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We all have a chair that designates a position in our career. For most of us the position, the responsibilities, the growth prospects and many such factors decide if we are happy in our seat? Sometimes, we may be unaware that another seat may send us much higher in the hierarchy and satisfaction level. Sometimes we are frustrated with our job for no easily identifiable reason. There are many such factors that determine if we are on the right seat. Let us examine some of them.

Involvement

How involved we are with what we do? Are we so engrossed with our job, that we have no time to think of anything else? Or we are so less connected with our job that having it or not makes no difference to us? Albert Einstein, the great scientist was so involved with his job of thinking and finding solutions to mysteries of physics and cosmos that he had no time left for anything else. His involvement was total. Do you have such an involvement?

Joy

Do we feel joy in what we do? I have taken this right near the top, because if we are dissatisfied for any reason, we will never get joy. If we get joy then most of things are going in the right direction. So think if you are getting joy in your job?

Respect

If you are working with the right people and doing the right job, you will always get the respect of your colleagues. If the respect is missing, please take that as a red signal telling you that something might be amiss.

Skill

Do you find your skills and aptitude matching the job requirements? You might be made for greater things in life. Please get your skills assessed and find out if you are wasting time with a low skilled job, when you should have been working with something requiring great skills and abilities.

There are other factors such as vision for the job, future growth potential, learning opportunities and such other factors that decide if you are on the right seat. The right person for the right job - are you the right person for your job and more importantly, is the job right for you?

I have given some pointers for thought. Ultimately, it is your life goals and values that will always decide if the job fits you. That can be done only by you. What is most important is that you review your job and your satisfaction level at frequent intervals and bring changes to create a more meaningful life. So find out today if you are in the right seat in your career.

Advising others to change career sounds very simple and a workable proposition. When it comes to us, it becomes one of the toughest decisions to implement. A career change needs lot of mental preparation. If you have a family, that may get disrupted by your career change. The income may stop for some time. The decision itself may turn out to be a wrong one. It needs mental strength to change career. Let us see what it requires.

A change of career shifts us from a comfort zone to a zone full of discomfort in the beginning. For a full time production engineer, a change to a career as human resources consultant may need a total about turn, back to school and learning new skills for the new job. Some people change careers so totally that it looks incredible. Let us talk about changes that can be done more smoothly. I am talking about learning about a new career along with the old one and then shifting to the new career slowly. This process also requires mental strength, because it needs lot of extra work.

The first barrier that one encounters while thinking of career change is- how did I get into a wrong career? What if my new decision also turns out to be wrong? What if I continue with my present career? Why should I change my career? Some of these questions need head to answer and some questions are for the heart such as asking why did I chose the wrong career to begin with, may involve damage to self esteem, and acceptance of failure.

Before thinking of changing career, one needs to do analysis of life goals, and deciding about how the present career does not satisfy those goals. Only after deciding that something drastic needs to be done can one think about changing career. One has to develop mental and emotional strength to undergo these changes and emerge a winner again.

Time for some training! So, you are not sure what type of training you will need or how it compares to the commercial side of aviation. For starters, there are some very big differences.

Please be aware that the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs) do not require that a flight attendant be assigned to an aircraft with fewer than 20 seats onboard. With that being said, it is a good idea — regardless of federal regulations — for the person who is in charge of the cabin area to have adequate training.

There are quite a number of programs out there that train or claim to train business flight attendants. Some programs are excellent while others are awful. Caveat emptor — let the buyer beware — is the siren call for all of you seeking training. Do not be lulled by a low price as anyone can say they offer training, but will it get you work? Will it be recognized by the companies doing the hiring? Is the program accepted by the FAA? These are some of the things you need to uncover as you do your research.

