Should You Talk Politics in the Office

Should You Talk Politics in the Office Last month, Kyle S. Reyes contributed an article to the New Boston Post describing the most recent recruitment drive at his company, Silent Partner Marketing. Reyes had instituted a questionnaire â€" the ‘Snowflake Test’ â€" which all candidates were required to answer. Among the questions? “What does “faith” mean to you?”, “When was the last time you cried?”, and the brilliantly suggestive, “What are your feelings about employees or clients carrying guns?” According to Reyes, the test is a way of finding employees “who actually want to hustle for a living.” Of course, what it really does is proscribe any candidate with liberal or non-Republican views. While the media outcry has been loud, as Reyes doubtless intended it to be, his articles begs the question: what role should one’s personal politics play in the recruitment process â€" more, in the working world as a whole? Luckily, in the aftermath of the U.S. Election 2016, there’s plenty of data to be found. Making headlines Tim Cook on LGBT rights. Howard Schultz on firearms. The U.K.’s Alan Sugar on New Labour. In this day and age, it’s not enough to be a millionaire business leviathan and top of one of the world’s most successful companies; you have to be political commentator too. Social media has ushered in an age of CEO activism â€" that is, a forum where powerful company bosses feel obliged to weigh in on political discourses, whether related to their business or not. The effects of their efforts on politics are debatable, but a 2016 survey of 1,027 U.S. adults catalogued the relationship between political statements and customer relations. Their findings? Firstly, political activism isn’t a sure-fire way to endear consumers to a company. While about a quarter of employed Americans said they’d feel more loyal to a company if its CEO took an activist stance, nearly a fifth claimed their loyalty would lessen. Nor are CEOs necessarily aiding their personal popularity with such statements; Americans believe the top objective behind CEO activism is “to get media attention” (36%). So if you’re a business owner looking to make your political opinions known, think twice before sending that tweet. Chances are, it won’t do your business â€" or your media profile â€" many favours. Generation game What’s the most likely social group to a) approve of CEO/business activism, and b) buy from companies with whose political positions they agree? Ding! You guessed it. Millennials. That same 2016 survey shows that those who fall within the 18-35 age bracket are the ones who’ll make their buying decisions based on political leanings. While 46% of Gen Y-ers will buy from a company with whose activist drives they agree, only 19% will purchases goods or services from the ideologically anathema. Finally, millennials are also more likely to enter political discussions at work willingly. Good luck with that… Driven to distraction Fascinatingly, your productivity at work may go down during politically turbulent times. Kris Duggan of BetterWorks commissioned a survey after the U.S. election last year and found that 29% of workers claimed that they were less productive since the election. Moreover, the number increased to 35% among those who read ten or more politics-related social media posts a day. The effect was most pronounced in â€" surprise, surprise â€" millennials. Gen Y in general cared more about politics than their more jaded elders. They read on average 4 more politically themed articles a day at work. Election coming up? Keep an eye on your grad recruits… Keeping the peace We begin with the biggie: political discussions and colleagues. Although we tend to think of politics as a very public issue â€" it’s on the news all the time, after all â€" our actual views are often far from it. Political persuasions are intensely personal and, in many cases, deeply ingrained. As a result, discussions that revolve around the subject are not only unlikely to yield fruit, but they can become very heated extremely quickly. Maybe that’s why 65% of  business professionals are tired of hearing political chats at work. The expert advice? Avoid these conversations. You run a double risk with any political discussion: firstly, that your views may clash with others, potentially colouring their perception of you; secondly, that you yourself will have your perceptions coloured. And don’t kid yourself; you will be judged on any strong political views, no matter how justified you think they are. If you do find yourself forced onto a touchy subject, keep things as non-judgmental as possible. It is almost certain that you and one of your co-workers will have different views on a subject â€" possibly completely disparate ones. No matter how compelling your arguments, nobody changes their ideologies based on a passing conversation with a colleague. So don’t try to persuade anyone of your point of view; merely hear their position and move on. Psychologist Tasha Eurich has some clear advice for the politically charged. “My strongest advice,” she writes for Entrepreneur, “is to simply avoid talking politics, even in a casual way. I know, I know. It’s really hard and the temptation is intense. But here’s the thing: if you learn anything you don’t like, you can never un-know it.” Don’t want to discover your boss is a Ku Klux Klan sympathiser? Back out of that boardroom as soon as the first tensions arise. So, while Kyle Reyes may be indirectly discriminatory in his selection processes, he may also be on to something. Sure, his workplace might be horrendously one-note â€" the worst kind of political echo chamber. But at least they won’t be arguing over the Clinton email scandal come three PM. About the author: Susanna Quirke is a career advice writer and editor of the Inspiring Interns blog.

