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If you want to land a sweet promotion this year, add these skills to your toolbox.
Training: It’s one of the least sexy words in the dictionary, but for career-oriented people, it’s also one of the most important.
While much has been made of the soft skills employers are looking for in entry-level workers, if you’re looking for a raise or promotion this year, you’ll definitely want to show your boss that you’re adding hard, marketable skills to your repertoire.
Luckily, most (good) managers will want you to get training, because it means you’re interested in being better at your job and helping the company grow.
Showing posts with label Need. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Need. Show all posts
Top Ten Reasons Why You Need a Cover Letter
Your cover letter presents your intentions, qualifications, and availability to a prospective employer in a succinct, appealing format. It's your first chance to make a great impression, a personalized letter indicates you are serious about your job search. Your resume can give the nitty-gritty of dates, places of employment, and education but your cover letter must entice the reader to take the extra few minutes to consider you when faced with hundreds and thousands of candidates for any one job opening.
1. Do you really need a cover letter?
You bet! Just as you would never just show up unannounced at a prospective employer's door, your resume should Never just appear solo on a decision- maker's desk. Your cover letter is your first opportunity to introduce yourself, present your qualifications, and show the search committee you are a potential candidate for the advertised position.
2. Personalize it to the company.
Anyone can reproduce a "canned" cover letter and hope for the best. Instead, take a few minutes to personalize your letter by showing that you are really serious about working for the companies you are contacting. State the reason that you are interested in working for that particular company. Mention a department, a new project the company is involved in, an acquisition the company has made. Show that you have done your homework. Address the cover letter to a specific individual whenever possible.
3. Why are you sending your resume and cover letter?
Cover letters should be clear and to the point. Include the specific job title, two to three reasons why your experience makes a good fit, and a brief outline of career highlights.
4. Highlight your strengths!
You may be a great person and never call in sick, but prospective employers really want to know why they should consider you for this position. Brag a little! Give a few facts, list relevant skills, and state accomplishments on your present or most recent jobs that will be impressive. Increased overseas sales by 93%? Negotiated new financial leases/loans? Implemented new training programs which reduced staff turnover by 15%?
5. State your intentions and qualifications right up front.
If you expect a senior personnel manager or recruiter to wade through a mish-mash of information on your cover letter before understanding why you are sending your resume, chances are, it will never happen.
6. What makes you different?
Emphasize your skills, talents, and experiences to show how you would be a valuable addition to the team. If you have relevant volunteer or professional experience include it briefly in your cover letter. Example: An accountant who serves as volunteer treasurer for a nonprofit community health organization; an international sales rep who has lived in Europe and Asia and speaks several languages.
7. No negative information!
Never include personality conflicts with previous employers, pending litigation suits, or sarcastic remarks in your cover letter. If you are bad-mouthing your present place of employment, interviewers may fear a repeat performance if they hire you.
8. When should you include salary/relocation information?
The rule of thumb is to always include salary requirements and/or salary history in the cover letter if a prospective employer requests it. For example: My salary requirements are $60,000-$75000 (negotiable). Or: My current salary is $53,000 at XYZ corporation. To eliminate this information from your cover letter may justify your resume getting tossed out. Never include salary and relocation information on your resume, only address this information in your cover letter.
9. Action Steps to Take
Take a proactive approach in your cover letter. State the fact that you are available for a personal interview; give your home, work, e-mail, and/or cell phone numbers where you can be reached; note that you will follow up by phone (where possible) to provide any additional information required.
10. Be direct!
A professionally written cover letter and resume can open the doors to your next position on the corporate ladder, as well as a new career in a different field. A clean, error-free presentation combined with strong phrasing and solid facts will encourage the reader to review the attached resume and call you in for an interview.
How To Get A Raise: Stress Value, Not Need
No one likes to ask for a raise. But there are situations when it makes common sense to say to the boss, "I believe I am worth more to this organization than I am being paid. I would appreciate a raise."
Never try to make a case for a raise on the basis of need. Organizations can stay in business only by paying people what they contribute to the bottom line, not their needs.
You are justified in asking for a raise when one or more of the following conditions exist.
- You are making a contribution toward your employer's goals above and beyond what is expected from your position. . You have been filling a more demanding position, which usually pays more money, for a considerable time.
- There is no formal system in place for performance reviews and you haven't had a raise in a reasonable period of time.
- You have an offer from another employer for more money and you are prepared to make a change if necessary.
Before you rush in to ask for a raise, you should understand that one of three things could happen. One, you may get the extra money. Two, you may find out you are not nearly as valuable as you thought you were, and that your future is limited to your present position. Or, three, you could lose your job when you cause the boss to focus on your performance in terms of hard cash.
Be prepared; be sure of your facts. Remember, you are making a sales presentation for a product (your service to the organization) to a buyer (your boss) who has a limited budget from which to buy answers to a number of highly competitive needs.
Make sure you know how things are going with your boss and the company.
Common sense tells us not to ask for a raise when the company is in the doldrums or when the boss, himself, has just been passed over for a raise. Choose the time and place when your boss is most apt to give you a fair hearing.
