6 Important Tips To Be More Productive at Work.

We all have tough days at work when we just can't seem to get it all done. Maybe you're coming back from vacation and are having a hard time hopping back into your routine; maybe your boss is training you for more responsibility, and it's overwhelming you; or perhaps you are covering for a workmate who has called in sick.


However, what if you feel like that all the time? Feeling that way adds to our stress level and reduces our productivity. It's not just about the impact on our mental sanity, either – feeling constantly overwhelmed affects our physical, long-term health. According the Cleveland Clinic: "Newer information supports the idea that not only does physical illness cause stress, but stress may bring on or worsen certain symptoms or diseases."

Bottom line: We need to be able to get our work done without feeling overwhelmed, otherwise our physical health can be impacted. The following tips can help you feel more in control of your workload:

1. Use the time-blocking method. Productivity is the result of intelligent planning – not working extra hours every day. This is where organizing and prioritizing comes in. Prioritize your tasks by week, and then by day. Take 30 minutes on Monday to prioritize your tasks and projects for the week. What are the two biggest projects or tasks you need to accomplish? Focus on the larger items rather than the everyday email-checking or following up with clients.

Use the time-blocking method, in which you block out the time on your calendar for the projects you need to complete. Mark the time on your calendar so no one else can schedule a meeting during that time. Then, be flexible during the week. Things change, and you can't always control your schedule. Spend a few minutes in the afternoon to prioritize your tasks for the next day. Create your to-do list, and adjust your time blocks for the following day. Your time blocking should be a weekly and daily planning task.

Finally, check tasks off as you finish them. We all like that small rush of adrenaline we get from checking things off the list.

Action tip: Take 15 to 20 minutes at the beginning of each week to plan your week. Then take five minutes each afternoon to organize your next day, defining the top three priorities and length of time each one will take. Block out the time you'll need on your calendar.

2. Create a routine, and stick to it. We are creatures of habit, and so are our brains. When we establish routines, we can carry out tasks faster since we don't have to "think" about the task – or prepare for it – as much, and can work on autopilot.

This can be helpful for less important, daily, repetitive tasks in the office. Decide on a routine that works for you in your job. For example, after you get organized in the morning, you may decide to check and respond to all your emails. Then you prepare for any appointments and meetings for the day. After that, you could start on your list of projects. When you group together smaller tasks, and your brain creates that habit, you will be able to fly through them and move on with your day.

Assigning days of the week for certain things helps as well. Mondays and Fridays could be administrative days, for example. Tuesdays and Wednesdays could be dedicated to client meetings. Not everyone can control their schedule this much, but try to create as much structure as possible.

Take it a step further, and create your ideal schedule. How would you like your calendar to look? Write it down. Create it as a separate Google calendar, so when you are scheduling your week you can use it as a guideline. Choosing certain days and times of day to work on specific projects and tasks can help you create a routine that will make you more efficient. Finally, stick to the routine. Take a breath, and prioritize.

Action tips: Decide which small tasks you could group together every day, and decide when you will do them. Create an ideal schedule for yourself using certain days and times of day for specific tasks. Consider when you are most productive for tougher tasks.

Also consider your workflow and typical deadlines. Take a few minutes to consider the typical flow of your work in any given week to understand when it's best to tackle certain tasks. Then, take action on the next tip below.

3. Keep track of your time. Maybe you feel you are organized at work but still don't have enough time in the day for everything. Log your time for two weeks, writing down how much you spend on each task and activity at work. Track everything from emails to lunch to conversations with workmates to work projects and breaks. This will allow you to see where the majority of your time is being spent and then make any necessary adjustments. You may be surprised with the results. If you need to, speak with your boss about where you are spending your time and if it's the right balance and percentage of time in each area.

Action tip: Find an app, or buy a notebook to use today so you can start logging your time at work tomorrow. The clock doesn't lie, so make sure to log your time honestly. At the end of each week, tally up how much time went into each activity. You may find lots of time going into unimportant emails or conversations with workmates. Decide how you can channel that time into more important tasks so you can get everything done in the day.

4. Remember, you are a professional. While it is helpful to schedule your harder tasks during a time of day that you feel more alert, like after your afternoon espresso, do not let this always be an excuse to wait to feel like you are ready to complete your tasks. Be honest with yourself., and get started on the project you need to tackle. Set yourself up for success by gathering every tool you need to complete the task. And turn off unnecessary distractions, such as your cell phone and email alerts. Try listening to music or an audiobook, if your job permits you to do so, and power through.

Action tip: If your line of work allows you to listen to music, create a power playlist for that time of day when you feel less motivated to complete tasks. Try turning off your phone alerts while you are concentrating on projects so you can stay focused.

5. Own the Pareto principle. This is also known as the 80/20 rule, which basically means that 80 percent of results come from 20 percent of effort. Keeping this rule in mind will help you focus on the most important tasks and get better results. You may find that certain tasks look just as good when you only do the most important things instead of using a lot of time to perfect small details. For example, instead of spending a lot of time perfecting an email to your colleagues about a team meeting, you could simply use bullet points for the issues you need to discuss as a team and then move on to other tasks.

Action tip: Review your time-tracking log. Decide when you can use the Pareto principle in your work day. Identify which projects or tasks you spend too much time on because you're being too much of a perfectionist or trying to avoid other items. Sometimes we want to perfect every single task, but this principle helps to control that urge. When too much time is spent on simple tasks, there isn't enough time for the important ones.

6. Stay balanced. If your office allows you to take breaks during the day, take advantage of it, even if you only take five minutes instead of 15. Get up, walk around, go outside and get some fresh air. Also, respect your day off. If you take the weekends off, don't work unless it's absolutely necessary. Enjoy your time with friends and family doing activities that have nothing to do with work.

This will allow you to return to work feeling refreshed, happy and ready to take on a new workweek. It gives your brain down time and can even allow you time to subconsciously muse on problems you need to address at work. When you get back to work, you might just have a new solution.


Credit:  Hallie Crawford

6 Reasons to Turn Down a Job Offer.

Job seekers can get so focused on landing a new gig that they may not pay attention to signals that the job, boss or company isn’t all that great.

The red flags might be flying during your interview, but you’re so busy talking about how well you work with your team or your killer sales record that you don’t see them. Or you pretend you don’t see them. You pretend you don’t hear the interviewer complain about a colleague or working long hours. Or you decide it's no big deal that she interrupted your interview twice to take a call.

If getting the job means a big jump in pay, or if you’ve been looking for work for a while with no luck, you’re more likely to be wearing blinders. But you have to remove these blinders if you don’t want to be job hunting again in a few months.

