1. They ignore job descriptions - if the company is small. The smaller the company, the more important it is that employees can think on their feet, adapt quickly to shifting priorities, and do whatever it takes, regardless of role or position, to get things done.
When a key customer's project is in jeopardy, remarkable employees know without being told there's a problem and jump in without being asked—even if it's not their job.
They fully follow job description - if the company is big. The bigger the company the more important that employee follows all what his/her manager says without any deviation or creativity. In big companies people are hired for certain parts of the job to be done. It is your task to press the botton A all day, and somebody eles to clean keyboard. If they wanted you to clean keyboard, they would have hired you for that.
2. They’re eccentric... The best employees are often a little different: quirky, sometimes irreverent, even delighted to be unusual. They seem slightly odd, but in a really good way. Unusual personalities shake things up, make work more fun, and transform a plain-vanilla group into a team with flair and flavor.
People who aren't afraid to be different naturally stretch boundaries and challenge the status quo, and they often come up with the best ideas.
They act normal... If you start in big company (lets say bank) from entry position and you want to keep your job - be sure you are walking to the toilet the same way as the rest of the company does. Otherwise, you simply can get in trouble.
3. But they know when to dial it back. An unusual personality is a lot of fun... until it isn't. When a major challenge pops up or a situation gets stressful, the best employees stop expressing their individuality and fit seamlessly into the team.
Remarkable employees know when to play and when to be serious; when to be irreverent and when to conform; and when to challenge and when to back off. It’s a tough balance to strike, but a rare few can walk that fine line with ease.
4. They publicly praise... Praise from a boss feels good. Praise from a peer feels awesome, especially when you look up to that person.
Remarkable employees recognize the contributions of others, especially in group settings where the impact of their words is even greater.
5. And they privately complain. We all want employees to bring issues forward, but some problems are better handled in private. Great employees often get more latitude to bring up controversial subjects in a group setting because their performance allows greater freedom.
Remarkable employees come to you before or after a meeting to discuss a sensitive issue, knowing that bringing it up in a group setting could set off a firestorm.
6. They speak when others won’t. Some employees are hesitant to speak up in meetings. Some are even hesitant to speak up privately.
An employee once asked me a question about potential layoffs. After the meeting I said to him, “Why did you ask about that? You already know what's going on.” He said, “I do, but a lot of other people don't, and they're afraid to ask. I thought it would help if they heard the answer from you.”
Remarkable employees have an innate feel for the issues and concerns of those around them, and step up to ask questions or raise important issues when others hesitate.
7. They like to prove others wrong. Self-motivation often springs from a desire to show that doubters are wrong. The kid without a college degree or the woman who was told she didn't have leadership potential often possess a burning desire to prove other people wrong.
Education, intelligence, talent, and skill are important, but drive is critical. Remarkable employees are driven by something deeper and more personal than just the desire to do a good job.
8. They’re always looking. Some people are rarely satisfied (I mean that in a good way) and are constantly tinkering with something: Reworking a timeline, adjusting a process, tweaking a workflow.
Great employees follow processes. Remarkable employees find ways to make those processes even better, not only because they are expected to… but because they just can't help it.
and for the big companies = be sure that your manager knows what you are doing! Jumping above boss head could be costly, specially if it will come up that you are wrong...
Showing posts with label Case study. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Case study. Show all posts
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
SETH GODIN: If You're An Average Worker, You're Going Straight To The Bottom Read
The way we do business is changing fast and in order to keep up, your entire mentality about work has to change just as quickly.
Unfortunately, most people aren't adapting fast enough to this change in the workplace, says marketing guru Seth Godin in an interview with the Canadian talk show "George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight" (via Pragmatic Capitalism).
According to the founder of Squidoo.com and author or 13 books, the current "recession is a forever recession" because it's the end of the industrial age, which also means the end of the average worker.
"For 80 years, you got a job, you did what you were told and you retired," says the former vice president of direct marketing at Yahoo! People are raised on this idea that if they pay their taxes and do what they're told, there's some kind of safety net, or pension plan that's waiting for them. But the days when people were able to get above average pay for average work are over.
If you're the average person out there doing average work, there's going to be someone else out there doing the exact same thing as you, but cheaper. Now that the industrial economy is over, you should forget about doing things just because it's assigned to you, or "never mind the race to the top, you'll be racing to the bottom."
