How to Bridge Skills Gaps in Your Team

How to Bridge Skills Gaps in Your Team In today’s fast-paced world, employees and companies face an increasing skill gap set that threatens the sustainability of businesses everywhere. Determining whether  this is the result of an unfair expectation or inadequate training is only the first step. It is the responsibility of  every professional to actively bridge the disconnect in skills for a smarter, united team. There are a number of opportunities that can elevate the ability of your workers, and in turn the cohesion of your team. It is within their power as much as yours to make this change. A combined approach of workshops, open communication, further study and support is the key driver that will see employees cross the bridge, over to where the grass is greener! Find the  source The difference between acknowledging and understanding a situation is significant. Discovering exactly where a problem lies requires empathy, a thorough knowledge of the business and genuine regard for your co-workers. If a person isn’t able to complete a task within the allocated team, always ask yourself, why? Is it their workload? Was the constraint unreasonable? The undeniable truth is that it is likely a combination of factors. Review  your  team You know what the problem is, but how do you allot responsibility? Reviewing the dynamic of your team constantly is a great way to assess individual strengths, weaknesses and improvements. While annual and quarterly reviews are insightful, a commitment to realising the changes in your team as they happen will help to prevent mistakes and encourage fast growth. Sometimes, we as professionals can tend to be critical of others before ourselves in reality, every employee should own their own development. Involve everyone Letting people know how they’re tracking will also tell them if they’re behind, even when they don’t realise it. Open communication is an absolute pillar of success. Remember, first and foremost you’re a team! Informing someone of where they need to improve should always be constructive and with the intention of moving the person forward. While this doesn’t mean shouting their flaws to the rooftops, it’s a good idea to sit down with your team and generate a positive discussion. Understanding your co-workers capacity and primary focus are good ways to ensure no one is put upon any more than anyone else. You’re only as strong as your weakest player, so working together to build new skills and generate new ideas is something everyone should be invested in! Stay knowledgeable Great employees make great companies! Keeping that in mind, it’s a good idea for all project managers to stay involved and lead by example. Collaboration requires you to trust and invest in your team, bouncing ideas and sharing concepts to keep everyone across the board up to date with industry practice. Considering introducing weekly workshops for your co-workers so they can build on their current skills, access the latest updates and reap the rewards of real professional development. Keep employees updated New technology and practice are fast-paced, with trends emerging and disappearing every day. A large amount of the theory taught in university becomes outdated once you actually enter the industry, and learning on the go is the best solution to this. While workshops are an excellent starting point, all professionals should be encouraged to explore their knowledge through further study. The secret to being an outstanding professional is to be a lifelong learner, with access to new ideas and ways of learning, while you work. Returning to the classroom is a great experience for established professionals, who can now enjoy the benefits of in-demand, digital and accessible content exactly the way the modern world likes it. Offer Support incentives Upskilling can be stressful and demanding even for the best of us, but the end result is invaluable. Being able to absorb and apply new information, and take control of your own professional development is a short-term challenge, for a long-term win. Crucial to this process is that a support system is in place, particularly around the project leader who is looked to as a mentor.   In addition to great support and advice, an incentive is the best way to motivate and inspire employees to aim higher. The prospect of genuine growth and reward can do wonders as much as an open acknowledgement of appreciation. Letting your co-workers know that you’ve recognised their efforts will encourage others to do the same. Ultimately, when it comes to fixing skill discrepancies in any working team, it’s perhaps most important that these gaps are viewed as an opportunity for leaps and bounds, rather than an obstacle. About the author:  Helen Sabell works for collegeforadultlearning.edu.au.  She is passionate about lifelong learning. She has designed, developed and authored many workplace leadership and training programs, both in Australia and overseas. Image: Shutterstock

