Hiring For Cultural Fit or Misfits

Hiring For Cultural Fit or Misfits The British Prime Ministers advisor Dominic Cummings may want to hire weirdos and misfits for No.10 which may not be working out so well judging on recent news. We know that diversity and inclusion is a mainstream business issue that speaks to a firm’s culture and conduct, so how about hiring to fit your culture? It may not be a good idea if it means building bias and discrimination in to the hiring process. Cultural fit is based on the compatibility between an employee’s personality, work style, values and attitudes, and organizational culture. Cultural criteria A Society for Human Resource Management study found that poor cultural fit due to staff turnover can cost an organization between 50% and 60% of the person’s annual salary. The problem is that if you want to hire for fit, you have to have a pretty good handle on your culture in the first place and all too often what senior management proclaims as organizational ‘culture’ is not what employees experience at the sharp end. Without a real understanding of culture, you risk problems when recruiting where fit is defined as “is the candidate like the people we have already hired?” the dangers of that are all too obvious. Even if you have a defined culture that resonates with your employees which they buy in to, you still have to assess potential recruits for cultural fit. That assessment needs to be measurable, rooted on strengths and if your processes are well managed should lead to diversity in recruitment. The process has to employ solid, measurable criteria in order to void the likelihood of hiring based on the mold of previously successful candidates in the role or based on the likability factor. Psychometric testing and behavioral interview questions are a good starting point. Take a rain check Checking references, really checking, actually talking to previous employers not just relying on the paper trail will also help. The best method would be a work trial and that’s easier to do when most people work on short-term contracts but circumstances change and people change so no route is guaranteed. Hiring for cultural fit doesn’t necessarily tick the boxes in terms of inclusion and diversity. Hire too many people just like you and creativity and innovation go out of the window. That said, it’s only natural to hire for likeability but it becomes a real problem as the organization starts to grow. We’ve seen it happen where a core group of senior managers shares a love of, say, football, great for them. By the time you have a larger team though those employees who don’t share that love may come to feel they’re not part of the mainstream or to feel that progression goes to those who know what to say about football. You don’t need people who fit in exactly with what you already have because you need people who can challenge, who can think differently, who can take a risk and call out established ways of thinking and behaving. So don’t rely on a common background, in-group and clique references or shared understanding. Expand your perspective and think outside the box by looking at what others bring to the party.

Personal Development How do I Improve My Writing Skills

Personal Development How do I Improve My Writing Skills Dear Classy Career Girl, I want to improve my writing skills.I need your tips on how to blog, how to write essays instantly and anything else that would help me improve my writing skills.I hope you will answer my question.  Thanks again. -Classy Career Girl Reader How to Improve My Writing Skills Thanks for your question. Before I started blogging, I thought I was a terrible writer and I dreaded writing!  My college roommate would make fun of me because of how many times I would write a sentence and then hit the delete key.  It would take me days to write a one-page paper that I was happy with. Now, I love expressing myself by writing this blog! Writing is a process that helps you develop your ideas and it enables you to think logically.    If you want to start a blog, you can check out a recent post I did called  A Young Professional’s Guide to Starting a Blog.  Here are a few more things that you can do to improve your writing skills: Read I believe that all good readers are good writers. Spend some extra time reading books, magazines, newspapers, articles, etc. If you read daily, you will begin to understand how to construct sentences and paragraphs. Reading will also help you learn grammar and punctuation. When I first took the GMAT (the entry test for business school), my English and writing skills were not great.  I decided to take a break from studying for the GMAT and joined a book club instead.  The accountability of the group made me read daily and the next time I took the GMAT my scores improved dramatically. Check to see if there are any book clubs around you that you can join.  If you cant find one, start one! Know Your Topic Before I start writing, I brainstorm topics that I am passionate about. You need to know what you want to share and then begin gathering information about it. Read other people’s ideas in books and articles and write down what you think. Make sure you organize all of your notes and resources into one spot on your computer or into a folder on your desk so that you can find it later. Know Your Readers One thing you should always consider is your readers.  Who will be your audience?  After you figure out your topic, figure out who your readers will be. Review Your Work Read your work out loud after you are finished.  By doing this, you will hear problems that you might not be able to see such as emphasis, word choice, and syntax. Ask For Help Never hesitate to ask for help by sharing your writing with your loved ones.  But, make sure you are able to accept criticism.  Hearing what other people think, whether positive or negative, will help you become a better writer. Most importantly, be confident and inspired in everything you write. Write more, don’t stop. The more you write, the better you will be. Soon you will realize that your writing skills have improved just like mine did! Have a question for Classy Career Girl?  Think Dear Abby with a modern career girl twist.   I return every email (anna@classycareergirl.com) and will post answers to your questions weekly.