Dealing With Overspending In Writing Resume

Dealing With Overspending In Writing ResumeAre you feeling overwhelmed writing resume? Do you feel as if you can't get it done right? Do you know that there are steps to help you get started and follow these steps and you will be good to go in a matter of weeks? Yes, you can write your resume and you can feel overwhelmed but if you follow these steps it is entirely possible.The first thing that you need to do is take the time to get organized. You need to get a list of all of your qualifications, skills, and experience. You want to gather all of this information into one place so that you can be sure that you have everything that you need to be able to understand your resume. So the first step is to put together your list.The next step is to ask yourself do I have what it takes to do this? This means that you need to figure out if you are in fact a good candidate for the job that you are applying for. Once you know this you can start to put everything that you know into words and the n start formulating your resume.Your next step is to create a template that you can use in each resume that you write. What I mean by this is that you want to look for a template that will help you create a resume that is specific to your personality and career goals. By creating a template you can be assured that you will be using only the skills and information that are going to help you get the job that you are trying to get. By putting together a resume that is specific to your career and that focuses on what you can do you will find that you will be much more successful at doing this.The third step is to write the first draft of your resume. Once you are able to write a first draft, you will be able to begin looking over your resume in detail and removing the things that you think you should and putting them into words that you feel will best showcase your career goals. Once you have written the first draft, you will want to read it over again to make sure that you are not miss ing anything.You will want to continue working on your resume until you have the final draft and then you will want to make a cover letter. You will want to make sure that your cover letter highlights your skills and accomplishments and lets your potential employer know why they should hire you. A cover letter that is specific to you is something that is easy to write and is going to give you a big leg up on others when you are making the interview rounds.After you have done the first two steps, you want to make sure that you have proofread your resume. You want to make sure that you have proofread it properly and you want to make sure that it is error free. If it is not error free then you may find that it will not show the best examples of your abilities and this can be a huge turn off for you and your potential employer.Do not feel overwhelmed when you are writing your resume. You will find that these three steps will help you get the best job you can from the start. Once you lea rn how to put your resume together correctly and how to proofread it properly you will be much better prepared to get a great job.

