Friday, November 29, 2019

Survey Most Americans want to be their own bosses

Survey Most Americans want to be their own anfhreresSurvey Most Americans want to be their own bossesOnline printing company Vistaprintreleased a study this week showing that 62% of Americans want to be their own bosses by establishing their own geschftslebenes. A small sliver - 14% - think they can accomplish this in 2018.OnePoll surveyed 1,000 adults for Vistaprint, positiv 500 people who own small businesses.Here are some of the findings, plus what you can do to improve your relationship with your current manager if youre not able to jump ship to go out on your own.Reasons why Americans would rather start their own businessesWhile the study found that 62% of small business owners reported that being in charge is better than they thought itd be, the research also explored why so many Americans want to run their own businesses.Among business owners, the chance to be in charge of my own destiny welches the top choice, then flexible working took second place, followed by financial i ndependence in third. More satisfaction and work life/balance took fourth and fifth place, respectively.People in the general public had the same top choice as business owners, but put fiscal freedom in second place and flexible working in third. More satisfaction was also in fourth, but more money came in fifth.While the responsibility of running a business can be overwhelming, this sense of ownership is also a key motivator for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs, Trynka Shineman, Vistaprint CEO, commented. Small business owners are the masters of their destiny, reaping the benefits of their own efforts while taking full control over the future direction of their business.The hardest parts about jumping off the corporate deep endWhile one-third of business owners said that starting a business was more difficult than they originally thought it would be, the research also looked into what aspects people have the toughest time managing during this process.Among people who own their o wn businesses, the top choice was finance at 17%. Marketing/advertising was at 13%, then sales and hiring/staff at 10%.Heres how to have a better working relationship with your current bossIf youre not able to ditch corporate life this year, heres how to improve your situation.Get a dialogue goingResearch has found that employees top source of stress at work is unclear goals, so talk to your boss about expectations so youre not left in the dark - or hit with a massive surprise.When you dont know what all of your responsibilities are, or where the position might be heading, your productivity could potentially dip.So schedule a one-on-one meeting with your supervisor to get a better idea of the total picture and how youre performing at work.Be part of the solutionDoing the bare minimum will only get you so far. So dont just chug along until youre given an assignment - take the initiative by being proactive and approaching your boss about both your concerns and ideas.Your boss isnt a mind-reader, and chances are you have some valuable ideas. So make yourself extra useful at work and speak up.If youre on your managers bad side, do thisIf you dont quite deliver on a really big project and end up upsetting your boss, make sure that its the last time this happens and show that youre able to handle extra commitments at work.Show that you can still contribute good ideas, but make sure youre genuine..bxc.bx-campaign-1012255 .bx-group-1012255-lyDBLV9 width 900pxheight 550px

Sunday, November 24, 2019

5 Seemingly Small Mistakes That Turn Off Employers

5 Seemingly Small Mistakes That Turn Off Employers5 Seemingly Small Mistakes That Turn Off EmployersGot five minutes? What about five seconds? It only takes an instant to make a fantastic impression. In turn, it takes just as long to make a poor impression. Unbeknownst to you, one minor false move, and just like that hiring managers and recruiters are putting your rsum in the slush pile. Here are several ways to avoid becoming that guy or galWhile composing your rsum Of course, rsums should be stacked with copious skills and experience and notlagelage riddled with typos and grammatical errors. John Goudreau, senior sourcing specialist at Monster with five-plus years of recruiting experience explains I think it goes without saying, but the biggest mistake on a persons rsum which can be an opportunity killer is spelling and grammatical errors. Another mistake? Length. If the CV is too long or too short, it can raise eyebrows. For instance, Goudreau points out that if you have more than 10 years of experience, and your rsum is only one page, you are, either selling yourself short or you havent accomplished much in your career. On the contrary, if your rsum is four pages long, and youve worked for four years after graduating from college, youll immediately be evaluated as not having succinct communication skills to convey yourself in a clear and concise way. Add arrogance to the list for thinking too highly of yourself, and your candidacy may be immediately squashed.While writing your cover letter Sarah Donohue, another senior sourcing specialist at Monster with five-plus years of experience, says cover letters should be customized for the roles youre applying for. If you make it too generic and dont show you put some time and research into crafting it, recruiters scanning it in literally seconds may not take it (and consequently, your candidacy) seriously. Plus, Donohue adds Always be sure to ask for an interview at the bottom of your cover letter, rather t han say something like, I hope to have a chance to speak further with you. This projects your confidence, which you always want to do without seeming too over the top. Goudreau points out that the cover letter is essentially a secondary document to your rsum. When he gets hooked by a rsum, then he will look at the cover letter. The biggest mistake hes seen? Cover letters not tied to the rsum and vice versa. If youre in sales and describe yourself in the cover letter as having the ability to build relationships with clients, he expects to also see that accomplishment on your rsum.During the interview You had me at hello. Or in this case, maybe you lost me at hello. Many mistakes can be made in the first five seconds of the interview, Donohue says. First impressions are lastingAlways stand up to greet the interviewer with a smile and firm handshake. Sure, its interviewing 101, but shes seen plenty of interviews where candidates remained sitting the entire time. Goudreau emphasizes the importance of questions. If you dont have questions, thats a major mistake. The response of I think you covered everything I needed to know doesnt work for me and fruchtwein other interviewers.While considering a thank-you notenzeichen Not sending one is one of the biggest errors you can make. Goudreau recalls We recently interviewed two people for one role, and both candidates were relatively close in experience. One candidate wrote a thank-you note, and the other did not. Im not going to say that the final decision hinged on the thank-you note, but it did come up in the post-interview discussions. Ultimately, we hired the individual who sent the thank-you note. The recommendation? Send the note to the interviewer via email or snail mail within 24 hours of the interview. Handwritten notes are starting to become a lost art, but can go a long way, Donohue says.During job offer negotiating There are two key points to avoid flubbing regarding the offer. The first is transparenc y. Donohue recommends being transparent in the beginning of the process regarding start date, availability to work, salary requirements and more. Changing your tune at the last minute can create issues that could have easily been avoided. And if things change during the process, like if you receive other offers at the same time, tell the recruiter right away. This can expedite the hiring process. Secondly, once you land a coveted offer, one of the biggest faux pas to avoid is over-negotiating. Goudreau says that yes, in most cases an offer can be negotiated a little bit, but hes seen candidates go back and forth with potential employers two, three or even more times in negotiation. I have seen on occasion a company pull an offer from a candidate, because they were too demanding. Dont wear out your welcome before youve even walked in the door.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