How to Prioritize Workouts when Work Gets Tough

How to Prioritize Workouts when Work Gets Tough The following is a guest post by Vanessa Davis.  Her bio follows. It’s incredibly easy to excuse ourselves out of exercise. There are always reasons why other things are more important, more urgent or simply more enjoyable. The biggest problem with working out is the fact that we demonize the process, our mindset stands in the way of becoming the best physical self that we can be. As usual, the problem is in our way of thinking and bad habits that are much easier to maintain that overcome. If you’re working hard and that is your biggest excuse for not working out, then this article is here to nudge you in a new direction. There are ways to prioritize your exercise even when working hours are crazy and you believe you don’t have it in you to work out. Get Into It Slowly Many people trickle the decision process down to â€" As of tomorrow, I will *enter unobtainable goal here*. If you’ve been down this path, as so many of us have, then you know that starting or stopping to do something abruptly rarely ends well, more often than not, you will just revert to the same old behavior patterns. That is why it’s so vital to ease into exercising, especially if you’ve never had much interest in fitness before. Working a lot leaves you exhausted both mentally and physically, which is why squeezing in some exercise into the whole chaos can be a challenge. Thankfully, you don’t have to spend two hours at the gym every day, and your workout routine doesn’t have to be strict and repetitive. Doing your best will do just fine for starters, so that your body can get used to the fact that it’s moving much more. Some days it will just walking home from work, other days it might be having a run during lunchtime and sometimes you will have to do more intense workouts, but let those be the days when you’re not working as hard. Make an Appointment with Yourself Business meetings are important, there’s no doubt about that, but what about meetings you set up for yourself? We’re not talking about having dinners for one (though that’s quite therapeutic too), rather you showing up for yourself when it matters. This doesn’t just mean exercising regularly, but also eating healthy, managing your stress and getting plenty of sleep. If you know that you’re likely to push back your workout as soon as something else pops up, make an appointment in your calendar, so that you have a couple of hours reserved exclusively for physical activity. This is a great way to outsmart your excuse system because if you’ve made plans to work out beforehand, then that time remained intact, so you better grab your gear and get going. Don’t Get Stuck One of the reasons people stop working out is because they get bored with doing the same thing over and over again. Getting stuck in a same workout routine will get old quite quickly and more importantly, it will stop giving results aka you will hit a fitness plateau. It’s very important to keep things lively, as that will help you associate exercise with doing something you love and not something that is a chore. If you feel insecure and exposed at the gym, don’t go there, take a run in the park instead. If you really don’t like running, try swimming and be amazed with the benefits it offers. And if nothing aforementioned works, go for a dance class, do yoga, try mountain climbing, the sky is the limit really, all you have to do is explore your options and find what fits best. Treat Yourself It’s a slippery slope with this one, but treating yourself when you achieve a certain fitness goal is definitely something that works. Every time you get out of the office and you’re tired, but you still muster strength to hit the gym, you deserve a small reward. Before you get carried away, we’re not talking about having a slice of pizza for dinner or an extra cocktail after your meal, but rewarding yourself with something that is actually good for you. That can be anything that doesn’t compromise your healthy diet and lifestyle and rewards should be in proportion with the achievement. You shouldn’t buy yourself something pretty every time you lose a pound, but if you reach a goal that took months to obtain, then go a little crazy. And yes, even indulging yourself with decadent food is allowed, as long as you do it in strict moderation. You spend about a third of your day at work, so you better try very hard to have some time for yourself after you’re done. Exercise is one of the best ways to take care of our wellbeing, which is why you should prioritize it and do your best to respect the practice because that is the best way to respect yourself. â€" Vanessa Davis About Vanessa Davis Vanessa Davis is a 32-year-old fitness enthusiast, mother of two and content writer at www.diet.st. Shes originally  from Long Island, New York, and when she isnt cooking up some new health and fitness article, she enjoys doing yoga and figuring out new, delicious organic recipes for herself and her kids.