Advantages of Relocating for a Job

Advantages of Relocating for a Job In the past decade, I have had the opportunity to work with companies from around the world, largely due to technology. Although some of the work was remote at first, there were extended periods of time where relocation was demanded of me. However, experiences working in South America and Europe did more to teach me the advantages of relocating for a job, even if the change was unsettling at first.Here are some advantages discovered, which you can consider the next time a company asks you to relocate for work or you are asked to relocate in order to accept a job.Learning New Business and Cultural PerspectivesIf you are caught up in the daily grind/regimen of taking care of kids, going to work, coming home to take care of kids again, and paying bills, it is very easy to believe “this is the only world that exists.” It is very easy to get caught up in the political and economic issues you deal with.You will only learn after removing all of the stimuli that teach you what “defines your world” that you start to realize new perspectives on how to manage household and work at the same time. More so, your children will benefit from learning new perspectives.At the end of the day, you and your children will be better prepared for a global economy by uprooting and living somewhere else. You may find the new state or country you live in to be a better “world” than the one you just left. Your children will grow to be wiser and more emotionally mature given their exposure to all the different cultures.Possibly Make More Money (Depends)Economic overhead of each city, state, and country differs. If you are being paid a salary based on a high economic overhead and you are asked to relocate to a city, state,or country that is cheaper to live in, you will end up making more money.For example, I live in New York City which is the 2nd most expensive place to live in the United States. In the last decade, I had relocated for work in South America but did not take a pay cut. I found the healthcare, rent, food, and transportation to be just as efficient. It was also considerably less expensive.Consider this, for example, if you are in the USA and asked to move to one of the cheapest cities to live in. Some employers may aim to pay you less after relocating you (a shady move), so do your research on the cost of living in your new location.Note: Also keep in mind the reverse scenario, if you are asked to go from a cheaper place to a bigger, more expensive city. Visit Expatistan for a global cost of living converter.Increase Your Job SecurityCompany A is relocating your office from New York City, NY to Albany, Georgia. You know this going from big city life to a small, one-horse town. In fact, the company may be making this move in order to see which staff stays or goes. It is a company move where employee loyalty is tested and those not looking to move decide to stay in New York City. But you make the move south to Georgia with Company A.What just ha ppened? More than likely you just showed a company that you are willing to go where the job takes you and that the company needs come first. Maybe you were thinking about getting out of NYC anyway but that is irrelevant.You increased your job security by making the move with the company to a new location to start from scratch. You saved the company money on hiring and training new staff, plus you are now bringing with youthe intellectual property from the company to share with the new staff in Albany, Georgia. The relocation may be unsettling for your kids and you for the first year. But you have a company that will hold on to you for a long time.Increase Your Job OpportunitiesWhen you relocate to a new city you are coming into a new place with a wealth of knowledge no one else possesses. You come in with your knowledge of business practices that differ from your previous location. And such a thing makes you more attractive to companies than the person who has lived and worked in th e same place for his or her entire career.Some interesting things I had discovered over the last decade, as a New Yorker who relocated for work and then came back again:There is no such thing as a “permanent” relocation. Where you work and live is a matter of choice. Being the new face in a new place makes you a more attractive hire. Being a global thinker makes businesses want to keep you around longer. The knowledge gained from relocating helps you get work.We live in a time where anyone can work for any business and do so from anywhere. If you had relocated for work you learn things about companies, people, and how job markets differ that help you stay employed and discover more opportunities.The Ultimate Advantage to RelocatingPerhaps, one of the most interesting things I learned working briefly in Denmark, an extended period of time in Colombia, and traveling around the United States for a job (literally having no home address during that time):“Travel is fatal to prejudi ce, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” - Mark TwainIn a business world that is forever changing, connected, and becoming more progressive, that simple quote sums up why such information is priceless!

5 Signs You Are Ready To Be Your Own Boss - Classy Career Girl

5 Signs You Are Ready To Be Your Own Boss If you are sick of the daily grind of your office job, maybe it’s time to take your career into your own hands and become your own boss? Working for yourself gives you the freedom to do the projects you want to do and execute them in your very own unique way. Sure, youll have to be very motivated and have thick skin, but being your own boss is a very rewarding experience. Before you take the daunting plunge into self-employment, you need to make sure you and your career are ready. Are you prepared to start in this new exciting direction? How do you know when you are ready? You should be able to check everything off on this handy checklist below before you resign. 5 Signs You Are Ready To Be Your Own Boss 1. You Know Your Industry Inside Out You know you are ready when youve gathered a lot of experience in your industry and you have many contacts who can help refer you clients. This ensures that you have leads and prospects ready to work with. You also have to be 100% sure you know your industry inside out. This will give you an idea of how the market is currently. Could it handle one more business? If yes, go for it. But, if the industry market isn’t doing too well at the minute, sit it out and wait a few months before you commit to self-employment. How do you figure all this out? Do as much  online research  as you can before you make the leap and read industry-specific magazines and journals. 2. You Have A Potential Workspace Working from home? Then you don’t really need to worry about this point. But if you want to find your own office, then you have a couple of different options to consider. You could look into renting an office in a block of corporate offices and workspaces. However, this can be an expensive option, especially if you are still trying to get your company off the ground. Another option, one that is becoming increasingly more popular, is to rent a desk in a coworking space. This is a great way to network, as you will be working in a space with lots of different people from various industries. 3. You Have The Finances Starting a business can be quite expensive. One way to finance your new self-employed career is to save up while you are still in your old job. Its recommended to have at least 3-6 months savings set aside to fund your living expenses during first few steps of your new company. If you cannot afford to save, you can always look into  business loans and grants. Speak to your bank about the options that are available to you. One thing to remember is that you will need a good credit score to get a loan. But what is an excellent credit score exactly? It gives creditors an idea of how well you have previously paid back any loans and debts. 4. You Have A Business Plan If you are looking for a loan, a bank will usually ask for a business plan or model. But you should have one of these regardless of if you need financial help or not. You need to include the milestones you want to achieve and when you estimate you should hit them by. This will help you keep on track, especially during the early years of your business. Your business plan should also include your financial information. How many products do you think you will sell in your first year? Where will your first year of financing come from? All of your practical information that is needed for the running of your business needs to be entered into the business plan. At the end of your first year, take another look at your plan and see how successful you have been compared to your estimations. [RELATED: Click here to download our free one-page business plan.] 5. You Think Positively Think positively for positive results! You should be excited about this new chapter in your life. If you have a positive mental attitude, then you will be able to better handle the rocky patches that will most likely come your way starting a new business. Tough times often occur in the first couple of years of business. No matter what happens, don’t throw in the towel too early. Keep smiling and rolling with the punches. It wont be easy to start with, so you are going to need an invincible optimism if your new business is going to succeed. Stay motivated and join a community of other people starting businesses too to help support you. The more you put into it, the more you will get out of it! Good luck  â€" you won’t regret it!

