Is Employee Engagement a thing of the past?

Is Employee engagement a thing of the past?  I have been thinking about this topic for quite some time now, and have listened to employers discuss their workforce.  It seems that employers want the best of the best, but what do they do to keep them.  Just like in relationships both employers and employees wear a “6 month mask”.  What is a “6 month mask” you ask?  When an individual receives a call with a job offer, they are excited, anxious and determined to do the best job they can. 6 Months go by and the true colors of both the employer and employee can come out.  There are several things that can be done to fix this.

1.      Employers should utilize employee engagement surveys to open their eyes to what possible problems might exist then help the employee resolve the issues.  Employers are often afraid to know what their employees think or might not even care as long as the financial ROI is happening.

2.      Employers could engage and use job coaches to help individuals produce the best they can while having someone there to help them with their behavior.  This could help the negative and dis-engaged employee return to being an engaged employee who will produce their best work.

3.      Employees need to remember what it felt like to be unemployed and have the gratitude they had on that first day of work.  Looking at every day on the job as the first day they were hired will help this employee remain engaged and grateful for the job.

4.      Employees need to remember to avoid the negative people at lunch or on smoke breaks because negativity breeds negativity.  Constantly hearing the complainers talk about the long hours, the “crappy” boss they have, all the responsibilities they have little or no time for, or any other negative remark will start to infiltrate the mind of that once engaged employee and they could become negative.

5.      Employees should go for their passion in employment and if their current job is not it, they need to remember that their behavior is the only thing that can get them fired.

6.      Employers should remember that to gain and maintain the best talent they need to be a good employer, have much better communication across the board with the employees and make sure that the employees do not feel lied to or mislead with their job responsibilities. 

I have spoken with numerous employees and the biggest complaint I hear is that they feel their employer is not engaged with them, that they do not care about the employees success, and that they wished the “Other Duties as Assigned” was removed from the job description, because they feel that employers abuse this statement and try to get more out of fewer employees instead of hiring another person to help.

My question to you that I hope you ponder over is “How engaged are you with your job/career?

EEOC and their New Changes

The EEOC in June of this year made monumental changes to their guidelines for using criminal records against job seekers.  I was happy to see these changes because it will help my participants in the long run.  Now I do realize that when an employer discriminates against someone it is hard to prove, but now employers cannot have a blanket policy that blocks individuals with criminal records from employment.  Since there is nearly 700,000 people being released from prisons and millions of individuals cycling through local jails or prisons this is going to help them with employment.  There are a few points that will help employers succeed in changing their policies to make sure they are not being discriminatory in their hiring practices.

1.      The EEOC has strongly suggested that employers remove the question “Have you Been Convicted of a Felony”. This question is often used to automatically exclude an individual from employment possibilities.  I agree with taking this question off of an application because just because an individual has committed a crime does not mean that this person is that crime.  The felony question is also used to discriminate between individuals who are African American and not White.  Some places will hire a white individual with a felony more than they would an African American.  Removing this question is a great thing.

2.      To make sure you are in compliance look over your job descriptions and decide what felonies are o.k. and which have restrictions.  There are felonies that can be regulated to not be acceptable.  Someone Convicted of Auto Theft, should not expect to work in a car lot.  Looking at the instances of what the job entails will help you   The new changes to the guidelines will make it to where once there is an intent to hire, then the background check should be performed and if there is a background then the hiring manager should call in the individual and give them a chance to discuss the situation.

3.      Length of time and rehabilitation is also to be taken into account when in the hiring process.  The EEOC suggests a policy that looks at the amount of time that has passed since the event, the severity of the event and if the person did anything while incarcerated to change and better their self.  Without blanket hiring policies that automatically throw a person with a felony out of the running, it is now time to look at the events that surrounded the crime.  It is only to be known by the hiring manager and has to be kept confidential.  If a secretary is the one who orders the criminal history it needs to be received in a sealed envelope to be opened only by the hiring individual, then locked in a cabinet. 

4.      The EEOC is also suggesting that employers develop an individualized assessment per each job seeker.  An Individualized assessment allows an individual who may not be eligible for a job to come in and explain any circumstances or give more information surrounding the crime.  It allows details to be explained about the offense like how long ago it was, how old they were when the crime was committed and what they have done since the crime, any work experience including temp work they have had since the offense.

If society does not want the revolving criminal door, then every employer needs to begin to give a chance to someone who has been convicted of a crime.  In my experience someone just out of jail has the gratitude for the job and the desire to work hard at succeeding, some more than the employees who are working now and not engaged in their job, they are just there.  

Why are resumes important?

