Have You Recently Been Promoted to Manager?

Posted on May 16, 2012 by Jennifer King

Career Advice, Management, Professionals

There’s often a period of uncertainty and confusion that comes along with a promotion, especially when it means also having to manage a new team of people. If you’re a new manager, you may feel a little uneasy about the fact that you’re now responsible for the growth and well-being of an entire team.

To help you out, I spoke with a few recently-appointed managers and an executive coach to get some pointers for first-time managers, and here are some of the tips they shared with me.

Get to Know Your Team
One of your new responsibilities as a manager is helping your direct reports reach their career goals. Have that discussion up front and start with a few questions such as, what are your career goals? How can I help you get there? What do you want out of this job?

According to Deirdre Walsh, senior social media manager for Jive Software, “if you start by understanding the career goals and plans for each person, that will help you make better decisions that will benefit the company and the individual.”

When Walsh started managing her team of two back in November 2011, she took as much time as possible up front to get to know her people. By building a relationship with her team early on, she felt better prepared to address business needs as they related to her group.

Listen Hard
Knowing how to really to listen to your team will be critical as you spend more time with them one-on-one. Cheryl McMillan, an executive coach for Vistage, said “if this is the only skill a manager has, he or she will progress farther than anyone else.”

But along with that comes restraint and the ability to listen without assuming you know the right answer right away, according to Mike Lee, assistant branch manager for staffing and recruiting firm, Randstad. He says new managers should “strive to truly listen during discussions rather than prepare in your mind what you will say next.”

Know You Won’t Be Awesome at First
You were probably promoted to “manager” because you have the most experience on your team, you’re a star performer and you have great people skills. While these are all important traits for new managers to have, chances are you won’t actually be good at management in the beginning. But that’s okay. In most cases, new managers need training and development just like any new hire within a company.

“Some people can be good at it right away,” said McMillan. “But there’s a big misconception that people can do this stuff naturally. Management is really a science and an art. People need basic knowledge first and then practice.”

New managers can get a jump start on training by building out a solid plan with development goals and consistent performance evaluations. This a great way to assess progress during the first few months on the job.

What advice do you have for first-time managers?

Jennifer King is an HR Analyst at Software Advice, a company that compares and reviews recruiting software. She blogs about technology, trends, and best practices in human resources and recruiting. Read the rest of her tips for first-time managers on her HR blog.

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Internships, interim jobs, and seemingly irrelevant positions: How to spin your current job into your long-term career

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Inspired Expert

Career Advice, Students

By: Inspired Expert

Whether you’re just starting out or having to start over, we’ve all been in work situations that are less than ideal. Finding your forever job takes, well, work. Maybe you’re an intern and just starting out, or maybe you’re in a temporary turnpike and only seem to be landing short-term gigs, or, and we hope this isn’t the case, you’re in a job that you just can’t stand to do another day. Whatever your situation is, there are ways of taking your current position and making it work, for you.

Here are some tips and tricks to getting the most out of your current position:

Whatever you’re doing, be the best

So you know you don’t want to work retail your whole life, and quite honestly, you only took it because your other options fell through – this is no excuse not to apply yourself and get something out of the whole experience.

There’s always something to learn no matter what the job title or tasks.

Take your interim intellect and use it in your next position, this will make that summer of filing as an intern worth it so long as you learn something from doing it. Even if it’s soft skills, like how to handle tough customers or a nasty coworker, there are take-aways that you can and should be getting from your current position to help you in the long run.

With that being said, if you maximize your current position’s offerings, by say taking on management roles and responsibilities at that retail job, or by offering your intern filing services to marketing because you’ve always been interested in that department, you can make connections and take the skills you’ve picked up along the way to get you to where you want to be.

Know thyself

Know what it is about your current position that makes you want something more, or something different. Is it you or the job, because if it’s you, you’re always going to blame the job, no matter what it is. Try to really figure out what industry, what job, what salary, what’s important to you, to prevent you from bouncing around from job to job. Make strategic moves that will get you to your end goal, whatever it may be.

Take your current position and write down what you like and don’t like about it. If you love working with people but don’t like having to sell to people, know that you enjoy interaction but not in pressured or dependent situations.

Making your job work for you means learning more about yourself as you continue on along your career path.

Be versatile

Whether it’s networking with a variety of departments, or making yourself flexible in the workplace, have it be known that you are a “Jack of all trades” and someone who is able to get along with just about anybody – this will make you more marketable not only in the grand scheme of job searching but also within your current company.