However, if you're different somehow and have made yourself unique, people will find you and pay you more, Godin says.
Instead of waiting around for someone to tell you that you matter, take your career into your own hands. In other words, don't wait for someone else to pick you and pick yourself! If you have a book, you don't need a publisher to approve you, you can publish it yourself. It's no longer about waiting for some big corporation to choose you. We've arrived at an age where you choose yourself.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/if-youre-an-average-worker-in-this-forever-recession-youre-going-straight-to-the-bottom-2012-1?utm_source=twbutton&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=warroom#ixzz1kJhofTkI
From http://www.businessinsider.com
Unfortunately, most people aren't adapting fast enough to this change in the workplace, says marketing guru Seth Godin in an interview with the Canadian talk show "George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight" (via Pragmatic Capitalism).
According to the founder of Squidoo.com and author or 13 books, the current "recession is a forever recession" because it's the end of the industrial age, which also means the end of the average worker.
"For 80 years, you got a job, you did what you were told and you retired," says the former vice president of direct marketing at Yahoo! People are raised on this idea that if they pay their taxes and do what they're told, there's some kind of safety net, or pension plan that's waiting for them. But the days when people were able to get above average pay for average work are over.
If you're the average person out there doing average work, there's going to be someone else out there doing the exact same thing as you, but cheaper. Now that the industrial economy is over, you should forget about doing things just because it's assigned to you, or "never mind the race to the top, you'll be racing to the bottom."
However, if you're different somehow and have made yourself unique, people will find you and pay you more, Godin says.
Instead of waiting around for someone to tell you that you matter, take your career into your own hands. In other words, don't wait for someone else to pick you and pick yourself! If you have a book, you don't need a publisher to approve you, you can publish it yourself. It's no longer about waiting for some big corporation to choose you. We've arrived at an age where you choose yourself.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/if-youre-an-average-worker-in-this-forever-recession-youre-going-straight-to-the-bottom-2012-1?utm_source=twbutton&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=warroom#ixzz1kJhofTkI
From http://www.businessinsider.com
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Power to do
Oh yes, work is not always a pleasure! Sometime you have to do what you have to do. What is not killing us making us stronger :) But seriously, often job is far from being the best one and always there are some disadvantages or minuses in work.
For me, the only way to get through is to know the purpose. Is what you are doing now going to get you where you want to be or not? However, most important - are you enjoying all the way!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Talking about alternative ways to find job
Just wanted to share true life story of a person who used very unique approach in his job search. Lets call him Tim, only for the example sake.
Tim was looking for job. He applied through recruiters, but it didn't give him results he was aiming for. Eventually, he decided to address the job search problem creatively. He first selected 5-10 companies that he considered interesting and worthy of him. Tim found out information about directors, owners, and major directors names in the company through Linkedin. Further he created AdWord campaign though Google targeting those people's names (directors and hiring managers in companies he was interested in).
When those people went online and searched for their names they saw Tim's ad. In the ad text he promoted himself saying something like- looking for the best employee, contact me, and as a landing page he had blog post with his cv.
Very easy and creative. Tim eventually, got few good job offers and just choosed the one he liked the most :)
Good luck with your job search! Hope the tip was useful!
Tim was looking for job. He applied through recruiters, but it didn't give him results he was aiming for. Eventually, he decided to address the job search problem creatively. He first selected 5-10 companies that he considered interesting and worthy of him. Tim found out information about directors, owners, and major directors names in the company through Linkedin. Further he created AdWord campaign though Google targeting those people's names (directors and hiring managers in companies he was interested in).
When those people went online and searched for their names they saw Tim's ad. In the ad text he promoted himself saying something like- looking for the best employee, contact me, and as a landing page he had blog post with his cv.
Very easy and creative. Tim eventually, got few good job offers and just choosed the one he liked the most :)
Good luck with your job search! Hope the tip was useful!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
The hardest interview in my life
I have experience of being interviewed as well as interviewing. Usually the process is straight forward – there is set of standard questions that normally asked, you simply prepare the best possible answers and make sure to cover it all in interview. Of course, there are some tricky questions as “what is your biggest disadvantage? Or why do you think we should hire you?” Answers for those questions should be found in the job description itself. Basically your task is to show your potential employer that you suit job perfectly. At the final stage of interview process it will all come down to weather you have established connection with your potential employer or not.