Why are resumes so important?  I was asked this question just the other day.  I was asked to write about resumes, the purpose of resumes, and why they are so important.  A resume is a more detailed version of an application and most times holds more information.  There are two different types of resumes that are commonly used.  Chronological resumes are ones that detail the dates of employment in order from most recent position held to previous positions held.  A chronological resume should not go more than two pages if at all possible.    The Functional resume is a resume that is used to highlight your skills when it comes to a particular position.  Employers are not paying as much attention to Functional resumes anymore because people will use them to hide gaps in employment, criminal records and negative employment experiences like terminations.

1.   1.    Importance of a resume? A resume should highlight your professional accomplishments and will give employers the “WOW” factor right at the heading.  Employers scan a resume for maybe 10 seconds and are looking at the layout, the font, the structure; the skill sets and if there are any spelling or grammatical errors.  A resume is used online also to apply for positions on various job sites so it is important that you know what the employer is looking for.

2.     2.  Mistakes on a resume can take you out of the running for a job even before you knew you were a possibility.  There are people seeking employment who are currently making the biggest mistake on a resume.  That huge mistake is lying on their resume, and by lying on their resume I do mean “dumbing down” their resume.  With unemployment at a high point many people think if they do not mention their higher degrees they will have a better chance at gaining employment.  This is not true in fact employers do all sorts of background checks on individuals.  These back ground checks are credit, criminal and schooling.

3.     3.  Mistake number 2 is to not focus the resume to the specific job being sought.  So many people blast out one resume that has some of the qualifications for the job but is not targeted to the position.  When trying this online, an individual needs to know about Resume Reading Software.  Resume Reading Software will scan your resume, seeking keywords that are being desired and if that resume does not have enough of the keywords, the resume is kicked out of the running for the position therefore it will not make it in front of a real person.

4.      4.  In my mind the purpose of a resume is to make the information an employer is seeking easier to read and easier to find.  Reading an application takes a lot of time and when an employer receives 70 applications or resumes for one job posting, this will make for a long day.  A resume gives the individual more ability to shine and sell themselves to an employer, without having to waste the employer’s time.  Resumes tell a story about the job seeker.  It tells if their work history is stable, if they have had multiple jobs within a year, and some employers can see what kind of worker the individual will be just by the organizational skill putting the resume together.

Remember that a resume should be an honest representation of you and your experience.  It should be tailored to the specific job and should not have any errors.  Even the “omitted errors”.  Employers want to know if you have the skills to do the job, the longevity to stay with them, and that you are not going to be a problem.

6 Abilities that you need to have to get employed

There are a lot of articles out in cyberspace that are talking about the skills that employers want.  I wanted to discuss the abilities that employers want and nearly demand.  Employers spend a lot of money to hire someone and it costs them even more to have to fire them, but if all  job seekers can prove they have these abilities the job search could end after just a couple of interviews.

1.      Do you have Reliability?  Are you or have you been a reliable employee?  Reliability means trustworthy and able to depend on.  A reliable employee shows up on time if not early, does what they say they are going to do and is trustworthy enough to not have the employer stand over and watch them work.  I have found many job leads that require reliable transportation.  This means will get you to work on time.  Are there any Barriers to your reliability?  Everyone loves kids but in all honesty they can be a barrier to reliability because if they get sick the employee will have to miss work.  Have a backup plan to make sure you succeed.

2.      Do you have Accountability?  People do make mistakes and are often times ready to learn from them, but a person who is accountable will take the consequences that are deemed necessary.  Someone with accountability will answer for any decision made.  If you have made mistakes in the past learn from them and make sure you do not make them again.  Tell the interviewer the things you have done to overcome this issue.

3.      Do you have Responsibility?  Are you a responsible person?  Many times at an interview a person will answer that their strengths involve being a responsible person.  What does that mean to the employer?  Are you holding this work ethic and making sure the tasks that have been provided for you to accomplish are being accomplished?  Responsibility is a key thing that employers are looking for because if you cannot fulfill the duties of the job then why should they hire you?

4.      Do you have Adaptability?  A person who is adaptable is one who would never say “that is not in my job description” or “that is not my job”.  To be adaptable a person has to be willing to take on some additional tasks, or learn some new things to help the company.  I hear all the time that a person is adaptable but how do you prove that at an interview? Easy. Tell of a time that you were asked to do something that you thought “was not in your job duties”, but you willingly did it anyway  

5.      Do you have Flexibility? Flexibility is about an employee and an employer making changes to when, where and how a person will work to better meet individual and business needs. So many times a person will go into an interview with the “I can only work this schedule” attitude.  Or they do not show that they can be flexible to make sure the job is done and done right.  Being flexible means that if you are working on one thing, but another comes up that needs your attention that you can be flexible and change gears.