The good news is that there are usually clues during the interview process that you are heading for trouble. Spot any of these signs, and you may want to turn down an offer:

Your interviewer is late. Being a few minutes late for an interview is no big deal. However, if someone is 15 or 20 minutes late, that’s another story, particularly if your interviewer doesn’t appear to care. Being on time is a sign of respect.

Rescheduling your interview a few times doesn’t bode well, either. Your interviewer might be overworked or disorganized, and you really don’t want to work in that situation.

Your interviewer hasn’t reviewed your résumé. If the hiring manager isn’t familiar with your background, you have to wonder why you are being interviewed at all. Hiring managers who haven’t taken the time to read your résumé aren’t doing their job.

Ideally, the hiring manager and your potential boss will have called you in because they’ve carefully read and discussed your résumé and read your online profiles. If they haven't done this, they’re not invested enough in bringing in the right person, or they're just desperate to hire someone.

There's confusion about the position. Sometimes you get called in for an interview through a referral or because you have great résumé, and the manager is trying to figure out where you fit. You may wind up getting hired, but the job you get might not be best suited to you.

Taking a job because you like the company or the manager isn’t enough. Try to pin down specifics about what you will do and how you will be evaluated. Can’t get them? Walk away.

Your interviewer checks email. It's just too rude. And if someone is that uninterested in what you are saying, chances are you aren’t getting hired anyway.

The department has a lot of turnover. During your interview, ask why the previous employee in that position resigned, as well as how long that employee had been in the job and with the company. When you meet other team members, ask them about their career paths as well.

If many team members are recent hires, be sure there is good business reason for the hiring spree, such as a new product or client or a round of funding. Otherwise, too much employee churn hints at a toxic boss or culture.

You hear negative comments or read them online. If your interviewer criticizes the person you will be replacing, team members, a boss or even the company, don’t overlook it. It isn’t professional, and it might mean you will be working for someone who doesn’t respect other people or is impossible to please.

Pay attention to negative comments in online reviews of the company as well. A few negative reviews are one thing; there are always a few disgruntled employees. But if there are many, consider yourself warned. Look for patterns in the comments, too. If the same negative words or phrases pop up in many reviews, such as “political," “lacking vision” or “endless hours,” the problem might be the culture or the leadership, rather than a single manager.

Remember: This is your career, and you deserve a good one.

Credit: Susan Price

7 Signs of a Leader in the Making

And how to start building key management skills today.

If you’ve set your sights on becoming a supervisor, general manager or executive, you can begin building the necessary skills today.

Football coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.” Those wise words apply to your career, too.

It isn’t enough to want a promotion into a leadership position. You have to do the hard work to prepare yourself and gain recognition within your organization, which is often easier said than done.

But there is hope. Organizations are increasingly concerned about succession planning and holding on to good employees. The cost of recruiting new talent is high, and there is a degree of risk involved whenever someone from the outside is hired. The desire to promote the best candidate from within the organization may result in identifying and tracking high-potential employees earlier in the pipeline and improving measurements.

Korn Ferry, a talent management organization, conducted a global succession planning survey that assessed how companies identified and developed future leaders. “The results show us that people are promoted for what they can do, but fail for who they are,” states Stu Crandell, senior vice president of global offerings at Korn Ferry and the Korn Ferry Institute, in the survey's press release.

You’ve probably seen what happens when the right criteria and clear measurements weren’t used to promote someone. It is easy for companies to fall into the trap of promoting top performers. This is known as the Peter Principle. While top performers were great at the job, they may lack the characteristics and skills to be effective in the new role. For example, a top performing salesperson may not always have the ability to motivate a team and develop strategies that best meet the corporation’s financial objectives. Without these skills, the newly promoted sales manager would most likely struggle.

If your goal is to rise up through the ranks to leadership, begin developing the skills and traits valued in leadership roles and gain recognition for being competent and capable. Start with these seven signs of leadership identified by Korn Ferry:

1. A track record of formative experiences. Have you successfully handled any of the job requirements in leadership roles?

2. Learning agility. Have you taken what you’ve learned from previous experiences and applied it in different or new situations?

3. Self-awareness. Do you solicit feedback? Have you identified your strengths and weaknesses? Are you taking steps to improve where necessary?

4. Leadership traits. What qualities have you demonstrated that would be valued in more senior positions? Popular leadership traits include decisiveness, honesty and assertiveness.

5. The drive to be a leader. Do you seek out more challenging opportunities inside and outside of work?

6. Aptitude for logic and reasoning. How well do you analyze information, create innovative solutions to complex problems and develop strategies for improvement?

7. Management of derailment risks. Do you know what personal failure looks like? What are you doing to keep yourself on the leadership track? How are you keeping up to date and continuing to be well-respected?

The good news is that you can develop all of these qualities. You don’t need your manager’s permission or company-sponsored training to begin upgrading your qualifications.

Now is not the time to be humble. Keep written documentation of your successes, and as you begin improving your skills in these areas, document them. Add these successes to your résumé and LinkedIn profile, and share them with your manager. In fact, schedule regular conversations with your manager to lay out your successes, goals and expectations. The meetings give you a chance to highlight your achievements while also giving a reality check on your goals.

If your current employer doesn’t tap you for a promotion, the hard work you’ve invested will pave the way for a stronger résumé that highlights many of the leadership qualities valuable to another company. You can go pitch yourself to one that will value what you bring to the table or has room for you to grow.

Credit: Hannah Morgan

5 Qualities Every Employer Wants in a Job Candidate.

Preparing for a job interview can be a time-consuming and nerve-wracking experience. Some people spend a ridiculous amount of energy trying to prepare and memorize answers for every imaginable interview question.

It may be better to spend time thinking about the job at hand with a larger lens by stepping back from the particular details and requirements. Ask yourself: "If I were the hiring manager, what would be the qualities I'd need to see in a person before I’d be willing to say, 'You're hired'?"

Work these qualities into your self-description, and prepare examples of stories from your experience that demonstrate you have them.

1. Creativity. If everyone who claims to “think out of the box” really did so, there would be nobody left inside it. Like the other qualities discussed below, you need to demonstrate your creativity rather than just asserting that you have it.

Do you have stories to tell about how you conceived and implemented positive workplace change? Perhaps you have changed how your company’s products or services are produced, packaged or marketed. Maybe you came up with ideas about how to shorten production time or eliminate or reduce administrative procedures and red tape. These are all examples of stories you can tell with a great takeaway message.

2. Subject-matter expertise. What employer doesn’t want someone who is an expert in his or her field? Becoming a thought leader isn’t as daunting as it might sound when you take the time to keep up-to-date. Read professional journals, or – better yet – contribute an article and get published. Make the effort to offer poster-board presentations, lead workshops or give talks at professional conferences.