What Can an Employer Really Do to Monitor You Online - Classy Career Girl

What Can an Employer Really Do to Monitor You Online The rise of social media has lifted a lot of internet users out from behind screen names, and therefore anonymity. As a result what we do online directly affects our own public image as well as that of people who are associated with us, most importantly our employers. As businesses are beginning to realize that most of their employees are among the 84% of U.S. adults active on the internet and 56% of U.S. adults on social media networks, your employer is working to monitor you online in order to protect their corporate reputations. So, what can an employer really do to monitor you online, and what’s considered corporate overreach? 1. Your Employer Can and Will Google You Everywhere in the US it’s perfectly legal for your prospective or current employer to do a google search on you to find out any information about you that’s accessible to everyone online. That means if you don’t have your privacy settings ramped up on your social media accounts, your employer has the right to read through everything that’s visible and use that information to inform their decisions about you. To avoid getting into trouble you’ll need to work hard to manage the information that is available about you online. Make sure that the privacy settings on all your social media accounts restrict public access. 2. What You Say On The Internet is Not Private Turning up your privacy settings isn’t always enough when you’re using social media to interact with 3rd party sites. Commenting on news articles, blogs, or other websites through a social media account doesn’t extend the protection of your social media settings to those sites. Furthermore, being a terrible person on the internet is finally beginning to have repercussions in the real world despite the sluggish legal response. Sites like this are built around identifying and outing people who behave reprehensibly online, and are entirely legal since they access information that’s either publicly available or freely given to them. Luckily this is a risk that can be very easily addressed by simply not saying things on the internet that you wouldn’t say in front of other people. 3. Do Your Research Before Handing Over Account Information More and more businesses are demanding social media access information from their employees. Some states are passing laws to limit this invasive behavior, but many don’t have specific laws to prohibit companies from forcing or otherwise coercing their employees to give them their login information. It’s important to look up and understand the legal protections that your state offers, and to insist on your rights when appropriate. For example, in Washington it’s illegal to coerce prospective or current employees to give away their login information. It’s important to understand that this means that if someone in any way implies that your failure to comply could result in any discrimination, then the employer already broke the law. Also keep in mind that your employer can’t force you to disclose that you even have specific social media accounts, which will work as long as your privacy settings are properly tuned. 4. Internet Usage Monitoring At Work When you’re using a work computer, your employer is entitled to install whatever they want on that computer, including keyloggers and internet usage monitoring software. That means that whatever you do on your work computer could be recorded for your employer. All states have some laws regarding eavesdropping, but few directly address employee monitoring, and many don’t require your employer to inform you about their practices. These programs can circumvent a lot of privacy laws because you’re essentially giving your employer the information that you input into their computer. For this reason it’s better simply not to log in or use any of your online social media networks on work devices. Thoughts? We would love to hear in the comments below!

Tips to Deal with Stress at a New Job

Tips to Deal with Stress at a New Job Photo CreditThe first few days at a new job are often nightmarish and very stressful. You want to make a good first impression, but don’t want to give off a too-eager-to-please vibe. On top of that, it is never easy to get adjusted with new colleagues, responsibilities, and routines.Every small mistake will leave you questioning yourselves whether you made the right decision. In a few days time, you might start dreading the very thought of going into work.If you are going through this, you need not panic. Most people go through this at some point in their careers. Don’t give up hope.evalHere are a few tips to help you cope with stress at a new job.1. Stop comparing it to your previous jobevalIt’s a basic human nature to compare new with old. But, the past tends to get distorted as you are more likely to focus only on the pleasant memories. You will just end up living in the past. This is never a good idea, especially when you are at a new job.Don’t make statements like â€" †˜Oh, at my previous job, it was done this way’. It can easily turn off your new colleagues and superiors. Work environments and work cultures will vary when you change jobs. You need to understand that, it would have been created or framed as per the organization’s vision, mission, and objectives.Stop romanticizing your previous job, focus on the present, proceed with an open mind, and try to adjust yourself to the new work environment.Here are few more tips to get over your obsession with your previous job.2. Don’t try too hardPhoto CreditWhen you are starting out on a new job, you may feel the urge to prove yourself. You will only end up overworking â€" saying ‘okay’ to tasks that are beyond your know-how or picking up more tasks than you can handle. Result: more stress.Firstly, it is foolish to think that you need to prove yourself. You were selected after a rigorous selection process. At the end of which the recruiters were satisfied with your skills, abilities, and pe rsonality. They deemed you fit for the job.evalSo, relax, and stop yearning for perfection or trying to do everything at once. Try to get a feel for the new job, routine, responsibilities and work culture. Start slow, take up tasks that you know you can finish. If you have questions or want help or experiencing difficulties, don’t be hesitant to ask your teammates and superiors.3. Willingness to learn from mistakes“By seeking and blundering we learn.” ? Johann Wolfgang von GoetheNo matter how good you are, you will make mistakes. Every organization works in a different manner. Even if your role is the same, your goals, objectives or even the software you use may vary. The key is to accept, learn and move on from these mistakes.If you don’t learn from the mistakes you have committed, you will just end up feeling like an outsider or under qualified â€" overwhelmed and out of sync with the rest of the organization.evalHere are a few ways to help you learn from mistakes:Ask for feedback after completing a task.Accept the criticism coming your way â€" pay attention to the message, rather than your feelings.Ask questions when in doubt.Don’t be hesitant to ask for help.Set apart time to reflect on your mistakes daily.Don’t get bogged down or moan about negative criticism.Don’t give excuses or try to pass over the blame.Don’t set unrealistic expectations.4. Stay organizedPhoto CreditSettling into a new job can be a time taking and stressful process. You will have to unlearn a lot of things from your previous gig and learn new things about your current gig. This may make it hard to stay on top of your schedule or routine. One way to overcome this is by staying organized.Here are few ways to help you stay organized when you are new to a job:Get to the office as early as possible.Plan your day the night before â€" prioritize your to-do list, pick out your clothes,Take regular breaks.Avoid multi-taskingMake note-taking a habit.Have a system in place to dea l with all the new information that you are getting.Make use of productivity apps and email management tools.5. Be yourselfevalOne of the major challenges of starting a new job is to fit in. People try to overcome this is by faking their own personality. It is a very stressful thing to do, especially if you are trying fake traits that you don’t wish to include in your personality.For example, if you are an introvert (who wants to remain so) trying to project yourself outgoing personality, you will find the new job very hard and uncomfortable. You will never be able to perform to your potential without being yourself.Always remember, recruiters would have definitely considered your personality while making the selection decision. If they deemed you fit for the organization, that means they wanted people with your type of personality in the team. Modern day workplaces have room for all kinds of personalities, so you don’t have to force yourself to behave in a way that you are not comfortable with.Wrapping-upWe are not robots, we are humans, it will definitely take a bit of time for us to acclimatize to a new environment. The important thing is not to let your nerves get the better of you, instead, focus on things can control and keep learning.

