Friday, May 29, 2020

Attract Talent by Adding Humanity and Purpose to Your Brand

Attract Talent by Adding Humanity and Purpose to Your Brand Medallia is a company you may have heard of or used at some point without even knowing you have. Its an enterprise customer feedback management software platform and their mission is to create a world where companies are loved by customers and employees. Isnt that what every company dreams of? Well, we wanted to find out how it gets its employees to love THEM. Ariel Jolo, is the Global Employer Brand Manager for Medallia, and he tells us how it attracts talent by promoting culture, authenticity, and diversity. Have a listen to the episode below, keep reading for a summary and be sure to subscribe to the  Employer Branding Podcast. Listen on  Apple Podcasts,  Spotify,  Stitcher  or  Soundcloud. In this episode you’ll learn: What adding Humanity and Purpose means What the keyword People means to Medallia employees Why they hire exceptional people who are exceptional in their field What Hiring the Whole Person means How they use social media and YouTube for its latest campaign You can connect with Ariel on LinkedIn.

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Thinking of a career in HR

Thinking of a career in HR As an HR graduate, you’ll see first-hand the impact you have on the wider business. From business partnership, talent management, to reward and payroll, you can develop in many new directions. You’ll need to be able to balance commercial thinking with a real customer focus. It can be an immensely satisfying career path, enabling you to develop skills and experience across multiple functions. We invited Sajida Zamir, HR Manager with Severn Trent Water, to talk to us about her career. HR has given me a great career. I completed  degree in Business Studies and Human Resource Management after which I undertook a number of HR roles across both the private and public sector before joining Severn Trent Water in 2008 as a HR Advisor. I have had great opportunities that have stretched me and facilitated my  progression to the next level. Within 2 years I progressed to a Senior HR Advisor and then a further promotion to an HR Manager. As an HR Manager, I am the main interface into the business for HR, and the voice of the business back into HR. I play an active leadership role in driving the people strategy to support deliver the business plan. I work with the business on driving performance and line manager capability. On any given day I can be providing expert advice on the most complex HR cases, coaching leaders to drive leadership development, recruiting talent into the business and leading continuous improvement initiatives. One of the things I love about my job is that it requires an eye for detail alongside an ability to see the bigger picture and influence the organisation at the highest level. I have a commitment to diversity and ensuring fairness in the workplace. For me the variety, breadth, and being a trusted partner to the business makes it such an enjoyable role! Why should I consider a career in HR? HR provides a unique opportunity to gain exposure to all parts of the business, see how the organisation operates end to end and have an impact on this. You have the opportunity to work with leadership teams and influence them in key strategic business decisions. You will support and challenge managers as they lead their teams. No day is the same, youll get involved in a wide range of areassuch as employee relations, recruitment, reward and learning and development. One day, you could be working with management to decide on the organisation design and people needed to deliver the business strategy. The next, you could be running a training session to get the best out of people and drive performance. What skills do you need in HR? Commercial acumen and   strategic focus Strong communication and interpersonal skills Customer focus Ability to coach others Great team player with the ability to work collaboratively A drive for continuous improvement Data analytics The ability to work under pressure Flexible and adaptable Is HR a commercial environment? HR ensures we have the right people in the right roles to deliver maximum value for the business. We support the business to ensure that it is optimised from a cost, structure and performance perspective, empowering people to perform at their best to ensure maximum return on investment. You’ll be involved in purchasing and contract management, brand management and marketing as well as ensure employee communications are received well. What would you recommend to someone applying for a HR Graduate Programme Show your enthusiasm, do your research, think about what challenge the business faces, both people and commercial Think about completing HR work experience Talk to HR Professionals â€" join a group on LinkedIn or visit a careers fair (Editor note: we also run an HR sector event every spring) Make sure you can articulate why you want to work in HR How do I find out more about Severn Trent Water? Our graduate programmes are open now at http://www.severntrent.com/graduates.

Friday, May 22, 2020

Tips to Help Your Personal Brands Website Stand Out - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Tips to Help Your Personal Brands Website Stand Out - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career A professional presence online for your personal brand is important in building a good reputation and attracting the right leads. The style and content of your website is the point of reference from which all other of your online entities flow. You also want to stand out from the crowd with your own unique message and style. A well optimized website can bring more visibility for your brand depending on how much time and effort you put into it. This means content should be appealing to both search engines and visitors. Here are several techniques to help bring up the level of your website: 1. Quality Over Quantity. While posting a lot of blog posts can display a long string of content none of these will really be noticed unless the articles are not focused on your target market, and rank well on the search engines. To accomplish this it is good practice to avoid keyword stuffing, and instead choose a variety of words that branch off of one topic that naturally flow throughout the copy, which should be no more than 2,400 characters in length for the best viewership. Always perform a final edit and make any adjustments before hitting that publish button. And if you are finding that your post is too lengthy, consider breaking it up with bullet points, numbers, and graphics. Clear, concise, and easy-to-read content will garner the most views. 2. Use Professional Videos and Graphics. A simple message about a product or service or interesting image will stand out to your readers. There are a many free resources available to help you achieve this, including SlideShare, Pixabay, Canva, and PicMonkey just to name a few. This will also count toward your website’s search engine ranking along with great content. 3. Conduct and Study or Survey Is there a particular topic that your brand specializes in? Then why not do your own research and come up with an infographic or a fact-based article with statistics to build a stronger reputation online? This is a great way to encourage comments and shares on social media. Attract even more readers with surveys, which can also be posted on places like Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus. Your brand can mix content up with text articles, video presentations, and graphics. 4. Create Links Back to References When using a trusted, professional source in your articles be sure to include a link to either their website or article. Many times they will receive a ping-back to your story, which can build your brand influence and sharability. Choose a variety of influencers and experts in your niche and watch your network grow. A quality website that gets noticed for a personal brand is one that not only pays attention to its design, but includes well-optimized content that is original and engaging to readers. It pays to take that extra time and even a small investment to implement these steps and gain more loyal subscribers with higher rankings on the search engines.

