Archive for June, 2008
Thursday, June 19th, 2008
Learning by individuals in an organizational context is a well understood process. This is the traditional domain of human resources, including activities such as: training, increasing skills, work experience, and formal education. Given that the success of any organization is founded on the knowledge of the people who work for it, these activities will and, indeed, must continue. However, individual learning is only a prerequisite to organizational learning.
Others take it farther with continuous learning. The world is orders of magnitude more dynamic than that of our parents, or even when we were young. Waves of change are crashing on us virtually one on top of another. Change has become the norm rather than the exception. Continuous learning throughout one’s career has become essential to remain relevant in the workplace. Again, necessary but not sufficient to describe organizational learning.
Knowledge transfer in the fields of Organizational development and organizational learning, is the practical problem of getting a packet of knowledge from one part of the organization to another (or all other) parts of the organization. It is considered to be more than just a communications problem. If it were merely that, then a memorandum, an e-mail or a meeting would accomplish the knowledge transfer. Knowledge transfer is more complex because
1. knowledge resides in organizational members, tools, tasks, and their sub networks and
2. much knowledge in organizations is tacit or hard to articulate.
When a business loses employees, it loses skills, experience and “corporate memory”. The magnitude and nature of these losses is a critical management issue, affecting productivity, profitability, and product and service quality. For employers, high turnover can negatively affect employment relationships, morale and workplace safety. The cost of replacing workers can be high, the problems associated with finding and training new employees can be considerable, and the specific workplace-acquired skills and knowledge people walk away which can take years to replace.
The problem of turnover can be addressed through a variety of pro-active retention strategies: workplace policies and practices which increase employee commitment and loyalty. Knowledge transfer initiatives on the other hand, ensure that the knowledge and expertise of a company’s employees—its ‘corporate memory’—are systematically and effectively shared among employees. They can offset the negative impact of turnover, but can also work pro-actively to reduce turnover by providing learning and skills development opportunities to employees – factors known to reduce turnover.
One key factor in employee motivation and retention is the opportunity employees want to continue to grow and develop job and career enhancing skills. In fact, this opportunity to continue to grow and develop through training and development is one of the most important factors in employee motivation.
So what can a company do to avoid seeing valued employees walk out the door? Offer bigger salaries? More benefits?
Fortunately, such “big ticket” expenditures are not necessarily the top priority to employees. In today’s still uncertain job market, employees are likely to be more interested in job satisfaction and growth. For corporations, that means investing in them—providing employees with tools that will help them improve their job skills and manage their career paths.
Compensation Association, training and development opportunities rank as one of the most important predictors of retention. It makes sense, after all, that training and retention rates are linked by offering training programs, employers show their employees that they are interested in keeping their company- and its employees- on the cutting edge of their field. Employees feel valuable and stay with the company. They also see that, through training, they will continue to move forward and advance their careers.
Employees want to advance their career with greater opportunities for training and career development. Providing a set of tools to develop the leadership and management skills to employees will provide immediate and long-term benefits to business. It should be a major step in employee retention strategy.
When you provide training to your supervisors and managers, they will be receiving training and career development which they want and need. Their sense of advancement and skills will lead to increased productivity for them and their team. They will have more fulfilling work and are less likely to leave your company. This provides an immediate benefit to your bottom line – reduced employee turnover!
Training benefits employers and employees alike. Employers can be sure that their employees are abreast of the latest trends and advances, while employees are rewarded with a competitive edge and the satisfaction that comes from knowing that one is a valuable employee. If employers demonstrate a genuine interest in their employees, employees are likely to stick around.
Posted in
Human Resource, Motivation, Organizational Development, Organizational Learning, Organiztaion Growth, Training and Development | No Comments »
Thursday, June 19th, 2008
Everybody’s talking about IQ testing and the importance of raw intelligence. A 1999 article in Scientific American said that only the top 5% of Americans (those above an IQ of 125) are even potentially capable of doing senior roles. The bottom 5% (those below IQ of 75) are unlikely to be able to work and will form an underclass in society.