However, my last interview to one of the IT Company was the most difficult interview in my life. The difficulty was that employer built up questions from my answers and was looking for more and more details on every statement I was making. At the end of the day I didn’t get a job, I am not sure what the reason was exactly. Nevertheless, there are few key points that I picked up from that experience:
1) Be prepared! Even though I did my homework before interview there were some tricky questions like: what you want to do in 5 years? Why you want to do it? What do you think this job will involve? What expectation you will have from that job?....
2) When you are answering question make sure that you are answering true and you would be able to explain any detail of your answer. For example: I did training on one of the sales techniques and the question was please describe what this technique all about. Because training was nearly 4 years ago, I barely remember about it. In this case it is up to you weather you want to go along and try to remember and explain or just simply say – Sorry it was so long time ago, I simply don’t remember- which is also good option.
3) Don’t say too much, simply answer the question. If you will go in too broader answer you are risking ending up with too many questions that could be difficult to answer.
4) Try answering in sort of directive/navigate way – to make sure you are asked questions you want to answer. This is very hard to do on practice, however with lots of preparation possible. For example: I was doing training on one of the sales techniques few years ago and remember perfectly what it was about. Even more, I finished it with distinction. It is a good time to mention that I finished training and end result was marked. Be sure, question – what was your grade will follow, that will give you extra opportunity to shine!
I absolutely encourage you t o share your interview experience! Just write me...
However, my last interview to one of the IT Company was the most difficult interview in my life. The difficulty was that employer built up questions from my answers and was looking for more and more details on every statement I was making. At the end of the day I didn’t get a job, I am not sure what the reason was exactly. Nevertheless, there are few key points that I picked up from that experience:
1) Be prepared! Even though I did my homework before interview there were some tricky questions like: what you want to do in 5 years? Why you want to do it? What do you think this job will involve? What expectation you will have from that job?....
2) When you are answering question make sure that you are answering true and you would be able to explain any detail of your answer. For example: I did training on one of the sales techniques and the question was please describe what this technique all about. Because training was nearly 4 years ago, I barely remember about it. In this case it is up to you weather you want to go along and try to remember and explain or just simply say – Sorry it was so long time ago, I simply don’t remember- which is also good option.
3) Don’t say too much, simply answer the question. If you will go in too broader answer you are risking ending up with too many questions that could be difficult to answer.
4) Try answering in sort of directive/navigate way – to make sure you are asked questions you want to answer. This is very hard to do on practice, however with lots of preparation possible. For example: I was doing training on one of the sales techniques few years ago and remember perfectly what it was about. Even more, I finished it with distinction. It is a good time to mention that I finished training and end result was marked. Be sure, question – what was your grade will follow, that will give you extra opportunity to shine!
I absolutely encourage you t o share your interview experience! Just write me...
Thursday, February 10, 2011
“Get creative” – from unemployed that is earning money
Here is true story from friend of a friend. Lorraine is 28 years old. She was working as HR in one of the small companies in Ireland until last year she was made redundant. Now being unemployed, Lorraine started to look for something new. One day she saw this course about making jewelry, got interested, and started to do it for money. It is not very expensive and time consuming to do. Jewelry she is making unique and nice. As the distributors Lorraine is using her friends, who simply bring made jewelry at work and sell it to the fellow co- workers.
Unfortunately, it is not big money at the moment. However, she is making enough to keep her going and happy. There is always a room for enlargement and improvement in this industry!
Unfortunately, it is not big money at the moment. However, she is making enough to keep her going and happy. There is always a room for enlargement and improvement in this industry!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
"Find a job"- from ex unemployed
Larry Hughes is a poster story for many out there struggling their way to find a job. His innovation that hasn't been tested by the vast majority of professional and managerial job seekers: is blogging.
Hughes is a master book publicist whose talents are legendary in the publishing industry. Until two years ago, he directed publicity at HarperCollins, a major book publisher. But when HarperCollins folded the Collins division in early 2009, Hughes and many other people were cut loose.
Taking action. In a job-emaciated economy, Hughes -- who understands the long game of career management -- analyzed his situation and became a "book flack at large" (his term). A big part of his strategy was the launch of his own blog (bookflack.blogspot.com) to publicize himself into a new position. As he explained in a recent posting:
"Competition for jobs (was) so fierce that I knew I had to do something beyond sending out resumes, searching job sites, pressing for 'informational' interviews, and all the traditional things you do when looking for a job. So being a publicist, I decided to publicize myself."