While commercial carriers generally offer training that can last as long as six weeks, your training will be no longer than 5 or 6 days. That’s it! However, those days will be jammed pack and should include the following: food handling and service; emergency training including inflight emergency, medical and defibrillatorAED training; extensive classroom time to include: decompression, hazardous materials, firefighting, passenger briefings, ditching, and more. Some programs include make-up consultations, food and wine pairing, résumé writing, and other topics. While each can be helpful consider how much of the program’s schedule is geared toward core topics vs. peripheral issues.

Who do I recommend? Well, that is a touchy subject. As mentioned previously, training is not a legal requirement therefore program curriculum can vary widely. When talking with training operators, be prepared to ask a lot of questions, read their website, obtain their literature, and shop wisely.  The two longest running and most well know programs are operated by FlightSafety International and FACTSAirCare; most charter and private operators prefer their training. Alteon Training, LLC is a Boeing training company that started cabin attendant training in 2003 while Beyond and Above Corporate Flight Attendant Training got started in 2002.

You have graduated high school or college and now you’re ready for your first ‘real’ job.  You’ve mailed out résumés and have been called in for your first interview.  How can you do well at the interview so you wind up being offered the job?

1. Dress professionally.  No midriff shirts, low-cut blouses or flip-flops because you’re going to work and not the beach. While it’s not necessary to buy a suit, it is particularly important to look professional. If you’re trying to get a job in a conservative office such as an accounting firm, don’t dress as if you were going to a concert.  If you are applying for a retail position, you have a little more freedom.  Rather than list what clothing is and is not acceptable, I would tell you to dress as if you were going to meet one of the most important people in your life- because you are!

2. Make sure you are well-groomed. Don’t look as though you just rolled out of bed and couldn’t bother to take care of basic personal hygiene. Nothing will make the HR Manager bring the interview to a close faster than unwashed hair, dirty fingernails or body odor. As an employee, you will be a reflection of the company and no customer wants to do business with an unkempt person.

3. Be aware of your body language.  A firm handshake at the start of the interview shows you are self-confident.  Maintain eye contact, stay relaxed and be attentive to the interviewer.  Ask questions and listen thoughtfully to the answers.  Think before you answer questions from the interviewer- don’t ramble and keep the conversation on the topic.

4. Be prepared for the interview.  Research the company beforehand- every business now has a website where you can learn what they do and who their customers are. This shows the interviewer you are interested in the job and took the initiative to find out all you could about the company.

5. Be present in the interview. I’ve interviewed candidates who acted as if they were waiting for a bus.  They didn’t ask questions, but instead just listened to me, and I wasn’t really sure if they were paying attention.  Be enthusiastic, ask questions and participate in the interview.  After listing all the duties required of the position, I asked one candidate if this sounded like something she’d be interested in. Her reply was a quiet, “I can do the job.” She didn’t answer my question, she seemed indifferent, and she didn’t get the job. If you can’t be excited in the interview, you’re not going to be energized in the workplace either.

First impressions count, and you want to let the interviewer know you want the job, are willing to work hard and will do your best.  You might not necessarily be the most qualified candidate, but still land the job because you were the most outstanding one.  Good luck!

Need advice? Need help in conquering a particular challenge? Hire a consultant! Professional consulting has become one of the fastest-growing segments of our society. What do consultants do? They provide information and advice in exchange for a fee.

They can be found under a variety of names: accountant, psychologist, architect, designer,attorney, consulting engineer. Almost everyone within a society uses their services in one way or another.

What each of these consultants has in common is the need to identify and find clients, and to package their own unique know-how in a fashion that will appeal to others and be useful and meaningful. They find that marketing themselves is quite different than marketing a product that people can put their hands on. People still like to visually see what they are putting their money out for.

Many consultants know they could provide their service ever so easily from a private office in their home. They don’t need large areas to warehouse inventory, or to staff many employees. However, their clients need to see and feel an atmosphere that will justify spending money on. Hence consultants often can be found in luxury office buildings.

The service that a consultant renders is often difficult to describe. Some clients only use the services because forced to by law (such as needing an attorney). Some clients are encouraged by family members or friends to seek the services of a psychologist. Unless one is financially well off, there can be strong resentment in paying a consultant for advice. Clients need to feel they are receiving value in return – and to feel respect and admiration for the one who is doing the consulting.