It's easier than ever to demonstrate your expertise by publishing a blog, YouTube videos or examples of code you’ve written. You can also curate your creative content and put it online.

Depending on your field, one or another medium will be better or more appropriate, but when you describe yourself as a “published author” or can point to other intellectual achievements, you gain the credibility necessary to be seen as a leading professional worth wooing.

3. Pride in work. No one likes people who continually self-promote with statements like, “I’m the greatest at …” And, at the other end of the spectrum, many people find it difficult to tell how great they really are.

But when you speak about the tasks you’ve performed and accomplishments you’ve achieved with a smile on your face and project enthusiasm with your voice, you show that you aren’t the kind of worker who just logs hours and waits for a paycheck at the end of the week.

4. Adaptability to changing technology. Baby boomers have gone from records to eight tracks, cassettes, CDs and DVDs, to carrying around music on their phones or simply streaming it at will. Likewise, in the workplace, virtually nothing is done the way it used to be. The sound of the music may be the same, but the way you hear it continues to morph.

Employer demand for people who are a whizzes at Excel far surpasses the demand for people who excel with their slide rule! No matter what your generation, every employer wants to know that you're up-to-date with necessary technologies. Moreover, they expect you to be able to show how you will keep that way on an ongoing basis.

It's great when you can interject in an interview something like this: “I’ve gone from carbon paper to 'Ctrl C,' and I can’t wait to see what’s next!”

5. Willingness to go above and beyond. You might be surprised to hear someone say something like, “I’ve done everything my boss asked of me,” and then be astonished to learn that this isn’t as impressive a statement as they thought.

Telling a story about how you did whatever it took to get a project done on time and under budget gives you much greater cred. The person who relates, “I stayed an extra couple of hours at work to see [whatever] through to completion,” shows the dedicated spirit that employers can’t necessarily demand but nonetheless expect and love.

When you prepare stories that demonstrate your personal qualities, you’ll be amazed at how appreciative and responsive your interviewers will become. By conveying your passion, expertise, adaptability, and “can-do, will-do” attitude, you’ll be well on your way to making your next boss say to you, “You’re hired!”

Happy hunting!


Credit: Arnie Fertig

Graduating Soon? Here’s How to Kick Off Your Job Search..

If you're graduating soon, you're probably feeling the pressure and stress of knowing that now you need to take that degree and figure out what kind of job you can get with it.

Don't panic! Millions of new grads before you have successfully navigated this transition and found meaningful and even interesting work. But if you haven't embarked on an active search yet, now's the time to get serious about it. Here are seven steps that will help:

1. Don't put off job searching. You might be tempted to take some time off after graduating to relax, thinking you can start your search later in the summer or even in the fall. That's your prerogative, of course, but be aware that you might have a more difficult search if you wait. Job searches usually take longer than people expect, and that means if you put it off, you could end up with a long period of unemployment that will make you a less attractive candidate than you would be as a fresh graduate.

2. Use your network. New grads often feel awkward about using their networks to find job leads, but it's a very normal part of job searching. Don't resist it! Your friends, parents, parents' friends (and friends' parents!), alumni network and pretty much everyone you know from anywhere is part of your network.

Reach out and let them know what type of work you're looking for. You can also turn to your network to get more information about a particular field or to find industry contacts.

3. Learn about how to conduct a good job search. How to actually find a job usually isn't a skill you're taught in school, and unfortunately, campus career services are rarely well-equipped to provide concrete help to new grads and alumni. Moreover, your professors and parents might not know how to job search effectively in today's job market – in fact, they might have pretty outdated advice that will lead you in the wrong direction.

Fortunately, there's tons of information about résumés, cover letters, interviewing and negotiating online. You just need to seek it out and put in the time to absorb it all.

4. Include all your work experience on your résumé. New grads sometimes don't realize they should include all their work experience. They end up leaving experiences like retail or food service jobs off their résumés, figuring they don't relate to the field they're now pursuing.

However, many employers consider it a plus to see that experience, because it demonstrates work ethic, reliability and customer service skills, among others. At this stage, you're not going to have enormous amounts of work experience, so don't sell yourself short by editing it down.

5. Realize that work experience matters more than schooling. New grads often come out of school assuming the academic work they've been focusing on for the past four years is their strongest qualification.

However, in most fields, employers will care most about work experience – internships, volunteering, summer jobs and so forth – even if the work isn't in your field. They want to see a track record of performing in an environment similar to their own, and for most employers, those short-term jobs will often feel more relevant than a school project. (That doesn't mean you shouldn't talk about school projects at all, but be selective about what you highlight, and put the emphasis on work.)

6. Talk to people in the field you want to go into. Do everything you can to seek out people who work in the field you want to work in, and ask them about their experiences. What do they wish they had known about the field before starting in it? What are the best things you can do to stay current in the field – are there materials to read, organizations to join or people to talk to? Who are the best employers in the field? Who should you be wary of? What kind of starting salary should you expect? Are you being realistic about the roles you're aiming for in your job search?

This isn't about hitting people up for job leads, although you might end up getting job leads out of it. It's about learning about the field, how people succeed in it and all the behind-the-scenes nuance you may not have learned in school.

7. Make sure you're coming across as a professional – not a student. That means you need a professional email address (firstname.lastname@gmail.com is good; keg-stand@gmail.com is not), a professional-sounding voice mail greeting and a clean online presence. Employers are sometimes wary about the professionalism of people right out of school, so you want to demonstrate that you're mature and have good judgment.

Credit: Alison Green

Top Tips to Make Your Employer Love You.

It doesn’t matter who you are; whether you’re the office brown-noser or you just keep your head down and get on, we all still want our employer to love us.

The difference between your employer being your friend and being your colleague can be the difference between the subconscious decision of who to promote.

Just like you would trust your closer friends more than the person you’ve only known for a month, your employer will more likely trust you with bigger tasks, be more lenient towards you or even just look out for you more if they see you in a good light.

Dress the Part

Depending on your kind of office culture, something as simple as dressing the part can put you in a whole different light to your employer.

Even if your office tolerates a more casual attire, your effort will speak volumes. It will show your dedication and ability to take your role more seriously by taking your appearance seriously. Although we shouldn’t, we all subconsciously make snap judgements on people by the way they look, so keep that tone of “you can trust me” with a smart work attire.

Communicate

Some of us won’t admit it, but what can set some of us back is our ability to communicate. This doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t hold a healthy conversation, it means keeping your employer in touch with what you’re getting on with.

This doesn’t mean copying them into every email, or pestering them every hour with what’s next on the agenda. It simply means giving regular updates so that they are more coherently aware of the work you’re getting on with – and to prove that you’re not just procrastinating on social media all afternoon.