6.      Do you have Dependability?  We depend on things daily.  We depend on our car to start, our power to remain on, we depend on friends, family and employers.  How can you prove you are dependable to an employer? Dependability says I will show up on time, or better yet, early, I will do my job to the best of my ability, I will hold the proper workplace ethics and do what is asked of me.  Dependability shows that you are the “go to person when something needs to be done.

If you have these abilities and can bring examples of the skills to an interview I think your chances of employment increase.  Remember everyone has skills but how many people have abilities. 

Employee Retention and Enhancement for Employers

Employee retention is getting a lot of buzz here lately. There are discussions on hiring, the new EEOC rules, unemployed individuals not being hired due to being unemployed and many other hot topics.  I realize that companies want the best talent and they want to keep the best talent.  This week’s discussion is for Employers to learn to maintain the best talent.  I hear quite often that employers are looking for the best talent and they want to retain the talent.  There are several things that employers can do to obtain and maintain the top talent.

1.       Transparency is an important factor in the world of employment.  When a company keeps their employees informed they will have fewer turnovers and more retention.  Unlike 50 years ago, there are not a lot of people staying on one job 30 years, Companies are not as loyal to their employees anymore so many companies will lose people in the shuffle.  When a company does not have transparency, they will have people who are left guessing what is going on and that can lead to fear and rumors.

2.      Weeding out the problem employees can help make the loyal workers remain loyal.  Allowing a problem worker, the one who misses a lot, call in a lot, or just has that negative attitude can make work a much more enjoyable place to be.  Before terminating someone for being a problem worker I think it is better to provide some job coaching and allow that once great and dedicated worker to return to those roots.  Often it seems that managers tend to take on the attitude that they do not want conflict at work so they ignore unethical and unprofessional employees with the “out of sight, out of mind” Philosophy.  Sometimes an employee has to be terminated due to their behavior, but at least give the employee a chance to succeed.

3.      Having a comment box where employees can drop comments in an anonymous fashion can tell an employer tons of information about where the state of the employees are.  Listening to your employees will give them a greater sense of belonging to the company.  Everyone likes to know that their concerns have been heard and that they are being addressed, but when an employer does not get back with the employees on their concerns, the employees can feel unimportant.

4.      Incentives are a great way of keeping employees happy and engaged.  I am not talking about monetary incentives necessarily, but asking the employees what kind of incentive would benefit them.  Gift Cards for online shopping, to be done off work hours, dress down Fridays, not dress unprofessional, Fridays, Free Coffee or sodas, Or anything that will help the employees feel they a part of the company.

5.      Opening up your hiring pool to those individuals who are unemployed will give you a pool of people who will appreciate the chance.  Often when employees become disgruntled with their place of employment their work ethic goes down and they take the job for granted.  Helping reengage them, providing job coaching and finding out why they are less happy will help an employer, but sometimes the bad apples do have to be terminated.  Hiring someone who is unemployed will get you an employee who will go above and beyond to succeed.

6.      Employee satisfaction surveys are a great way to see where your employees are in the company.  Asking for honest and anonymous feedback can let you know where your employees are.  I have heard of some companies doing this for their employees, but I have never been able to give my employer feedback about concerns I might have, mainly due to never being given the opportunity.

I will often say that a happy engaged employee make for a great bottom line for an employer.  Gaining the happier workers will make not only the company look good but will make the customers feel great also.  Employers I hope you will look at this as a few suggestions on how to grab up the best talent, and how to keep them.  

7 ways to prepare for an interview and shine like a star.

7 Ways to prepare for an interview and shine like a star.

Is your way of interview preparation helping or hurting your chances?  There are a lot of people who are talking about the best way to prepare for interviews.  I would like to throw my 2 cents worth in the ring.   If you Google “interview preparation”, you will be hit with onslaughts of information to try sift through.  Preparing for an interview can be a nerve racking experience and it can also be an exciting process.  Here are 7 ideas to try when you are preparing for an interview.

1.       Make sure your clothes are clean, pressed and ready to go.  Take you suit or dress suit to the cleaners and have them spruce them up.  There is nothing worse than wearing wrinkled or even out of date clothes to an interview.  Make sure that you have the appropriate outfit for the job.  For Men the suit should be Blue or Grey, according to many sites, and for the Women make sure you wear wither a dress skirt or pants suit that does not reveal to much.

