hr-developments

How to Choose the Better and Right Career Path

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 06:11:00 +0000

Most of us find our eight-to-ten-hour jobs very monotonous and tiring. We tend to simply complete our work like machines. The chances of making mistakes and experiencing a decline in performance also increase.

People who do not explore their real interests at an early age tend to get lost in a lifetime of dissatisfaction and unhappiness.

Pursue Your Ambitions

In the pursuit of contentment, choosing the right career becomes a priority. However, this is not necessarily as easy as it seems. For one reason or another, most of us are not able to pursue our real ambitions. For example, in childhood most of us tend to dream of careers that parents, teachers, siblings, and friends suggest.

By the time we grow up and realize our real callings, it’s too late to start over. By this time, there are more demands on us. This is when we usually realize the importance of choosing the right career path.

Self Appraisal

Choosing the right career path is not all that difficult. You need to patiently conduct some self appraisal and think about what you want to accomplish in your life. A step-by-step review with the help of teachers will help you think about these things. Many colleges and junior colleges offer programs that help individuals make such life choices.

Call the career center at a college near you and tell them what you need. These services are government-supported and are usually available free of charge or at a minimal charge both to students and non-students.

These programs often open up new employment possibilities and new ways of thinking about careers. It’s better to conduct these searches before jumping into a career and it’s certainly better to accomplish this while you’re still young; however, even people who have been in the workforce for some time and are seeking to pursue new career paths can use these tools.

At the right time, with an understanding of your own capabilities and interests, and with the assistance of teachers and career counselors, you can choose a career path that will lead to a satisfying and productive life.

By Tony Jacowski

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Rotary Employment Fair 2011

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 07:36:00 +0000

employment.fair@jobmastergroup.com to be registered and receive an invitation that will allow you to enter the event, kindly be noted that invitations will be sent based on candidates qualifications after matching them with the available vacancies.
26-11-2011
Intercontinental city stars

Employment fair in Egypt

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 23:29:00 +0000

How to Write a Business Memo

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:44:00 +0000

Example Memo
From: Management
To: Northwest Area Sales Staff
RE: New Monthly Reporting System

We’d like to quickly go over some of the changes in the new monthly sales reporting system that we discussed at Monday’s special meeting. First of all, we'd once again like to stress that this new system will save you a lot of time when reporting future sales. We understand that you have concerns about the amount of time that will be initially required for inputting your client data. Despite this initial effort, we are confident that you will all soon enjoy the benefits of this new system.
Here is a look at the procedure you will need to follow to complete your area's client list:

Log on to the company web site at http://www.picklesandmore.com
Enter your user ID and password. These will be issued next week.
Once you have logged on, click on "New Client".
Enter the appropriate client information.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have entered all of your clients.
Once this information has been entered, select "Place Order".
Choose the client from the drop down list "Clients".
Choose the products from the drop down list "Products".
Choose the shipping specifications from the drop down list "Shipping".
Click on the "Process Order" button.

As you can see, once you have entered the appropriate client information, processing orders will require NO paperwork on your part.
Thank you all for your help in putting this new system into place.
Best regards,
Management

Important Points to Remember

Use the following structure to begin a memo: MEMO
From: (person or group sending the memo)
To: (person or group to whom the memo is addressed)
RE: (the subject of the memo, this should be in bold)
The term "memorandum" can be used instead of "memo".
A memo is generally is not as formal as a written letter. However, it is certainly not as informal as a personal letter.
The tone of a memo is generally friendly as it is a communication between colleagues.
Keep the memo concise and to the point.
If necessary, introduce the reason for the memo with a short paragraph.
Use bullet points to explain the most important steps in a process.
Use a short thank you to finish the memo. This need not be as formal as in a written letter.

http://esl.about.com/od/businessenglishwriting/a/bizdocs_2.htm

How to Write a Business Report

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:42:00 +0000

Reports: Example Report

Terms of Reference
Margaret Anderson, Director of Personnel has requested this report on employee benefits satisfaction. The report was to be submitted to her by 28 June.
Procedure
A representative selection of 15% of all employees were interviewed in the period between April 1st and April 15th concerning:

Overall satisfaction with our current benefits package
Problems encountered when dealing with the personnel department
Suggestions for the improvement of communication policies
Problems encountered when dealing with our HMO

Findings

Employees were generally satisfied with the current benefits package.
Some problems were encountered when requesting vacation due to what is perceived as long approval waiting periods.
Older employees repeatedly had problems with HMO prescription drugs procedures.
Employees between the ages of 22 and 30 report few problems with HMO.
Most employees complain about the lack of dental insurance in our benefits package.
The most common suggestion for improvement was for the ability to process benefits requests online.

Conclusions

Older employees, those over 50, are having serious problems with our HMO's ability to provide prescription drugs.
Our benefits request system needs to be revised as most complaints concerning in-house processing.
Improvements need to take place in personnel department response time.
Information technology improvements should be considered as employees become more technologically savvy.

Recommendations

Meet with HMO representatives to discuss the serious nature of complaints concerning prescription drug benefits for older employees.
Give priority to vacation request response time as employees need faster approval in order to be able to plan their vacations.
Take no special actions for the benefits package of younger employees.
Discuss the possibility of adding an online benefits requests system to our company Intranet.

Important Points to Remember

A report is divided into four areas:
- Terms of Reference- This section gives background information on the reason for the report. It usually includes the person requesting the report.
- Procedure- The procedure provides the exact steps taken and methods used for the report.
- Findings- The findings point out discoveries made during the course of the report investigation.
- Conclusions- The conclusions provide logical conclusions based on the findings.
- Recommendations- The recommendations state actions that the writer of the report feels need to be taken based on the findings and conclusions.
Reports should be concise and factual. Opinions are given in the "conclusions" section. However, these opinions should be based on facts presented in the "findings".
Use simple tenses (usually the present simple) to express facts.
Use the imperative form (Discuss the possibility ..., Give priority ..., etc.) in the "recommendations" section as these apply to the company as a whole

http://esl.about.com/od/businessenglishwriting/a/bizdocs.htm

How to Write a Business Email

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:40:00 +0000

Example 1: Formal
Hello,
I read on your web site that you offer Music CD copying for large quantities of CDs. I'd like to inquire about the procedures involved in these services. Are the files transferred online, or are the titles sent by CD to you by standard mail? How long does it usually take to produce approximately 500 copies? Are there any discounts on such a large quantity?
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. I look forward to your response.
Jack Finley
Sales Manager, Young Talent Inc.
(709) 567 - 3498
Example 2: Informal
At 16.22 01/07/2002 +0000, you wrote:
> I hear you're working on the Smith account. If you need any information don't hesitate to get in > contact with me.
Hi Tom,
Listen, we've been working on the Smith account and I was wondering if you could give me a hand? I need some inside information on recent developments over there. Do you think you could pass on any information you might have?
Thanks
Peter
Peter Thompsen
Account Manager, Tri-State Accounting
(698) 345 - 7843

Important Points to Remember

Email is much less formal than a written letter. Emails are usually short and concise.
If you are writing to someone you don't know, a simple "Hello" is adequate. Using a salutation such as "Dear Mr Smith," is too formal.
When writing to someone you know well, feel free to write as if you are speaking to the person.
Use abbreviated verb forms (He's, We're, He'd, etc.)
Include a telephone number to the signature of the email. This will give the recipient the chance to telephone if necessary.
It is not necessary to include your email address as the recipient can just reply to the email.
When replying eliminate all the information that is not necessary. Only leave the sections of text that are related to your reply. This will save your reader time when reading your email.