5 Ways to Find Your Calling - Classy Career Girl

5 Ways to Find Your Calling I know you want your dream job, but how do you find your calling? Thats the question you need to ask that will lead you to your dream job. Dont be  ashamed if you still don’t know what  your  calling  is.  It’s a question kids are asked all the time, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” So asking yourself that question as an adult seems like you are so far behind. But, better to ask yourself that question now  than five more years stuck in a job that is definitely not  your dream job. Now is the time to start taking action to figure out what your calling is. The hardest part of figuring out your calling  is that you won’t find it during an  online job search or during an interview at a company.  Instead, you have to do some self-reflection to figure out what your calling  is.  Yes, you can use trial and error to figure it out but that can take a lot of time and you might regret it in 20 years. Many people get stuck in jobs they hate because they take that first one that just comes their way without going through these steps to make sure  they really  know what their calling  is. So set  a date in your calendar to do some serious thinking and go through the below steps.   Here are 5 ways to find your calling: 1: Look At Your Previous Career Experiences What did you like and what did you not like in all of the career experiences that you have had so far? We want to make sure we get you into a career filled with the things that you did like….not the things you hated. Also make sure you think of internships and volunteer activities that you have done in the past.  These don’t have to be things that you are an expert at or pay you a ton of money. They could be hobbies and things that you would do for hours and hours! When I did this exercise, I discovered that I loved the training and mentoring aspect of my job.  I disliked the financial management and excel spreadsheets that made my brain hurt. [RELATED:  Click here to download your free 90-day planner.] 2: Determine Your Values In order to have a happy, successful and fulfilling life, you must act upon your values, both in your personal life and at work. Taking your values into account when you choose a career could be the most important factor that determines whether you will or won’t be satisfied. Ask yourself, “What are the most important things in your life right now? What are the most important things that you would like in your career?” Your values can change throughout your career so don’t worry if you value your family more now then when you graduated from college and you valued money more.  Everyone is different so think carefully about what you value most about your life and work. 3: Determine Your Mission and Purpose Heres one of my favorite quotes about your purpose and existence on this Earth: We do not exist for the sole purpose of paying our bills, grooming our kids to be able to do the same, and, maybe, someday, retiring to finally enjoy life, should we ever reach that point.  We are here to let our lights shine as brightly as possible, to drink in the joy of friendship and family, to serve and better the greater community and to tap into and inspire passion in everything we do.  We are here to come alive.” â€" Jonathan Fields Finding purpose and meaning is the #1 reason that people recently had changed or would like to change their careers. This is really about WHY you wake up and go to work in the morning. Each person needs to have that passion and purpose for doing the work we do otherwise our jobs will get boring fast.  Ask yourself, “Are you put here on this Earth for some special purpose to do some unique work that only you can accomplish?” [RELATED:  Click here to download your free 90-day planner.] 4: Determine Your Favorite Skills A skill is an ability or expertise.   A favorite skill is a skill that you not only possess but you are also interested in and willing to use.   This is the difference between a skill and a favorite skill. In your current job right now, you might be really skilled at it, but you hate it.  This is how it was for me. I was great at financial management and I could make beautiful excel pivot tables in my sleep but I hated it. When we are good at something, it is easy for us to get promoted and stick with it even though we hate it. You have to really look within to determine what those skills are that you are both good at AND love to do. 5: Determine Your Ideal Workday and Ideal Work Environment This is my favorite thing to do with my clients!  Visualizing your ideal workday will give you valuable information to use in developing your career plan and  it will help you become more targeted about your career goals.  Many people just fall into their first jobs and all jobs thereafter. Most people don’t give themselves the opportunity to really think about what their ideal workday would look like.  Does your day end and do you say, “Geez, where did the day go?!”  You might be a victim of having your day happen to you, instead of doing what YOU want in your day. This step is so important to me personally because I still have my ideal workday written out from a few years back. Right now and I am finally living my ideal workday every day.  The same thing can and will happen to you if you start with these five steps today.

