Take Advantage of Employee Turnover

4 ways to benefit from the impending employee exodus

by Maria Hanson, LiveCareer

According to a recent workplace survey for Adecco, conducted by Harris Interactive, the majority of workers are unhappy with their current job situation:

• 66 percent are dissatisfied with their compensation.
• 76 percent are dissatisfied with their opportunities for career growth.
• 78 percent are dissatisfied with the retention efforts made on behalf of their employers.

Career experts anticipate that this job dissatisfaction will translate into a mass exodus once the economy turns around. When more jobs become available, employees will be more than happy to leave behind job stagnation and flagging wages to hunt for better employment opportunities.

Companies that don't make changes now should be prepared to lose even their top employees. "We're surprised to see how many companies have not improved [employee relations] during the recession, but have become more Draconian," says HR specialist Glen Earl. "Those types of companies will see massive turnover."

You can take advantage of this impending employee exodus to further your career. Here are some tips from hiring experts:

1. Shoot for a promotion. As leadership positions open up, so do promotion opportunities. "If you've been frustrated by the lack of upward mobility, the next six months may represent the best opportunity for advancement in years," says David Lewis, of Express Employment Professionals.

Practical tip: Self-promote by sharing ideas and successes with upper management. And don't forget to emphasize your loyalty, "especially to baby boomer bosses," Lewis says.

2. Contribute to employee retention. Your company's top brass will probably be reeling from the impact of losing employees. One way to get in their corner is to offer suggestions on how to retain employees, says Lewis.

Practical tip: "If you hear frustration about the lack of a retirement plan, for example, suggest privately to your boss that they consider adding it so the company doesn't lose more employees," says Lewis. "Done correctly, you will win for loyalty, initiative, and foresight."

3. Aim for a better compensation package. Have you been hankering for a raise or better benefits? This may be the time you'll get everything you've hoped for--and more. "We will likely see the return of employees being sat down and kept happy with enhancements like perks, cars, cell phones, better benefits, deferred comp packages, profit sharing, raises, bonuses, commissions, and more responsibility," says Paul Sorbera, president of Alliance Consulting.

Practical tip: If you're not offered a raise, ask for one. But beware that asking for too much can make you look like a vulture and can even backfire. Before making any salary requests, check out your real market value with an online salary calculator.

4. Move out and move up. Some companies have treated their employees well throughout the recession and will likely hang on to their workers. But if you don't think you're getting what you deserve at your current job, it may be time to launch your job search.

Practical tip: If you are ready for a new job but not sure which direction to go, taking a free career test can be a quick and easy way to identify your best career path.

You may need to hone your skills--or acquire new skills and knowledge--to find a new job. Find the right degree and university program to help you achieve your career goals.

When you're ready to start applying for jobs, make sure your resume is in good shape. If not, use online resources such as a resume guide to bring your resume up-to-date and ensure its effectiveness as a job-search tool.

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Communication Culture at Work

Building a Feedback Culture at Work

Giving feedback simply means telling people how they're going at work. However, the real art of feedback is the ability to also accept feedback yourself - being prepared to listen to what others tell you, without being defensive if it's bad news.

Building a feedback culture in your organization, where everyone is comfortable about giving and receiving feedback about their performance, builds employee morale. Accepting feedback yourself helps you discover ways to improve your own or your business performance.

Many managers and supervisors though equate feedback with delivering bad news, with criticism of poor employee performance. But employee feedback also can, and should, be about giving good news. The reality seems to be that it isn't often done.

Giving, and taking, feedback starts at the top, with the business owner, the manager, even with the team leader. It means stepping back from the immediate action and looking at the bigger picture, at the business from a leader's perspective.

What do leaders do? They do things that inspire people to follow them, to help them build the business. Your people need to know exactly what they have to do, or not do, and how well they are going. They need feedback - and so do you.

As a leader you can give positive feedback, deliver negative feedback in a constructive manner and also encourage feedback for yourself. This kind of give and take builds a feedback culture that encourages staff while it grows and strengthens your business.

A Five-Step Process for Improving Communication

Developing a constructive feedback culture in your organization really isn't difficult. Once you change your thinking from manager to leader the rest is easy. Very simply, it takes a five-step process to build more effective employee relationships. You can use this process to guide your reflection as a leader.

1. Think and act like a leader

Learn why you need to be a leader, what people want from a leader, what it takes to be a leader and how constructive feedback is an essential part of leadership.

2. Clarify what you want

Clarify your mission and vision for the business or department and decide what projects and tasks need to be done to achieve it.

3. Understand staff needs

Learn from research what all employees want; then apply some practical strategies for improving your own workplace relationships and business.