http://esl.about.com/od/businessenglishwriting/a/bizdocs_3.htm

Formal Letter Structure

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:38:00 +0000

Formal letters written in block format place everything on the left hand side of the page. Place the your address or your company's address at the top of the letter on the left (or use your company's letterhead) followed by the address of the person and / or company you are writing to placed on the left side of the page. Hit the key return a number of times and use the date.
Formal Letter Structure: Standard Format
In formal letters written in standard format place your address or your company's address at the top of the letter on the right. Place the address of the person and / or company you are writing on the left side of the page. Place the date on the right hand side of the page in alignment with your address.
Formal Letter Structure: Basic Structure
First Paragraph
The first paragraph of formal letters should include an introduction to the purpose of the letter.
Body Paragraphs
The second and following paragraphs should provide the main information of the letter, and build on the main purpose in the introductory first paragraph.
Final Paragraph
The final paragraph should shortly summarize the intent of the formal letter and end with some call to action.
The Start
Dear Mr, Ms (Mrs, Miss) - if you know the name of the person you are writing to. Use Dear Sir / Madam if you do not know the name of the person you are writing to, or To Whom it May Concern
VERY IMPORTANT: Always use Ms for women unless you are specifically requested to use Mrs or Miss
Formal Letter Structure: Beginning Your Letter
Starting with a 'Thank You'
Formal letters are often begun by thanking someone. This is especially true when writing in response to an inquiry of some kind. Here are some useful phrases:
Thank you for your letter of (date) inquiring about ...
We would like to thank you for your letter of (date) asking for / requesting information about ...
In response to your letter of (date), we would like to thank you for your interest in ...
Examples
I would like to thank you for your letter of January 22nd requesting information about our new line of lawn mowers.
In response to your letter of October 23, 1997, we would like to thank you for your interest in our new line of products.
Reason for Writing
If you are beginning correspondence with someone about something, or asking for information, begin by providing a reason for writing:
I am writing to inform you about ...
I am writing to ask / inquire about ...
Examples
I am writing to ask about information for small businesses.
I am writing to inform you that we have not yet received payment for ...
Asking for Help
Use the following phrases to ask for help:
I would be grateful if you could + verb
Would you mind + verb + ing
Would it be to much to ask that ...
Examples
I would be grateful if you could send me a brochure.
Would you mind telephoning me during the next week.
Would it be to much to ask that our payment be postponed for two weeks.
Offering Help
The following phrases are used to offer help:
I would be happy to + verb
We would be pleased to + verb
Examples
I would be happy to answer any questions you have.
We would be pleased to assist you in finding a new location.
Enclosing Documents
In some formal letters you will need to include documents or other information. Use the following phrases to draw attention to any enclosed documents you might have included.
Enclosed please find + non
Enclosed you will find ... + noun
We enclose ... + noun
Examples
Enclosed you will find a copy of our brochure.
Enclosed please find a copy of our brochure.
We enclose a brochure.
Closing Remarks
Always finish a formal letter with some call to action, or reference to a future outcome you desire. Some of the options include:
A referral to a future meeting:
I look forward to meeting / seeing you
I look forward to meeting you next week.
An offer of further help
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions regarding this matter.
If you need any further assistance please contact me.
Finishing
Sign the letter with:
Yours faithfully,
Yours sincerely,
for formal letters OR
Best wishes
Best regards
http://esl.about.com/od/businessenglishwriting/a/Formal-Letter-Structure.htm

Types of Business Letters

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:36:00 +0000

There are a number of types of business letters in English. Accomplished speakers of English also need to be able to write the following types of business letters to be successful in business. Begin with a clear understanding of business letter writing basics. Once you've understood basic layout styles, standard phrases, salutation and endings, continue to improve your business letter writing skills by learning to write the following types of business letters.
Making An Inquiry
Make an inquiry when you are requesting more information about a product or service. This type of business letter tends to include specific information such as product type, as well as asking for further details in the form of brochures, catalogs, telephone contact, etc. Making inquiries can also help you keep up on your competition!
Sales Letters
Sales Letters are used to introduce new products to new customers and past clients. It's important to outline an important problem that needs to be solved and provide the solution in sales letters. This example letter provides an outline, as well as important phrases to use when sending out a wide variety of sales letters.
Replying to an Inquiry
Replying to inquiries are one of the most important business letters that you write. Customers who make inquiries are interested in specific information, and are excellent business prospects. Learn how to thank the customers, provide as much information as possible, as well as make a call to action for a positive outcome.
Account Terms and Conditions
When a new customer opens an account it is essential to inform them of account terms and conditions. If you run a small business, it is common to provide these terms and conditions in the form of a letter. This guide provides a clear example on which you can base your own business letters providing account terms and conditions.
Letters of Acknowledgment
For legal purposes letters of acknowledgment are often requested. These letters are also referred to as letters of receipt and tend to be rather formal and short. These two examples letters will provide you with a template to use in your own work and can be easily adapted for a number of purposes.
Placing an Order
As a business person, you will often place an order - especially if you have a large supply chain for your product. This example business letter provides an outline to make sure your order placement is clear so that you receive exactly what you order.
http://esl.about.com/od/businessenglishwriting/a/Types-Of-Business-Letters.htm

Writing a Business Plan

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:34:00 +0000

One of the most important things you can do for your business, new or existing, is to write a business plan. Businesses have different reasons to write a business plan but the process of creating a business plan will only help the business become successful.
Before beginning to write a business plan, research your market and gather current industry data. Retailers will find a variety of official statistics for the industry, general demographic information, polls, trends, and other retail analysis online.

Sample Business Plans & Software

A business plan for a retail store can be a complex multi-page document created using special software or it can be a page torn from a notebook. Whatever format is used, be sure to include the essential parts of a retail business plan. If you're having trouble writing a business plan or need help creating a format, download a free business plan template, get sample business plans, or use a business plan outline to get started writing your business plan.
There are various business plan software packages on the market today. Most of the business plan programs provide document templates, free sample plans and advice for writing a business plan. Before investing time and money in a software package, find out what you need to know before you buy business plan software.

Business Plans

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:32:00 +0000

How to Win the Job Search Competition

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:24:00 +0000

When you talk about hiring an employee, sometimes it seems that a job applicant prevails because of a favorable convergence of the sun, moon, and stars.
Or, maybe hiring an employee is just like a crap shoot. Or, hiring an employee is like throwing a bunch of darts and hoping one sticks in the target. I have heard all of these references to the process of hiring an employee.
But the fundamental question remains. What makes one applicant the winner in the job search competition? Employees who were hired did a lot of things right. Better, they did almost nothing wrong. How did Mary get the job?
When comparing candidates, an employer has to differentiate between well-qualified applicants. Candidates who appear to have the qualities, skills, education, experience, and knowledge the employer seeks are invited to interview. One is selected. How do you get to be the one?

Your Personal Presentation Must Make You Stand Out

An effective, targeted, customized resume and cover letter got you in the door. Perhaps a telephone screen allowed you to highlight experience and interest that matched the employer's needs. You're on track and an interview is scheduled.
From this moment forward, the potential employer is assessing your fit for the job, the culture, and the needs and strengths of the team. At this point, the employer is giving you every opportunity to blow your chance.

Your physical appearance matters. It's the first thing the employer sees. Your clothing, hair, makeup, jewelry, and accoutrements make an immediate impression. Make the best possible first impression. Your presentation of yourself as a candidate must be flawless. Unpolished shoes do sink job searches.

Your Interaction During Interviews Either Nails Your Job - or Fails

Your preparation for the interview needs to include formulating specific, professional answers to potential questions. You want to sound knowledgeable, competent, and experienced. You need to be able to cite examples of what you have accomplished, contributed, and believe is important. This is not something most people do well off the cuff. Prepare responses.
Pay special attention to the physical parts of you that will be in evidence throughout an interview across a desk or conference table. Dirty finger nails matter as does that faint stain on your shirt. They send loud messages about your attention to detail and personal care habits.
Relaxed communication is critical. Talk about workplace issues and goals that are important to you. Ask questions to assess whether the culture is a good fit for you. You don't want to join every organization you encounter in a job search. Trust me; sometimes it's better to keep looking.