2.      There are so many people that do not know the appropriate time to show for an interview.  I have heard people say 30 minutes, and even some say that one should show up an hour early for the interview.  The appropriate time to show up for an interview is 10 minutes prior to the interview.  I understand why people think showing up 30 minutes to an hour early is a good thing.  They think it shows dedication and determination to do well on the job, but what they fail to see is that showing up that early is disrespectful to the employer because now their day has been offset.  Maybe they do not want you to show up and run into the other candidates.

3.      What do you know about our company is now becoming a usual interview question.  There are a lot of individuals who go to an interview and know nothing about the employer, what the employer needs, or even the problems that the employer is having.  It is extremely important to research the company and see what types of issues they may be having, what their mission or goals are, or some of their most recent successes have been.  It is always good to reference things that the company has received Kudos for.  In the golden age of the internet you can go to most employer’s web sites and research, gather information and even see the problems they might have experienced.  Being a problem solver that comes in with their solution to a possible problem the employer is or might be having is a great way to stand out.

4.      One great way to prepare for an interview is to Google “how to answer Interview Questions”.  Practicing how you would answer an interview question helps you feel more relaxed during the interview and it allows you to make some great answers just flow instead of feeling rehearsed or not really what you think.  Employers can tell when you are trying to tell them what you think they want to hear.  Be relaxed and confident without being cocky.  Remember interview questions might have a hidden question underneath.  “Tell me about yourself” is one of those questions.  So many people make the mistake of telling about themselves on a personal level.  This question is not for personal information like where you went to school, or how many kids you have, it is about what skills are you going to bring to the company that will make you different from other candidates.  Have a friend mock interview you also to see how they think you did.

5.      Did you know that you can prepare enthusiasm?  As you walk around in your daily life look and see how many people are smiling.  Preparing your enthusiasm will help you look happy and ready to work.  Learn to use both types of smiling.  The mouth smile and the eye smile.  Even if you are having the worst day, make sure that when you are in that interview that you are smiling at everyone, leaning forward and smiling with your eyes.  Remember they say the eyes are the gateway to the soul, well they certainly tell what you are thinking.

6.      Remember the receptionist is the most important person you will run into at an interview.  Being pleasant to everyone, smiling and chatting is a great way to have you remembered. So many people make the mistake of checking in with the front desk, sitting down and looking frightened or anxious.  If someone walks through the lobby make sure you speak to them because you never know if it is a “plant” that wanted to see how you would be to join their team.  Many employers use a “plant” to test the answer to the question “Are you a team player”. If you sit there and do not speak to anyone and everyone that walks through, you might not be a team player.

7.      The worst thing that individuals do to not be prepared at an interview is to not prepare questions for the interviewer.  If you have ever answered the question “Do you have any questions for me”? with “No” then you have shot yourself in the foot with that job.  It is extremely important to have 2-4 prepared questions for the interviewer.  It shows that you are prepared and interested in the company and position.  Now be careful with your questions.  If they have told you that the position is open because the person who had it before moved up in the company, do not ask “Is there room for advancement”?  That shows you were not paying attention.

I hope this information is helpful.  I wish you all the best luck on your interview.  

How committed are you to your job search?

Commitment to the job search 2012!  There have been many articles on job search written just after the ball dropped beginning the New Year.  There is a lot of useful information out there but how does one know which information is most important to listen to.  This question is a lot like the same questions that will come up in November.  You know the one, “who will make the best candidate for President”?  I have read a lot of articles on things like “If you want a job then find the job”, or “Only you can prevent unemployment” but really the issues that needs to be addressed is tougher than just saying go get it, it is how does one stay committed to the job search in a time where many say it is nearly impossible to find work.  That is where Commitment to job search 2012 is a must.  Staying motivated and committed to a job search can be a difficult thing to do, but not impossible.  Here are a few things that you can do to stay on the job search:

1.      1. Finding a mentor is a great way to learn about the recent changes to the employment field of your choice.  Mentors can be not only a great source of information, but someone who has the inside scoop on the career spectrum.  Finding a mentor who has lived the job search life and understands the frustrations that go along with it can be a tremendous help when the motivation begins to wane.

2.      2.  Giving your job search more commitment than you do your New Year’s resolution will do wonders for you and your job search.  It amazes me when people make New Year’s resolutions and a month or so later they have stopped going to the gym, or has returned to the solitude of the couch instead of “meeting new people”.  Why does this happen you ask? Well it is simple, people lose the motivation to keep going, and they do not have the Gym buddy or even the Job buddy who will keep them accountable, so they do not maintain the resolution.