Maybe you’ve found an industry that you can really align yourself with, but you’re just in the wrong sector of it, networking and being versatile will get you to where you want to be within that field.

Be the change you want to see in the world…of work

Does your boss make your work life miserable? Do you feel like the environment you’re working in is toxic to your personality?

Then it may be disconcerting to know that your future is tied with that of the boss you cannot stand.

According to a recent About.com article, leaving a position due to a bad boss is the number one reason why people indicated that they left. Before it gets to that, make sure you communicate your feelings to your boss or go to a manager who can provide you with the resources that you need in order to handle the situation.

Nobody can know you’re unhappy if you don’t tell them. This does not mean, however, that you want to go around saying how much you hate the company and all of the people that work for it, but in the appropriate environment and with the right attitude, critiques can actually be really helpful – and can turn your interim job into a place you see yourself for the next twenty years. Not only will your feedback express sincerity, it will demonstrate your commitment to the company. You don’t want to leave because of one bad egg.

The key is to express yourself and indicate your aspirations. It may sound cliché, but follow your heart, and as for the jobs, well, they’ll follow. Because when you’re passionate about what you do, there’s nobody that can do it better.

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Will Leonard – 4th place student winner

Posted on April 16, 2012 by Will Leonard

Students, Video

By: Will Leonard

Occupation/Education:
Currently an Architecture Student at Kansas State University
When and how did you discover that you were passionate about your career path?
In elementary school, I became passionate for art and design. Initially I wasn’t any good but I enjoyed it, so I kept working at it. I took art classes in school and took painting extracurricular courses. I continued this on through high school and when it came time to choose a university, I knew that I wanted to pursue something within the design field. Architecture jumped out at me as an interesting and engaging career choice because I believed it to be a perfect mixture of art and math, my two strong fields. Now, I enjoy it fully because it affords me a perspective to view and design for society.
What is the most rewarding part of what you do/study?
Architecture encompasses more than just designing buildings and structures; it is designing for civilizations and cultures, which is a fascinating and engaging thing to do!
Who are your role models?
J.J. Abrams, the filmmaker, is my role model because through his work, you can tell that he is not only successful, but truly enjoys doing what he does. He’s having fun with his films, and that is a huge inspiration for me.
What advice do you have for others that want to enter your industry?
It’s not really important whether you are a skilled artist; it is more important that you are dedicated and have a passion for architecture.
Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?
In five years, I see myself working in a small architecture firm somewhere out in the western United States, deigning houses and small to medium sized structures.
What are some of your other passions outside of this?
I have a huge passion for filmmaking and photography. When I am not working on architecture designs, I am always filming and editing short films for fun. It is also great practice for the ‘artistic eye’.

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The Internet Persona and How Hiring Managers Use Social Media to Screen Job Candidates

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Jennifer King

Uncategorized

By: Jennifer King

In a 2011 Reppler survey about how recruiters use social networks to screen candidates, 91% of the respondents claimed they have visited a potential candidate’s profile on a social network as part of the screening process. But why? With all the tweets, status updates and comments, it’s unavoidable for any social job seeker not to be searchable in some way.

To learn more about why recruiters and hiring managers screen job candidates online, I talked to a few social media and recruiting experts.

Why Do Recruiters Care?
With social media, it’s possible to learn a lot more about a candidate than what’s on their resume.

“Businesses and recruiters want to know as much as they can about a person who they may give a job offer,” says Eric Meyer, partner in the labor and employment group at Dilworth Paxson LLP and author of The Employer Handbook. “But the real purpose behind screening is to make sure the person you’re hiring doesn’t have any red flags that would make them a bad fit or a potential liability for the business.”

According to Amy Henderson, account executive with Technisource, part of Randstad Technologies, her method for screening candidates online really depends on the role the person’s being considered for.

“We heavily rely on LinkedIn to verify skill sets and backgrounds required for more technical positions,” says Henderson. “You’re friends with your friends on Facebook and it’s hard to say you’re something you’re not. You see it more when someone’s background on their resume doesn’t align with their LinkedIn profiles.”

With more customer-facing roles, Henderson may check out a candidate’s public Facebook profile to make sure they’re representing themselves in a way that doesn’t hinder their chances of being placed.

“If we find questionable photos or status updates, we’ll use that as a coaching opportunity and try to consult the candidate on his or her online reputation so the client [hiring company] doesn’t get the wrong idea when and if they choose to screen the candidate on social media sites.”