Success. Hughes also scored mentions in national and industry media. The whole idea was to help keep his talents in front of the publishing industry.
The result: Hughes is starting a great new job as associate director of publicity for the Free Press, a part of book-publishing giant Simon & Schuster.
Evaluation. Were blogging and all his self-promotion responsible for his new job? "Hard to say," Hughes recalls:
"In the end, it came about the way it often does -- through a friend, who alerted me to an opening and connected me to the appropriate party. Still, I have to believe that the publicity I generated played a part, even if it was a subliminal one. No one ever said, 'I saw you on CNN and I'd like to hire you.' But I like to think that if someone in the industry was looking to fill a position, and my name came up, they would at least say: 'Oh, yeah -- I've heard of him.' "
Shortcut. When you want to reach out in new job-finding directions but aren't able or willing to spend the time on your own blog, you can always contribute occasional postings to blogs other maintain.
Even more time-conserving is to find someone who is blogging for a company where you want to work and make comments on that person's blog. As career coach Fred Whelan (whelanstone.com) says: "People who blog really appreciate response and doing so will raise your profile with that person. You may develop an inside contact who will let you know of unadvertised jobs and see to it that the hiring authority receives your resume."
True, inspiring story from ex unemployed who managed to find his way to job! Great example to follow and consider....
Hughes is a master book publicist whose talents are legendary in the publishing industry. Until two years ago, he directed publicity at HarperCollins, a major book publisher. But when HarperCollins folded the Collins division in early 2009, Hughes and many other people were cut loose.
Taking action. In a job-emaciated economy, Hughes -- who understands the long game of career management -- analyzed his situation and became a "book flack at large" (his term). A big part of his strategy was the launch of his own blog (bookflack.blogspot.com) to publicize himself into a new position. As he explained in a recent posting:
"Competition for jobs (was) so fierce that I knew I had to do something beyond sending out resumes, searching job sites, pressing for 'informational' interviews, and all the traditional things you do when looking for a job. So being a publicist, I decided to publicize myself."
Success. Hughes also scored mentions in national and industry media. The whole idea was to help keep his talents in front of the publishing industry.
The result: Hughes is starting a great new job as associate director of publicity for the Free Press, a part of book-publishing giant Simon & Schuster.
Evaluation. Were blogging and all his self-promotion responsible for his new job? "Hard to say," Hughes recalls:
"In the end, it came about the way it often does -- through a friend, who alerted me to an opening and connected me to the appropriate party. Still, I have to believe that the publicity I generated played a part, even if it was a subliminal one. No one ever said, 'I saw you on CNN and I'd like to hire you.' But I like to think that if someone in the industry was looking to fill a position, and my name came up, they would at least say: 'Oh, yeah -- I've heard of him.' "
Shortcut. When you want to reach out in new job-finding directions but aren't able or willing to spend the time on your own blog, you can always contribute occasional postings to blogs other maintain.
Even more time-conserving is to find someone who is blogging for a company where you want to work and make comments on that person's blog. As career coach Fred Whelan (whelanstone.com) says: "People who blog really appreciate response and doing so will raise your profile with that person. You may develop an inside contact who will let you know of unadvertised jobs and see to it that the hiring authority receives your resume."
True, inspiring story from ex unemployed who managed to find his way to job! Great example to follow and consider....
Monday, June 15, 2009
What to do next?
It is useful to take your time to think about your future. I suppose around 60% of people are doing their job because it is paid good, not very difficult, loans needs to be paid off, or mother thinks it is good work to do... When I first entered my first job I was still in the university and it didn’t really matter what to do as long it was job and it was paid.
Choosing profession in early adulthood it is very easy to make a mistake. I was about to become engineer of nuclear power station when I first entered university. Although I quickly understood that this is not what I want, so I changed profession and university.
There are two disadvantages when you are doing what you not really like to do:
1) You are competing with people who absolutely adore that job, and of course at the end of the day they will be much better then you are and will be promoted faster.
2) I know it will sounds familiar, but : life is too short to spend it on things you don’t really like.