Many consultants spend their working hours in large companies training and advising sales staff or increasing the morale of the employees. Proving that one’s services can provide large-scale differences in a large segment of a huge company requires positive feedback from prior clients and also strong marketing skills. Acquiring these marketing skills and putting them into practice consumes a large part of a consultant’s time.

Marketing requires planting many ‘seeds’ of what you have to offer. These seeds need to be spread as far and wide as possible in the areas where potential clients might see them. And, as we all know, not all seeds germinate and sprout. One of the safest ways for a consultant to successfully create a large marketing program is to apply the old standard rule of 80 – 20. Eighty percent of their income will come from 20 percent of their clients or leads (seeds).

By carefully analyzing which potential clients are going to be the most irritating and troublesome, and which will be a great joy to work with, consultants are usually able to eliminate eighty percent of the seeds and focus on where they can truly serve and make the best use of their time. This is how a consultant acts as his own consultant!

You have just been through a grueling interview.  The questions were tough and some just seemed off-the-wall and some were rather innocent.  What was the interviewer really looking for?  What did she mean by those questions?  Well, you can be certain that if you were interviewed by a seasoned interviewer, each and every question had a very distinct purpose.  Listed below are some common and not-so-common questions with the potential purpose of the question.

Common questions and what the interviewer is really looking for:

Question: Tell me about yourself?
Answer: The interviewer is looking for you to talk about yourself and to reveal anything that she might not otherwise be able to ask.  For example, do you have kids?  Married? Hobbies?  Interests?  Single parent?  Let’s say the job involves shift work, the need to be at work at 7:00 every day or the flexibility to be on call?  Candidates with children are perceived to have more problems getting to work on time, miss more work because of children illnesses, school functions, etc.  Is this fair?  No.  Is this a reality for some hiring managers?  Absolutely.  So what to do.  Talk specifically about previous work, your desire to work, etc.  The only exception would be if you know for a fact you and the hiring manager have something in common that you can use to build interest with himher and that you would be a great fit.

Question: Tell me about the most difficult person you had to deal with?
Answer: The interviewer could care less about the most difficult person you had to deal with.  What she is fishing for here is your ability to get along with people.  Do not answer this one too quickly.  Answering quickly suggests you have had to deal with a log of difficulty people which really suggests that you are the difficult one.  A better approach might be to tell the interviewer that you get along with everybody and that you do not have problems with difficult people.  Assuming that that statement is true, expand on your ability to pull diverse groups of people together to complete a project

Question: If you could have any job in the world, what would it be?
Answer: While the obvious answer would seem to be “this job”, you might also talk about your desire to take the next step thereby giving the interviewer the thought that you are an achiever and willing to work hard.  It always amazes me how many people that I have interviewed are stumped by this question or answer it saying a surfing job.

Question: Tell me what you liked about your last job and what you disliked
Answer:  Here is another one to be careful on.  Do not go on about all the things you disliked.  It leads the interview to think you do not like anything.  Even if your last job was really, really bad, focus on the positive aspects of the job such as the things you learned, the exposure it gave you, etc.  If you talk more about what you disliked, chances are you will say you dislike something that may be a critical part of the job you are applying for.

Question: Tell me about your favorite and least favorite manager
Answer:  Again, this is a tricky question.  If you begin to talk about the things you dislike about your previous manager, the hiring manager will believe you have a problem with authority.  Focus on the things you have learned from previous managers.  Also talk about how you and a previous manager disagreed on an approach and how you worked the issue out.

As mentioned at the beginning of this article, an experienced interviewing has a reason for each and every question. While the question may seem innocent enough, how you answer it could decide whether you get the job or not.  Always to remember to focus on the positive aspect of your past.  Focusing on the negative will give the impression that you are a negative person and probably not the best fit for the position.