How to Improve Your IT Help Desk Resume

How to Improve Your IT Help Desk ResumeThere are several ways to improve an IT help desk resume. You can change the names and even the dates. But, the easiest way to improve your resume is to list a contact for every contact you have in the company. Here are a few tips on how to do this.List your contact information in order of first name and last name. Then move on to your title. Each title should be listed separately.Contact information can be your title, first initial and last initial. If you don't know any of these initials, don't worry. Just start with your first name and then go up in order to fill in the rest of the information. Some people just prefer to type their information in manually. If you feel more comfortable typing, that's fine.Don't use long and short forms of information. Make sure you're using only what is necessary to inform the hiring manager.As an example, use your title, first initial and last initial when it comes to your contact information. Then move to yo ur title, first initial and last initial, as well as your title and last initial when it comes to your title.When writing your contact information, make sure it's all spelled correctly. Make sure there are no spaces in between the first initial and the contact information. If there are spaces, put a hyphen between them to get rid of them.One common question I'm asked is 'should I include my phone number?' To be honest, I wouldn't recommend it unless you really, really have to.In many cases, it's better to not include a phone number when writing an IT help desk resume. Even though the company may have a local office, they don't have employees who can answer your questions by phone. In those cases, you may be better off looking elsewhere for employment.

Why Leaders Fail

Why Leaders Fail Why Leaders Fail Why leaders fail has roots in many different reasons. Talk to anyone, and it seems that most have had the experience of a bad boss. (I fondly call this type of supervisor “Bosszilla.”) True to form, Bosszilla (aka the leader) spreads terror in their wake, and frequently squish people not wise enough to get out of their way, or eat those alive who dare to stand up in the face of such ferocity. But let’s talk about why leaders fail. And it’s about them, not you. Spread the blame, keep the credit This particular type of Bosszilla thrives in an environment where they like to diffuse blame onto others â€" either directly through accusations, or indirectly through whispers and murmurs. It’s always someone else’s fault, according to them. (Sound like any bosses you know?) This particular bad behavior of pushing the employees into harm’s way happens when things are going bad. But interestingly enough, when things are going well, Bosszilla literally elbows their way up to the front to be the first recipient of kudos and recognition, keeping it all to themselves. This is why leaders fail that are like Bosszilla. It should be the exact opposite â€" letting the limelight fall on employees other than themselves when great things happen, and then stepping forward when things aren’t so rosy in order to take the heat off employees. Applies to everyone else but them This is when Bosszilla refuses to look in the mirror for a self-reflecting moment. “Am I cause of this?” “Did my leadership impact this situation?” Bad Bosszilla. Their answer is that the rules only apply to others, not them. Why leaders fail is when they don’t see how they are just as accountable as the lowest-paid person in the company. Lack of self-awareness Bosszilla with their tiny arms, and even tinier brain, oftentimes refuses to see themselves as part of a larger organization. To them, it’s all about lumbering through the workplace forest, mowing down trees in their wake. They don’t stop to think about the impact they are having on the organization, and that’s another reason why leaders fail. Unwillingness to admit failure Other reasons why Bosszilla is an example as to why leaders fail is when the chips are down, they won’t admit that they messed up. How they handle loss, failure, or any other disappointment serves as the example they set within the organization. Failure is never easy, but it is only complete when you don’t learn from mistakes. Proactive leaders will be willing to sit down, hear the hard facts, and do an autopsy to find out where things went south. And then learn from it. Expendability mindset A new breed of Bosszilla lurks out there. These are the creatures who have a throw-away mentality… they make a mess, and don’t care what they leave behind because there’s always someone else who will hire them… until they don’t. These are the most dangerous creatures because every single employee is at risk from a self-centered, zero moral beast ready to destroy and without a care as to who or what they might hurt. How NOT to be a leader that fails The only inoculation you can get against transforming into Bosszilla lies within yourself. It is a resolve and a desire to be BETTER. You want to become a best-in-class leader. And you can do this by taking formal training on management principles in supervising people, processes, finance, culture, and strategy. And going into it with humbleness, willingness to learn, and active listening. If you really want to not fail as a leader, the tools are already there at your disposal so you don’t.

