job Description - Algrim.co Archivist Job Description Template Download our job description template in Word or PDF format. Instant download. No email required. Download Template Using Your Template Follow these instructions to use your new job description template Step one: Fill out all details in your job description template using the provided sample on this page. Step two: Customize your requirements or duties to anything special to your workplace. Be sure to speak with team members and managers to gauge what's required of the position. Step three: When the census of the team has agreed on the description of the work, add in a Equal Employment Opportunity statement to the bottom of your job description. Step four: Check with your legal department, management team, and other team members to ensure the job description looks correct before creating a job advertisement. Choose a job board that's specific to your needs.

Lies They Tell in Business School - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Lies They Tell in Business School - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Anyone who has been to business school knows that there can be huge discrepancies between what’s taught in the classroom and what happens in the working world. These discrepancies aren’t the fault of professors, but are the result of what occurs when humans â€" and their penchant for unpredictable and less-than-scientific behavior â€" are thrown into the mix. This means that everything you learn in business school is valuable, but you still have to know when to get creative and color outside the lines. Your personal branding as a business leader depends on being able to spot the lies business schools tell, and making adjustments in honest-to-goodness business-related situations. Lie #1: Analyze Everything Business schools are big on numbers, and they encourage you to be, too. However, all those spreadsheets can lead to analysis paralysis. Sometimes, it makes more sense to go with your gut than to spend hours frantically examining your Excel docs for an answer. Will your gut always be right? Nope. Neither will the analytics if you never take anything else into consideration. Lie #2: You Have to Plan While some things absolutely require a plan, such as a thorough guideline for how you want to spread your personal branding message, not everything needs to fit nicely inside a three-ring binder with colorful tabs. More often than not, you’ll have to make decisions, especially as an entrepreneur or manager, in situations that require you to use common sense alone. Lie #3: You Can Predict Customer Behavior OK, this is only a half-truth. You can predict some customer behavior, but if you think you can predict it all, you’re in for a rude awakening. Customers are about as predictable as housecats. Yes, you can probably guess what they’re going to do about 80 percent of the time â€" it’s the old Pareto Principle, which is something that usually does work â€" but when they see a mouse or get spooked by a dog outside the window, forget everything you thought you knew. Remember that your customers will always surprise you. Always. Lie #4: You Can’t Jump Rungs on the Corporate Ladder Once upon a time, there was a great deal of truth to this myth. The Internet killed that truth. Now, it’s quite possible to suddenly find your personal branding front and center thanks to a viral post, a video-gone-wild or a smart use of SEO in your website content. The corporate ladder still exists, but if you can find an escalator to bypass it, go for your dreams. Lie #5: You’re Going to Be Rich Because You Went to Business School It’s hard to hear, but the facts are clear: An education may help you snag a better job, but it isn’t guaranteed. Plus, what rich means to one person is vastly different from what it means to another. Don’t consider business school a clear-cut path to a house encrusted in jewels with a roof of gold. However, do use your connections and smarts to make better choices. Lie #6: You’re One Smart Cookie Now You may be a smart cookie, it’s true, but your intelligence has little to do with going to business school. Sure, you have an MBA, but there are tons of people with higher degrees that make mistakes throughout their careers. Your degree is useful, but it doesn’t supply you with extra IQ points. It’s just another tool for you to use as a way to boost your personal branding. Lie #7: If You Don’t Go to an Ivy League School, Don’t Go at All What rubbish this is! At the end of the day, you have an MBA or other business degree. Sure, the word Harvard or Wharton might raise a few eyebrows â€" it may even open a door or two â€" but there are many successful business school grads who went to institutions outside of the Ivy League. Go to a business school that fits your lifestyle, not one that touts itself for all the wrong reasons. Lie #8: Soft Skills are Relatively Unimportant Leadership skills? Ability to lead a team? Many business schools say such soft skills aren’t that essential. However, most business executives need to use them day-in, day-out. Think of it this way: You’re probably going to be working with other people far more often than you’ll be asked to analyze a spreadsheet of your income/expense ratios. So soft skills are absolutely going to come in handy. Words of Advice As you go through your business school experience, take each class for what it’s worth. Do the work, but don’t be a sheep. Ask questions of your professors, and if they don’t have the answers, do some legwork. Become a critical thinker, and you’ll benefit from the education in ways that your classmates simply won’t.