Are you in a dead end job?  Are you fed up with low pay and long hours?  Are you bored and want to do something more interesting? Do you want to be the person telling others what to do rather than being the one taking orders?

You can make it happen!  if you are determined enough.

Consider the two alternatives, which one works for you?

Arrives late for work on a regular basis, usually chewing gum.  Looks untidy, hair unkempt, nail varnish peeling and skirt very short.  Only smiles and laughs loudly with  her mates.  Speaks to customers as little as possible.  When asked if there is a top in another size.  Answers “I don’t know” or “if it isn’t there we haven’t got any”

Shows no interest on what needs to be done.  Makes excuses to skive off when ever possible.

Does just enough to get by.  Never takes the initiative.  Walks past difficulties, doesn’t see them or want to see them.  A jar has broken leaving glass and jam all over the floor.

Is uncooperative or moody and sometimes both.  Constantly complains that things aren’t right, its not fair, out of order!

Boss sees no potential so takes little interest in her development.  Job remains dead end, she gives little and gets no job satisfaction in return.  Can’t wait to leave.

What lies ahead…..another dead end job

Arrives on time, looking neat and tidy, ready for the days work.  Knows the company policies about dress code and behaviour and follows them.  Is always polite, friendly and professional.

Makes customers feel valued, is helpful and tries to sort out any problems.  “I’ll show you where they are”  “ They are out of stock but I can order one for you”, I’ll go and find out if we have any”

Is interested in how things operate.  Asks relevant questions. Takes on her fair share of the work, offers to help others when it is appropriate.  Takes a pride in doing things well.

Anticipates things, takes appropriate action. Thinks abut health and safety so blocks off the area and clears it up or reports it to the appropriate person.

Comes across as pleasant and professional even when having personal problems.  If there is a problem, she goes to the right person, explains the difficulty and offers a suggestion about how the problem might be solved.

Goes to see the manager, expresses an interest in developing a career in the company.  Asks for the opportunity for training.  Takes each opportunity and makes the most of it.

Manager sees the potential invites her to join the trainee manager scheme.
Undertakes on the job training and rises through the ranks.

Manages her own store.

What do you want out of life?

Opportunities are what you make them.  You have to take responsibility for your  present and your future.  Think about how you behave and how others see you.

If you don’t like your present job think about what you really want out of life.   The choice is yours!