Admit your mistakes

Whether you answered a phone in a grumpy tone of voice or sent the wrong email to a client, employers will develop a great respect for you if you confess that it was your fault.

We don’t mean that you should take the blame for everything that goes wrong in the company, it just means that when a problem occurs and no immediate person is at fault, but you know that somehow you were involved, just admit your part and apologise in a professional and sincere manner.

Master the art of looking busy

Now, we aren’t giving you permission to do what you want for the day as long as you look like you’re doing something, we’re advising you to find ways to communicate your hard-working ethos without openly and obviously saying “I am such a hard worker.”

Things as simple as working through a couple of lunch hours; take a half lunch break instead and just do some odd jobs in the second half. Stay a little later at the end of the day, although you don’t necessarily get paid for it, show your dedication by spending a little longer at the office. If staying late doesn’t take your fancy, why not get in 30 minutes early; traffic may be better the earlier you are and it doesn’t hurt to show your enthusiasm for getting on with the day.

Lastly, don’t be the distractor or distracted. If you find yourself being the one that takes office conversations onto a long un-work-related tangent, then do your best to cut these conversations short. Interacting with colleagues is always good, but some employers can get frustrated when you’re spending most of your time chatting about the weekend rather than getting your work done.

In Summary

Getting your employer to love you doesn’t mean becoming ‘teacher’s pet’, it’s more a case of building a healthy relationship between you and your employer. It might mean you become more comfortable asking for advice or seeking consoling if something is troubling you. Healthy working relationships are essential to enjoying your job; for most of us, we spend a large proportion of our waking hours at work, so if you aren’t happy there, you probably won’t be happy the rest of the time.

The One Word That Will Make You Rich.

There is one word at work that arrives like a gift. It makes me feel happy and brings a jolt of joy to everyone who sees it in an email, IM, or text. I love reading this word more than any other -- it has always spoken to me more than “bonus,” “raise,” and even “promotion.” I bet you love it too.

The reason I love this word is that it's written every day. It denotes team progress, and is free for everyone, anywhere to use at any time. It speaks to our sense of accomplishment -- both as individuals and a team.

Before I share this special word, I want to tell you why it will make you rich. But let's be clear about what I think about wealth. Being rich is about achieving what you have dreamed of accomplishing. I tell that to our team at Aha! (which is a product roadmap software company) every day.

For many though, being rich means having $1M in the bank or buying that fancy car that they have wanted since high school. But for others, wealth is defined by their community service, overcoming addiction, or finally earning the degree that they abandoned 20 years ago.

I am not the only one who thinks broadly about the word rich. In a survey released last year, 90% of respondents said they believe that success is more about happiness than money or prestige. 60% of the same survey respondents said success means "loving what you do for a living"; just 20% said success is defined by monetary wealth.

So, do you know the one word that will bring you treasure? The one word you can write that will make you rich is, “Done."

You might be surprised, but stay with me so I can explain how powerful this little word is. The word "Done":

Builds confidence
The more often you complete a task, the more your confidence to achieve what's next grows. Writing "Done" to your colleague or boss who has asked for status on a task, means everything. It's similar to crossing items off a to-do list, but in a collaborative way. That sense of confidence allows you to take on new challenges and continue to grow.

Pleases others
Most colleagues don't like asking for help. But when they do, they probably really need something from you. You have an opportunity to thrill that person when you respond with "Done" as it means you completed their request. This helps them get to "Done" too. Writing "Done" reminds everyone that they are part of a team, and that you have a key role.

Highlights your value
Getting work finished is energizing, and when you write the word "Done," it reinforces your contribution. It also enhances your reputation for being trustworthy, reliable, and dependable. Ultimately, our accomplishments are what satisfy our internal ambitions and are rewarded at work too.

People who love and respect the word "Done" work hard and have deep reservoirs of stamina. They take great satisfaction from being productive and helping others along the way.

They also happen to be the people who are rich. This is because they are driven by their talents to achieve greatness. Their hard work drives them to achieve their own goals and ensure their teams are terrific too.

Do you agree that writing "Done" will make you rich?

How to Tell a Great Job From a Dud

By Robin Reshwan

When it comes time to look for a job, most people focus on how to convince the interviewer that they are the best candidate for a specific position. However, to maximize career success, job seekers must also select the ideal role for themselves. Here are some tips on how to pick a winner when it comes to job selections:

1. Know yourself. Yes, this sounds very Yoda-ish. (Actually, if Yoda was your career coach he would say, “yourself, know well.”) Either way it’s said, it's critical to remember that the person most interested in your career success is you. You also have the greatest responsibility in ensuring you are set up for success. Take some time to do the following before you go on an interview:

• Outline your priorities. There is no right or wrong, and this certainly is not the time to try to give the “right” answer, like “I want to save puppies” when you really want to make enough money to move out of your parents' house. Make a list of what matters to you, and then put those things in order. Some common priorities are meaningful work, opportunity for growth and fun environment. They can also be better work-life balance or long-term financial incentives. Whatever matters to you is all that is needed.

• Outline your natural strengths, and list the professional traits you would like to improve. The most engaging roles let you do what you naturally do well and help you stretch in new areas that appeal to you. Knowing these things before you interview allows you to evaluate roles for both immediate compatibility and long-term interest.

• Think a couple years ahead. Short-sighted job selection creates major long-term obstacles for many professionals. No matter how perfect a role seems, rest assured that you will most likely need to find another position afterward. It's just the order of the modern world of work – especially since most of us will need to be employed for 40 or more years, given current life expectancy. Determine what you need or want this year and what sets you up the best in the years following. A little long-range thinking can help you steer clear of the flash-in-the-pan opportunity that seems awesome now but has no future.

2. Evaluate the employer. Although a specific role may seem ideal, if the manager or the employer is sketchy, perfection may quickly become a mess. Look into the tenure of management staff; is there lots of turnover? If so, find out why and if it’s for the best. What is the company’s track record and financial history? Can you find articles describing customer complaints, lawsuits or financial issues? Is the business in a growing or declining industry? Declining industry is not necessarily a bad thing unless one of your goals is career growth in one company or a specific field.

Do some research on key management figures and your direct manager. Where have they worked before? Do you see evidence of a track record of success? Can they describe a clear vision for their business, department or for you? Think about it like this: Would you get on a bus with a driver who either didn’t know how to operate the vehicle or had no idea where he was going? Use that same test for a potential employer – can they drive, and do they have a map for the future? If not, you may want steer clear of that role.

3. Learn how success will be measured in your targeted position. In order to be successful, you need to know what things will be valued versus those nice-but-not-necessary tasks that hold minimal weight. Every position has some form of measurement. It could be customer satisfaction rankings, calls made, deals closed or error rates. Whatever it is, the best managers can describe how they will evaluate your performance.