Tips for Job Seekers
For hiring managers who choose to look up candidates online, it’s likely that what they find will also shape their first impression of that person.

“Perception is reality in the business world,” says Henderson . “The way people perceive you online, through social media–that’s what they use to make first impressions. And those first impressions are lasting impressions.”

And even with privacy restrictions set up on social networking sites like Facebook, it doesn’t mean an employer won’t take extra steps to get a look at what’s behind those privacy restrictions, even if that means bluntly asking a job candidate for his or her login information.

But by requiring login credentials for candidates’ social media profiles, employers run the risk of losing top talent due to a perceived lack of trust.

“Employers run the risk that if they require job candidates to relinquish Facebook logins and passwords as a condition of employment, those candidates will respond by removing their names from consideration,” Meyer says. “At the moment the company requests that private information, it projects a lack of trust, which is a bad building block for an employer-employee relationship.”

What other best practices should social job seekers consider for maintaining their social perception online?

Jennifer King is an HR Analyst at Software Advice, an online resource that shares reviews and comparisons of recruiting and employee performance review software. She reports on trends, best practices and technology in human resources. Read the full article on her HR blog.

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Show me the money… and the jobs: Top growth industries over the next 5 years

Posted on April 2, 2012 by Inspired Expert

Career Advice, Spotlight Jobs

By: Inspired Expert

It’s hard to believe that the Internet has only been around and used by the public since the 1990s. Think of all of the jobs that stemmed from that one mainstreaming of technology. Now try to imagine what jobs are going to be popular, in what industries, over the next five years. The possibilities, literally, are endless.

As an all-inclusive staffing service provider, Randstad sees it all. Specializing in administrative, engineering, executive solutions, finance & accounting, healthcare, information technology, legal, life sciences / pharma, manufacturing & logistics, and sales & marketing – we get a taste of the world market from our global capabilities, service offerings, and our household of industry experts. So what do we see?

Predicting the job market and the economy is a lot like predicting the weather – as a side note, it was supposed to snow 3-6 inches and this morning I woke up to the most beautiful pink sunrise. The point being, we can only foresee so much.

With that being said, and in no particular order, below are a few of the industries we’re seeing growth in:

Healthcare
There still is a demand for Healthcare professionals, specifically for Registered Nurses, Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants, and of course, Doctors and Surgeons. With our combined operating companies – Clinical One and Locum Medical – soon to be Randstad Healthcare, we place every kind of healthcare professional, from physicians and doctors, to nurses and case managers – and the projects just keep coming. Not to mention, there is a shortage of nurses, and there has been for years, and the industry shows no signs of slowing. This study, published by the College Board, breaks down the top careers per the level of education that one has. As you’ll see, healthcare positions top a couple of their lists:
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/csearch/majors_careers/236.html
Technologies
Tying back to this whole ‘Internet thing’ – the information technologies sector is also continuing to grow. Much like a hairdresser, the need for software developers, programmers and the like, is always going to be there. The Internet is never going to go out of style, and on the contrary, there’s always going to be a need for updates. Sure, companies might slow down with their IT initiatives, but that technologies craving, now that we’ve tasted it, will never be satisfied.
As referenced by Time in their article about “The Future of Work,” The US Department of Labor shows that network systems, data communications, and computer software engineering are among the occupations expected to explode within the next 5 years:
Read more about it
Accounting & Finance
Another area of activity has been in the financial services industry. From financial analysts to accountants to bookkeepers, the jobs are there and they’re still coming. Randstad Finance and Accounting alone has over 100 open positions! (http://finance.randstadusa.com/)
Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) and financial advisors, to name a few, are not only expected to grow in demand, but also in salary:
http://www.moneycrashers.com/5-great-career-fields-for-the-future/
Engineering
And what about those Engineers? Well, we still need more. With aggressive civil, project, and environmental initiatives, the jobs, and not to mention the pay, are on the rise.
To check out a full list of occupations with the fastest growth (note: biomedical engineers tops the list), check out this chart by CareerOneStop, which is sponsored by the US Department of Labor:
http://www.careerinfonet.org/oview1.asp?Level=BAplus
Human Resources
Then there are the jobs like those we have open internally here at Randstad. Sales! Companies need aggressive, creative, and thoughtful people to help propel their businesses into the new markets of today. To search the available sales position with one of Randstad’s clients, (there are nearly 400!) check out the link below:
http://www.randstadusa.com/findjobs/jobsearch.aspx?kw_1=&filter_2=349

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