Company’s have always recognized the importance of straightforward “academic smarts” both through specific graduate recruitment programmes and more generally in the way they select and recruit people.
There is an opposing point of view though. Some psychologists have criticized the whole idea of IQ. They either claim it doesn’t actually exist or that it is simply a measure of how good you are at doing IQ tests! Others claim that it is biased against certain groups OR that it doesn’t predict work success (work “smarts” are not the same as “academic brilliance”). Some theorists have claimed its too narrow a concept; that “intelligence” is in fact a bundle of different attributes from understanding language and manipulating numbers to being able to get on with people. Different jobs require different sets of skills.
The provisional answer to “Do Smart People Make the Best Managers?” is NO! We all know very clever people who are not just bad managers but are socially totally ineffective; people who seem almost lopsided.
Yet intelligence as defined in IQ is important. IQ is often defined as being able to deal with increasingly complexity – and most managers do have to do that.
Intelligence seems to be a hurdle you have to jump over. You need a certain amount of intelligence to get into a management role. The more senior you get, the more different management jobs get and therefore the wider the variety of skills you’ll need.
Think about the different combinations of personal attributes you may need for different management jobs.
Think about particularly changes in fast track graduate schemes. There is a collapse in confidence that degrees and other academic qualifications measure what they were measuring even 5 or 6 years ago: and the evidence is that this is in fact the case. Thus many graduate recruiters are doing ancillary measures of high level reasoning to check who are the real high fliers. But the real trick is not only to measure raw cognitive intelligence but those other attributes which may lead to success later on in careers.
Posted in
Career Development, Career Planning, Career in Pakistan, Finding a Job, Future Dreams, Pakistan Job Market, Skills Training | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
More and more women are turning to the internet and home jobs industry in search of a way to make money. Home jobs for women makes a lot sense, especially for those with children and other responsibilities around the house hold. Getting involved in a can enable women to make earn money while still being able to attend to many of the responsibilities they may have at home.
Below are 5 reasons why Home jobs for women make sense.
1. Home jobs for women makes a lot of sense is the fact that it allows one to dictate their schedule. Things like getting the kids off to school and picking them can create challenges that are essentially eliminated when women can create their own schedule.
2. Home jobs for women do not force ladies to answer to a boss. Women who start their Home job are enabled to say goodbye to a boss and eliminate that stress in their life.
3. Home jobs for women increase the amount of quality time a woman can spend with her family and friends.
4. Home jobs for women offer tremendous income potential when it taken seriously and worked like a business, the income that can be earned in many cases exceeds what is possible in a regular job and is something that is very attractive to a lot of women.
5. Home jobs for women can be incredible grafting to help other men and women do the same. Many women truly enjoy the satisfaction that comes from being able to help others walk away from their jobs and enjoy the lifestyle that is possible with a successful home job.
Home jobs Ideas:
- Affiliate Programs
Affiliate programs or reseller programs are basically an agreement between affiliate and the merchant. You agree to drive traffic to their website and they agree to pay for every sales that are through your leads. The website will have information about niche they are promoting.
- Web Content Writing
Writing articles / topics for a specific website is also a type of home job. Simply, You have to write articles as the website needed. Its is a most simple job for women.
- SEO Jobs
Search Engine optimization is a duty of optimizer to increase the rank of website, with the help of links and also keywords. It offers you the reasonable payment then any other online home based job.
Posted in
Finding a Job, Home Business, Home Jobs, Pakistan Job Market | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 18th, 2008
MBA grades are desirable in any job market; an MBA will give you the opportunities you need to advance in business world. Today’s marketplace evolves and becomes increasingly complex; many employers are choosing to balance their need to retain good employees with their need to fill managerial positions with candidates possessing advanced-level knowledge and skills. In the United State alone, there are close to 300,000 MBA aspirants pursuing the MBA degree, in any given year.
While information technology (IT) may have made the world global village, it has also contributed to one culture dominating another weaker one. The Technology changing trend may cause the employee’s downsizing. Internet has made job security a main issue as since technology keeps on changing with each day. This means that one has to be in a constant learning mode, if employees wish for their job to be secure.