5 Questions Freelancers Should Ask Prospective Clients - CareerMetis.com

5 Questions Freelancers Should Ask Prospective Clients When you’re in the freelancing business, you should be able to notice that there are almost no rules. In fact, you’re making your own rules by choosing the clients that offer something that is worth your time and attention.When the offer is agreeable to you, then you have a good deal. It should always be negotiated at the beginning of the collaboration, and therefore you’ll have a stable gig that will fill your pockets with cash.evalFortunately or unfortunately, the freelancing business is quite complex compared to the traditional job pattern. The biggest difference lays in the flexibility that you get while earning maybe more cash than a full-time employee.To tell you the truth, there are many factors involved when it comes to establishing a successful collaboration that brings benefits for both sides.The biggest factor that decides your freelancing prosperity is your client. After all, he’s the one who’s putting the cash down, and he’s the one who dictates most of the t erms. Notice that I’ve mentioned “most” because you also have the right to negotiate the final terms. Because of the client’s importance, the selection process should be rigorous and in-depth thought.Asking the right questions during an interview is the best way to ensure that you’re both on the same “frequency”. During today’s post, we’re going explore five important questions that every freelancer should ask his potential clients.Let’s take a look.1. How Many Freelancers Have You Worked With Before?evalMartha Clooney, professional freelance writer at Best Essays suggests: “The first question should be related to their experience with freelancers in general. You should ask this question as soon as you get the chance to address a few questions. Make sure that you ask for that privilege before their start interviewing.”After taking Martha’s advice in consideration, you could come up with something like: “After we resolve your inquiries, may I address you a few questions related to the job position?”. The answer to this particular question is important because you can figure out whether they’re experienced or not. This saves a lot of hassle and time.evalIf they say that they’re totally inexperienced, you should consider whether the terms of the agreement are worth the risk of an unprofessional deal or relationship. If they say yes, consider asking them for their previous employees’ contact details. You can get honest reviews from those individuals.2. What is Your Business Purpose?You’re the last in the chain. You’re the worker that most of the times are paid for copyright selling. In this case, in order to properly perform your job, you must understand your client’s purpose. That means that you should understand how the company works, what they do need, and how you can deliver as much value as possible.Start asking them about their business purpose. You can figure out whether they’re a serious company that has no chanc e of failing. Most importantly, you’ll figure out how much responsibility you have. If your role is not that important and is not directly influencing their income, you shouldn’t be too stressed with this job. Otherwise, you’ll always be responsible for damages.3. Tell Me More about Communication and DeadlinesThe communication part of the deal is quite essential for a successful collaboration. First off, make sure that you understand how your future communication will go. Some clients expect 24/7 availability, while some only need you to send chunks of the project on time.evalSecondly; on what channels will you communicate? Will it be on a platform? Phone? E-mail? Figure out the terms.Deadlines or turn-around-time are often the main cause of problems between freelancers and clients. When a freelancer can’t keep up with the deadlines, the client’s company will often suffer. Have them let you know what they expect from you. How much available time do you have each time they send you a task?Flexibility is important, and you should never let a client take that away from you. If their deadline requests are too tight, explainto them that you’re the type of freelancer who values quality over quantity. If they can’t agree with your real capabilities, reject their offer.4. How and When Will I Be Paid?Here’s another important issue to discuss. In fact, this is where many clients try to cheat and make friendly conditions for their side. Ask about the payment.Do you cover taxes?How long will it take before you release the money after an accepted project?What payment options do you offer?Is the payment before or after the project? How about half-half?The answers to these questions should give you a clue whether their offer is serious or not. Again, it’s up to your standards; it’s up to you if you settle for less or for more. Don’t forget to ask about the payment. You can often find yourself tricked by clients, and you shouldn’t allow that to happen. eval5. If Everything Goes Well, Are You Interested in Ongoing Work?If the client requests a one-time project task, you have the possibility of turning him into a long-term client. How? Well, you must first focus on the task. In order to create a good first impression, you must over-deliver. That means putting more effort and time into the task and making it impeccable.The quality should be extremely high, and you should do something that your client hasn’t asked. This could be something that could help their business be more productive. If he likes your work, ask him for a long-term collaboration. If he accepts, you got yourself a stable client. If he doesn’t, ask for other recommendations. His friends or partners could also use your services.CONCLUSIONFinding the perfect client is never easy, but never impossible. It’s all up to you. If you have big standards and never limit your potential, you can definitely reach freelancing success. As previously discussed, your clients ar e extremely important factors to consider while building a freelancing business.