Monday, May 18, 2020

5 Ways to Demand Respect in the Corporate World

5 Ways to Demand Respect in the Corporate World It’s an experience which is all too common within the office and corporate environment. Do your opinions, solutions and comments sometimes  fall on deaf ears? When you ask someone to pull their weight, is your  request ignored?  The question you ask yourself is, “where am I going wrong”? You know you’re intelligent; a model employee who’s always there for your  colleagues. So why don’t you get the respect you deserve? Below I’ve put together 5 ways in which you can help raise your status amongst your peers and make them realise that you are a valuable team member who deserves respect. 1. Ensure you get credit for what you do If you’ve completed an impressive, laborious piece of work, try to make  key people are aware of what you’ve done. If youre ocnstantly down-playing your abilities or being too humble, you might be shooting yourself in the foot. No one likes a bragger, but being too humble in a professional setting can sometimes backfire and discredit your effort. One thing you can try is  carbon copying managers  into your emails if you can (but don’t spam, be tactful and  only copy them into things which show you in a good light and actual  relevance to them). Subconsciously they will recognise your contribution, your value,  ultimately resulting in more respect. 2. Quality not quantity In any meeting don’t be the first to speak, take your time and ensure that what you say is meaningful and has value. If all you’re doing is adding is your 5 cents worth, it’s better to control the urge to speak and stay silent because in these situations less is more. If you’re asked to participate, a good approach is to say the following “I thought everyone raised some valid points …”  followed by highlighting one or two points which you liked. Ensure that you name the individuals and give them credit,  then close with “I have nothing more to add”.   3. Add weight to what you say in meetings Start off with “like Steve said” or “I agree with Jen”. Always mention someone else’s name before making your own point  and giving your opinion. When you’re in agreement with someone who has greater influence than you, your point will carry more weight! Also, those individuals will appreciate the credit they’ve received from you and therefore, subconsciously will be more supportive of what you have to say. 4. Deal with the users It’s very likely that if you’re not respected it’s partly down to people taking advantage of your good nature and this has to stop! Every organisation has its fair share of lazy, corner-cutting  â€œusers”, who get others to do their work whilst taking the credit. Any healthy relationship is a two-way street. So if you feel you’re being used, test your relationships.   Ask them to do something for you (related to their work) and see if they’ll do it. If they don’t (after repeated requests), it’s time to put them on your “Users” List. Next time they ask for help,  just say “Sorry I’m too busy ask so and so”. They will come back but by continuously  and politely rejecting their approaches they will soon get the hint and find someone else. 5. Deal with the office bully Not every office has one but  if you do you probably know. Their humour  is like a hate filled jam donut, doughy banter filled  with passive aggression;  and just like a school bully, they pick on easy targets. PsychologyToday talks about how humans have  pack mentality; how  this person will set the tone for the way others treat you. Deal with the bully and you’ll deal with the rest. So how do you do it? Firstly It’s important not to be passive aggressive back. Don’t give them the feedback or the reaction that they crave.   My personal, simple advice is to call them out on what they say! Call a spade a spade. If they say something demeaning, let them know that what they said is demeaning and not very nice or professional. Now things might get worse before they get better (because it’s likely they’ll push for a reaction that they’re used to getting). However, by not buckling under the pressure they’ll soon realise that you’re not a soft target and they’ll eventually move on. The human subconscious is by far the biggest driver in forming our opinions of others. By using these soft techniques, you will hopefully see improvements and find that co-workers and your boss are more interested in what you say, appreciate what you do and give you the respect you truly deserve.   About the author: Farhan Raja is a career coach, former recruiter and founder of Jobinterviewology.com.