Here are some reasons that “Why MBA betters then IT?”:
Business Knowledge
The MBA program gives you valuable knowledge about business and all its related aspects .You learn about business strategies and concepts, not on paper, but the training and internship required in an MBA course, teaches you how to use these skills in practical life and in day to day business operations.
Leadership Abilities
MBA degree involves rigorous training, reports, assignments, presentations and group projects; all of which give you the necessary abilities t o handle real-life business situations. This helps you to set you apart from those who do not have such kind of expertise and can make you a leader in your chosen field.
Networking
The network that you form with your classmates and the alliances that you create is deemed as one of the most important and valuable things that an MBA program can give you.
Career prospects
An MBA degree provides you with fabulous career opportunities in various fields. It is especially beneficial to get jobs in high level positions such as executive and managerial level jobs.
Posted in
Career Development, Career Planning, IT Industry, IT Jobs, Pakistan Job Market | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
Select Suitable Career
Are you wondering which career direction is right for you? Whether you’re a college student preparing for graduation or an established professional unsure about a midlife change, deciding upon a career can be difficult. To select one, you must know something about yourself, the world of work and how to find occupations that are suitable for you — this is no easy task.
Your decision may have lifelong ramifications; for example, your choice of career can play a major role in determining your income, status within your community, opportunities for success, circle of friends and even your choice of a spouse. The career you choose helps shape your identity and sense of self-worth. Please read the following carefully and you will be able to take a better decision:
Begin with a Thorough Self-Assessment.
Through the use of personal-awareness techniques, peer-assessment surveys, professional testing or counseling, your first objective should be to identify your interests, skills, values, needs and behavioral traits.
Time for Research.
Using what you’ve learned about your interests, review various sources of occupational information to identify occupations you feel best match your interests. Many career “crosswalk” systems have been developed that identify occupations related to interest patterns. You will more than likely find several occupations that match your interests. Use these jobs to form your list of career possibilities.
Learn More.
Now research job titles on your list to learn more about each option. Gather such information as duties, entrance qualifications, training options, salary and benefits, advancement opportunities, and positive and negative working conditions. This information can be obtained through printed literature or actual conversations with workers.
Make a Tentative Career Decision.
Based upon what you know about your interests and matching occupations, select an occupation to pursue. Don’t worry about making a bad or final decision at this point. Just make the best decision you can.
Test Out Your Decision.
It’s often impossible to determine if an occupation is right for you without trying it out, and there are several ways to do this. You could take a related course, work as a volunteer, shadow a professional worker for a day, interview several people working at the job or take a part-time job within your chosen field. Do something to get a feel for the real job. Test all your career options before moving onto the next step.
Make a Final Career Decision.
Based upon what you know about your personality and the world of work, select an occupation you feel is the best match for you. If you experience difficulty with this step, consult a professional career counselor for assistance.
You’re Almost Done.
Finally, if appropriate, complete any necessary training to develop the recommended qualifications. Upon completion of this step, you should be ready to seek a position in your chosen field.
Naturally, no short article, including this one, can truly take you through a complete career-planning program like the one illustrated above. But hopefully you’ll be inspired to start the process. Whatever career you elect to pursue, make sure you first give it careful consideration. Your future will thank you.
Posted in
Career Development, Career Planning | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
GETTING READY AND APPEARING FOR INTERVIEW
Preparing for interviews before the day:
• Collect Information – Find out details about the employer and the job
• Plan for the interview
• Find out if you will have to do a test and what it will entail
• Find out who will be interviewing you
• Plan your journey making sure you know where to go and leave yourself plenty of time
• Prepare for questions you might be asked
• Think about what you will wear. Recommended clothes are preferably a suit with necktie or a coat necktie and a dress trouser
Thorough preparation will give you the confidence to do your best at an interview. Gather together the information you will need at the interview.