If you are interviewing for a role without any predefined measurement, you really are entering at your own risk. Without written goals, the view of your contribution is solely up to the discretion of whoever manages you. In many industries, turnover can be up to 50 percent, meaning that you have a 1 in 2 chance that the person who hires you has nothing to do with your career within the first year. Written standards and metrics ensure that you stay on the right path regardless of to whom you report.

The increase in hiring and strengthening of our economy is a positive for many job seekers. Use this time to be selective about your next role versus just jumping at whatever is offered to you. You are measured professionally by not only your performance in a job, but also in how strategic you are in planning your moves. Before you leap, ask yourself how you will answer, “why did you make the move to Company XYZ?” If you don’t have a response that complements your skills and background, you may want to wait for a better match.

How to be successful in your phone and skype interviews!

 

Credit: Shortlist. 

An initial interview by phone is becoming increasingly common. Phone interviews offer employers an inexpensive and efficient way of screening candidates. If you are job seeker, it is highly likely that you will have to prepare for a phone interview at some point. Skype interviews too are growing in popularity. These offer employers the added advantage of 'face-time' but are a cost effective option.
The traditional in-person interview isn't going anywhere soon, but it still makes sense to have a game plan for how to deal with both phone and Skype interviews. Read on for tips on how to prepare.

Phone & Skype Interview Checklist!

 

Phone Tips

 

Technical Issues: Charge your phone! Sounds simple, but forgetting to do this could be embarrassing and make you look very disorganised and unprofessional! Also, consider using a headset, so your hands are free to take notes.
Consider your Surroundings: Find somewhere quiet where you won't be interrupted. Let people know when you have an interview, so that they don't distract you.
Keep a copy of your CV to hand: A great advantage of a phone interview is that you can read through notes. Take advantage by keeping all relevant information close by.
Enthusiasm: The absence of visual cues like body language and facial expression, can make it hard to gauge the interviewer's response. Try to ensure that you sound enthusiastic throughout. Even when listening, a few well timed "yes's" and "aha's" can make all the difference and indicate that you are really engaged in what is being said.

Skype Tips

 

Visuals: Your Skype username and profile picture will create the first impression. Make sure that both appear professional. A jokey username will not show you in the best light if you want to be taken seriously. Technical Issues: Check that you have good internet connection beforehand. Sign in to Skype well in advance of the scheduled interview. Make sure you know which of you is to place the call. It might be a good idea to invest in a headset or microphone for better sound quality. Have a plan B. If Skype fails, it may become necessary to conduct the interview over the phone. Be prepared for this.

Surroundings: For video calls, it's important that you find somewhere that is clean, tidy and most importantly well-lit. You don't want the interviewer to be distracted by a cluttered room. You need to appear organised and professional.
Work attire Although it might not feel like it, a Skype interview is still formal. Dress the part. Wearing smart office attire may even help you feel more prepared by getting you in the right frame of mind. Appearing too casual could create a poor impression -don't risk it!
Smile, sit up straight & make eye contact: The aim is appear approachable and professional. Be aware of your body language and try to convey confidence and enthusiasm. Look into the webcam rather than at the screen. Direct eye contact can make you appear confident and engaged.
Put your phone on silent! This is easy to forget. Make sure you won't be interrupted by phone calls.
Practice! Do a trial run with a friend.
So now you're ready to get through the first level interviews and make it to the face to face.

Goodluck!

How to Start Your New Job Off on the Right Foot

This month, LinkedIn’s Pulse articles feature the “My First 90 Days” series. So far, hundreds of LinkedIn Influencers and others have shared their insight and wisdom about making the right moves during those critical first few months on the job.

The initial training new employees receive used to be called orientation, but the new term is “onboarding.” According to the SHRM Foundation, “Research shows that organizations that engage in formal onboarding by implementing step-by-step programs for new employees to teach them what their roles are, what the norms of the company are and how they are to behave are more effective than those that do not.”

As important as this training is for the employee and the employer, companies often don’t offer it or don’t do it well. This means in order to succeed in your new job, you’ll have to take the bull by the horns and make sure you onboard yourself. Here are recommendations on how to start your job off on the right foot.

Do pre-work for your job. Even before your start date, there are things you should be doing. In the “My First 90 Days” series, Guy Kawasaki, author and former chief evangelist of Apple, recommends you “[a]sk your manager what you can do before you start.” Kawasaki also recommends many other pre-employment actions, such as researching the backgrounds of key company executives, following the social media accounts and news about your new company and learning everything you can about the company’s product or service. Use the product if you can. Every new hire is expected to hit the ground running, so anything you can do in advance of starting your new job will give you a head start.

Have a conversation with your boss. During the interview, you discussed many details about the job. Now that you have accepted the role, it is time to revisit your manager’s expectations of you. Ask your manager to review the department’s and the company’s strategic priorities and discuss his or her biggest challenges. Revisit your short-term and long-term goals, and ask what metrics will be used to evaluate your performance. Also be sure to inquire how your manager would like you to communicate with him or her and how often.

Build a 30- 60- and 90-day plan. Almost every productivity guide will tell you to put your goals in writing. This is true when starting your new job as well. Identify the most important actions you want to accomplish and add a target date.

The plan’s first 30 days usually spells out how you will learn the company's systems, procedures, people, customers/clients and overall culture. The 60-day section of your plan can outline how you plan to continue to assess the company and begin to use your strengths.

The 90-day section shows how you will take what you've learned and begin to put it into action; in other words, how will you meet some of the goals you and your manager agreed upon?

If you choose to, you can share your plan with your manager to gain agreement.

Listen and ask questions. Every company has its own culture. To understand how you can best position yourself for success, it’s smart to listen and ask questions. “Listen to everyone you meet” is the advice from Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, in his “My First 90 Days” post. Branson cautions not to try and meet everyone during the first week, but for those you do meet, be sure to learn about their personal interests as well as the practicalities of the workplace. As a new player on the team, you have to learn the rules, both written and unwritten. This requires you ask questions before you start implementing changes, criticizing or critiquing. Jumping in too early with solutions without understanding the “whys” may make you come across as a know-it-all. Remember, perception is reality, and your success is determined by how effective and likable you are.

Build alliances. You should never discount the importance of knowing the right people. If you take time to develop mutually beneficial relationships with managers, peers and your support team, the easier your job can be. When people respect and like you, they are much more likely to lend a hand, support your ideas and advocate for you. It sounds political and maybe even a bit phony, but think about the people you know who were let go and are no longer with the company. Why did that happen?

