How you can benefit from France's new 'right to disconnect' rule

• 2-minute read •
Through the “right to disconnect” law, French employers now must implement policies on how they interact with work during off hours. Here’s how you can take France’s lead and still get your job done.
The timer for the pizza you have in the oven goes off just as your phone lights up with an email from your boss. Looks like dinner will have to wait.
Unless you work in France.
As of Jan. 1, workers in France have the “right to disconnect,” a measure that forces employers with 50 or more employees to negotiate terms and define rights with the workforce as they pertain to working once they’ve clocked out for the day, The Guardian reported.
Buuuut you live in the U.S. And we get that it’s hard to silence your phone and not be at the beck and call of your inbox at all hours of the day. Let’s examine the benefits to leaving your work at the office and offer a few hacks so you can stay productive while enjoying your well deserved off time.

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How to choose the right resume format

• 2-minute read •
Are you staring at a blank page? Unsure how to present your skills and experience on a resume? You’re not alone. Many job seekers struggle to come up with a resume structure that accurately represents their professional aspirations and attracts recruiters’ attention. The struggle, however, is real.

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Five self-employed jobs you could be doing right now

• 2-minute read •
Looking for a job where you really get on with your boss?

If you dream of a flexible career where you can always work on your own terms, then becoming self-employed might be the perfect fit for you. And it striking it out on your own really isn’t as scary as it sounds – especially if you make sure it’s something that really suits your skills.

We’ve already covered whether becoming self-employed is the right choice for you, but to help inspire you, here are five self-employed jobs you could be doing right now.

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Are You on the Right Career Path?

• 2-minute read •
Regardless of what career level you currently find yourself in – seeking a new opportunity, unemployed, leaving school – asking yourself if you are on the right career path is one of the most frequent questions job seekers ask themselves throughout their careers. While the answer to this question may seem insurmountable at times, employing a strategy where you dissect the question. Breaking it down step–by–step may help.

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The right—and wrong—ways to sneak out for a job interview

When it comes to job searching, a little stealth can go a long way.
You’re on a top-secret mission: Get to a job interview without your current employer finding out.

Whether you’re just seeing what else is out there, or actively working to leave your current role ASAP, you definitely don’t want your boss to know.

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The Right Way to Quit Your Job

After the stressful process of looking for a new job while you’re still employed, accepting an offer is a huge relief. At last, you’re free! You probably can’t wait to share your good fortune with the world and tell your boss where she can shove that evil assignment she gave you last week. You might think that since you’re leaving, you don’t have to worry what people think of you anymore. This is not the case. Unless you want to erase everything you’ve accomplished since you first accepted this job, your departure must be as strategic and deliberate as your arrival.

This starts with your resignation. Under no circumstances should you let on that you’re leaving before you have a signed agreement and official start date from your new employer. If you jump the gun and blab to everyone and your job offer falls through, your best case scenario is that you’ve got egg on your face. The worst case, of course, is that your boss is insulted enough to fire you. Here are some other suggestions for making a smooth exit:

Tell your supervisor first: you want him to hear the news from you, not from someone else in your department.

Give two weeks notice: stay for the full period unless the company requests that you leave sooner.

Be modest: don’t alienate your colleagues by bragging or chattering incessantly about your awesome new gig.

Don’t insult anyone or anything: whether it’s true or not, show that you regret leaving such wonderful people behind.

Stay on top of your responsibilities: remember that you’re accountable for your work until 5PM on your last day.

Continue to adhere to office protocol: you worked hard for that corporate persona, so leave them with a lasting impression of professionalism.

Review the employee handbook: understand what you’re entitled to regarding benefits and compensation for unused sick or vacation days.

Organize your files: make it easy for your colleagues to find materials so that they can transition your workload seamlessly and won’t need to call you at your new job.

Do a great job training your replacement: these people paid your salary for a year or more, you owe it to them to leave your job in good hands.

Don’t take anything that doesn’t belong to you: this includes office supplies and work product that was not developed by you personally.

Many companies request that departing employees do exit interviews with HR. The person conducting the interview, who probably doesn’t know you from a hole in the wall, will usually expect you to divulge why you are leaving and how you feel about your experience with the company. When it comes to exit interviews, the general rule is: if you don’t have anything nice to say, lie. Stick to official business as much as possible, and if you must provide constructive criticism, proceed with tact and caution. While it may be tempting to use the meeting as a forum to spill your guts about the company’s difficult personalities and insufferable policies, don’t give in. Once you’ve made the decision to leave, airing your grievances won’t do you a drop of good and the risk of offending people is way too great.