Fact that you have been made redundant means that you are not that young and have experience working and living. Take your time to think about things you really enjoy doing. If you found something you like to do, don’t rush. Try to make step forward and continue doing it for at least 4 weeks and see if you really like doing it. Mean while there are a lot of part time jobs and social benefits to support your living.
Choosing profession in early adulthood it is very easy to make a mistake. I was about to become engineer of nuclear power station when I first entered university. Although I quickly understood that this is not what I want, so I changed profession and university.
There are two disadvantages when you are doing what you not really like to do:
1) You are competing with people who absolutely adore that job, and of course at the end of the day they will be much better then you are and will be promoted faster.
2) I know it will sounds familiar, but : life is too short to spend it on things you don’t really like.
Fact that you have been made redundant means that you are not that young and have experience working and living. Take your time to think about things you really enjoy doing. If you found something you like to do, don’t rush. Try to make step forward and continue doing it for at least 4 weeks and see if you really like doing it. Mean while there are a lot of part time jobs and social benefits to support your living.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Time schedule
Why plan your time when you are not employed? The fact that you don’t have to go at work doesn’t mean that you have nothing to do. Looking for a job is every day 1-5 hours job, taking care of health, meeting with friends, home work, having time for hobbies, or new education. Those are the things that requires time, my time.
It is very dangerous to get tempted by laziness. Nobody is actually checking what I am doing and everybody is too busy to notice. Also I started to notice that since I am not employed I tend to do things much slower than I usually do. Fulfilling of a certain task is not that important for me anymore, since I have so much time, why not to rest now and think about the tomorrow tomorrow?
I have bought dairy to help myself organize time. I write in it things that require my attention, trying not forget every sphere of my life. It is helping more or less but I always have to add extra effort to actually do something. My husband sometimes likes to call me during the day and say 10000 tasks that I need to do right now... It is not usually working with me. Since I also have my schedule. Yes, I do things slower, yes, I don’t do some of the things at time... But I am a busy person at what ever I do (even if it is simply watching TV).
Even though it is so nice to be lazy at least for a while, it is important to make efforts. Just start doing things, stop thinking or hesitating. Because you have a certain goal to achieve (get job, new education, start your business). It is worth of trying! It is hard to choose road but much harder to make a first step. I notice that as soon as I start moving (in any direction I choose for now) I will come at the end of the day to the result I was looking for. It is much nicer to go and try so when the night comes you don’t have to face feeling of emptiness and not fulfilment after lazy and busy with nothing day.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Review
In addition to rising unemployment, a number of other recent indicators show the impact of the economic crisis on working people.
Car sales registered in March fell by 64 percent compared to the same month in 2008. Total car sales are expected to be just 60,000, the lowest since 1993. New goods vehicles issued with licences fell from 3,858 in March 2008 to just 915 in March 2009.
Over all areas of retail activity, sales fell 21 percent in the year to February, although this was a marginal improvement on January, when sales fell 27 percent. Even food sales have fallen by 5.5 percent. Some 25,000 retail workers are expected to be laid off this year alone.
The near collapse of the financial system has not stopped personal debt levels from continuing to spiral. The Money and Advice Budgeting Service (MABS) reported to an Oireachtas (parliament) committee that the proportion of their clients with mortgage problems has risen from 18 percent to 27 percent this year, while the average debt on clients' credit card has gone from €3,833 in 2006 to €8,009 in 2009.
Car sales registered in March fell by 64 percent compared to the same month in 2008. Total car sales are expected to be just 60,000, the lowest since 1993. New goods vehicles issued with licences fell from 3,858 in March 2008 to just 915 in March 2009.
Over all areas of retail activity, sales fell 21 percent in the year to February, although this was a marginal improvement on January, when sales fell 27 percent. Even food sales have fallen by 5.5 percent. Some 25,000 retail workers are expected to be laid off this year alone.
The near collapse of the financial system has not stopped personal debt levels from continuing to spiral. The Money and Advice Budgeting Service (MABS) reported to an Oireachtas (parliament) committee that the proportion of their clients with mortgage problems has risen from 18 percent to 27 percent this year, while the average debt on clients' credit card has gone from €3,833 in 2006 to €8,009 in 2009.
Volunteering for company
I called one of the big international companies asking to do volunteering job for them. HR Manager answered “We are right now letting go 300 people, I don’t think we will be hiring soon. But volunteering seems interesting. Check our internship program first...”
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