Most human resource managers today are limited to providing only the basics for employment verification.  Fear of litigation nullifies anything that may be deemed subjective or, more considerably, litigious.   Conducting the formal employment verification will typically return little more than the date your candidate started employment, the date he left, and the position he held.  You will often find yourself lacking the input needed to make an informed hiring decision.  Once in awhile, the HR Manager will be adventurous and respond that your candidate was “in good standing.”
In fact, at the writing of this article, there was a radio program where the show’s commentator reinforced this principle.   The commentator admonished Human Resources Personnel that there is as much a danger in providing a positive reference as there is in providing one that is negative.   He went on to say it is important to keep all employment verifications as uniform as possible.   He suggested providing only the start date, completion date and the position held.
Is this bare bones information enough to make an informed decision on an employment candidate?   Sometimes.  When the job is simple enough and no special skills are required… yes. Then all you need to know is whether or not your candidate actually worked at his previous place of employment.    You may need to know more about an IT candidate’s technical skills, but whether or not your candidate’s last job as a pizza boy can shed any real light on his abilities is open to debate.
Because the typical employment verification yields such sparse information, more and more businesses are turning to the reference verification in order to find out more about their candidates and their respective skills.  While the reference verification can have its pros and cons, for a fair number of hiring situations it’s a smart way to go.
Reference verifications can be best used to discern the skill sets of your job candidate.  Recruiters will employ the reference check to determine if their candidates are qualified in special skills and experience.   You may call upon references to define a job candidate’s level of IT skills, or his fluency with general and industry specific software programs.   You may wish to better understand his abilities in graphic and web design, which can provide essential considerations.
As a recruiter, you may want to know more about your candidate’s networking capabilities, who he knows in his industrial sector.   If he is a sales person, you may know just how well connected he is in, say, licensing product in certain geographic regions.  For international candidates, when language capability is a concern, you can use the reference verification to help assess these abilities.
Of course, there are other questions you may ask in your reference verification process.  You may want to know more about your candidate’s management skills or style.  You need to determine if he works well with others, if he is a team player or the sort that works better off by himself.  Does he show up on time?  Is he absent frequently?  What are the areas where he can improve?
At Corra, as part of the verification process, we ask the reference to rate the employment candidate using a scale of one to ten.  Ten is the highest score.  Usually, to be considered a viable employment candidate, our clients would like to see at least a seven rating.   Seven and up is considered pretty solid.
Sometimes the reference gets carried away and barks out a ten.   Most employers will look at this as boosterish.  But there are the exceptions.  If the reference is an upper level executive and qualifies his or her statement with such phrases as “I’ve been around for umpteen years and rarely have I seen someone work as well as So and So,” the employer will take it more at face value.
In most cases, the higher level ratings are a nine or nine plus.   The reference will often qualify his rating with “Everyone has room to improve…”
Always bear in mind the reference that your job candidate supplies you, will be a favorable reference.   No candidate in his right mind would give you references that would go out of their way to sink his ship.   Sometimes the reference may not find the candidate as favorable as the candidate would like to believe.  While the reference wants to be a good person, they may also want to divulge the more negative aspects as well.  There is any number of reasons for doing so.   Sometimes they wish to give you a heads up.  Sometimes there are personal issues.   Sometimes they are just covering their butts.
The reference may not tell you directly that the candidate is tough to deal with or is someone who they would never hire again.   Yet they would like to.  So it is not the answer itself, but the way they answer that serves as the indicator.   It’s what they don’t say or their hesitation that provides the tipoff they were less than thrilled with your candidate.
Listen for the speech inflection, the hesitation, or the reference’s struggle to find the right word or term.   Sometimes they are working so hard at being diplomatic you can glean a more negative appraisal.  Sometimes, if prodded, they will tell you a little more about the downside of your candidate.   Sometimes that won’t veer from the positive appraisal, but while they don’t say it outright, there is something in the way they answer that can tell you more than they had wished.   Or, they told you exactly what they wanted to say, but with plausible deniability.
It should be noted for the rare but embarrassing occasion that when you get a reference contact information, make sure they are a legitimate source.   Either insist on the business phone number as well as their cell number, or find some way to substantiate that the reference isn’t your candidate’s cousin Larry pretending he is the former CEO of Nonexistent Enterprises ready to give your candidate a really great review.  Think it doesn’t happen?  Think again.   But then you might weigh your candidate’s penchant for duplicity against his daring and creative thinking.  Just kidding.
Here are some of the questions, you may wish to use when conducting reference verifications—
Date:
Candidate name:
Reference name:
Reference TitleCompany:
Company where they worked together:
Relation to Candidate:
Reference Phone:
Confirm Candidate’s Title and Dates of Employment:
1)    Did the candidate report directly to you?
If not, what was your working relationship?
2)    What were this person’s main responsibilities?
3)    a. What are this person’s strengths?
b. What are some areas in which this person can improve?
4)    How does this person work with others?
5)    In what ways does heshe respond to stressful (high pressure) situations?
6)    Did heshe ever have a problem with tardiness or absenteeism?
7)    What advice would you give hisher future manager in working with, and motivating this person?
8)    Would you rehire this person?  If not, why?
9)    On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being best), how would you rate this person’s overall performance?
10)    Do you have any additional comments that you feel would be helpful?
Of course there are variations upon the theme, so you can be resourceful in choosing reference questions to fit your company’s particular needs.   Be uniform in composing these questions.  Otherwise, it becomes a cumbersome process, and you can risk driving your researcher crazy.  There is also the issue of fairness and how it affects the rules governing employment law.  So be consistent.
Reference verifications can be a great tool for the pre-employment screening process. It can be an effective background check, when you use it wisely.

