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May 2010 Archives
Curtis Granderson returned from the disabled list, and the Yankees needed to make a roster move. In his absence, Randy Winn, a regular before this year, and Kevin Russo, a converted infielder, often filled in in his place. Although the Yankees were paying Winn more money and he had more experience, Russo ended up staying with the team and Winn was let go.
Russo proved he could be more versatile and seemed to fit in with the team dynamic better, where Winn seemed to languish in his role as a reserve. Winn will likely end up with another team in an everyday or more regular role.
In business, we sometimes may have people who are more suited to one department over another. Often, when someone is out of work and needs to have people fill in for them. At these times, we often find hidden talents or hidden flaws in people in our organization. Sometimes, its best to test these people as much as possible before a need arises
I've often brought up the idea that resumes shouldn't have any data but work experience and education. Having a name on a resume, along with an address, may tempt people to have preconceived notions about a candidate.
Unsolicited resumes are another story altogether; resumes that are sent but not requested can add work to the HR department that can be unnecessary; however, others feel unsolicited resumes add to the potential pool of applicants.
What are your thoughts on these issues? I will post comments next Thursday from readers.
Today, many of us wear many hats. It can be a blessing and a curse when work comes in in all of the lines of business you engage in. The question many people ask themselves is "How can I keep this up without hiring someone to fill a less than full-time job?"
Sometimes, it just makes sense to hire an intern or someone to do some freelance work on an as needed basis to help you manage your workload. I recently decided to bring on some outside help to work with me on a freelance basis to handle some of the workload, whether it be correspondence, updates for clients, or other jobs that may be a little more than I can handle. By allowing myself to delegate some work, I am able to focus more on building my brand and also am able to take on more work.
What strategies have you employed to delegate without hiring a full-time employee?
One of the greatest tools out there today for pursuing jobs and displaying your information is LinkedIn. I joined LinkedIn about 3 1/2 years ago on an invite from one of my former employees. Today, anyone can join.
To me, LinkedIn is a living resume that lets employers, potential clients, and potential employers find out more about you. My resume on LinkedIn also contains several recommendations from former employees, former employers, students, and peers.
Check out my profile, and if you aren't a member of LinkedIn, check out all the added features that make it a value, including
- networking groups - company listings - job postings - discussion groups - blog syndication
The value alone of just the resume makes it a great platform, and all the other features truly make it work for you, even when you aren't online.
Q: How many internships should I do while in college?
A: As many as you can! I recently met a student who did 5 internships. Personally, I did three while in college. One of my recent graduates did one for over 9 months, and landed a permanent job with that company.
If you can get a company to hire you (even for just a few weeks) to be an intern, it is something to put on your resume, and will follow you wherever you go.
One question I often get is "where do I find an internship?" Sometimes it's just a matter of reaching out to people, and telling them you are a college student looking to gain some knowledge while sharing your skills; just that alone will open doors for you.
This fall, I will be debuting the first of a series of business courses online. The first one is titled Innovation. We will look at how companies innovate, what it takes to innovate, and how to explore some of the innovations out there that can change the way we do things.
I've taught online before, but in this course I will be taking advantage of some of the new technologies that enable web conferencing and real-time chat. I look forward to giving you a taste of what this class has to offer in the weeks to come.
It will be offered as a continuing education course/seminar for anyone interested in learning more about Innovation. The course will begin online in mid-September.
What does the future of education look like to you? Is it in a classroom? Is it online? A combination of both? Or in some park out in the woods? Share your thoughts this week, and I will share some best practices I have seen, and practices I plan on employing in the future.
Here are some responses from readers on questions they have asked at the end of an interview:
"I've always liked to ask people what time benefits start. They generally have given me that info, which helps me compare against other companies I am interviewing with."
"I never thought about good questions to ask at the end of an interview; but I think next time I do interview I will have to think of something good..."
"As a recruiter, a candidate who doesn't have any questions is a disinterested candidate..."
"...sometimes the best questions to ask are the ones that make the employer realize you have done your homework."
From a manager - "If a prospective employee asks me how much the job pays, sometimes if it is not phrased correctly I get the feeling they are just in it for the money."