What is the Worst Thing a Candidate Can Do in an Interview

What is the Worst Thing a Candidate Can Do in an Interview Even if youre the most qualified candidate in the running,  if you slip up  or behave in an inappropriate manner during your job interview, it could cost you the job. From turning up late, to not dressing the part, there are a number of common job interview blunders that candidates make time after time; but whats the worst thing that a job seeker can do in an interview? I asked the Undercover Recruiter community to find out what #UROpinion is on the matter and heres what you had to say: Louise Parkes Marketing Co-ordinator at SVC Group Ltd Admit to the hiring manager that they are not interested in the job after they told the recruiter that they were! Jason Basile Executive Recruiter at  Recruiting Specialists Lack of preparation. To me, an interview is like a golf swing. It takes planning, finesse, and follow through. Kira Seki Recruitment Specialist at Quantum Management Services Ltd. Pull out their cell phone, apologize for doing so and still check it or turn it off at that point before saying, where were we? Even having your cell phone vibrate in your pocket/purse is not okay during any kind of interview, let alone to actually pull it out and check it. Mark Cunzolo Teacher at  South Park School District Not show confidence by having a poor handshake, bad eye contact, and a general inability to hold a conversation. Hila Turabaz Corporate Recruiter at  Spotzer Media Group Not researching the company they have an interview at. Cat Cobb Senior Recruiter, Strategic Talent Sourcer at Discover Ive had someone bring a lunchbox and snack during the interview. Sunitha Narayanan Career Coach at  Promark Company Show disinterest and lack of preparation. Jolie Frechette Executive Healthcare Recruiter Not exhibit true enthusiasm and interest in the opportunity. Ask questions, do your homework before the interview. Manoj Kumar Anand Director Merchandising at Indiana Sourcing Pvt Ltd. Criticising a  previous employer, role, boss or  processes of the company. Kranect IT  Staffing and Consulting Agency We think not being prepared is the biggest mistake. Meaning you need to do research on the company and preparing answers. Calibre Search Specialist Recruitment Consultancy Not researching the company before they come for the interview! Recruiting Bandwidth Recruiting strategy and talent management firm Come unprepared and not appropriately dressed. Samantha Angermeier Technical Recruiter at HKA Enterprises I had a manager ask a candidate what the best thing about their current job is They answered when I get to go home and leave. Lysha Holmes Managing Director at  Qui Recruitment Lie about their experiences.

How much time should you spend on a job application

How much time should you spend on a job application This is a common question. So, is there an answer? There’s always the temptation to come out with the proverbial “How long is a piece of string?” We can do better a bit better than that though. The starting point is “What are you applying for?” You want a  bar or shop job? Graduate employers love to see a work ethic and there may be an imperative for you to earn money. You could be very keen to get the job, so, how long is it going to take to make the compelling application? The answer here depends on whether you are applying for a job in a large organisation or a small enterprise. The small local business is probably going to be happy with a CV, and youre likely to maximise your chance of success by dropping it in yourself. Ask to see the manager, be bright and personable and you might find you have landed the job, or at least a trial shift, then and there. You won’t need to have a detailed CV. If you have to complete an application form for a larger organisation, you may need to spend more time. Remember to elaborate on your customer service experience and to demonstrate that you understand something about the business; your module grades are not going to be too relevant! You want a graduate scheme? This  is going to be an entirely different process. You will almost certainly have to complete an application form. You’ll have to input your academic achievements and probably enter details of your  work experience, extra-curricular activity and any prizes or awards youve received. It’s likely that you’ll then move onto competency questions and approach the “why us” question. Often you won’t immediately be able to recognise the differences between graduate employers offering very similar posts. You’ll have to research until you find ways in which to differentiate them. You might be talking to contacts in the employer organisation or in the business area, reading websites, and seeking out news items. Some questions are going to demand creativity and initiative, a particularly challenging one might be around how a current news story could impact your target employer’s business. I talked to Hannan Ullah, a Philosophy graduate from Warwick about his experiences of making successful applications last year. Here’s what he said: “You can’t send in an application that you’ve knocked out in a couple of hours and expect it to succeed. If you’re applying for a top scheme then you’re going to be competing with some of the brightest and best students in the country. I probably spent about 20 hours putting each of my successful applications together. It’s really easy to underestimate what is needed.” You may find the thought of this daunting, it is. Even when you have finished writing you’ll need to move on to the checking process. That will be tricky too. If you’ve lived and breathed your application for several days or weeks you’ll be so familiar with what you wanted to say that you might not notice your mistakes. Get someone to help you proofread. If this all sounds a bit tough, remember that it’s better to invest the time up front than find that you rush applications and meet only rejections. The good news is that once you have done a few applications you will get faster. You want a job working for an SME? Sourcing exciting opportunities in SMEs might be more time consuming than actually putting together the application! Just as for the part time or vacation job in a smaller business, the process involved in making a successful application can be a very informal process. You might just have to put together a CV. It’s quite common for SMEs to offer posts to people who do some work experience with them. It may be a case of getting through the door to do some work experience and then making sure you go the “extra mile”. Sophie Read had this experience: “I asked a local SME for some work experience and was delighted to be offered the chance to do some work there. I loved my time in the business and felt at home straightaway. To my astonishment when the work experience came to an end I was offered a permanent job. A dream come true and all without having had to put together an application!” So, the rule of thumb is the larger the prospective employer, the more time the application is going to take. You won’t be able to rely on your personality to get you through the first stages of a process, that’s true whether you’re applying for a Saturday job or a graduate scheme. Invest as much time as you can in the application process. You just can’t “wing” big applications!