4 Ways To Kick Up Your Job Search This Summer

4 Ways To Kick Up Your Job Search This Summer 4 Ways To Heat Up Your Job Search This Summer After a tough winter, summer is finally here. Vacationers back up traffic for miles and sometimes there’s even a line at the beach. Time to sit back, enjoy the warm weather, and chill. Not so fast. Tempting as it may be, if you’re looking for a new job, this is not the time to slack off. Even a decade ago, most people thought summer was not a good time to look for a job. In some respects, they were right. But, things are much different today. While recruiters and hiring managers may be taking long weekends, even week-long vacations, in our 24/7 world of work no one is ever really out of the office. That means it’s not the time to kick back and wait for September. Here are four ways to keep your job search moving this summer. Keep Networking Although formal business networking slows down as many industry organizations are on hiatus until fall, there are plenty of hidden opportunities. Carry your business cards (you have those right?) with you everywhere you go. Tuck some in your jeans before going to the family BBQ. Pack a few in your beach bag too. You never know, your friends new date may work at your target company. Learn Something New One of the reasons employers prefer already employed candidates is because they are concerned about stale skills. Summer is a great time to expand your knowledge at your local community college. Many offer inexpensive courses where you can learn everything from Quick Books to Microsoft Office. Taking a course or two can also help fill in those gaps in your resume. Update Your Resume Speaking of resumes, if you haven’t updated yours in the last six months now is the time. If a job opportunity does present itself, you want to be ready. You don’t want to spend the weekend scrambling to put together a winning resume. Should you need professional help, it’s unlikely you’ll find a resume writer willing to give up his or her weekend to write your resume either. Don’t Stop Looking When it feels like everything is going right during the interview process, it’s easy to be lulled into thinking it’s a sure thing. Don’t. Never stop your job search until you have a written, job offer. In. Your. Hand. You may be the one in the top two who doesn’t get the job. The position may be reevaluated and tabled before anyone is hired. Monitor the websites of your target employers for new job postings. Try to network your way into the company. You’ll have a better chance if you can get your resume in front of the hiring manager. Despite all the temptations don’t take the summer off from your job search. Yes, enjoy spending Saturday afternoon at the beach with your friends, after you work on your resume in the morning. Go to the local food festival just remember to tuck a few business cards into your shorts. Don’t resent the time you spend working on your LinkedIn profile or learning a new skill while your friends are playing golf or at the shore. Just keep swimming.  The fact that most people neglect their job search in the summer makes it easer for people like you who don’t. If you’d like to work with Annette Richmond, a 4X Certified, Executive Resume Writer, LinkedIn Profile writer, and former recruiter, please schedule an introductory call to discuss your needs. You will be able to access Annette’s calendar to choose a day and time that works for you. Updated 7/3/18