The facts are the facts. Studies show that almost half of new hires fail within the first 18 months. Very few fail because they are unable to perform the job, however. Most fail due to a lack of personal chemistry and cultural mismatch – things such as the ability to accept and implement feedback, manage and understand the emotions of yourself and others, and motivational issues. It is always better to leave on your own terms, so do what it takes to fit in. If it doesn’t work out, plan your exit. And by all means, don’t overlook the importance of the human connection.

Credit: Hannah Morgan

Recruitment is on (RadioGlobal).

RadioGlobal is a leading and fastest growing internet radio (www.radioglobalng.com) in Africa broadcasting from the heart of Lagos, Nigeria, West Africa.

RadioGlobal prides itself with rich content and up-to-date information and programmes that suit the desire of our large audience across the globe (America, Asia, Europe and Africa).

Our concept is designed to educate, inform, showcase and edify. Our programmes which run 24/7 are ethically packaged to the delight of our numerous fans and listeners. Our correspondents are spread across the globe to give up-to-date reports and our in-house presenters are the best in the industry. We have the binding integrity to sustain excellence in programmes and services by providing nothing but the best

In view of these, we are in need of Media Marketing Executives with discipline in Mass Communication, English Language and other related courses who are change agents with ability to drive business performance growth.

Interested person should send his/her CV to radioglobal2015@gmail.com not later than 30th of January, 2015

3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Launching a Job Search

Credit:  Robin Reshwan

The new year brings motivation to start a new professional chapter. For some, it may be the pursuit of the first “real job” after graduating college (and taking a little time to travel, sleep on a few couches and so on). For others, it may be a desire to make a change in roles or industries.
Regardless of what brings you into the job market, the best success comes with forethought and strategy. Here are three things to consider before getting started:

1. Does your dream match your reality? It is very easy to paint a perfect role in your head. You work on exciting projects all day while enjoying free food, a flexible work schedule and outstanding pay. However, the truth is that most of the flashiest perks, such as free food, flexibility and fortune, typically require a stellar professional background, long hours and the need to respond to work issues 24/7 (or at least way more hours than 40 per week).
Employers, who are like the “house” at a casino, must always stay on the winning side of the employment relationship in order to stay in business. In other words, they will never give away more than the company gets back through your talent and results. With great perks comes great contribution.
Before you jump into the job market just because you think the grass is greener, take some time to consider your priorities as well as your qualifications. Priorities can be things like a manageable schedule so you can take care of your kids; growth opportunities to reward the tremendous effort you give relative to your peers; a fun culture because you want to make friends and have things to do after work; or high levels of competition if you are motivated by winning and visible success.
All priorities are valid, but only you know which ones are most significant to you. With a solid list of ranked priorities, you are in a much better place to evaluate your current role as well as future positions.

2. What can you expect? Once you know your professional priorities, research the requirements, goals and realities of targeted positions. An easy way to get started is to look up job postings and employers on sites such as LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Indeed and Craigslist. You will quickly notice trends in what employers are targeting and paying, and you will also learn more about the nuances of seemingly similar roles but at different employers, industries and departments.
The job market adheres to the laws of supply and demand. Highly desired roles, industries and companies will always have greater barriers to entry (because they can). They may also have lower pay, because more people are willing to do the work so high pay is not required to attract talent.
For example, many people aspire to work in the sports industry, usually because of a lifelong love of sports. However, if you want to get started in this industry, expect to be one of hundreds of unpaid interns. Why? Because so many people are willing to take any shot to get into this highly desirable, yet relatively small industry. After working for three to six months as an unpaid intern, only the very top performers have a shot at low-paid, temporary or part-time roles. These roles may result in a few people actually building careers in this field, but most fall away during the first year or two when they have to pay their bills or when they realize their development may be better suited in a lesser known or less appealing industry.
If you match a role to your priority list, you are able to evaluate how well the position fits into your big picture. You must also consider how valid your candidacy for the role is if you do not have the majority of the required skills and background. When a role doesn’t match up, do yourself a favor and remove it from your targets. If you throw up every time you fly, a pilot job is not realistic.

3. Who do you know? The most powerful equalizer in any career search is your network. It is important to have the right skills and requirements, but you can often move from being just another name on a résumé to the first candidate in line if you have a contact who can provide insight into the role and make an introduction to the right person. However, you do not have to be a career veteran with thousands of connections to have a useful network – you just have to know how to tap into the people you know.
Start with a list of at least 20 people who like you and would be willing to take a phone call from you. These can be classmates, relatives, parents of classmates, volunteers, previous co-workers and friends. Do not worry if they aren’t perfect matches for your ideal career path – they are your advocates and the people who know the best of you.
Contact these people, and ask if you can have a conversation to get their advice. In this meeting, present your new career interest, and ask if they have any advice regarding how you might learn more about these interests. This method is effective because the people who can and want to be helpful will likely introduce you to their relevant connections. On the other hand, if they cannot or do not want to be helpful, they can just give some surface-level advice. Either way, you avoided putting them on the spot.
Throughout your career consideration process, be prepared for every conversation, take notes, send thank-you messages and follow up on every lead or advice given. Polite responses and gratitude go a long way toward maintaining your network. Offer to be helpful to your connections, too. Most people like to be helpful if it is easy for them, so make it easy for someone to want to help you.
In summary, be realistic about where you are today, and become knowledgeable about where you want to go next. Research, planning and connections are very useful during a career search. If you map out your goals and prepare yourself for the time and effort required to land an ideal role, you will be in great shape in 2015.

4 Steps to Cope With Bad News at Work

Credit: Marcelle Yeager

Many things can set you off at work, from a boss's poor feedback on an assignment to a bad performance review. Perhaps you’ve received information that the company is not doing well and to expect a bad turn or even a layoff. It’s important to handle this kind of news with style and professionalism. At the same time, there is a time and place to react and take action.
You may not realize it, but your composure at work can have a lasting impact. Do you want to be remembered and referred for other jobs as a put-together, calm employee who handles bad news well? Or do you want to be known as someone who cannot control her temper? It’s not easy to deal with bad news at work, but here’s how to face it and proactively respond to it:

1. Take time. Just as when you receive unfortunate personal news, it’s natural and important to take time to work out your feelings. Whether you are angry or sad, allow those feelings to come out in the way you best deal with a bad situation. Talk it over with loved ones, exercise, take a personal day – do whatever you need to do to give yourself time to process the news. This will give you a clearer idea of the big picture, and it will allow you to put things in perspective and consider alternatives.

2. Reflect. Taking time off work and talking to friends or family will give you the chance to reflect on what happened. If your annual review didn’t go well, or you were criticized for your work on a project, think about what you could have done differently. Maybe you can learn from what you heard and approach things in a new way next time to improve your performance.
Ultimately, the choice is yours: Do you want to make the best out of your current situation, stay frustrated or consider other opportunities?