Your Past Will Come Back to Haunt You

Smart employers, before making an offer, send out a wide networking inquiry to find people who have known you in your past jobs, professional associations, and community involvement activities. Smart employers also do extensive background checking. What people say about you matters.
You may find it difficult to believe that how you live your life and comport yourself in the workplace matters. But, your values and their manifestation in your work life do matter. Living with integrity, playing well with coworkers, leaving friends - not enemies - in your prior jobs will support you in your job search. And, when the employer who has the job you really want casts his net to solicit feedback, ensure what people say about you will win you your dream job.
Prepare your references and former supervisors to quickly and professionally return the call of your prospective employer. Smart employers call them and ask many questions. References who are unreachable can torpedo your job offer.
Employers customarily "google" their candidate's names and do online searches to background check the candidate. If you have odd Internet references to your work, your life, or your background, beware. If you blog or write a web site, your comments will impact hiring decisions. You may never know why you were not hired for the job. The interested employer will ask about their concern, however.

Behave as if Every Interaction Matters Because They Do

From the initial phone screen or the phone call during which an employer sets up an interview, every interaction matters.

The receptionist has a vote. She or he makes statements like, "I really liked that candidate. He was so nice." "Did you see how late he was and he never even apologized?" "I didn't like him at all."

Additionally, if you are a favored candidate for hiring, the HR staff or the hiring manager will stay closely in touch to give you feedback. They will let you know how the hiring process is progressing, because they think you may be the one. When these calls start coming, you still have competition from other job searchers, but you are definitely on the short list.

These interactions and the relationship building are critical to the employer hiring an employee. When the eventual offer comes, you already have a relationship with the new employer. Building the relationship matters.

These tips for winning the job search competition are based on recent hiring. I asked myself the question, "why Mary, not Jim?" These are my answers. May they help you win your job search competition.
We have whole sites devoted to job searching including Job Searching and Job Searching: Technical at About.com. Check them out.
http://humanresources.about.com/od/careerdevelopment/a/got_job_2.htm

How to Break Into a Career in Human Resources

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:21:00 +0000

Many people are eager to start a career in Human Resources, as it is a fast-growing field with many lucrative opportunities. Career analysts expect the number of HR jobs to increase in the projected future and the median annual income is above the national average. For these reasons and more, you are probably wondering how to start an HR career of your own. You will find some useful information below that will guide you through the process.

Education and Training for a Human Resources Career

There are HR professionals with a wide variety of educational backgrounds. However, many HR positions require candidates with a minimum of a four-year degree. A bachelor's degree in human resources, personnel or some other related subject will offer the best training for an HR career. Such a degree will also be more highly regarded amongst hiring managers.
This is not to imply that current HR professionals without degrees are unsuccessful. Many HR professionals have developed successful careers in Human Resources without degrees. Times are changing in all professional fields, however. If you're starting out or thinking about switiching to a career in Human Resources post 2000, you need to obtain a degree.
If you would like to pursue a managerial position or specialized career in HR, some schools offer business degrees that are more focused on a certain area of human resources. Naturally, a graduate-level degree in a related field will help to place you on more hiring shortlists.
Whether you pursue a general HR degree or a more specialized practice within HR, you should be sure to take courses that cover topics such as management, recruitment, training and compensation. Of course, there are many other business courses that relate to the HR field, so an interdisciplinary program is good.
In addition to a college degree, many professionals will have the opportunity to seek certification in certain HR disciplines. In fact, large companies will sometimes offer workshops and classes that broaden an existing professional's HR skills. By completing a professional certification course, you can increase your earning potential. Examples of certifications include the Professional in Human Resources (PHR) or Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR).
If you are already working in an entry-level HR position, earning a certification could help boost your career. Likewise, it could help you transition from a different department to an HR position.

Finding Work Within the Human Resources Field

Finding a position within the HR industry is similar to finding any other kind of job. There are many online resources for jobseekers, such as About.com's Job Search, Monster, and CareerBuilder.
In addition to those general career sites, however, there are online job board resources that are more specific to the HR field. The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), for example, offers a job board that is primarily for HR professionals. Additional job boards specialize in the field of Human Resources.
Some businesses will first look for candidates within the company. Keep this in mind if you are currently working for a large company and wish to enter the HR department. If your company has an internal resource for new positions, such as a private online job board or internal job postings, check regularly for your chance to get your foot in the door.
More candidates for HR jobs are finding their way into HR careers via professional networking and online social networking sites these days, too. If you're still a student, or just out of college, an internship in an HR department can provide the relevant experience you need for your HR job search.
Just like any other profession, finding a career in HR is easiest for those with a college degree in the field and /or professional certification. But, people with related majors in such areas as business, sociology, psychology, and social sciences are also considered, especially for more entry level jobs. There are many HR positions available and there will be more opportunities in the future. With the proper training and some diligent job seeking, you can join other HR professionals in what is a most lucrative and satisfying career

http://humanresources.about.com/od/hrbasicsfaq/a/HR_jobs.htm?nl=1

Human resources Planning, see this video

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 11:27:00 +0000

Leran more about human resources planning

What Kind of Job Do You Want

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sun, 22 May 2011 07:47:00 +0000

One of the biggest mistakes job seekers make is to start looking for a job before they're really ready — even before they have figured out what career field they want to work in and what job they are qualified for. Before you begin your job search, you must have a clear picture of what you want to do, what you can do, and where you want to do it. You need to define your objectives clearly. Good career planning is essential. Remember, it's not just a job; it's a step in your career.

Self-Assessment

If you are in the process of choosing a career, a self-assessment is in order. A self-assessment looks at your interests, values, skills, and personality. These factors help determine which careers you will find most satisfying and in which you will be the most successful. Although it's been said that you are what you do, think about this phrase reversed: You do what you are. Your personality, likes, dislikes, and values should determine what you do and where you work, not the other way around. Self-assessment is usually done through vocational or career tests that include interest inventories, values inventories, skill assessments, and personality inventories.
Interest inventories let you home in on your interests by presenting you with a series of statements and then asking you whether you agree or disagree with each one. The premise of interest inventories is that people with similar interests will be successful in the same type of work. Here are some statements you might find on an interest inventory:

I enjoy playing golf.
One of my favorite activities is reading.
I would rather participate in sports than watch sports.
I would rather watch sports than participate in sports.

A test that focuses on your values will consider the importance to you of different values. Here are some questions you might find on a values inventory:

Do you enjoy making a difference in people's lives?
Is having a prestigious job important to you?
Do you need to have a lot of leisure time to be happy?

A test that assesses your skills will not only ask if you have certain skills, it might also ask if you enjoy using them. Although you may not have the skills you need to work in a particular field, it doesn't mean you shouldn't consider that career for the future — after you've obtained them. Here are some questions you might see on a skills assessment:

Are you good at working with numbers? Do you enjoy working with numbers?
Do you pay attention to details? Do you like having to pay attention to details?
Are you good at working with people? Do you enjoy working with people?

Career-planning professionals have discovered that people with certain personality types are well suited for some careers but not for others.
A personality inventory like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator will look at factors such as traits, motivations, and attitude.
http://www.netplaces.com/job-search/before-you-begin-your-job-search/what-kind-of-job-do-you-want.htm

A Good Match

Time and again, career counselors report that one of the most common problems job seekers run into is that they don't consider whether they're suited for a particular position or career. Keep in mind that, on a daily basis, you'll spend more time on your job than you spend doing anything else. It's important to know that you'll enjoy the work. If you are thinking about becoming an elementary school teacher, be sure you enjoy spending a great deal of time with children. If you want to be an accountant, ask yourself if you're meticulous and if you like detail-oriented work. If you want to work for a daily newspaper, be sure you can handle a fast-paced, high-pressure environment.