Job searching not only include resumes and interviews, but also involves other activities to ensure that you get the job you want. An interview should never be considered as the end process of job searching. It is also important to write an interview thank you letter.

You must be wondering why you should write an after-interview thank you letter. Here is a list of reasons why it is vital:

Writing a thank you letter after an interview can leave a positive impression with an employer and will distinguish you from other candidates.

The employer will remember you. It would be best to send the letter within 48 hours following the interview.

Don’t forget to address the thank you letter to a specific individual and not just a general title. Be sure also that you spelled the name correctly and be sure that you use the right title. There is no graver sin than to reduce in rank a person of high position.

Make sure also that your thank you letter is business like in appearance and should never be printed on the same paper stock as your resume. Always have someone proofread your letter before sending it to ensure that it’s flawless.

Write each thank you letter separately even if the form is similar for each letter. Likewise, try to highlight what was discussed in your interview and restate your qualifications as well as other continuing interests.

And if you have received and accepted a job offer, be sure that you send your new employer a thank you letter. This is to show your gratitude and it is also an excellent way of starting a positive relationship with your new employer.

When writing thank you letters in response to telephone conversations and informal interviews you should remember to write clearly and briefly. And again reiterate some of the important or major points of the conversation and then express your gratitude for the assistance extended to you.

In case you would like to withdraw from consideration for a position or to turn down an offer, it is best to send a polite and positive thank you letter. This leaves a good impression on your part and could open doors for future consideration if you change you mind.

In situations where you are rejected, still send a thank you thanking them for the interview which they granted you. Likewise, express your continuing interest in working for their company.

If you resign from your employment it would be nice to send a thank you letter to your previous employer. This type gesture may generate positive references. Sending a thank you letter reflects that you are were a grateful employee.

A thank you letter after you accept a job offer shows good taste, gratitude, and in general shows a new employer that they made a wise decision in hiring you.  Most new hires do not write one, so if you are one of the smart few people who do, your relationship with your new employer will get off to a great start.

When you write this type of letter, the main goal you wish to accomplish is solidifying the new relationship.  You can do this by re-stating the qualifications you have that will be beneficial to the company.  Remind the hiring manager in this way of the reasons he had for hiring you.  You are, in this way, congratulating him on his good sense, but doing so in a non-offensive, and non-egotistical manner.  Be matter of fact, and to the point, because that is businesslike and you and he are there to conduct business.  With luck you two will have a very long and mutually rewarding relationship.

If you are accepting a job in sales, marketing, promotions or a related field, then your letter should remind the hiring manager of accomplishments you’ve had in the past in sales or marketing.  Tell the hiring manager that you are motivated and looking forward to working with your new team, adding sales to their gross and profits to their bottom line.

If you are accepting a job in retail management, your letter should re-emphasize to the reader your strong skills in customer service, your work ethic, willingness to be an active and cohesive part of the management team, and your ability to work well with the general public and your co-workers, leading by example and presenting a positive company image to the public.

A person working in education, as a teacher or administrator, should have a letter that emphasizes a willingness to work as part of the education team, teaching your subject to students and in the process, hopefully instilling in your charges a contagious enthusiasm for learning.

Your letter may also be a place to elaborate on goals you may have during your tenure with the organization.  A salesman may mention his desire to increase sales by a certain percentage. A project manager may mention his or her desire to participate in a particular project that is important to the company’s success.  A teacher may mention school organization’s that he or she wishes to sponsor.

While your resume made your first impression, and you during the interview obviously made a positive second impression to have been offered the job, your thank you letter after you’ve got the job will reinforce those impressions, taking away any buyer’s remorse or cold feet the hiring authority might have later.  It will service to convince them that they made a good decision in bringing you on board as a part of their team.