Amazing Tools to Own Your Digital Terrain

Amazing Tools to Own Your Digital Terrain The importance of having an online presence to manage your career cant be dismissed.   Is it enough to only have a LinkedIn profile or do you need to acquire more digital terrain? LinkedIn has enabled us to embed media.   But is that enough? You Are Being Googled Because hiring managers and HR professionals want to hire the best candidate, one that will last in the job, not just perform, they are seeking you out online.   Over 75% Google you.   Can you be sure that youre LinkedIn name will come up on page one of the Google search?   You can if you own your name.   What am I talking about?   You actually buy a domain which includes your name.   The cost isnt huge, but there is one. Other ways in which you can ensure you appear on page one of a Google search include: Profiles on social media sites Are you on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, SlideShare?   You can see if your name is available by checking out any of the sites mentioned in this Mashable post.   Or if you just want to try using namechk.com, this is what youll see.   For effect, I have shown the full list of searched profiles.   The ones marked in red are taken (gosh, I hope I am the one who has them!)   Who knew there were so many.   I am not suggesting you own them all, but at least realize where you want to be playing.  Also check out  Knowem.com  which does the same thing. Theres nothing more powerful than having your own website.   I realize that the thought of either doing it yourself or hiring a web designer is daunting. Other Tools So while I am on this topic, I was just reminded of about.me.   This is more visual than text or interactive/multimedia representation.   It is quite simple to create as well. There are tons of these tools, so check out this post:  Demonstrate Your Social Prowess: Create a Visual Resume Still another option is creating a profile on VisualCV This application has lots of bells and whistles, in other words, you can change the layout and design options and sections and features.  Mine is pretty bland, so I am pulling an example off their site. The one draw back is that this site doesnt seem to generate much google-juice. If you are looking for ways to build your reputation, own some web-turf, start checking out some of these tools today.   Are there any other nifty tools out there I didnt mention?

New Years Networking -

New Years Networking - 2007 draws quickly to a close.   Keppie Careers hopes that a job search and a new career are in your plans for 2008! Many new job seekers or people who havent looked for a job in a long time may not know about the Hidden Job Market.  Sounds sinister, but all it really means is that most (70 80% or more!) of jobs arent actually filled with people applying to a job posting or announcement; they are filled via personal connections. Since 70-80% is a huge number of jobs, its a good idea to get on this networking bandwagon! Networking is a huge topic, and I have tons to say on the subject, but since we are coming up on a holiday, lets leave it at this: You will probably be out and about this week celebrating the New Year and potentially meeting new people   Take the opportunity to think about how you can work your career plans and goals into the festive conversations youll have. How can you introduce yourself with an eye toward seeing if there is a potential career link with your new acquaintance.   Ask someone about their New Years Resolution, and then tell them yours: You hope to use your skills and experiences in _____________ to move into a position doing ______________. If they are interested in your field or know something about it, they may ask you for more details. Consider pre-planning a 30-second infomercial for yourself!   What do you have to offer? You never know where youll meet the professional connection that will link you to a new opportunity. Stay tuned for more on the crucial topic of networking! Happy New Year!