Advice on How to Get Through Your Probation Period and Keep Your Job - CareerAlley

Advice on How to Get Through Your Probation Period and Keep Your Job - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Most people struggle with life balance simply because they havent paid the price to decide what is really important to them. Stephen Covey In the world of the job seeker its not uncommon in this day and age to spend up to a year or more looking for a company that will take you on. For reasons were all aware of jobs are scarce. When and if an interview comes up and youre successful, the likelihood is that youll get a job offer but itll be probation/trial based. Its becoming more and more common for employers to setup short probation periods to get a better understanding of the individual, the time is used analysing whether they are the right person for the job. A standard probation period is around 3 months but may vary. For the candidate this will be a pressured time, It may feel like youre every move is being judged. There are some tips (some more obvious than others) that you need to take note of if you really want to impress your employer and achieve a permanent position. Arrive on time, or even better early, on a daily basis. Being late is not a good look and will show that youre unorganised. If theres trouble with transport or youve overslept be sure to contact your employer and politely explain why youre going to be late, then apologise once you arrive. If youre not a morning person, try to avoid going out for drinks or staying up too late on a night where you have work the next day. Being overly tired or having a hangover wont impress your colleagues. Keep your appearance tidy. Make sure your clothes are properly cleaned and ironed. Make and effort with your hair in the morning and try to keep yourself looking professional. Introduce yourself to as many people as possible, maintaining a clear, polite and confident manor. Speaking to people and building friendship bonds with colleagues will definitely not go unnoticed by your boss. The more people like you the more they will want to help you in terms of progressing with the job and getting through the probation. The are many ways to do this, for example offering if others need help, asking people if they want a drink, asking how their weekend was, saying good morning and goodbye and general conversation to name just a few. Focus yourself completely on the work required. If you concentrate on the work youve been given and do everything to the best of your ability youre showing your enthusiasm for the job. Trying not to get distracted may be one of the hardest problems. Many office based roles, for example accountancy jobs where most of the work is done on computer may tempt you to browse the internet, check Facebook/Twitter or use your mobile phone to text etc. This could get you into a lot of trouble, getting caught even once by a senior colleague could get you stereotyped as a dosser/time waster and may cause tension amongst others. Be a good learner. Nobody takes everything in first time, but try to, try not to ask something more than twice. Be sure to take notes wherever possible. Your colleagues will like the fact that youre asking questions and trying to learn so be sure to do this. But theres a fine line between being a keen learner and being a pest, try not to ask the same person the same question over and over again. If theres nothing for you to do in terms of work, consistently ask around to see if others need any help. Try not to be the first person to leave at the end of the day; this may look like youre fed up, not doing any work and keen to get home. If youre working on something that requires 10-15 minutes overtime be sure to complete it. Even if youve got nothing to do, try not to be the first to leave, let a few others go before you. As the weeks go by youll start to become more at ease and comfortable/confident with the people around you. Its important that you keep reminding yourself that youre on a probation period and that people may still be judging you. If youre lucky to find out that youve got a permanent position at the end of the trial then you know that what youre doing is right, carry on with the standard of work youve been supplying over the probation and always remember that it only takes one slip up and you could be back in the grueling world of the job search rat race. ___________________________________________________________________________ Visit Total Jobs for over 100,000 job vacancies today. Browse through numerous vacancies varying from graduate jobs to high profile baking jobs. This is a Guest post. If you would like to submit a guest post to CareerAlley, please follow these guest post guidelines. Good luck in your search.

Tips For Writing a Quality University of Phoenix Resume

Tips For Writing a Quality University of Phoenix ResumeIf you are planning to apply for a job with the University of Phoenix, there are many things that you should take into consideration before sending out your resume. Here are some tips to help you prepare for your resume writing job interview:Do you have a real reason for wanting to transfer to this particular university? You will be spending a lot of time at this particular school, so be sure that you know what the benefits are that come along with it. By doing a bit of research online, you will be able to find out which benefits are most important to you.At least a few weeks before your job interview, you should prepare yourself to be prepared. In order to be prepared, you need to know how much time you have to accomplish the tasks that will be required of you. If you want to be ready, you need to have everything ready before you go to your interview.When you are applying for jobs, you will usually be asked for an e-mail address . If you do not have an e-mail address, you will need to get one. Before you submit your resume, be sure that you have all of the required information available to you on your computer. This includes your social security number, driver's license number, and the last four digits of your social security number.During your resume, if you are given the choice between putting your e-mail address in the subject line and your name in the body of the e-mails, choose the name that you feel will reflect your personality and how you write. The rest of the information that you put in your resume should be general information that everyone can relate to.If you are looking for a job, you will need to make sure that you have the best quality material that you can produce. This means that you will need to find a reputable employment agency that will prepare your resume and cover letter for you. They will not only give you quality materials but they will also make sure that you are properly prepared for your job interview.If you are someone who is self-motivated, you will want to focus on making sure that your resume is interesting and informative. If you are the type of person who likes to sit around and read a resume, make sure that you put together a good resume that can get you noticed by hiring managers.Once you have prepared your resume, remember that you will need to practice using the resume that you have written. You will be told that you will need to send your resume to more than one employer so do not forget to keep up to date with your job search.