The most important thing to remember when leaving a job is to fireproof your bridges. It’s a smaller world than you think and you never know when you’re going to need these people again. And who knows? Maybe you won’t even like your new job and will want to come back someday. At the very least, you want to be able to count on at least one person at the company to serve as a reference for the future. During your last few weeks, do everything you can to leave behind a squeaky clean reputation. Be conscientious and thorough as you’re wrapping up or transitioning projects. Even if you’re leaving because you can’t stand your department, act like a team player and keep your negativity to a minimum. If your colleagues take you out for lunch or throw you a going away party, congratulate yourself. It means you’ve handled your departure in exactly the right way.

How to Get Off on the Right Foot on Your First Job

Here are 10 common sense guidelines that can make their journey smoother and more rewarding

1. Realize the scoreboard is operating from day one. But don't expect to conquer the world in six months.. Hit the ground running toward specific goals. Master the fundamentals. Seek out responsibility, but never take on more than you can deliver in a first-class way.

2. Work, work, work and then work some more. No substitute, no short cut will replace work. Immerse yourself in your work. This means more than working diligently from eight to five. Take work home. Never miss a deadline and deliver what your boss orders, even though you may not agree with it.

3. Arrive early and stay late. Get to work 30 minutes before the specified starting time. Take this period, before the interruptions start, to get routine chores out of the way and organize your day's work. Often you will find your boss is in early, also. (That may have something to do with his being boss.) It's a great time to get better acquainted with him. Ask for that extra information and guidance you need.

Stay at least 15 to 30 minutes after the regular hours. Clean up your work place. Make a list of actions you will take the next day.

4. Don't be afraid to ask questions and seek help when you have gone as far as you can go on a project. You are not expected to know everything. Asking for help is a sign of strength and not a sign of weakness. Seeking assistance shows you are confident and focused on the job. Find a mentor who is willing to provide coaching and share experience. (This will not be difficult to do; most people like to be asked for advice.)

5. Learn how the machinery of the organization works. Absorb the folklore. The processes may be quite different from what you read in the training and policy manuals.

6. Don't join cliques or deal in office politics; leave the gossip to others. None of these is good for your career health.

7. Respect the hierarchy. The organization is bigger and stronger than you are; you can't change it in the beginning. The sooner you accept this fact, the better. You have a boss and the chain of command is real. ­ You are not likely to "make it" as a rebel.

8. Know the business of the business--its objectives; what it does, what it sells and what values it represents. Learn how your job fits into the overall picture.

9. Adapt to the environment. Observe the style of dress and be guided by it. Is business done in an informal manner or strictly by the rules? Is the primary mode of communications by memos and formal meetings or by face-to-face discussions and chance meetings in the hallways?

10. Be loyal to the organization. Loyalty to organizations may be declining, as some say, but it is still highly valued.

These guidelines do not guarantee a pot of gold, but one thing is certain: they raise the odds for success.

Don't Panic: The Right Job Is Just Around the Corner

Fuel prices are up. Food prices, too. And don't forget foreclosures. The U.S. is still at war and unemployment has reached 5.5%. It's the real-life equivalent of "Lions and tigers and bears!" But, oh my, does a job seeker really have to think the worst is yet to come -- if it isn't already here?

Nah!

Don't focus too much on the bad news. There's plenty of good news -- and good jobs -- out there.

John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the nation's first, oldest, and premier outplacement consulting organization, points out, "There's no reason to start panicking. Jobs are opening up all the time." And while the economy is a bit sluggish as of late, Challenger says, "You can't think of the job market as too monolithic. A number of industries out there are doing very well currently. Health care, energy, international business, agriculture, and commodities are thriving."

Health care, sales, and technology are among the categories with the most job listings on Yahoo! HotJobs, and each have enjoyed the biggest category growth from March to April this year.

Whatever the economic climate, you can use these four strategies to maximize your opportunities:

Rely on Research

Outplacement and job-market expert Challenger recommends that job seekers do their due diligence. "What's going in the economy? What's going on in my market? Where are the companies that are hiring? Research all this and see who's doing well in the market and position your next job search around companies that are in growth mode right now."

However, even if an organization's numbers are down, he reminds professionals, "Don't give up on a company that's doing poorly. Troubled companies need good people to solve their problems."

Think Positive

Janet White, author of "Secrets of the Hidden Job Market: Change Your Thinking to Get the Job of Your Dreams" and founder of jobmarketsecrets.com, thinks workers should stop reading the headlines. "Don't buy it," she says. If you begin your job search with the wrong mindset, it may not go right.

"Avoid falling into the mindset that it's tough out there, there's a lot of competition, and not enough opportunity for you," White says. "Imagine yourself being in the job you want. Hold the vision of having it -- go back to daydreaming about it. Whatever you believe to be true becomes your experience. You can believe that it's hard or you can believe that you can have the job of your dreams."