Preparing for interviews on the day:
• Give yourself time to get ready
• Make sure you have all the relevant paperwork
• Try to relax and keep calm
At the interview:
• Be polite and friendly
• Look interested
• Provide examples to prove your achievements
• Sell yourself
• Be positive
Remember most employers like:
• People who listen
• People who answer questions with examples
• People who come prepared
• People who appear smart and confident
Posted in
Career Development, Career Planning, Interview Preparation, Skills Training | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
Tips for Writing Good Resumes
The thought of writing a resume intimidates almost anyone. It’s difficult to know where to start or what to include. It can seem like an insurmountable task. Here are few tips to help you not only tackle the task, but also write a winning resume. You can modify them according to your experience.
Determine your job search objective prior to writing the resume
Once you have determined your objective, you can structure the content of your resume around that objective. Think of your objective as the bull’s-eye to focus your resume on hitting. If you write your resume without having a clear objective in mind, it will likely come across as unfocused to those that read it. Take the time before you start your resume to form a clear objective.
Think of your resume as a marketing tool
Think of yourself as a product, potential employers as your customers, and your resume as a brochure about you. Market yourself through your resume. What are your features and benefits? What makes you unique? Make sure to convey this information in your resume.
Use your resume to obtain an interview, not a job.
You don’t need to go into detail about every accomplishment. Strive to be clear and concise. The purpose of your resume is to generate enough interest in you to have an employer contact you for an interview. Use the interview to provide a more detailed explanation of your accomplishments and to land a job offer.
Use bulleted sentences.
In the body of your resume, use bullets with short sentences rather than lengthy paragraphs. Resumes are read quickly. This bulleted sentence format makes it easier for someone to quickly scan your resume and still absorb it.
Use action words.
Action words cause your resume to pop. To add life to your resume, use bulleted sentences that begin with action words like prepared, developed, monitored, and presented.
Use #’s, $’s and %’s.
Numbers, dollars, and percentages stand out in the body of a resume. Use them. Here are two examples: Managed a department of 10 with a budget of 100,000,000. Increased sales by 25% in a 40 District Distribution
Lead with your strengths.
Since resumes are typically reviewed in 30 seconds, take the time to determine which bullets most strongly support your job search objective. Put those strong points first where they are more apt to be read.
Match resume with Job Advertisements.
Study /review job advertisements that interest you. Use the key words listed in these ads to match them to bullets in your resume. If you have missed any key words, add them to your resume.
Use buzzwords.
If there are terms that show your competence in a particular field, use them in your resume. For marketing people, use “competitive analysis.” For accounting types, use “reconciled accounts.”
Accent the positive.
Leave off negatives and irrelevant points. If you feel your date of graduation will subject you to age discrimination, leave the date off your resume. If you do some duties in your current job that don’t support your job search objective, leave them off your resume. Focus on the duties that do support your objective. Leave off irrelevant personal information like your height and weight.
Show what you know.
Rather than going into depth in one area, use your resume to highlight your breadth of knowledge. Use an interview to provide more detail.
Show who you know.
If you have reported to someone important such as a vice president or department manager, say so in your resume. Having reported to someone important causes the reader to infer that you are important.
Construct your resume to read easily.
Leave white space. Use a font size no smaller than 10 point. Limit the length of your resume to 1-2 pages. Remember, resumes are reviewed quickly. Help the reader to scan your resume efficiently and effectively.
Have someone else review your resume.
Since you are so close to your situation, it can be difficult for you to hit all your high points and clearly convey all your accomplishments. Have someone review your job search objective, your resume, and listings of positions that interest you. Encourage them to ask questions. Their questions can help you to discover items you inadvertently left off your resume. Revise your resume to include these items. Their questions can also point to items on your resume that are confusing to the reader. Clarify your resume based on this input.
Submit your resume to potential employers.
Have the courage to submit your resume. Think of it as a game where your odds of winning increase with every resume you submit. You really do increase your odds with every resume you submit. Use a three-tiered approach. Apply for some jobs that appear to be beneath you. Perhaps they will turn out to be more than they appeared to be once you interview for them. Or perhaps once you have your foot in the door you can learn of other opportunities. Apply for jobs that seem to be just at your level. You will get interviews for some of those jobs. See how each job stacks up. Try for some jobs that seem like a stretch. That’s how you grow—by taking risks. Don’t rule yourself out. Trust the process. Good luck in your job search!