Find out how your compensation compares to other jobs in the company and in terms of what other employers are paying for people with similar responsibilities and experience. Know what the fair market value is for your talents.
Get a reading on how your fellow employees and your boss rate your performance. (It had better be a reasonably good report before you ask for more compensation.)
Get directly to the point when you meet with your boss.
Review your contributions, being as specific as possible in such terms as savings, increased productivity, growth in sales.
Underscore your loyalty to the organization. Suggest your potential for even greater contributions based on demonstrated performance.
Present hard data to prove you are not paid up to scale when compared to similar jobs inside the organization and in your employer's business category.
Be prepared to define a range of increase you think is fair, if you are asked to do so. Do not demand. Be ready to discuss the pros and cons of your performance. Keep your cool. It will be a rare boss who will not be a bit annoyed that you have had to ask, either because he has allowed you to lose touch with reality or because he has failed to recognize your worth and frustration. Don't be surprised at some backlash. Accept both praise and criticism with equanimity. Be ready to work out a compromise.
It is unlikely you will get an answer on the spot ... unless it is a resounding negative. Leave the door open for a positive answer or at least further negotiations later.
If the final answer is "yes," express appreciation (but do not go overboard) and work twice as hard to prove your boss made a good decision. Start right then earning the next raise. If it is "no," buckle down, do a better job and prepare for another chance. Or leave for a more rewarding environment.
Help Wanted! Good Attitudes Only Need To Apply
Earlier I talked about the need to train people and develop processes for employees to perform successfully. Several people exchanged e-mails over how difficult it is to find good people with good work ethics, attitudes and communication skills. I had one reader who really has a good grasp of reality. I think his message is worth reading and thinking about. "I've enjoyed the banter on attitude & motivation. Certainly, I'd prefer to hire someone with a great attitude. I believe, however, we're faced with a growing "good attitude" shortage. I'm going to wade in over my head here so y'all pull me out if I get too deep.
It seems to me that our hiring pool in the future will not have the work ethic we were raised with. I'm sure that's no news to anyone. These kids who hear KISS (punk rock) on OLDIES stations have a different worldview than we do. They are motivated differently than we are. Many were raised by day care centers and came home to single parents. Many are dating at the same time their parents are. Their whole life has been one "entertainment baby sitter" after another.
I believe the successful businesses of the future will have a good handle on how to direct the behavior of these attitude basket cases. We won't have the luxury of hiring new people with the attitudes and people skills we prefer.
That's why I think we need to be learning how to elicit proper behavior out of whatever personnel we have. Behavior, not attitude, is what puts beans in the pot. Consider this personal example:
I believe I have a great attitude. I care about people and I love to bring them together with the things they want or need. That's how I make my living and according to the numbers, I'm good at it. However, it's not just my attitude that sells. I'm sure I could just walk out the door in my Bermuda shorts, unshaven, wearing a T-shirt and I'd be able to sell something to somebody. It would be slim pickings, though. I certainly wouldn't sell much that way.
So, I use behaviors to "grease things up" a bit. Being polite, using floor protectors and rugs, wearing neat uniforms, properly writing work orders, using price books ad infinitum are all behaviors that can be taught, monitored and inspected. Granted, many of these behaviors are simply common courtesy but apparently, common courtesy is in short supply these days.
You might be able to recognize my good attitude because it's almost always there but you wouldn't be able to quantify it or make adjustments to it. That's up to me. You can, however, document every little behavior you expect me to perform. Further, you can demonstrate that my performance rides on how well I execute the behavior you expect. Whether I'm late for work because of a bad attitude or a flat tire, the numbers will show that a late start usually means missed opportunities. In other words, it's not the attitude; it's the action (behavior) that determines success or failure.
Have you noticed that fast food franchises have pretty much "behaviorized" every step of the selling process? From "you want fries with that?" to the way they wrap a burrito is all boiled down to a process. People with good attitudes certainly excel but the majority of the revenue is generated by gen-X kids with a blank stare.
In our industry, we have the same hiring pool. By providing trouble shooting check lists and procedures (behaviors) we can narrow down most technical problems to find a reasonable solution. Sure, there's a desperate need for technical expertise as well and those who have it will excel. But the majority of our revenue can be generated by "average" people who follow the rules.
By implementing service call procedures (behaviors) we can insure that our valuable customer gets the treatment they deserve. Again, great attitudes will rise to the top but the majority of our revenue will come from average people who simply follow our rules. How well we develop and manage these rules will determine how successful our businesses will be.
I'll leave you with this thought: Have you noticed the trend toward consolidation? I thought so. I think part of the driving force toward consolidation is that there are fewer and fewer business people out there that understand how to develop their people. Inability to manage people (direct their behavior) could be the biggest growth inhibitor small businesses face. After all, if a business was growing, profitable and had it's people working like a team, who would sell it?
So, if my premise is correct, where do we go from here? If I'm out in left field, where do we go from there? -RH
I think he is right on target. The secret of success is learning how to create the behaviors the business needs for success.
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