Don't Blame the Economy Alone

Are you flying blind or do you have a solid job search strategy? Susan D. Strayer, author of "The Right Job Right Now: The Complete Toolkit for Finding Your Perfect Career," says, "One of the things I always see when there is an economic downturn is that job seekers tend to be lazy in their searches and blame it on the economy. People are sending out hundreds of untargeted resumes -- whether it's a bad economy or a good economy. That's not a good strategy."

Strayer, an HR executive and career coach, counsels her clients, "You have to focus on your search strategies. And conversations are the biggest piece of that. You need to find advocates within a company." Start reaching out to your network to find these folks and talk to them. She believes insiders can not only help you tailor your resume and approach, "They can also give you a real state of the union -- letting you know which divisions are and aren't doing well and which vacant positions are on hold."

While she, like Challenger, believes there are certain industries you can't be optimistic about, she reminds job seekers, "You should always be optimistic about your search."

Market Yourself (in Any Market)

The experts remind job seekers, "Although we are seeing unemployment rise and the economy somewhat weaken, there will always be jobs available for those who are determined to find the right fit. But it's important to remember that looking for a job is all about marketing yourself."

The best strategy for positioning yourself as the most attractive candidate starts with a tight resume. Also, there are jobs lurking around every corner, but you won't find them unless you network.

How to tell if you've made the right move

It's hard to tell if this is the job you thought it would be until you've been there a while, but that's what your probationary period is for. If it isn't everything you expected, it's better to know now while it's still easy to get out.

Many companies recycle job ads and job specs from one year to the next, so what you find yourself actually doing may be some way removed from what you expected. You should have cleared this up during the interview process, but you may have forgotten in the heady rush of landing the job. If what you find is not what you were expecting, talk to your line manager as soon as possible to resolve any difficulties you may be having.

How are things with your new colleagues?
Some workplaces can be very cliquey, and it can be hard breaking into the inner circle. If people are being actively obstructive or awkward, discuss the situation informally with your boss and see if you've been missing something. Sometimes, it may be some obscure form of test to see what you're made of. Other times it may just be plain rudeness, or people not being aware that you feel unwelcome.

You should also look outside the workplace to see whether the social life is all you'd hoped it would be. These things are rarely a major issue, but you should be aware of them. Don't think you have to sort any problems like this out on your own - that's the job of your line manager.

Are you getting the recognition you deserve?
This is very much a question of your new boss's expectations. If your goals are realistic, you've got a good chance of getting off to a good start; if not, you could quickly feel under pressure. With this in mind, make sure you are given clear key performance indicators and know what is expected of you. It's much easier to hit a target you can actually see.

Without overdoing it, make sure that you get recognition for any successful tasks or projects you've been involved with, and make sure your boss knows about your contribution. There are no prizes for sitting in the corner and letting everyone else take the credit.

You will have an assessment at some point during your probationary period – probably more than one – and this is a great time to clear up any misgivings you may have or to make sure your know what is expected of you and that it remains achievable. Don't be shy. Speak up and let your boss know how you feel about your new job.

What does the future hold?
No employer is going to broadcast to you in interview that the company is on the edge and in danger of going under. Equally, if your interviewer is an unpopular or incompetent boss, you're not going to know about that until you start work.

Other signs to look out for include the general atmosphere of the place. Is this a company going places, or beginning to panic? Do you colleagues talk about their recent successes, or are there darker mutterings around the corridors? What is the training and development situation? Did the HR people talk to you about it during your induction, or do people roll their eyes when you mention the subject?

Promises can be easy to make – actually seeing them through is much more difficult.

There can be a big difference between how your new boss presented himself during the interview, how the company presents itself through its website or job ads, and what you actually experience. If it doesn't feel right after the first couple of weeks or months, never be afraid to walk away. It's easier to do so during your probationary period and you've also got all the skills required to find a new job fresh in your mind.

When is it right to move on?

There are a lot of things to consider when deciding when and why to move on. To begin with, you need to assess where you are now, what you have achieved and where you want to be in a few years time.

What do you enjoy about your present job? What don't you enjoy? What do you feel is missing? What have you enjoyed about any previous roles you have done? What is the ideal situation for you? How will you know when you have achieved it? What obstacles are in your way? What can you do to overcome them?

Try to be systematic in answering these questions. Discuss them with friends, family or a professional career change expert and write them down. It's always easier to make an accurate assessment of a situation if it's clearly staring back at you from a piece of paper.

As well as your own personal motives for wanting to change jobs, there are plenty of other reasons out of your control that cause you to leave your current position, including:

• Potential financial difficulties for your employer
• Your company moving into an area of business you don't agree with
• A culture change in your company caused by a takeover or merger
• A collapse in communication with your manager or colleagues

Spotting when the time is right
If you do decide to leave a job, quitting at the wrong time can hit you in the pocket if you're not careful. For example, leaving just before your big bonus is due is not very sensible. It's a good idea to think about whether you're currently paid in advance or in arrears as any change may affect your monthly cash flow.