A Job and a Lifestyle

When you choose a career, you are also choosing a lifestyle. If you decide, for example, that you want to be a management consultant for an international firm, it is likely you'll be spending a great deal of your time in an airplane. You'd better like to fly!
You also have to think about where you will have to work. Some jobs exist primarily in certain areas. Do you want a career that would require you to live in a large city? Or would you rather live in a less populated, rural area?
Compensation is another important factor you must consider. Do you feel it is more important to make a lot of money or to be fulfilled by your work?
What will your work schedule be? If you want to have a flexible work schedule, you will have to choose a job that allows for one. Are you willing to work the long hours that are common in certain fields? If not, there are some jobs you shouldn't consider, like most jobs in the legal profession.
Think about how fast you want to advance. Some careers offer a much greater chance than others do to advance quickly. In other fields, the opportunities for advancement are virtually nonexistent. When looking for a particular job in your field, you should also be aware that companies do not all offer the same opportunities for advancement.

Are You Working Long Hours on Work You Love?

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sun, 22 May 2011 07:42:00 +0000

Are you working more, enjoying it less, and dreading the time you spend most days at your work place? If you answered "yes" to this question, take some time to explore your current career choice and consider all of the other options life has to offer. You spend a substantial portion of your life at work. Why not make that time as professionally and personally rewarding and fulfilling as possible? You have nothing to lose, and potentially a great deal to gain, by spending time exploring your interests, values, and options. I believe you really, ought to want to love what you do at work.

You Work Long Hours: Invest Them in Work You Love

The average American manager works 42 hours per week, but a substantial number of managers and professionals - three in 10, or 10.8 million people - work 49 or more hours per week. Of male managers and professionals, four in 10 work 49 hours. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2000 report, this number of working hours is substantially unchanged since 1989. More managers and professionals are working over 49 hours, but more are also working less which keeps the number steady.
Comparatively, the hours that people work in non-supervisory or production jobs have steadily declined since the early 1960s in all categories except manufacturing, construction, and mining. In these jobs, hours have increased, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics Monthly Labor Review, July 2000.
While the overall trend in working hours is down, with the average non-supervisory or production employee working 34.5 hours in 1999 as compared to 38.7 in 1964, this figure is skewed by workers in services and especially retail, who are working substantially fewer hours.
Remember, too, that these hours do not include time spent dressing for work or commuting. Getting to and from work can add an additional five to 20 hours to your work week. So, when you consider all of the time you spend related to work, you are working long hours.

You Feel as if You Are Working Harder

Managers and professionals perceive that they are working harder. Combine the extra hours relating to work with the actual hours worked, and a substantial portion of your week is filled. The pace of the modern work place is stressful. With most spouses and partners working and two schedules to balance with the needs of the family, life, in general, is stressful. Technology inventions allow you to communicate with work twenty-four hours a day if needed. With email, cell phones, laptops, and PDAs, is it any wonder that you feel as if you are working all the time? Even if you're not, you have the constant potential to fill every waking hour with work.
A Gallup Management Journal Survey summary reports that nearly one-fifth of workers are actively disengaged, or disconnected from their work. These workers have high absenteeism and are less happy with their personal and professional lives.
According to the report, "Gallup has calculated that they are penalizing U.S. economic performance by about $300 billion, or about the size of the nation’s defense budget." These attendance and dissatisfaction issues make work longer, harder, and more stressful for the remaining workers.
Additionally, in many work places fewer people are doing more work as workers are not replaced when they leave or retire. In other organizations, finding qualified staff remains problematic, especially in areas relating to engineering and other technical careers.

Solutions to Ensure That You Love Your Work

Now that I've convinced you that you're working long hours and working hard, why not follow this prescription for making sure you love your work. If you're going to work this hard, your work must be something you love. You need to take some career exploration steps to find work that you really love.
So often in life, people seem to fall into jobs because one was handy or available at the right moment. Maybe you started in one position with a company hoping to move into something you liked better later. Maybe you started life as a teacher and continued to teach out of inertia or because you had so many years invested in the retirement system.
No matter your current position, every once in awhile, it's time to assess whether the career you have created is the best career for you. Recognizing that there are certain economic and social realities, think about where you'd really like to spend the time of your life. These steps will help you explore and find work you really love.

Spend Some Thinking Time to Know Yourself

Take time on your vacation or on a long weekend to devote exclusively to thinking about your work and career. Ask yourself some tough questions. Do you get to do what you like to do at work every day? Does your job match your values and make a difference? Do you make the money you need to achieve your goals?
Does your career provide the work-life balance you desire? Do you love your work or is there another type of work you'd prefer? Be honest with yourself and if you answer these questions negatively, it's time to explore further.
One exercise that I have found particularly useful is to write down everything you want to do, accomplish, see, try, visit, and so on. If your current career will allow you to accomplish these goals, okay. But it's not okay, if you don't have a shot at getting what you want from life.

Read Career Books and Do the Exercises

Here are several excellent career exploration books. Take time to read several of the books and do the exercises recommended by the authors. Think of it as guided career exploration to discover work you will love.

Take Career Assessments to Find Work You Love

The Web provides an excellent opportunity to take online career assessments to identify your strengths and explore your needs. Purchasing the book, Now, Discover Your Strengths, also provides an access code to an online assessment called StrengthsFinder.com, which is useful.
Several sources of career assessments you might want to explore to learn about yourself include these. You can pursue these assessments on your own or you can consider talking with a career professional.
http://humanresources.about.com/od/careerplanningandadvice1/a/loveyourwork_2.htm

Create Your Own Path: Career Promotion Tips

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sun, 22 May 2011 07:33:00 +0000

Tired of watching other workers advance their career as you continue to exceed all expectations, without promotion, in your current position? Successful workers create their own path to promotion; they don't rely on luck. Self-promotion is key to your career success.
If you have experienced this situation, even once, you know that you can’t continue to wait for others to decide when you should be offered a promotion. Even if you are not ready to make a job or career change today, you will benefit from knowing how to put into action a successful self-promotion plan.
Unfortunately, if no one knows how much you contribute to the company, you will continue to miss the next great promotion opportunity. Letting people know that you are interested in advancing your career is the first step in an effective self-promotion plan. You can simply advise your immediate supervisor or a representative from your human resource department, but remember the old adage that "actions speak louder than words," and plan to make a lasting impression.

Create a Career Opportunity

One successful technique is to single out an unresolved challenge that exists in your company. Try to pick a situation that will benefit from your combination of experience and skills. Write a memo that outlines the need you've discovered. Highlight how you will use your skills to resolve the problem and contribute to the immediate objectives of the team or department involved. Send your memo to the person who will benefit most from your unique approach, for example, your boss or a human resources representative.
Don't wait for your organization to discover the same need. By waiting, you take the chance that they may decide to post the position. (If posting positions is policy in your company, at least your name is on the promotion list first.)
Without your proactive approach to your career and potential promotion, they may decide to promote one of your peers. By being proactive, you create a win-win situation. You may gain a challenging, enjoyable career opportunity and eliminate the need for a competition. Even if a new career or promotion opportunity does not result from your actions, you have successfully created an opportunity to demonstrate your value to the organization.You have increased the likelihood that they will consider you for the next rewarding career or promotion opportunity.
Volunteering is another way to promote your career and demonstrate your value while expanding your knowledge in critical areas of your company. Volunteering also provides a great way to earn a reputation for being reliable, professional, and cooperative, worthy of promotion. Keep in mind that while you are volunteering, you may discover a need that you have the skills and experience to resolve. A great advantage in this situation is that by being involved, you know the right person to contact; it may be the person you are working with in your volunteer position.