Posted in
Career Development, Career Planning, Resume Writing, Skills Training | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
Tips for Writing Good Resumes
The thought of writing a resume intimidates almost anyone. It’s difficult to know where to start or what to include. It can seem like an insurmountable task. Here are few tips to help you not only tackle the task, but also write a winning resume. You can modify them according to your experience.
Determine your job search objective prior to writing the resume
Once you have determined your objective, you can structure the content of your resume around that objective. Think of your objective as the bull’s-eye to focus your resume on hitting. If you write your resume without having a clear objective in mind, it will likely come across as unfocused to those that read it. Take the time before you start your resume to form a clear objective.
Think of your resume as a marketing tool
Think of yourself as a product, potential employers as your customers, and your resume as a brochure about you. Market yourself through your resume. What are your features and benefits? What makes you unique? Make sure to convey this information in your resume.
Use your resume to obtain an interview, not a job.
You don’t need to go into detail about every accomplishment. Strive to be clear and concise. The purpose of your resume is to generate enough interest in you to have an employer contact you for an interview. Use the interview to provide a more detailed explanation of your accomplishments and to land a job offer.
Use bulleted sentences.
In the body of your resume, use bullets with short sentences rather than lengthy paragraphs. Resumes are read quickly. This bulleted sentence format makes it easier for someone to quickly scan your resume and still absorb it.
Use action words.
Action words cause your resume to pop. To add life to your resume, use bulleted sentences that begin with action words like prepared, developed, monitored, and presented.
Use #’s, $’s and %’s.
Numbers, dollars, and percentages stand out in the body of a resume. Use them. Here are two examples: Managed a department of 10 with a budget of 100,000,000. Increased sales by 25% in a 40 District Distribution
Lead with your strengths.
Since resumes are typically reviewed in 30 seconds, take the time to determine which bullets most strongly support your job search objective. Put those strong points first where they are more apt to be read.
Match resume with Job Advertisements.
Study /review job advertisements that interest you. Use the key words listed in these ads to match them to bullets in your resume. If you have missed any key words, add them to your resume.
Use buzzwords.
If there are terms that show your competence in a particular field, use them in your resume. For marketing people, use “competitive analysis.” For accounting types, use “reconciled accounts.”
Accent the positive.
Leave off negatives and irrelevant points. If you feel your date of graduation will subject you to age discrimination, leave the date off your resume. If you do some duties in your current job that don’t support your job search objective, leave them off your resume. Focus on the duties that do support your objective. Leave off irrelevant personal information like your height and weight.
Show what you know.
Rather than going into depth in one area, use your resume to highlight your breadth of knowledge. Use an interview to provide more detail.
Show who you know.
If you have reported to someone important such as a vice president or department manager, say so in your resume. Having reported to someone important causes the reader to infer that you are important.
Construct your resume to read easily.
Leave white space. Use a font size no smaller than 10 point. Limit the length of your resume to 1-2 pages. Remember, resumes are reviewed quickly. Help the reader to scan your resume efficiently and effectively.
Have someone else review your resume.
Since you are so close to your situation, it can be difficult for you to hit all your high points and clearly convey all your accomplishments. Have someone review your job search objective, your resume, and listings of positions that interest you. Encourage them to ask questions. Their questions can help you to discover items you inadvertently left off your resume. Revise your resume to include these items. Their questions can also point to items on your resume that are confusing to the reader. Clarify your resume based on this input.
Submit your resume to potential employers.
Have the courage to submit your resume. Think of it as a game where your odds of winning increase with every resume you submit. You really do increase your odds with every resume you submit. Use a three-tiered approach. Apply for some jobs that appear to be beneath you. Perhaps they will turn out to be more than they appeared to be once you interview for them. Or perhaps once you have your foot in the door you can learn of other opportunities. Apply for jobs that seem to be just at your level. You will get interviews for some of those jobs. See how each job stacks up. Try for some jobs that seem like a stretch. That’s how you grow—by taking risks. Don’t rule yourself out. Trust the process. Good luck in your job search!