Friday, May 15, 2020

Qualities that Make a Good Doctor

Qualities that Make a Good Doctor Source â€" WikimediaCareers in medicine are some of the most prestigious out there. I’m sure there’s nothing quite as satisfying as reading “Dr” as the prefix on all your mail, or seeing a family’s relief at someone’s recovery.However, the life of a doctor isn’t completely glamorous! If you’re thinking of pursuing this career, take a moment for some self-appraisal.Here are some of the qualities you’ll need to be a good doctor.1. COMPOSUREevalPhoto CreditevalThis is something which a lot of people overlook as an essential quality for a doctor. However, it’s one of the most important traits you can have in the medical field. Working as a doctor is tough to put it lightly. You’re going to be dealing with many of high-pressure situations, and possibly a lot of gore depending on your specialty. Patients and their relatives will also be feeling the strain. It’s not uncommon for doctors to receive verbal abuse or even physical attacks.At the very worst, you may have to inform someone about their loved one’s passing. If you don’t think you could handle this as your nine to five, then it’s time to reconsider!2. DISCIPLINE AND INDUSTRIOUSNESSPhoto Credit â€" Flickr These are important traits for a doctor. I’m sure you’ve heard before that doctors never run out of work. Well, it’s true! No matter the time of day or point in the year, you can be sure that someone will always need healthcare.As a doctor, your workload is never really going to thin out, and can be massively unpredictable.fIf your hospital or practice is understaffed, you may be called in at a moment’s notice. The stresses pile on even more if you open your own practice. Here, you’ll have to operate both as a physician and a business owner. From medical loans to balancing books and even marketing, private doctors have a lot on their plate. If you’re going to pursue a doctorate, make sure you’re industrious enough first.3. EMPATHYPhoto CreditOkay, this isn’t really essential. I know there are doctors out there who are highly professional, but help their patients the way a mechanic works on a car! While it’s possible to be both competent and callous as a doctor, empathy can help you a lot. Countless studies have shown that patients feel much more comfortable when the doctor shows empathy.Most of us If you’ve got these three traits, then I’m sure the medical profession will be a great field for you. Being a doctor is often frantic and fast-paced. However, for the right person, the rewards make it all worthwhile.

Monday, May 11, 2020

Working time through the ages - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog

Working time through the ages - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Wikipedia delivers again, this time with a great overview of working time from the stone age to today. A few nuggets from the article: early hunter-gatherer societies enjoyed more leisure time than is permitted by capitalist and agrarian societies;[5][6] For instance, one camp of !Kung Bushmen was estimated to work two-and-a-half days per week, at around 6 hours a day.[7] Aggregated comparisons show that on average the working day was less than five hours.[5] The automobile manufacturer, Henry Ford, was an ardent proponent of shorter work hours, which he introduced unilaterally in his own factories. Recent studies[9][10] supporting a four-day week have shown that reduced work hours not only increase consumption and invigorate the economy Because of the pressure of working, time is increasingly viewed as a commodity.[26] This trend, as well as the amount of working time being found to affect gender roles, has been notably researched by Sociology professor Dr. Stephen C. Smith.[27] In 2006, the average man employed full-time worked 8.4 hours per work day, and the average woman employed full-time worked 7.7 hours per work day.[28] Good stuff. Theres loads more go read the whole thing. Related posts Bring back the 40-hour work week. Dont let The Cult of Overwork ruin your work life. The top 5 new rules of productivity. How to procrastinate effectively. Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related

Friday, May 8, 2020

How To Get Ahead In Your Medical Career

How To Get Ahead In Your Medical Career Most people, when they choose a career, commit to it, work hard, and then they’re off; the progress takes care of itself. When it comes to the medical industry, however, these rules don’t really apply. That world is so large, so diverse, reasonably competitive, and challenging, that it’s difficult to know how you can get ahead. So we’re here to help. Below, we’ve put together some useful tips that’ll help you advance in your career. Think Ahead Now, we know that you’ve got a lot on your plate when it comes to your job. The medical industry is not the option for people who want a relaxed, easy-going job. If you’re going to enter this field, then you’re going to work! Still, though you’re going to be busy, it’s worth keeping one eye on the future, and where you might want to go. Even if you don’t have all of the answers right now, by at least beginning to ask these questions, you can begin to put the pieces in position to help you get there. Be The Best At What You Do There’s no substitute for hard work. The cream always rises to the top. If you want to be considered for promotions, then it’s imperative that you work hard, and try to be the very best at what you do. This is about more than just knowledge; it’s about passion and commitment. It’s about going the extra mile, making yourself available to work when it’s needed, and so on. If you make yourself indispensable to your organization, then you’re much more likely to be rewarded with promotions and advancement. While you should have one eye on the future, make sure you’re not dropping the ball when it comes to the here and now. Top Up Your Qualifications The medical industry is always advancing. And indeed, whether you’re a doctor or a nurse, much of what you learned during your formal schooling will be obsolete within a matter of years. As such, it’s important that you carry on learning. You can do this in two ways. One, by having a generally open attitude and picking things up as you go along; and two, by topping up your skills with more qualifications, such as studying for an online msn degree. You know that you’re suitable for more advanced positions, and with a qualification by your side, you’ll have the proof to back it up to your superiors, too. Network for New Opportunities Like any other industry, from time to time it’ll be less about what you know, more about who you know. If you’re able to successfully network with the movers and shakers who things happen, then you’ll be more likely to be aware of and ultimately offered the opportunities that they’re aware of. Assume The Role of Leader A confident person never stays at the bottom. Assume a leadership role, take on extra responsibility, and be involved with the decision making, and you’ll be primed to lead from the front one day.