3. Consider. If you want to improve your current situation, take stock of your relationships. Which relationship would you like to improve? What past issues or conflicts can you clear up so you can both move forward? How can you take responsibility for past issues?
It’s a difficult conversation to have, so take steps to make the other person as comfortable as possible when you’re ready to discuss your relationship, what it means to you and how you’d like to work better together.
If you are still having trouble coming to terms with the news after reflecting on it, perhaps it is time to consider other opportunities. Do you enjoy what you do? Are you using your talents, skills and interests at work? If not, maybe you’re frustrated and should talk to your boss about better using your capabilities (if your boss is reasonable and that’s an option). If not, it may be time to search for jobs that will allow you to maximize your skills and interests.

4. Act. Even if you decide that this particular situation can be solved in the short term by a frank and specific discussion with your boss, it is probably a good idea to begin reaching out. It’s always a good idea to network while you are working (even when things are going well, because things could change rapidly).
Arrange brief meetings or coffee breaks with others in your company whose opinion you respect or who you know to be highly successful in their jobs. When networking internally, remember to be discreet about whether you are looking for other opportunities, so nothing gets back to your boss.
You can also conduct informational interviews externally by using LinkedIn as a starting point. Figure out who you want to talk to and send a three- to four-line message to introduce yourself and why you’d like to connect with them.
At this time, you should also consider updating your résumé, writing a solid cover letter and developing your LinkedIn profile. This will all come in handy if someone asks for you to forward your résumé for a potential opportunity.

The takeaway: While no one likes to get bad news at work, think of it as an opportunity to re-evaluate your job situation. Give yourself time to process the information and decide whether and/or how to react. If you choose to take action, do it in a positive way that will make a difference for your career. Have an honest, thoughtful discussion with your boss to ask how you can improve your performance or how your skills can be better applied within the company.
If that route is not an option – or even if it is – take this opportunity to jump-start your networking efforts. Maybe you'll come across something you enjoy more that will maximize your abilities.

Marcelle Yeager is the president of Career Valet, which delivers personalized career navigation services. Her goal is to enable people to recognize skills and job possibilities they didn’t know they had to make a career change or progress in their current career. She worked for more than 10 years as a strategic communications consultant, including four years overseas. Marcelle holds an MBA from the University of Maryland.

Few Minutes Before Interview: Get Your Focus

 Your suit is ironed, tucked and free of cat hairs. Your own hairs are combed, your padfolio is organized and your employer research is thorough. And your mind? For this interview, you've packed it like a filing cabinet: Answers to typical interview questions are filed under A; smart questions you plan to ask your interviewers are under Q; and examples of your achievements are under E.
But although you've set yourself up for success, a shiver of doubt may slink up your suit in that darkest hour before the interview. Nerves set in. You try to appear relaxed, but not boring. Enthused, but not abrasive. Prepared, but not canned.
Don't let last-minute anxiety spoil your long-term preparation. Follow this expert advice to feel calm and focused in the hour before a job interview:

Warm up your vocal cords. Talk about a quick confidence killer: introducing yourself to the interviewers only to have your voice crack or sound strained. Don't let a weak, I-woke-up-an-hour-ago voice set the tone for the rest of the day. Lewis Lin, founder and CEO of Impact Interview, an interview coaching service, suggests warming up your vocal cords, especially before phone interviews. Before the interview – say, on the drive to the office – speak through your talking points loud and clear, "as if you were an actor or actress getting ready for an audition," Lin says.

Do some last-minute LinkedIn research. Being likable in the interview is key, Lin says. After all, your interviewers are not only hiring, say, a product manager. They're hiring someone they'll encounter daily: at meetings, in the break room, at happy hours and in the buffet line of holiday parties. Show the interviewers you're someone they should want to work with. "A great way to build that chemistry, that rapport with the interviewer, is to be able to relate to the interviewer," Lin says.
He suggests using the hour before the interview to scan your interviewers' profiles on LinkedIn and Twitter, as well as any personal website they have or articles written about them. Did you and one of your interviewers attend neighboring colleges? Do you both know Pete from Boston? Did you attend the same conference last summer? Breathe easier knowing you have a shared connection to mention come interview time.

Strike a power pose. Consider your pre-interview posture, says Susan Joyce, an online job search expert. She suggests looking at the research and TED Talk of social psychologist Amy Cuddy, an associate professor​ at Harvard Business School. ​Cuddy's work shows that power poses can boost confidence, and as Joyce points out, what better time to feel confident than minutes before speaking to a prospective employer?
Joyce suggests ducking into a restroom stall before the interview and trying the starfish pose. With your feet spread apart, "you raise your arms up to the sky, you look up to the ceiling and you smile," Joyce says. "It’s an amazing quick fix to confidence."

Think happy thoughts. This will be easier to do after those poses, Joyce says. She and Lin say candidates often put tons of pressure on themselves: What if I blow this interview, and then I don't get the job, and then I don't get an interview for another six months, and then I can't pay rent? And so on. "End-of-world-type scenarios start dancing through our heads," Lin says, "and that’s clearly not going to be helpful when you’ve got that much pressure."
Lin's suggestion for showing you're passionate about the position, but not crazy-eyed and desperate? "Have that kind of kid-like wonder," he says.​ "Like, 'Hey, I’m just going to have this conversation with another professional in the industry. I get to share my experiences, the things I’ve learned and I hope we get a chance to learn about the other person and the experiences they’ve had.'”
Joyce recommends repeating a few positive affirmations. Think: "I'm perfectly qualified for this job. I'm perfectly qualified for this job. I'm perfectly qualified for this job."

Calm your nerves. "Nerves mess up a lot of interviews," Lin says. "Whatever ritual [or] routine or habit that works for you to get in the right mindset to come across as relaxed and confident is really important."  He suggests exercising if you have the time before suiting up or watching a clip from your favorite movie. Listening to music can help you focus, too. Watch pregame coverage of a professional sporting event​, and you'll see most players entering the facility while listening to music on their headphones, Lin points out. (Ray Lewis, former NFL linebacker once told Men's Journal that he listened to Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" before every game with the Baltimore Ravens to get fired up.)
Whether you're about to tackle quarterbacks or a high-stakes interview, simply taking deep breaths will help settle your nerves, too, Lin and Joyce say. Before you enter the building, as you sit in the reception area and as you open wide in starfish pose, take a few long inhales through the nose and exhales through the mouth.
As Joyce sums up: "Take a big deep breath, put a smile on your face and roll with it."

3 Ways Building Trust Will Get You Hired.

By Arnie Fertig  Jan. 13, 2015 | 9:00 a.m. EST


As heard in a recent job-search workshop:

Participant: “Just get me an interview, and I’ll get the job.”