4. Plan, discuss, agree, commit

Turn your employees into a team and have fun, whether you own the business or manage a team or department.

5. Give and get feedback

Deal with the 'hard stuff' constructively, knowing what to say and how to say it. Then encourage staff to give you genuine feedback.

Developing a feedback culture means encouraging people to feel comfortable about giving and taking feedback about their performance - in the interests of better business and their own personal development. Feedback doesn't have to be negative; indeed there are far more occasions when positive feedback should be given. As a leader, you can seek those occasions using the above simple five-step process.

By Jennifer McCoy

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Get on Your Boss's Radar

by Sara Eckel, PayScale.com

In a perfect world, diligently doing a good job would be enough to ensure pay raises and career advancement. But the truth is that you also have to put yourself and your work on display for your boss and other managers. Shy, unassuming people are often overlooked. "You need to be seen, and your boss needs to be very clear about your contributions. Otherwise, how can you expect to be recognized for your work?" says Nancy Ancowitz, a business communication coach and the author of "Self-Promotion for Introverts."

Here's how to raise your profile in the office:

1. Speak up. A University of California, Berkeley, study found that people who speak up in meetings were seen as more competent than their quieter colleagues--even when they added nothing to the conversation. If you're having trouble getting a word in over chatty colleagues, Ancowitz suggests making eye contact with the person leading the meeting and raising your finger. "Or sometimes it pays to just lean forward and say, 'Yes, Joe, great point!' and then dive in," she says.

2. Be an expert. Contributing to your company's newsletter or its internal website can help establish you as an expert in your particular specialty. It's also a good idea to come to meetings armed with facts and figures. "Be seen as the knowledge bank repeatedly so that your name is connected with your area of expertise," says Ancowitz.

3. Eat in. By dining in the company lunchroom, you'll open yourself up to casual chats with your boss and other high-level executives. But don't squander these opportunities on discussions of the weather. "To utilize the lunchroom properly, one has to have information to share," says Paul Klein, director of Cleveland State University's Career Services Center. Read the periodicals and blogs that cover your field. Keep tabs on your competitors' doings and on new developments in your industry. "This will enable you to talk to your boss on a higher level, while projecting an image beyond what you're already doing," says Klein.

4. Enlist help. If you're generous about giving credit to others--and you should be--then ask for a little reciprocity. "There is nothing wrong with saying, 'I'm up for a promotion or a raise, and I would love it if you would acknowledge my contributions at the next department meeting,'" says Ancowitz.

5. Step away from the screen. The best way to be visible is to make sure your boss sees you, not just your screen name. "Don't assume that your brilliant emails are telling your story. Your boss is human, and human beings look for connection," says career coach Darcy Eikenberg. So make sure your boss gets to see your face once in while. If you work remotely, schedule occasional meetings or lunches. "Face-to-face conversations are not passe in our high-tech businesses; they are still the gold standard for developing trust--which is essential for moving ahead," says Eikenberg.

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How to Handle Job-Identity Loss

What to do when you no longer have a job title

by Denene Brox, for Yahoo! HotJobs

It's a question that we all face when interacting with people: "So, what do you do?" And if you're unemployed or under-employed and looking for work, it may be a question you dread answering.

If your job title was a big part of your identity, normal feelings of shock and depression after a layoff may be intensified. But approached with the right attitude, losing your job can be a time to step back and redefine who you are in your life and career.

Debbie Mandel, the author of "Addicted to Stress," says about 70 percent of the people she works with define themselves by their job titles. "We tend to measure ourselves by our accomplishments--looking for external validation," says Mandel. "Much of this is rooted in our school days when we were graded for our work."

Need to put your job identity into perspective? Here are some tips to help.

Seek support
Even with unemployment at a 26-year high, many laid-off workers still feel alone and embarrassed. "They question if they fit in anymore," says Mandel. "A mild depression could set in, and a person becomes distracted and unable to focus--and worst of all, feels ashamed."

To combat feelings of depression and isolation, strive to be around people as much as possible. Depression and isolation are difficult to emerge from on your own, notes Philadelphia-based psychiatrist Joseph Garbely. Join a networking group or a support group in your area. Garbely also recommends seeking professional help in dealing with the loss. "Pre-emptive marriage counseling may be very helpful as the financial and emotional stress mounts daily. And creating a Plan B, for when you return to work, is an important guard against history repeating itself in the future."

Robin Ryan, career counselor and the author of "Over 40 & You're Hired: Secrets to Landing a Great Job," advises identifying the one or two people in your life who will cheer you on through this process. "Usually it is not your spouse, who is often too anxious over money issues [to help objectively]," she says.