If you've got a holiday planned, wait until you get back before handing in your notice. Your new employer won't take kindly to you booking two weeks off during your probation period.

Because so many people take time off during summer and winter, May and October are often prime times to look for a new job. In preparation for a lot of their workforce being away, employers look to train up new recruits to cover the anticipated gaps. On the other hand, you may be missing out on overtime opportunities in your current role if you leave before the holiday period is over.

Leave in a position of strength
Once you've made the decision to leave, make sure you have somewhere to go before handing in your notice. Don't be tempted to storm off in a huff or make some sort of statement if it means leaving yourself vulnerable. It's much easier to find a job when you already have one. Long periods of unemployment sends out a bad signal to a future employer, with all sorts of questions about why you left, and could leave you out of work for longer than you think.

Don't ignore the consequences of quitting before you have a new job lined up, no matter how much you dislike where you're working. Apart from looking bad as you start applying for new jobs, voluntarily leaving your former role could compromise your eligibility for unemployment benefits.

Money shouldn't be the only reason
If money is the overriding issue in your desire for change, have the courage to address it before thinking about leaving. Find out the going rate for your job and, if you don't feel you're getting paid enough, ask for more. This can be a scary experience, but it could solve your problem. If your request is turned down, then you can take a view on whether it's the right time to leave. If you have the option to think in the long term, you may even consider taking a pay cut, but moving to a company where the career progression and wage increases will occur more regularly.

Choosing the right company

There's a vast range of potential employers out there, from small start-ups to the biggest multinationals. Which type best suits you is for you to decide, based on your personality, your likes and dislikes and, of course, your experience. If you're unsure, take the time to do as much research as you can.

Get on your favourite search engine and check out terms like 'FTSE 100' for the big boys, 'best employers' for lists of companies with the top working conditions, or specialist terms that apply to you like 'single mother' or 'multi-lingual employees'. Use your imagination and don't forget to ask around friends and relatives for ideas on companies they either work for or with to see if they can think of any that might suit you.

There are three main types of businesses that you can work for in the private sector, each with it's own pros and cons:

• Small companies
Due to their smaller revenues and profits, pay and benefits are often lower in smaller companies. You may also be working in a less secure environment as the business doesn't have the stability to think in the long term. Many small business owners tend to micro-manage their operations, finding it hard to let go and delegate responsibility.

On the other hand, you'll almost certainly have more involvement in a wider range of tasks than in a bigger company, along with the chance of quick promotion if you prove yourself. Working for a small company is also an excellent way of acquiring new, transferable skills.

• Medium sized companies
You can expect to receive better benefits than in a small company, such as health care or a contributory pension. With a relatively small number of employees, there is often more flexibility in their pay structure so they can individually tailor financial packages. Medium sized businesses will be acutely aware of their bottom line, making hiring and firing decisions on the basis of clear financial goals.

They can be very demanding employees, with a high expectation that you will do whatever it takes, including long hours and changing levels of responsibility. There will be opportunities to put variety into your work, but not as much as in a small company. Often, due to the shallow organisational structure, the potential for advancement is very limited.

• Large companies
The biggest plus with a large company is usually security and benefits, together with ample opportunity to move your career in the direction you want. Due to the large number of employees they have to look after, pay structures are often quite strict although due to their large financial backing, the starting wages are usually very generous.

They can be more impersonal and bureaucratic and lack the sense of a common goal or being part of a team that smaller companies offer. Large companies tend to hire people with specific skills to fit into specific roles, so don't expect a lot of variety in your role.

If you are at all unsure about what you're getting into, it's a good idea to arrange a trial period before committing yourself. An internship or temporary position offers the perfect opportunity to get a feel for people and the company. Part-time work is also an option, as it gives you the chance to try out two companies at once.

Alongside these groups, charities and public sector organisations also operate, again with their own pros and cons. One thing you will find when working for this type of business is that every penny spent must be justified, as they are ultimately accountable to people making charitable donations or the taxpayer.

Staying out of trouble
There are good places to work and there are awful places to work. Big companies with sexy offices can act as a smokescreen for a ferociously competitive business that you might find intimidating. Ask around, do your research and use your common sense.

Never be afraid to follow your instincts if a company doesn't feel right. You'll have to live with your decision if you get it wrong, so learn to read the warning signs. What happened to your predecessor? Promotion or P45? Watch how your interviewers behave during your meeting - if there's tension in the air, it might be the sign of things to come.

Right company, wrong location
If you're willing to cast your net wide in the search for the right employer, you may come across the perfect match, but at the other end of the country. Relocating for work is a big decision for anyone, but if you value your career and want to make the most of every opportunity, then it may be a necessary step. The Internet has made it easy to stay in contact with your friends, and you're likely to make many more in your new surroundings.