What to Do if Youre Bored at Work

What to Do if Youre Bored at WorkWhat to Do if Youre Bored at WorkCorporate America is often portrayed as a place where everyone is drowning in work, with employees frantically doing the job of more than one person. A recent OfficeTeam survey paints a very different picture, though Often, administrative professionals are actually bored at work - a whopping 10.5 hours per week, on average. Thats more than a full day a week, or the equivalent of 68 days a yearThe survey also shows that many managers dont really know admins are as bored as they actually are. And even fewer know why theyre bored.Nearly four in 10 senior managers (39 percent) think staff have too much work on their plates. However, more than a quarter of employees (27 percent) report that the main reason boredom strikes is because there isnt enough to do. Others dont feel challenged by their assignments (19 percent), say the work is uninteresting (18 percent), or point to too many or poorly executed meetings (17 percent) .Employees were also asked what they do when theyre bored in the office. Here are some of their more creative activities20 Things People Do When Theyre Bored at Work from Robert HalfSo what do you do if youre bored at work? Here are some suggestionsShare your feelingsStart by letting your manager know youre not feeling engaged and share your reasons why. If you have a performance review coming up, that might be a good time to share your concerns. Bring suggestions about what would engage you in your job to any meeting with your manager. In addition to adjusting your workload, consider asking your manager to support you in learning a new skill, taking on a new challenge or finding a way to make your environment more collaborative.If boredom is making you think about searching for a new job, first take time for an objective look at your company and position and consider whether youll regret leaving. You also might consider whether your boredom is cyclical or a result of an outside fo rce, and, if so, what you could do to change or cope with it. For instance, while 45 percent of professionals said they felt bored throughout the year, another 28 percent said they feel the most blah during the winter.It might also benefit you to take a step back and landsee how others in your generation measure value at work - and how it might be impacting your career satisfaction. Robert Half recently joined with Happiness Works to conduct a research study that evaluated the happiness levels of more than 12,000 working professionals. The study revealed that a sense of accomplishment is the strongest driver of happiness for employees under 35. In the same vein, a recent study released by Udemy found that young Millennials (ages 21-24) are nearly twice as likely to be bored at work (38%) than Baby Boomers (22%). See if you can make similar connections for your age group.Check out our full report on happiness at work.Get creative to combat boredomIf youre committed to sticking with your current job situation, try to make the most of your slower days at work. Consider some of these ideasUpgrade your skill set by taking a self-paced online course.Learn something new thats related to your job.Find a co-worker who shares in your boredom and cross train each other so you can pick up the slack when one of you takes time off or has an especially heavy workload.Work on a personal project that engages you creatively.Ask to sit on a company committee or take on workplace research.Join a professional organization that could utilize your expertise and help expand your network, which could benefit you and your company.Focus on running better meetings yourself so that your team is more engaged and energized.The bottom line is that if youre bored at work, its up to you to make a job change or find a way to be more engaged. If you accept your fair share of determining your work happiness, youre likely to be more satisfied in the long run.Find your next administrative jobIf yo ure bored at work and want to look for a new job, we can help. Here are some open administrative assistant jobs in hot citiesAdministrative assistant jobs in AtlantaAdministrative assistant jobs in Memphis, Tenn.Administrative assistant jobs in PhoenixAdministrative assistant jobs in San Antonio, TexasAdministrative assistant jobs in Tampa, Fla.