The more you know about yourself, the more you will communicate about your value to the right people at the right time to promote your career. Record everything that you do to enhance the company's bottom line. Start today by dividing a blank sheet of paper into three columns with three separate headings: action, result of action, and impact of action. Keep this paper with you as you do your job.
Your key accomplishments are probably actions that you take for granted. For example, if you are responsible for accounts payable, in column one write "paying invoices;" in column two write the result of this action, for example, paid in time - no interest payments, and in the third column write the impact of this action, for example, a decrease in the cost of production. Did you think of this action as related to decreasing cost, or did you think of it as doing part of your job? How do you think others view this action?
Scheduled performance development planning meetings provide the perfect opportunity to showcase your accomplishments for career promotion. By being proactive and creating opportunities, you improve the likelihood that you will gain the attention of your employer and the career promotion that you deserve.
http://humanresources.about.com/cs/careerdevelopment/a/aapromotion_2.htm

Network Your Way to a New Job or Career

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sun, 22 May 2011 07:26:00 +0000

When Cookie Burkhalter relocated from Colorado to Wilmington, Delaware three years ago, she thought finding a new job would be easy. With first-rate qualifications and more than twenty years of professional experience at Fortune 500 companies, she figured she would land a new position quickly by surfing a few Internet job boards and sending out her résumé.
But Burkhalter, an IT project manager, quickly discovered that it wasn’t going to be so easy. After months of applying for open positions, “I never got a single interview from a posting on the Net,” she declared. “Applying for all those jobs was a complete waste of my time.”
Her job search began to turn around for Burkhalter when she realized that the missing element in her job search was the human factor. “Even though I grew up in Delaware, I had been living out of state for a long time,” she recalled. “I had almost no local contacts, so I was relying on postings and ads to find out about available jobs. But by the time I saw the ad, so had thousands of other people, and one of them was always just a little more qualified than me.”

Network Your Way to A New Job

So Burkhalter set about rebuilding her business and social network. She joined two women’s groups made up of others who shared some of her personal interests and hobbies, and began to meet new people. When she let her new friends know about her job search, all of a sudden, she began to hear about jobs before they were advertised, and interviews started to materialize. When she finally did land a new job, it was the direct result of a referral from a friend.
You may not recognize what Burkhalter did as business networking, but that’s exactly what it was. Many people think of business networking as circulating around a room and exchanging business cards. But a broader view of business and social networking is that it creates a pool of contacts from which you can draw leads, referrals, ideas, and information for your job search. You can network without ever attending an official business or social networking event, although attending events is useful in networking.
Texas resident Maria Elena Duron found an executive job as a result of working as a community volunteer. “I was volunteering at the Midlands MexTex Fiesta, and I found myself flipping burgers side-by-side with a board member of the Austin Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation," Duron remembers. "He asked me if I had ever been involved in fundraising, and when I said I had, he asked for my résumé. He forwarded it to the Foundation with his personal recommendation, and three weeks later I was hired as Executive Director for the West Texas Region."

Find Your Job and Career by Business Networking

Your career network can and should contain current and former co-workers, alumni from your school, a wide range of people in your industry, and personal friends. Making time for lunch or coffee with these people can be much more productive for your job search than reading the want ads or surfing the web. In fact, surveys consistently show that 80-85% of job-seekers find work as the result of a referral from a friend or colleague, and only 2-4% land jobs from Internet job boards.
If you have been out of touch for a while with people you already know, don’t let that stop you from re-establishing contact when you start your job search. Everyone you speak to will have had to look for work at some point in their career, and most of them will be sympathetic and helpful.
To spread your business and social networking net even wider, you may need to start making the acquaintance of new people also. Every time you talk to a friend or colleague about your job search, ask for suggestions of other you might speak to, and follow up on their referrals.

Use Organized Events for Business Networking

Attending organized events may also play a role in your business networking and job search, since this can be an easy way to expand your business network quickly. Here are some popular choices for business and social networking events:

Chamber of Commerce mixers,
Service clubs such as Rotary and Kiwanis,
Trade and professional association meetings in your industry,
Lectures, workshops, conferences, and fundraisers hosted by educational institutions, community organizations, and affinity groups,
Social, cultural, and sporting events that include receptions or other mix-and-mingle time,
Private gatherings organized for the purpose of meeting new people and schmoozing, and
Job clubs.

You will have more success at this kind of business and social networking if you go back to the same groups over and over than if you keep going to new groups all the time. Find two or three that seem to have the right mix of people, and keep going back.

Follow-up Is the Key to Business Networking

If you don't follow up with the people you meet, though, you are wasting your time in meeting them. You may think that once you have told someone what type of job you are looking for, if they hear of something, they will call you. The truth is that if they have met you only once, they probably don't even remember you, and it's even less likely that they will remember where they put your number.
After meeting someone new, send them a “nice-to-meet-you” note and invite them to attend another event with you or make a date for lunch or coffee. Find out what the two of you have in common, and see if there is an activity you could share.
Building relationships likes this takes time and effort, but relationships are the core of networking. The people in your network should be people you truly enjoy interacting with, because if you’re doing it right, you’ll be spending a lot of time with them.
Says Duron, "Don't limit yourself to just networking in your industry; everyone is interconnected. Getting to know a day care director makes sense even if you don't want a job in day care, because she knows so many people. Waiters and hairdressers are often the first to hear about coming changes that lead to open positions. As long as you have your antennae out and listen, you can connect with anyone."
Don’t expect business and social networking to be a quick fix for your job search. It can take time for your relationship-building efforts to pay off. You need to put in the effort to get to know people, and trust that you will see results from it. But the best time to begin building your business and social network is while you are still employed.

http://humanresources.about.com/od/interpersonalcommunication/a/networking_jobs_2.htm

Internal Job Application for Job Opportunities

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sun, 22 May 2011 07:23:00 +0000

These directions provide guidance for employees who wish to apply for internal jobs within your organization. They accompany the two-part internal job application that are pages two and three of this feature. Please feel free to use and/or modify the format to meet your organization's needs.

Internal Job Application

(Your Organization Name) is dedicated to assisting employees to reach their professional goals through internal promotion and transfer opportunities. One of the tools the company makes available to employees in managing their career is (your organization) internal job posting. This procedure enables current employees to apply for any available position either before or at the same time the position is advertised outside of the company.
Internal job opportunities are regularly posted on the "Career Opportunities" bulletin board on the right side of the lunchroom. Job openings are also posted on the “General Information” board by the time clocks.
To apply for an opening:
Step 1: Ensure that you meet the following eligibility requirements.

You are a current, regular full- or part-time (your company) employee.
You have been in your current position for at least six months. (Exceptions to this six-month requirement can be made by your current supervisor and should be consistent with company business needs.)
Your performance meets performance development plan (PDP) standards or established work standards in your current position.
You have not had an employee counseling or corrective action within six months. You are not following a performance improvement plan for your current position.
You meet the qualifications listed for the position on the job posting.

Step 2: Complete an Internal Job Application form.
Applications are available from Human Resources, the reception area of the front office and in the form bins on the right wall of the lunchroom. Attach your resume, if you have one, to the completed application.

Step 3: Submit the Internal Job Application to your supervisor for approval.
Step 4: Submit your completed and approved Internal Job Application to HR.
Step 5: Candidates who are qualified will participate in an initial interview with the supervisor of the position, if they have not interviewed with that particular supervisor within the past six months. Finalists will participate in two additional interviews, with an HR representative and with an internal customer of the position or a manager. The selected person will be notified by the supervisor of the position.
http://humanresources.about.com/cs/recruiting/a/intjobapp.htm

Why Shine at an Internal Interview?

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Sun, 22 May 2011 07:21:00 +0000

I have a question for you which I would appreciate your thoughts on. I have a presentation to make to an interview board followed by an interview tomorrow for a position which I am afraid I will not be seriously considered for. I am not being defeatist; it is just that I am fully aware who is ear marked for the job. I have in fact been told as much. I do, however, want to give a good account of myself, but I am finding it difficult to motivate myself. What do you recommend?