3.      3.  Commitment is much different than committed when it comes to job searching.  There is a lot of stress that goes on in a job search, and looking for a job, being a full time job can bring that on even more.  Make sure that you have outlets and people to relax with after job search hours, so that you do not end up committed or feeling like you are going crazy.  Working 40 hours a week to find a job should be like 40 hours working in a job.  Make time for life outside of work and work related issues.

4.      4.  Remembering daily that life will turn around and you will find employment will help keep you motivated.  I suggest that people think of their job search like they do their favorite food or family member.  There are those times that we will go to any means to get our favorite food, so why not go to any and every means to secure ourselves a job?  If you wait around for the job or employment opportunity to fall into your lap, you will have a very empty lap.  Finding that motivator that will keep you in the action phase, will help you wake up every day ready and willing to seek out that employment and not just sit on the couch and watch Maury.

Just remember that in life we either have commitments that we follow up with or commitments that we run and hide from.  Having a commitment to the job search is more about having a commitment to yourself and your life.  The more you keep focused and look at every success that you have daily, will help you stay on the road to commitment to the job search 2012.

6 Degrees of job transformation

Do you have a plan for a career make-over or a complete change?  I know that many people are looking to change jobs, start a new career or just get away from the current job they have.  I wanted to encourage you all to make sure when you are looking at doing this that you remember that the skills you learn from one job can be useful in the next.  The skills can even make the transformation easier.  I want to share with you how the transitions in my life have followed the same pattern even though they were very different results.  What I learned from being a substance abuse counselor will take me from counselor to Job Coach and Trainer via ex-offenders.

There are a lot of skills that a person needs to have to make a transition and I feel my path is shaping up well for my next transition and hopefully landing me into the final transition.  What are the skills that I learned I had to make this transition work?

1.  1.     Learning to read people is the first and foremost skill I developed.  If you do not know how to read people either in person or on the phone you might not be able to make the transition into the place you want to be.  I learned to read people when I was a counselor, I took that skill and it has helped me read the ex-offenders I deal with today.  Learning to read verbal and non-verbal language is a key aspect to learning what is expected of you from others.  Helping individuals while being a trainer/job coach will utilize that skill to make sure the information being presented is being understood and internalized by the other person.  I developed a strong “gut feeling” year ago and it succeeds more often than fails.

2.     2.  Communication is a major key to life.  When I am providing my trainings I try to make sure I am walking around keeping eye contact with everyone, talking loud enough to be heard and communicating the information using life events that most if not everyone can understand due to personal experience.  I have been to trainings where the presenter stands in the front of the room, just flipping through slides and they put no humanity into it.  Make a training/job coaching session almost like a counseling session, bring real life experience into it, ask the participants what experience they have had with the topic.  Engagement through communication is a Win-Win.

3.      3.  One thing I have learned through being a counselor is that everyone makes a mistake.  That has come in handy when working with the ex-offenders.  People make mistakes on the job and can benefit from some good strong job coaching.  If everyone in the world refused to give another human being a second chance, there would be no one in our lives, we would all be hermits living under our solitary rock.  Mistakes can be fixed and individuals can be remorseful of the mistakes, which leads to a better employee or trainee, but once others see that individual as a mistake, the damage is done and getting back in the good graces is nearly impossible.  Just look at the ex-offenders I work with, without a chance to show life changes, they will re-offend just to get back to a safe place.

4.   4.   I have heard of this concept of six degrees of separation, mainly around Kevin Bacon, but I truly believe that we are all just about 6 degrees of separation from each other.  We all have similar life experiences; we can draw off the experiences of another to make a point.  One example I use is about anger management.  Who has never been angry or let down.  Reaching a group and bringing a group consciousness around a topic while making it personal enough to make sense to everyone is a talent I developed which I know will help me become a great trainer/job coach.

5.  5.    Coaching the coach is a lot like training the trainer, but my concept is around everyone has a story to tell, everyone has a lesson to learn, everyone has a lesson to teach.  When I started out in the counseling field, all I had was a degree, no experience, but a desire to help individuals.  The lessons I learned while being a counselor helped me develop my skills, learn from those who had been there and done that.  Listening to the life lessons of others will help you in your own life, as long as you listen.

6.   6.  I learned over and over again to listen for the meaning under the meaning, sort of like the question under the question.  Dissecting the discussion before I respond helps me understand the true meaning of what another person needs.  Looking into the reasons a person does what they do is one of the greatest life teachers an individual can run into.

Looking at your skill set’s from past jobs, and the skill set’s you use with those closest to you, I know you can find a way to better your job search, better your career and enhance your life.