Writing a Resume For an Internal Position

Writing a Resume For an Internal PositionWriting a resume for an internal position is going to take a little more effort. And, it may be something that you may have to put some thought into as well. Because internal positions are not that common, it is very important that you know what you're doing when you're putting together your resume. You don't want to put together a resume for an internal position and end up with it getting tossed.Writing a resume for an internal position is going to be more difficult than your normal job. Most people don't really think about how to prepare their resume for an internal position. After all, most people have never heard of an internal position and they aren't that often hired internally.However, if you go to your local university or business you will find that there are many different internal position openings available. In fact, there are job openings that happen every day at many different companies around the world. If you really want to get the job and then stay at the job, you need to get yourself prepared for the job before applying.How do you do this? The easiest way to do this is to sit down and write down everything you want to tell a potential employer about yourself. If you want to do this in a specific order you could start with your academic achievements, followed by things like your accomplishments in high school, college and perhaps your work experience.You should also give a good overview of your skills and abilities. This can include things like your volunteer work, your hobbies and other areas you feel are relevant to the position you're applying for. There should be no doubt as to what you can do for the company.When you are writing your resume you may want to consider including a section that lists your personal statement as well. This is a very important section because it is what is going to determine whether or not the potential employer will be interested in reading what you have to say. Your person al statement should answer questions about why you want the job, how you would use the position and why you would want to remain employed with the company if you get the job.Now that you've completed that part of the resume you're probably ready to get into the meat of the document. The meat of the document is the job description. This is the job description that shows how you'll use the position. In fact, you'll probably have to do this section of the resume several times, as the company you are interviewing with will change the job description several times before you get the interview.So, writing a resume for an internal position is a little more difficult that writing one for a general job. In fact, you may have to put a little more time into it if you do want to get the job. The best way to get a job is to put your best foot forward and show the potential employer why you should be hired.

What You Need to Know to Ace Your Job Interview - Jane Jackson Career

What You Need to Know to Ace Your Job Interview - Jane Jackson Career We tend to get quite worked up about interviews. With all eyes on you, the process can often feel like you are giving the presentation of your life.Few of us are great at interviews because we havent had many of them.   For most people, interviews can feel quite daunting.Many of us will search for interview tips in books, online, from friends, from career coaches and much of the time we end up even more confused and uncertain.   The danger here is that the anxiety will prevent you from being yourself and, to be honest, the most important thing in an interview is to demonstrate that you are the right person for the job, if you are.   Sometimes during the interview process, you may realise that the role is not really what you want after all.However, assuming that you DO want the job, here are 10 tips to set you in the right direction:1.   Know your audience what is most important to the hiring manager.2.   Chemistry counts for a lot good managers and executives learn to trust their g ut instincts as well as consider what is in your resume.   Be genuine, be open and relax.   Look the hiring manager in the eye, smile.   Make a connection.3.   Do you meet the job specifications?   What are the functional requirements of the role and what are the soft skills required (communication skills, personal characteristics.)4.   Are you being true to yourself?   Do you represent yourself accurately?   Make sure you are as good as your resume says otherwise there will be major disappointments on both sides.5.   What is your experience and can you talk about it?   It doesnt always matter how many years you have been performing a specific task, its the results youve achieved.   Make sure you can tell the story how you did it, what were the challenges, how you overcame them.6.   How do you approach problem-solving?   Do you have examples of your street smarts?   You may be asked some unusual questions.   Recently one of my clients was thrown a curve ball and was asked what he w ould do if he was given a million dollars.   The hiring manager wanted to know if he could think on his feet as it would have been unlikely that he would have prepared for that specific question.7.   What is it like to be in your presence?   Whats your personality?   Are you laid back, are you a go-getter, do you have a strong sense of entitlement or do you have an exceptional work ethic?   Are you driven?   Are you grounded?   How do you handle the responsibility?8.   Are you a team player or more insular?   What type of person is required for the role?9.   Are you like minded?   Look out for clues as to the preferred communication style of the hiring manager.   Be open minded so you can learn from each other and if the connection is there, you have a greater chance of success.10.   Do your research to find out as much as you can about what the hiring manager is looking for, think about what you have that is a match to those requirements, provide some examples of your capabilities in those areas, tell the stories and finally, relax and be yourself.Good luck!  If you need additional support, read Amazon Australia Best Seller, Navigating Career Crossroads the essential guide to landing your next role.For one on one coaching, visit janejacksoncoach.com and lets get you interviewing with confidence, clarity, and conviction!   Your passion for the role must shine through!