Answer: The internal job interview serves many purposes. The employer holds an internal interview to assess the skills and experience of a current employee. The internal interview can be so much more than just a job interview, though. You might want to solicit opportunities to participate in an internal interview. Here's why you'll want to participate enthusiastically in an internal interview.
This is the most important thing you need to remember about an internal interview. Even if the position has someone else's name written all over it, organizations use internal job interviews in multiple ways - ways that you can take advantage of to further your career aspirations. You can use an internal job interview for career development.
Organizations use internal interviews to become familiar with a range of employee skills and interests, in addition to selecting an employee for the current opening. Thus, the internal job interview is your opportunity to have an audience that wants to get to know you and potentially appreciate what you have to offer.
Even if you believe that you are not seriously being considered for the current job, the interview is your opportunity to shine for all of your future opportunities within your organization.
The interna interview is a terrific opportunity to display your talents, skills, interests, and potential to make contributions. Don't blow a wonderful opportunity to impress the interview team with your interest, talents, skills, passion, potential to contribute, and regard for your organization.
Don't think of the internal interview as your opportunity to obtain a position that you believe has already been tagged for another employee. Think of the internal interview as an opportunity to shine for your career. More opportunities will appear. If not, you can always target another employer; the job interviews you experience with your current employer will prepare you to shine for a potential new employer. Practice does make job interview comfort and efficacy improve.
And, just in case you're wrong about the employee that you think will receive the promotion, use the job interview as an opportunity to learn more about your organization and the interview team members, your colleagues. You can put your very best foot forward for your future in the internal job interview.
Is this motivating enough? I hope so. Good luck and best wishes. Don't mess up your time to shine, learn, and practice during your internal job interview.
http://humanresources.about.com/od/career-development/f/Purpose-Of-An-Internal-Job-Interview-For-Career-Development.htm?nl=1

Conduct a Simple Training Needs Assessment

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:28:00 +0000

Want to quickly learn the training needs of a group of employees who have similar jobs? Yet, you don't want to develop and implement a survey, put the questions in a computer program, or run analyses on demographic information you collect.
This training needs assessment works best in small to mid-sized organizations. It will give you a quick assessment of the training needs of an employee group.
This training needs assessment helps find common training programs for a group of employees.

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: Approximately 1-2 hours

Here's How:

The facilitator gathers all employees who have the same job in a conference room with a white board or flip charts and markers.
Ask each employee to write down their ten most important training needs. Emphasize that the employees should write specific needs. Communication or team building are such broad training needs, as an example, that you would need to do a second training needs assessment on each of these topics. How to give feedback to colleagues or how to resolve a conflict with a coworker are more specific training needs.
Then, ask each person to list their ten training needs. As they list the training needs, the facilitator captures the training needs on the white board or flip chart. Don't write down duplicates but do confirm by questioning that the training need that on the surface appears to be a duplicate, really is an exact duplicate.
When all training needs have been listed, use a weighted voting process to prioritize the training needs across the group. In a weighted voting process, you use sticky dots or numbers written in magic marker (not as much fun) to vote on and prioritize the list of training needs. Assign a large dot 25 points and smaller dots five points each. Distribute as many dots as you like. Tell needs assessment participants to place their dots on the chart to vote on their priorities.
List the training needs in order of importance, with the number of points assigned as votes determining priority, as determined by the sticky dot voting process. Make sure you have notes (best taken by someone on their laptop while the process is underway) or the flip chart pages to maintain a record of the training needs assessment session.
Take time, or schedule another session, to brainstorm the needed outcomes or goals from the first 3-5 training sessions identified in the needs assessment process. This will help as you seek and schedule training to meet the employees' needs. You can schedule more brainstorming later, but I generally find that you need to redo the needs assessment process after the first few training sessions.
Note the number one or two needs of each employee, that may not have become the priorities for the group. Try to build that training opportunity into the employee's performance development plan.

Tips:

Training Needs Assessment can be, and often needs to be, much more complicated than this. But, this is a terrific process for a simple training needs assessment.
Make sure you keep the commitments generated by the training needs assessment process. Employees will expect to receive their key identified training sessions with the brainstormed objectives met.

What You Need:

Conference Room
Flip Chart or White Board and Markers

http://humanresources.about.com/od/trainingneedsassessment/ht/training_needs.htm

Provide Job Training for Employees - On the Job

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 13:24:00 +0000

Want to know how to provide effective job training for employees? The best job training happens at work. If you're committed to employee development - and powerful reasons exist about why employee development is critical - job training internally may provide your best answer.
Employees appreciate the chance to develop knowledge and skills without ever leaving work. And, you can customize the job training employes receive to your workplace needs, norms, and culture. Internal job training and employee development bring a special plus. Unlike external job training, examples, terminology, and opportunities can reflect the culture, environment, and needs of your workplace.
You can offer powerful internal job training for employees to your significant advantage as an organization and service or product provider. Here are twelve ways to provide internal job training and significant employee development. Are you pursuing all of these opportunities for internal job training and employee development? If not, you should be.

1. Mentoring

Xploresoft, LLC

A mentoring relationship is a win-win for all parties: the employee who seeks a mentor, the mentor, and organizations that employ the mentoring pair. Mentoring is also a powerful form of job training and can contribute experience, skills, and wisdom to a mentored employee to increase and expand employee development. Mentoring, whether with the boss or another experienced employee, is key in employee development within your organization

2. Periodic In-House Training From Internal or External Resources

Diane Diederich

If you're looking for a way to develop your internal staff that involves an external consultant, or even an internal manager or HR staff person, internal job training is an effective way to offer training and build the team at the same time. Employee development, offered in brief sessions, internally, on a regular basis, allows you to do job training with a consultant or internal provider who knows your goals, language, culture, and workplace norms. These job training sessions also build the team and help employees develop conversations about improvement, growth, and change.

3. Implement a Book Club at Work

Looking for an easy way to share information for employee development at work? Form a book club in which a group of employees voluntarily reads the same book. Combine the book reading with a regularly scheduled discussion meeting to double the impact of the book on job training. Ask one employee to lead the discussion about the week's assigned chapter or two. Ask a second employee to lead the discussion about the relevance of the book's teachings to your organization. You'll magnify employee development with a book club.

4. Require Employees Who Attend External Training to Do Job Training

Christopher Robbins / Getty Images

When an employee attends an external seminar, training session, or conference, establish a company norm that the employee is expected to magnify the experience for the company by training other employees. This is effective employee development because it introduces new ideas to your organization. It is cost-effective in that the attending employee provides employee development for other employees. These presentations promote employee development, the promulgation of new ideas, and extend job training knowledge. The requirement also develops the skills of the employee who attended the external event. He or she practices sharing ideas and presenting - both significant skills for employee development.
Related: Train Managers to Train

5. Promotion

Stockbyte / Getty Images

A promotion is a powerful form of job training. A promotion forces an employee to grow - or sink. With appropriate mentoring and coaching, a promotion is a positive form of employee development. For job training, a promotion is stretching and fulfilling.

6. Transfer

A transfer is an approach to employee development that also helps employees create a career path. A transfer provides experience in other areas of an employee's current department or in a new department within the business. This job training widens the employee's horizons and enables the employee to gain wider and broader experience within the business. A transfer provides effective job training.

7. Lateral Move

In a lateral move, an employee moves to an equivalent role in an organization for job training and career development. Though the new role usually provides a similar salary range and a job title at the same level, lateral moves are critical for employee development. In a lateral move, the employee's job responsibilities change thus affording the employee job training and new opportunities.