Would you like someone to take another look at your resume? I always like critiques. I've used the same layout and format on mine since 1995, but have added or deleted things as I've gone along. This resume has worked for me for years in terms of getting new clients, new assignments, or in helping others develop resumes. Check it out at the link below. http://www.galaconcierge.com/robertbraatheresumeSend me your resume, and I'll be happy to provide a critique for you. Chances are, I may find something you are good at that you aren't even aware of from your resume! robert@galaconcierge.com
One of my favorite moments to make people squirm is at the end of a mock interview where I ask people "Do you have any questions for me?" So many don't have a clue what they want to ask or what they want to know about the hypothetical or actual company they are hoping to work for.
Some questions I suggest when people are stumped are?
Ask the person interviewing you "What has inspired you to stay with the company for so long?" "Tell me about the kind of person you are looking for?" "What are the next steps in the interview process?" "Tell me a little about your turnover rate - how long do people stay with your company?"
These questions and others can help demonstrate your willingness to stay with the company long-term, and also demonstrate your willingness to know more about what it will take to be the ideal candidate.
What questions have you asked at the end of an interview? Share them with me, and I will share them in a future post.
I have fallen in love with my Kindle Reader for iPad. I tried it out on the iPhone, and the form factor was a bit small. But after seeing my colleague's Kindle, I knew I had to get one. However, once the iPad launched, seeing the Kindle Reader on it made me fall in love with the concept of e-reading.
Through Whispersync, no matter the device you are on, the highlights and bookmarks you make appear on the device. I have been reading several books on the Kindle Reader and have found it to be very valuable for putting together lectures and refer back to material.
The e-reader brings access to people everywhere to reading material and learning material that once required visiting a library or spending 100's of dollars on expensive books and reference material. Now, downloading a book costs less, and many textbooks makers are offering e-versions that can be used on devices that cost less and give the learner much more flexibility.
If you'd like to learn more about the iPad for education, contact me for a conference call/webinar or visit me in May or June on a Wednesday in the Crossgates Mall Apple Store, where I will be conducting some info sessions and workshops on Macs for Business and Education. Check my Facebook fan page for more information:
I'll be doing a Meet and Greet at the Apple Store Crossgates on Wednesday May 26th from 11-1. Stop in to say hello and find out about some of the great options on a Mac/iPhone or iPad for your business.
The Mac has several great uses for HR and Careers. Many professionals use Macs for timeclocks, Quickbooks, Payroll Management and more. On the career side, Macs can allow you to easily build and develop a website for your business, run a business with a POS system housed on a Mac and more.
For training, the iPad is a great tool as well. I use the iPad to read books on the Kindle reader for iPad as well as Apple's own iBooks app. Additionally, I can do presentations on the go through Apple's Keynote app for the iPad.
Hope to see you on the 26th!
The responses were pouring in this week on the topic of Sequential Tasking vs Multitasking -
"I perform best at doing many things at once, while my partner is much more structured and sequential. Each way works best for us."
"After reading your article, I decided to try out sequential tasking for a day. I got so much more done and ended up finished with the days duties at 2 in the afternoon; I think I am going to stick with it!"
"The last time I tried to multitask I got less done that I did when I just focused on one thing for the entire day..."
"Some people just don't know how to manage their workload...if they learned to delegate better, even then I don't think sequential tasking would work for them."
"Step by step, I am learning to apply sequential tasking to my work. I always seemed so bogged down in busy work; now that I focus on one thing at a time, I'm able to prioritize and delegate better."
John Sterling, Yankees announcer, often follows up a Robinson Cano home run with "Robbie Cano, Don't You Know?". Robbie has been a huge success this year, and partly because of a change in role, as well as a change in team chemistry.
Robinson Cano and Melky Cabrera gave off the impression to fans of being best buds, and sometimes this seemed to make the team dynamic a little less than it could be. It appeared that sometimes Cano and Cabrera weren't giving 100%.
In the off-season, the Yankees traded Cabrera, and reports indicate that Cano is spending more time with older and more mature players. His role has changed as well; with the departure of 5th place hitter Hideki Matsui, Cano was given the opportunity to fill that spot in the lineup. His batting average is .400 and he has been exceptional in the field.
Often in business, sometimes changing the team dynamic by moving people around and changing there role is all it takes to make a person perform better. In this case, both have helped Robbie Cano reach his full potential.
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