Leader: “OK. How are you sure that one will lead to the other?”

Participant: “I’ll show my enthusiasm and just tell them how great I would be for this job!”

Leader: “And they will believe you … why?”

Participant: “What do you mean by that? I have a right to be trusted!”

Not so much!

Your reputation for being the go-to person and the faith that people have had in you up until now don’t automatically transfer to new people in new companies. Unfortunately, you have to go back to square one and build your reputation from the ground up once again.

Arthur Ashe, the great tennis player, put it this way: “Trust has to be earned and should come only after the passage of time.”

It might be that you are a perfect fit for that ideal job you are pursuing. Even so, it is necessary to build confidence in your abilities at every stage of the hiring process in order to seal the deal.

Ultimately, every offer of employment should be seen as a hiring manager’s statement of trust: “I believe you can do this job better than anyone else I can hire, and therefore I want you on my team!”

A leader in one federal agency recently confided that it frequently takes his department a full year to complete all the reference and background checks necessary for a candidate to earn the trust necessary to be hired. Of course, in most other areas, the process is not nearly so long, but it still takes time to complete.

Think about ways in which your cover letter, résumé and interviews all play into that larger trust-building objective.

1. Credibility. You need to demonstrate why you should be taken seriously. Does your writing present a clear message that conveys your value? Do you present yourself as a true professional? Do your claims pass the “this stands to reason” test?

    Do you claim expertise, or do you build the case to show you have it?
    Are you boisterous in your assertions, or do you back them up with facts?
    Are the promises you make for the work you can produce realistic?
    Can you show the credentials necessary to claim expertise in your field?

2. Integrity. It’s unlikely that anyone will ask outright for you to prove your professional integrity. And no one is likely to say in an interview: “I cheated my way to where I am.” Yet, many skilled interviewers have the ability to give candidates enough rope to hang themselves.

    Are you honest enough to admit your flaws when asked for your areas of weakness and show how you turn them into strengths?
    Are you willing to shoulder your share of responsibility when talking about something that didn’t turn out the right way?
    What do you say about the boss you hate or the co-workers who fail to live up to your expectations?

3. Reliability. In order to show that you will be reliable in the future, demonstrate how you have been so the past. CAR (Challenge-Action-Result) statements on a résumé can go a long way toward this. Explain what you were mandated to do within what limits, how you went about the task and what you achieved. Who wouldn’t want to hire a candidate who has a record of being on time and under budget on a regular basis?

Show reliability by establishing and meeting realistic expectations. When you tell people what to expect and when to expect it, and then deliver on your promise, you gain a track record of success.

It is perfectly fine to talk about an employer’s goals with time frames in an interview. Sometimes they will knowingly set unrealistic expectations in order to determine how much you will bend yourself into a pretzel to say “yes” to everything. You can respond honestly in a situation like this by saying, “I understand and share your objective. However X, Y and Z factors might make a different timeline more achievable and realistic.” And then you can clinch it by saying: “I can promise you my absolute fullest efforts, but don’t want to over-promise on a timeline that I honestly don’t think can be met.”

When you think about it, the glue that holds any relationship together is trust. And no one wants to risk hiring someone who hasn’t shown trustworthiness. Frame your stories and messaging to demonstrate this critical personal characteristic, and you’ll be well on the way to building a long-lasting relationship.

Happy hunting!

How to Master the Peer Interview

By Vicki Salemi Jan. 13, 2015 | 10:53 a.m.

It’s a buyer’s market. According to the MRINetwork Recruiter Sentiment Study released in December 2014, 83 percent of recruiters describe the present job market as candidate-driven. Candidates are certainly in the driver’s seat, so what better time to focus on interviewing your interviewer?
The peer interview is one of the best ways to capture the essence of a potential employer without actually working there. While you’ll probably be most cognizant of the interaction with your potential boss or hiring manager, interviewing a peer can often shed a lot of insight into the prospective organization.
You can establish rapport early if you end up working alongside him or her, and you may be able to get the scoop in certain areas. Granted, it’s unlikely this person will say something negative, but if you watch body language and ask questions accordingly, you may be able to sufficiently assemble the pieces of the puzzle.

1. Observe and listen. This is more generic, but get a sense for the office culture. What’s the overall buzz like? If you’re there on a Monday morning, are people interacting with each other at the water cooler? Is it a quiet or loud office? Do people generally look happy? If it’s around lunchtime, do you notice people leaving the office alone, or are they in small clusters to grab a bite to eat together?
What does the physical office look like – purple walls or gray ones? Are there a lot of open cubicles, or are there closed office doors lining the perimeter? Which environment do you work best in? A company’s floor plan can instantly provide a perspective on their collaboration and management styles.

2. Ask questions. The same skills ring true for your peer interviews. Observe and listen. Watch how they interact with colleagues. How does your potential boss interact with them – with respect and dignity, or is there an unwritten code that the big boss is in the house?
During the interviews themselves, ask specific questions. Why do these peers enjoy working there? The No. 1 answer is usually the people, so probe further. If there’s one thing they could change about their job or the company, what would it be? If they had to start their career over again with that employer, what’s one thing they would change from day one?
Also research these peers on LinkedIn to learn about their career paths and specific roles at this prospective employer, so you are equipped with nuggets of information. Now you’re like a documentary producer looking to uncover the back story.

3. Then ask the same questions again. This may feel repetitive, but assuming the interview is a traditional series of one-on-one interviews, go ahead and ask the same questions while incorporating questions about the position itself. See where answers are similar, see where there’s a potential disconnect and adjust on the fly
 For example, if the company merged a few years ago, maybe one interviewer will allude to a time of uncertainty. Ask how management handled the turbulent change. Was it seamless? Were their layoffs? Their answers can lead to information telling of the culture and management style.

4. Go higher. Ask about the boss’s boss in terms of the history of promotions in the department and how performance is recognized and valued by leadership. Also ask about what values the company believes in and if leaders truly walk the walk.
While employees may feel guarded, chances are their answers will be more authentic and off the cuff than those of the leadership. Ask for specific examples to illustrate their points.

5. Pay close attention to body language. Read body language, pick up on cues and listen intently. Are the peers looking you in the eye and demonstrating enthusiasm? Do they genuinely seem happy, or are they frazzled? Are they easily distracted by technology – while you’re talking, do they glance to their phone or computer screen? Are the questions they’re posing to you somewhat biting? Could there potentially be animosity between you and the peer?
It’s not unheard of to walk away from a potential job offer because the peers and group dynamics just don’t feel right. Remember: The whole point of the interview is to assess every interaction and piece of information the same way you’re being assessed with the hope of an ideal match.