8. Hold Brown Bag Lunches

Aleksandar Petrovic

Brown bag lunches or lunch and learns, as they are frequently called, are another form of employee development, available internally. Whether about work or work-life topics, brown bag lunches provide employees with information they need to create great lives. How can this not be good for an employer? Use brown bag lunches, or buy lunch for the employees, to spotlight projects and initiatives within your company. Provide job training that enhances employee knowledge of your field, your industry, your competition or your customers. Or, just help employees manage work life balance and their individual needs within their every day lives. Regardless of topic, brown bag lunches, or lunch and learns, enhance employee development and their commitment to your business.

9. On the Job Training

Jacob Wackerhausen

On the job training is normally emphasized for job training for any new employee. Whether structured, with written processes and procedures, or informal, the power of on the job training for employee development cannot be overemphasized. Early and timely job training ensures that the employee will perform his or her job effectively. Competence builds employee morale and motivation and ensures employee commitment and retention. Employee onboarding or new employee orientation is also critical in this job training mix. You can also produce internal job training videos and other resources that allow employees unlimited access to job training.

10. Coaching

peepo

Executives, managers, and others interested in career growth and employee development increasingly turn to a business coach, either internal or external, for a personally tailored development process for themselves or reporting employees. Coaching from a boss or other interested manager is always useful job training. Coaching is also a different delivery system for training, since training, especially with long term managers and people who are further along in their careers, is not working. The coach works with the manager to tailor the job training program in skill areas that need an impact.

11. Job Shadowing

Jack Hollingsworth / Getty Images

Job shadowing allows an employee to learn about and benefit from brief stints of job training while the employee observes and participates in the work of another employee. Job shadowing, whether for a day, a month, or some other period of specified time is a little used form of employee development. Used by colleges and universities, along with internships for student career exploration, job shadowing can provide job training as well. Job shadowing is also an excellent approach to the job training of employees who provide back up for jobs such as payroll. Job shadowing is also perfect for an employee with an interim assignment resulting from an employee termination.

12. Provide Internet, Intranet, and Webinar Training Classes and Resources

David Lees / Getty Images

If your company is not providing online training in your wiki or Intranet or other online employee resource, you are missing a golden opportunity for employee development. Portions of employee onboarding, access to company and departmental information, even your employee handbook, are better accessed online. Everything that any employee needs to know about your company should be accessible to employees online.
Myriad Internet resources, on just about any job training topic that you can imagine, are also available online. Providers from universities to consulting companies are vieing for your employee job training dollars online. You will invest time in vetting providers, but online training is a significant employee job training resource today - provided at work. From webinars to speakers to courses presented via telephone, employees or groups of employees canaccess online job training.
http://humanresources.about.com/od/new/tp/provide-job-training.htm

Tips for New Managers: Developing Good Management Skills

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:16:00 +0000

By: Laura Evans

Congratulations. You've landed your first management position and now you're not only responsible for your own performance, but the performance of all staff who report into you. Good management skills got you this far, but what do you need to do stay there? Hint: you have to look down the ladder as well as up.
Maintain the Status Quo
While you may have been hired or promoted because of your creative vision, don't plan on implementing radical changes your first few weeks on the job, especially if you're new to the organization. Introducing too much change too soon, can send the message to your team as well as other managers that you think you understand the company's workings better than they do.
Establish yourself in your new role and gain the confidence of others by taking the time to get the lay of the land before you start sharing ideas that affect the organization's structure, processes and systems. Even if you do know better, you'll still need the support of people around you to make things happen.
Get to Know Your Team
Make an effort to reach out individually to all those who now report into you. Schedule one-on-one meetings to get an idea of what your team perceives to be the department's or company's strengths and weaknesses and solicit their ideas for solutions.
Encourage your team members to ask for what they need from you in your role as manager, where they'd like to improve their skills or receive more training, and what they consider to be their strongest achievements. Above all, be sincere. Employees have a good sense of when managers are just going through the motions. If they get that sense from you, it will take additional time and effort to build trust.
Learn How to Delegate
One the most basic management skills that's often least used by first-time managers is delegating. After all, when you complete a task yourself you have complete control over the outcome. However, by not delegating you're doing both yourself and your staff a disservice.
Part of being a manager is applying more strategic- and critical-thinking skills to the work your department is doing. Delegating helps minimize the amount of tactical work you're doing so you can focus on the bigger picture. The key is learning to identify which tasks are best left to the skills of your staff and which ones require more involvement from you.
Take care not to assign tasks at random-find the best member of your team to get it done, even if requires a bit of training. Deliver clear instructions for how the task should be completed along with your expectations for turnaround (try to make those expectations as reasonable as possible). Discuss any obstacles to achieving that goal with your employee and be willing to help them improve their performance, taking extra care not to micro-manage the project.
Be Courteous
Don't underestimate the effect of a simple "please", "thank you" or "good job" can have on your employees. Whether they've spent the last three days archiving files or churning out a top-notch client presentation, acknowledging their efforts goes a long way toward communicating the value they bring to your team.
If one of your employees or peers has outdone themselves on project you're ultimately responsible for, give credit where it's due and don't take it for yourself unless it's yours-you might look good to the big boss from a distance, but if it happens consistently you'll stop getting the support from these people that makes your job possible.
Avoid Burnout
A lot of new managers get caught up in the excitement and enthusiasm of their new positions and for all the right reasons: they want to learn as much as they can as quickly as possible and start getting things done in order to demonstrate their commitment to the company. As a result, first-time managers often wind up working excessive hours and when you're working that hard, for that long, not all of those hours can be productive.
Try to identify the tipping point in your day when your ability to do focused work drops and you're spinning your wheels more than you're getting anything accomplished. When you find that point, call it a day. Without an opportunity to rest and regroup, you'll only continue to work at less than your best and over time, you'll accomplish less than you could have if you were well rested.
Evaluate How Your Use Your Time
This tip goes for first-time managers as well anyone in the workforce: how can you work smarter instead of harder? One way to is to take a close look at your time management skills. In other words, how do you actually use your time throughout the course of the day? If you're losing time on reading and responding to e-mail, consider scheduling two to three half-hour blocks for this task and keep your e-mail program closed at all other times. Everyone's time drains will be different, but if you can identify what yours are and create systems to deal with them, you'll get more work done in a shorter period of time.
Look for a Mentor
If you're a new to the company you're working for, you might consider finding a mentor within the company who has the skills, experience and institutional knowledge to guide you in your new role. Some companies offer formal mentoring programs, but don't be afraid to strike up and informal mentor/mentee relationship on your own.
http://www.life123.com/career-money/career-development/management-skills/tips-for-new-managers-developing-good-management-s.shtml

Why Should I Plan?

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:09:00 +0000

There are many reasons why you should plan your professional development, not least because if you don’t you won’t appreciate your achievements and will not be able to track your progress. Here we explore further the reasons why it is worthwhile investing a little time now in order to reap the benefits of thorough planning later.

Understanding future needs

Few people are lucky enough to start life knowing what they want to be when they grow up, and sticking to that idea throughout their education and subsequent career. Even fewer are able to follow a precisely defined career path where development and promotion occur at pre-determined stages.
In the 21st century professionals are responsible for their own careers and have to make decisions about where they want to go next. They must be able to adapt to sudden career changes, whether these result from new opportunities or redundancy. This may seem to rule out the need to plan where you want your career to take you, but in reality strengthens the case for assessing your future needs and planning how to gain the competence you will need to meet them.
In terms of your future needs, you should also give some thought to the type of support which might help you to achieve your plan. For example, will you require a mentor at some stage? If so, when, and where would you look for one? What other types of supporters would you want? If you are thinking of gaining NVQs you will need to identify assessors and verifiers. You may also need financial support and/or flexible working arrangements if you are planning to study for a further qualification.
More about Gaining Support.