The First 3 Places a Recruiter Looks on Your Resume (and How to Make Them Stand Out) - CareerEnlightenment.com

The First 3 Places a Recruiter Looks on Your Resume (and How to Make Them Stand Out) Writing or updating your resume can be stressful, especially if you have limited time and aren’t sure what to focus on.After working with hundreds of job seekers as a Recruiter, I’m going to reveal the first three places I look on your resume, so you can optimize it to grab the attention of recruiters and hiring managers, and get more interviews.1. Your Recent Work ExperienceThe first thing employers are thinking when they evaluate your resume is, “does this person have the skills and experience necessary to come in, learn this role successfully, and start contributing to our efforts quickly?”The best way to decide this is by looking at what you’ve accomplished for other employers, so if you have any work experience at all, it’s the first place a recruiter or hiring manager is going to look.I’d recommend spending more time on this section than any other when writing your resume.Also, make sure your employment history is on the top half of the first page so that it can be easily found.The only sections I’d recommend putting before your work experiences are your name and contact information, and a one-paragraph professional summary statement. After this, jump right into your work experience.2. Your Career Progression and “Story”After looking at your most recent work, I’m now scrolling down to the bottom of your resume and reading upward. I’m looking at your educational background and then trying to piece together the moves you’ve made since then.I’m looking at job titles and responsibilities you’ve held. I’m looking at the dates of employment for previous positions, and how long you’ve been with each employer.If you have big gaps in employment or an unusual career progression, it’s not a deal breaker; however, I’d recommend addressing it in a cover letter.As a recruiter, if I spot some concerning moves or gaps, I’d often look for a cover letter to see if there’s an explanation.Try to make your work history as clear as po ssible, and be upfront about addressing any “red flags” or unusual moves you’ve made with the recruiter you’re working with, or they won’t feel comfortable forwarding your resume to a hiring manager.Also, try to show progression whenever you can, within companies and when changing between companies. Even if you received a slight upgrade in job title with a company, make sure to highlight that (for example if you advanced from Sales Associate to Senior Sales Associate). Want to Read More Articles Like This One?Sign up here to receive weekly updates from Career Enlightenment, and never miss another powerful job searching tip! SUBSCRIBE! You have Successfully Subscribed!We hate spam too. Unsubscribe any time. 3. Accomplishments, Results, and MetricsI mentioned earlier that the first thing employers are asking themselves is: Do you have the skills and experience necessary to come in, get up to speed, and start contributing quickly in this role?Well, one of the best ways to show them you’re up to the challenge is to highlight past results, metrics, and results you’ve achieved.This isn’t something most job seekers do enough of on their resume (in fact many job seekers don’t do this at all), so it’s a great way to stand out.Try to be very specific in your resume bullet points. Add numbers and data wherever you can, and phrase things as accomplishments rather than responsibilities.For example, rather than saying, “responsible for handling 50 customer support requests per day,” you could say, “Handled 50 customer support requests per day, achieving a 98% customer satisfaction rating”.Now you’re sharing what you actually did and achieved, not just what you were responsible for.There’s a big difference between an accomplishment and a duty, and you will stand out if you focus on writing about accomplishments.Here are some specific numbers you can put in your resume bullets as you do this:Percent increases/improvements you achieved for t he company’s goals, or your own individual goalsDollar amounts (revenue you brought in, cost savings, etc.)Headcounts (e.g. “managed 20 people across three different groups,” or, “trained seven new team members”)Then before your interview, review your resume and make sure you’re ready to talk about these accomplishments when they ask.The “10-Second Rule”You’ve probably heard the statistic that a recruiter only spends 10 seconds looking at each resume. The truth is we spend that much time scanning and deciding if we should keep reading.If it looks like a good fit, we’ll continue reading for much longer and then pass your resume on to the hiring manager and recommend they interview you.The 10-second rule is just an estimate of how long we spend deciding whether to keep reading or not.Now that you know the first three places we look during this time, you can make sure your resume grabs attention and gets you invited to interview.