Balance is key
In most cases, we define ourselves most by where we spend the majority of our time and energy. If most of your time was spent working, then losing your job can mean, in a very real sense, that you've lost your life. But now you can channel more energy into creating a more balanced life.

"My analogy is that life is a series of gardens that need to be tended to regularly. Each garden is vital to one's happiness. If you tend only your 'work garden,' your family, friends, health, and faith gardens will shrivel up and die," warns Garbely.

Reinvent yourself
Dominique Browning, the author of "Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness," says she experienced depression, isolation, humiliation, fear, and anger after being laid off from her job at a magazine--an industry hit hard by the recession. "Then I experienced liberation," she says. "The best part of being laid off has been forcing myself into reinvention, and into a different kind of self-reliance."

Browning made a list of things she'd always wanted to do and began redefining her life and her career. "I've reinforced my identity by allowing myself to find strength in the activities I have always enjoyed, by discovering new ones, and by giving myself a new work identity," says Browning, who now works as a freelance writer and blogger.

Browning has also learned to never say no to anything. "Say yes to all interviews, yes to all consulting assignments, yes to helping friends find their way. I'll try anything once, and see where new paths open," she says.

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Moving Toward a Meaningful Career

6 ways to find meaning in your job--no matter what it is

by Margaret Steen, for Yahoo! HotJobs

Mention "meaningful work," and many people imagine working at a homeless shelter or working on research that could lead to a cure for cancer.

But most of us work for companies whose ultimate goal is to make money, even if they do make products or have programs that help people. And even in organizations with the loftiest goals, there are employees who work primarily on mundane tasks.

If you're doing a humdrum sort of job at a typical for-profit company, is it possible for your work to be "meaningful"? Experts say it absolutely is--though you may have to redefine that word.

Mark Guterman, principal of MeaningfulCareers.com, explains that what makes a job personally satisfying and rewarding is not necessarily its philanthropic aspect. "Each one of us creates our own definition of a meaningful career," he says "Moving toward that definition--that's what creates meaning." For example, a parent may find meaning in any job that allows her to save for her children's college education.

Sometimes people change careers to find deeper meaning or gratification in their work. But you probably don't have to do anything that drastic. Experts offer these tips for finding--or creating--meaning in the job you have:

Figure out what you want from work. What makes you happy to go to work in the morning? Some people who have successful business careers find meaning in leadership. Others may be motivated by money or status.

"We have a society that judges that if you do well, you can't possibly have meaning," Guterman says. But if it's important to you, it can create meaning in your work.

And when you figure out what you want from work, make sure to recognize when you receive it.

Take the initiative. If environmental issues are your passion, can you add them to your work, even if it's outside of your official responsibilities? For instance, perhaps you could set up a recycling program for your company, suggests career expert and strategist Mary Jeanne Vincent. Or maybe you could automate some processes so your company can save paper.

Remember why you're working. Perhaps your definition of "meaning" is as simple as providing for your family--if that's the case, focus on that goal. This "eye on the prize" can help make even the most mundane work seem important, Vincent says.

Change your attitude, not your job. "A lot of people think there has to be a perfect fit" between their values and their jobs, Guterman says. But "changing jobs or changing careers is a big deal for most people." Instead of leaving a job that doesn't seem meaningful, try to identify the personally enriching things you can get from it--for instance, opportunities to learn new things, travel, or work with people who inspire you.

Look outside of work for meaning. If you truly can't make your work meaningful, try finding meaningful volunteer work or hobbies. "There is a whole group of people who never get paid to do work that's really meaningful, but they can bring meaning into their lives otherwise," Vincent says. Spending an hour a week on an artistic endeavor, for instance, can make spending time on unfulfilling work tasks more palatable.

Keep your options open. Your interests may change over time. What's meaningful when you're raising your children may change once those children are grown, for instance. "This is a lifelong process," Guterman says.

And keep in mind that the answer to the question "Is this particular job meaningful?" is usually not as simple as yes or no.

"People think it's got to be meaningful or it's not, but it's not that pure," Guterman says. "Meaning doesn't come in the answer. Meaning comes in the process."

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Health Care Employment Heating Up

Staffing shortages, health care reform are predicted to cause dramatic growth.

by Mike O'Brien, Climber.com

One of the hottest sectors in employment right now is health care, as new health care legislation opens the door to entice even more candidates into this critical--and understaffed--field.

Employment by the numbers
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), unemployment held steady at 9.7 percent overall in March 2010, with the number of long-term unemployed reaching 6.5 million. More than 44 percent of all unemployed persons have been jobless for 27 weeks or more.

In the health care sector, however, employment is on the rise, with 27,000 new jobs filled in March, a 26.8 percent increase over February. There was a 9 percent increase in the number of nurses added to payrolls--and with new health care reform, those numbers will only grow.