Business needs

Think about the business you are working in: What is the likely future demand for your product? Who are your competitors? What other threats face your business? What is the research and development department working on, and how might this affect you? What are the likely opportunities for promotion or a sideways move within the company? Companies are subject to mergers, takeovers, closure and strategic changes in output or location; all of which provide career opportunities and threats.
With the pace of technical change, businesses need those who are familiar with the latest technology, or have the capability to bring themselves up to speed very quickly. Keeping an eye on the technical press, attending lectures and talking to customers and suppliers will help you to identify the technical changes most likely to affect your business. Acquiring the relevant skills will give you a head start in meeting the challenge of change when it comes. Alternatively, you may find that a new technology is of particular interest, and want to create the opportunity for a move in that direction.
Soft skills, transferable skills and interpersonal skills are all terms which have come into common usage in recent years. Surveys of employers frequently indicate that these skills are often in short supply, especially among technical professionals and new entrants to the workforce. You will need to have or gain these skills simply to function in most jobs, but if you want to progress to senior levels you will have to develop them to a high level. These types of skills also tend to be very generic - at a superficial level the requirements may seem to differ according to an employer’s culture, but the basic principles still apply. So you need to plan to acquire and enhance a whole range of these skills.
Your employer may have formal mechanisms in place to identify business needs and corresponding development plans for employees. You may find yourself being groomed for a specific role, or part of a cohort expected to progress to a certain level within the organisation. If this is the case, your employer will identify the skills you need to meet their objectives, and may have a structured development scheme to enable you to acquire them over a certain timescale. If your employer has such a scheme but you are not on it, you may want to find out how to get involved.

Career/Job goals

You will need to think about a whole host of factors. Most importantly, your aspirations, the needs of your current and potential future employer, and your personal goals. Where do you want to be this year, next year or in five years time? Doing the same job? Promoted within your company? Or somewhere completely different? You will greatly improve your chances of creating or taking advantage of career opportunities if you predict these needs, and acquire the corresponding skills in a structured manner.
You may have some very clear ideas about what you want to do next. If this is the case, you should be able to gather information to help you analyse the skill requirements and identify any shortfall in your existing skill set. Talking to the person doing the job, looking at the job description and person specification, and talking it through with a mentor, will all help you to gain an understanding of what is required.
On a broader level, you may want to start with a clean sheet of paper and identify what you could or would like to do if you had a career change. For this you may need to do some fairly broad reading. Picking up professional and in-house publications could give you ideas for different disciplines or fields of activity which might appeal to you, or of where opportunities are increasing or declining. From there, getting in touch with someone working in that field is the most likely way of getting a real understanding of the nature of the work, the industry and the skills required. The Sector Skills Councils (formerly National Training Organisations) publish "skills foresight" documents which give a good insight into the needs of particular industries. Specialist libraries, such as those run by institutions, are a good source of information. Your institution may also have special interest groups, or a careers service, who can put you in touch with employers or individuals.

Personal goals

An employer-led scheme is great if your aspirations coincide with what your company wants from you, although you may still be expected to influence the development plan. However, you may have different ideas, and need to take steps to ensure you achieve your own objectives.
On a more personal level, you need to consider your broader goals and aspirations. While these may range from being in a job this time next year to becoming the Chairman of the Board, they will also encompass the broader aspects of your life such as family, community and other interests. Your personal goals may include planning a family, taking time out to travel, or becoming President of your institution! So how much time do you have, to undertake career-related development outside the workplace? Will non-work activities affect your career path? Remember that these activities can provide you with valuable experience, skills and attitudes which may support and enhance your competence in the workplace.
Personal goals could also include the decision to seek formal assessment or recognition of your achievements through gaining an academic qualification or professional registration. You will need to find out whether your employer would be willing to support you in this. If the answer is no, and you are still determined to get the qualification you will have to make some tough decisions about how you will do it, and what the true value of it will be to you. If you want the qualifications in order to meet professional registration requirements, you will also need to think about how you can create a self-managed scheme, and who might be willing to act as a mentor or assessor for you.
http://www.pd-how2.org/2_2.htm

Human Resources Management Trainee

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:03:00 +0000

Review the job description for a Human Resources Management Trainee. The underlined keywords link to interview questions for that keyword or job function.

Description: The Human Resources Management Trainee learns the daily operations and the overall role of the Human Resources department as a strategic business partner within logistics operations. The successful candidate will:

Become knowledgeable on staffing, training, diversity awareness, and teamwork.
Get a tremendous amount of satisfaction from motivating themselves and others every day.
Work with the Human Resources manager, Human Resources representatives, operational executives, headquarters, payroll and benefits, and HR technicians - as well as outside government agencies and vendors.
Receive technical training and mentoring.
Learn to assess talent to build a strong management and hourly team.
Ensure that staffing needs are met in a timely manner, from placing ads to interviewing and hiring.
Learn how we build our company culture.
Maintain an environment that supports diversity.
Become familiar with our HR programs, including Workers Compensation, Drug-Free Workplace, and New Employee Orientation
Ensure that employees receive timely, accurate reviews, wage, increases, and benefits.
Build credibility with employees to facilitate communication > and respond to concerns.
Ensure that our legal obligations are met by tracking team employee member records and conforming to all applicable laws.

Qualifications:

Four year college degree or equivalent Human Resources experience
Willingness to develop expertise in all aspects of Human Resources
Demonstrated leadership and decision making skills
Strong organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills
History of academic achievement and participation in school or community activities
Team-oriented thinking and action
Desire to grow professionally with enthusiasm for continuous learning
Flexibility and adaptability to changing situations
Ability to interpret, understand and relate complex policies and procedures
Basic PC skills

Additional HR interview resources:

The HR Professional Interview Guide answers the toughest interview questions from the HR professional's interview, 3 mock interviews and in addition over 200 possible interview questions organized by 30 different HR subject areas including:

Americans With Disabilities Act
Compensation, wage and salary administration and incentives
Employee retention
Human resource policies, procedures and administration
Recruitment

Search for current trends and subject areas for your Human Resources Management Trainee interview:

Compensation
Recruitment
FSLA
ADA
Health Plan Administration

http://www.job-interview.net/sample/HRManagementTrainee.htm

How to appear professional at work

hodahabibty@hotmail.com (dalia kasem) — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:01:00 +0000

If you want to do well in your career, you need to impress everyone around you, including managers and colleagues, clients and suppliers. To do that, you need to be professional at all times, even though there are occasions when you would much rather turn your back and walk away. Fortunately, there are a number of ways to ensure that you appear professional at work.

Be timely

You may live some distance away from your workplace and you may hate getting up early in the morning; nevertheless, if you want to appear professional, you need to make an effort to be at work on time. While you are at work, you need to complete assignments and tasks in a timely manner, especially if there are upcoming deadlines and your delay will affect other people. When it comes to going home, don’t be the first person out of the door, especially if your work isn’t finished.

Prioritize

If you have a busy job, you may well find that there are times when you need to decide which of your many tasks are the most important and finish those first. If you find it hard to prioritize, then you may need to work on training yourself to do so. You can start by listing all the tasks that you need to complete, as well as their deadlines, and decide which should be done first. If you have difficulty with this, then ask your manager for assistance.

Dress smartly

What you wear to work may not affect your ability to do your job. Nevertheless, it is commonly understood that someone who cares about their appearance is more reliable and professional than those who don’t. Take time to ensure that your clothes are smart and appropriate for your job. You may not want to wear full make-up to work – and indeed, it may not be appropriate to do so – but you should at least ensure that you are clean and that your hair is tidy.

Be tidy

If you have a desk job, it can be very hard to keep on top of paperwork. However, a tidy desk is important, particularly if your work area is likely to be seen by clients. Ensure that you have enough filing space and bookshelf room to store your papers and files and then make an effort to clear everything away at the end of the day. Your tidy work space will impress others and there is less likelihood that an important document will get lost in a pile.

Be prepared

Once you have worked out a way to keep your desk tidy and your paperwork neatly filed away, you should find it much easier to be prepared for meetings. Always make sure that you have read through

http://www.helium.com/items/2058106-how-to-appear-professional-at-work

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