Posted in
Resume Writing | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
The Internet has brought about a new age for the resume. As the search for employment has become more electronic, resumes have followed suit. It is not uncommon for employers to only accept resumes electronically, either out of practicality or preference. This electronic boom has changed much about the way resumes are written, read, and handled.
=> Job seekers must choose a file format in which to maintain their resume. Many employers, especially recruitment agencies on their behalf, insist on receiving resumes only as Microsoft Word documents. Others will only accept resumes formatted in HTML, PDF, or plain ASCII text.
=> Many potential employers now find candidates’ resumes through search engines, which makes it more important for candidates to use appropriate keywords when writing a resume.
=> Including an e-mail address in an online resume may expose the job seeker to spam.
Some career fields include a special section listing the life-long works of the author. For computer-related fields, the softography; for musicians and composers, the discography; for actors, a filmography.
Keeping resumes online has become increasingly common for people in professions that benefit from the multimedia and rich detail that are offered by an HTML resume, such as actors, photographers, graphic designers, developers, dancers, etc.
Job seekers are finding an ever increasing demand to have an electronic version of their resume available to employers and professionals who use Internet recruiting at any time. Internet resumes differ from conventional resumes in that they are comprehensive and allow for self-reflection. Unlike regular 2 page resumes, which only show recent work experience and education, Internet resumes also show an individual’s skill development over his or her career.
For job seekers, taking resumes online also facilitates distribution to multiple employers via Internet. Online resume distribution services have emerged to allow job seekers to distribute their resumes to employers of their choices via email.
Another advantage to internet resumes is the significant cost savings over traditional hiring methods. The Employment Management Association has included internet advertising in its cost-per-hire surveys for several years. In 1997, for example, it reported that the average cost-per-hire for a print ad was $3,295, while the average cost-per-hire with the Internet was $377. This in turn has cut costs for many growing organizations, as well as saving time and energy in recruitment. Until the development of resumes in an electronic format, employers would have to sort through massive stacks of paper to find suitable candidates without any way of filtering out the poor candidates. Employers are now able to set search parameters in their database of resumes to reduce the number of resumes which must be reviewed in detail in the search for the ideal candidate.
Posted in
Career Development, Career Planning, Resume Writing, Skills Training | No Comments »
Tuesday, June 17th, 2008
First impression is the last impression! So keep it in mind and prepare a best resume that covers all the features. Your resume is the first meeting between you and prospective employer more often now than ever. It is a tool with one specific purpose: to win interview. A great resume doesn’t tell them what you have done but makes the same assertion that all good ads too.
Here are some easy features to creating a resume that will get the employer’s attention.
Best Resume Features:
1: Focus on the employer’s need
Employer is not much interested in employee’s needs but in company’s. Before writing a resume keep these questions in your mind .What does the employer actually need? What special abilities would this person should have? What would make you a perfect candidate for this job?
2: Use an easy-to-read font style and size
Make sure your resume is easy for employer to read. Choose a font like Arial, Times New Roman, and use a font size between 11 or 12. This will make ensure that your text can be easy to read.
3: Use proper grammar and spelling
One misspelling or grammatical mistake can kill your resume and credibility. Make sure to have other professional people proof your resume for sending it out.
4: Use bullet-points
The person reading your resume is just scanning it. Imagine that you had to skim 100 resumes – How many are you going to read? Make sure it easy for the reader to scan your resume and see that your skills match the job description.
5: Great resumes has two sections
a) First, you make assertions about your abilities, qualities and achievements. Write powerful but honest resume that makes the reader immediately perk up and realize that you are someone special.
b) The second section is the evidence section, is where you back up your assertions with evidence that you actually did what you did. This is where you list the jobs you have held, your education, etc.
6: Use one piece of paper
It’s always good idea to keep all your career and educational highlights on one page.
You don’t want to risk other pages getting lost in the shuffle.
Posted in
Career Development, Career Planning, Resume Writing, Skills Training | No Comments »
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