What reform will mean for job seekers
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, signed into law in March, will bring a windfall of funds to retain and attract health care professionals. By funding scholarships and loan-repayment programs, the act seeks to increase the number of primary-care physicians, nurses, physician assistants, mental-health providers, and dentists, particularly in underserved areas. Nursing has been targeted as a must-grow area, and the act also seeks to increase the supply of public-health professionals available to serve in the event of U.S. health emergencies.

For aspiring or current health care professionals, opportunities will abound. Expect to see improved benefits and incentives (such as funds for continuing education), particularly if you choose to work in a remote or high-risk area with a shortage of health care specialists. If you're a nurse, all indications are strong that your compensation will increase markedly, as the act seeks to "address financial barriers that nurses and nurse faculty face today." Nursing education, training, and retention programs will all be highlighted to receive funds and attention.

Although the act will go into effect over time, two critical provisions for health care professionals are set to launch in 2011:

• Funding for community health centers will be increased to allow for nearly a doubling of patients seen by the centers over the next 5 years.
• Funding for new investments in hospitals and health care facilities to increase the number of primary-care practitioners, including doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants.

Positioning yourself for success
With health care employment opportunities putting you in the driver's seat, it pays to know what's important to you, because compensation alone may not be enough to justify a position at a new hospital or health care facility. By utilizing the services of a career-management site that allows you to create a unique career profile of your key employment characteristics, you can gain a better picture of what role--or employment opportunity--will suit you best. Other suggestions include:

Check out the benefits beyond the basics. What are the opportunities for continuing education, particularly education in new technologies?

Explore career-advancement and -expansion opportunities. What is a typical career path for your role in this particular facility, what is the typical turnover rate in the unit, and what unique growth opportunities do they offer?

Decide what you really want most. Is it pay, flexibility, the ability to make a difference, the chance to utilize the latest advancements in technology? Rank your preferences in order of importance and stick to your list to ensure long-term satisfaction.

And after you're hired? For health care professionals, the best advice is to keep yourself open to new opportunities as they become available. In this fast-moving profession, you can create your own career path to success.

Mike O'Brien is an innovative entrepreneur dedicated to helping others create breakthrough success, and is the founder and CEO of Climber.com, one of the nation's leading online career-management sites. (A key benefit of working with a career-management site is understanding employment trends--like health care--in time to take full advantage of them.) For more information about how it can help you find your perfect career, visit Climber.com or connect with Mike on LinkedIn.

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Business Planning for Starting a Home Based Business

Introduction

A home based business needs to have a proper plan in place for it to be successful. Working from home is a wonderful option for those of us who cannot, for whatever reason, go to an office for work. Several employment options exist for such home based entrepreneurs, to start a work at home business. However, to take advantage of the offers, you need to be well planned and organized. There are several things that you would have to consider before starting a home based business.

Step One

First things first, you need to know in which area you want to provide work. For that you need to examine your skill sets and qualifications. That should give you a fair idea of which service you are able to provide.

Step Two

Then you need to know your place of work. Obviously, since you are going to be home based, you would be working from your home. But even there, do you have a dedicated work area where you can work peacefully. Finding such an area is the key, especially if you are staying at home because of kids or such responsibilities. You need to find a time and place when and where you would not be disturbed or distracted. You can fix the number of hours that you can devote to your work based on these factors. Your earnings would therefore depend on the number of hours you can spend working, and how fast you can do your work within these restraints.

Step Three

The next thing you need to have is a Business Plan in place. An ideal business plan will outline all of the above mentioned factors in clear cut terms. An analysis of cost factors will determine your cost per hour. Market factors would determine your price per hour. You can thus calculate your projected income based on the number of hours you work.

Step Four

Once you have a plan in place, you need to apply for the necessary licenses and registrations. Check with your local government for the required formalities. It pays to have the paper work in order so as to avoid legal complications at a later date.

Step Five

The next step is, obviously, getting the work. If your work is internet based, then you need to look for websites where you can get such work. There are several wonderful websites where you can get such work on the Internet. However, if your work is not Internet based, then you need to generate work from other sources. Place an Ad in the local newspapers. Throw a launch party for all your friends and family and put the word out there.

Going Further

Let the work come to you. Once you get the work, do it well, so that your clients remember you. Don’t forget to discuss payment terms before the work is done so that there are no misunderstandings later. Word of mouth publicity only works if you work well and deliver on time. As for publicising your work via other media: you need to keep on doing it all the time, so as to generate constant work.

So gear up and get started. Well begun is half done! All the best of luck!

By Madhavi Ghare

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy