5 Negative Human Resources Practices That Should Be Extinct

5 Negative Human Resources Practices That Should Be Extinct5 Negative Human Resources Practices That Should Be ExtinctAre you and your Human Resources department dinosaurs? Despite dinosaur movies, paraphernalia, and popularity, dinosaurs are extinct. Certain HR roles and practices need to become defunct, too. If you and your HR department are still spending time and energy on these HR roles, and just plain badeanstalt or out-of-date practices, consider making them extinct. Requiring Social Security Numbers on Job Applications Is a Negative In this age of identity theft and data hacking and insecurities, potential employees dont want to give you their social security number until they believe that they are a viable candidate for your job. Sure, once theyve been through a job vorstellungsgesprch or two and they believe that you are ready for background checking, the interested candidate is happy to give you that number. But, not just to have their online application accepted for r eview. Tracking applicants, or employees for that matter, with their social security number, is a bad practice. Why would you want all of that responsibility for their personal data, well before you actually need it, or listed in multiple locations where it wasnt needed at all? Most universities stopped this practice of using social security numbers for student IDs about 30-40 years ago. Why are businesses so slow to get it? Job searchers frequently complain about the practice and refuse to use their social security number to apply. Youre potentially losing great candidates who refuse to place their social security number on the table until it is actually needed following a job offer. (Increasingly, job search experts recommend that a candidate put all 0s in the social security number question in an online application.) Human Resources Taking the Lead on Disciplinary Matters notlage you, hopefully. Thats a task that belongs to line managers- with your coaching and assistance- ev en your attendance at the disciplinary action meeting, of course. Not positive whether Human Resources staff was, at one time, expected to take the lead on anydisciplinary action with employees, but it sure plays out that way in small and mid-sized companies every day. When asked, HR staff members indicate discomfort with how their managers approach disciplinary action. From tongue-tied in the meetings to downright saying way too much in the wrong words, managers lack training in approaching problem employees. With lawsuits just waiting to happen, HR best serves the organization by training and coaching managers. HR, its not your job to take the lead on disciplinary action. You werent there. You didnt witness the employees wertmiger zuwachs- or lack thereof. You were not privy to any of the coaching conversations, assuming that they occurred. You were not in the middle of setting performance expectations. Nor, were you the keeper of the documentation. You can check your managers doc umentation, ascertain that the appropriate conversations occurred, and coach the manager to an ethical, legal, classy disciplinary meeting- but you cant do it for the manager. Dont even try. The Practice of Doing Basic Employee Admin Work Yourself Spend much of your time changing addresses, benefits information, and helping employees access their employee information? With online capabilities available today, the entire employee transactional ordnungsprinzips should be automated with employees able to access and update their own information. Benefits? HR cannot be the point of contact for benefits either if you expect to spend your time on the strategic needs of the business for employee performance, motivation, engagement, and satisfaction. Major healthcare insurance companies and providers have comprehensive websites and customer service representatives that can access employee accounts and answer all of their questions about eligible services and processes. There is no need f or HR employees to have to explain or be experts on the ins and outs of policies- unless an employee has a problem. In those cases, help the employee solve their problem. Failing to List Salary Info in Posted Positions ?Yes, HR practitioners are aware of all of the arguments, both pro, and con on this topic, and they have been debated at length, in HR discussion groups. But, many HR managers have landed squarely in the court that advocates transparency on salary so that HR staff, hiring managers, and prospective employees dont waste everybodys time. Readers have long complained that they apply for jobs only to find out after an interview or two or a job offer, that the proffered salary is way too low. Candidates also complain about feeling strung along by employers who indicate that a range is available then offer an experienced applicant the lowest number in the range. The old HR attitude about getting employees for the lowest possible compensation needs to change to one of pay ing employees fairly based on their experience and other qualifications. Employers need a fair and equitable compensation system that is transparent in the sense of providing employees guidance about how they can move financially to the next level. Many HR practitioners are not advocates of employees sharing salary information. But, the process for obtaining raises, how an employee goes about increasing compensation, and what they need to do to move to the next level ought to be transparent to all employees. Unfamiliar with any private sector employers who use this practice, but government offices and agencies are still at fault. Says a former government employee, HR Being in Charge of Interviewing and Hiring One dinosaur thing that drove me crazy in the government was that the HR staff did all of the interviewing and hiring. Then, they sent a person to work on your team without any input from the line manager who was filling the position. This practice was bad for the new hire since they often dont really know what they are getting into. It was bad for the existing staff since they didnt get a chance to ask some of the real world questions that would help them determine who was best suited to join the team. Most importantly, neither the manager nor the coworkers owned the new employee or were invested in the new employees success. In one worst-case scenario, the HR staff hired a single mom, placed her in their Atlanta office, and never told her that she would be expected to travel about 25 percent (or more) of her time. This was a disaster for a single mom with no support structure in a new city. While every HR department has some practices and procedures that ought to be reconsidered, these are particularly noteworthy. Sometimes the issue is budget or company priorities, but often the HR practitioners have just not taken the time to think about the impact of dinosaur practices on employees and potential employees.

3 Smart Ways to Make Your Boss a Better Communicator

3 Smart Ways to Make Your Boss a Better Communicator3 Smart Ways to Make Your Boss a Better CommunicatorJust smile and nod, smile and nod- and then, once your boss walks away, you can ask your co-workers if anyone else understood a word she said.Sound familiar? When your boss isnt a good communicator, your job tends to be lot harder than it should be. Whether your manager is overly vague or so verbose that you cant quite separate the necessary information from the trivial, youre often left in the lurch. So, how do you get your job done when youre not getting the information you need?Dont give up hope. Try these three strategies that will not only help you get what you need now- but that can actually help improve your managers communication in the long run.1. Hone in on His or herbei Communication Style- and Challenge ItIf your boss is stuck in one particular communication style- one thats obviously not working- it may be time to push back a little. Now, Im not recommending insubordin ation or making your boss feel attacked in any way, but if youre not getting what you need to be successful, respectfully counter your manager with a different method of communication.For example, if your boss prefers to communicate via email, and those emails are filled with short, vague bullet points, try initiating a change of pace. Instead of responding electronically (which can just fuel the miscommunication fire), swing by her office to reference the message. Point out specific phrases that werent communicated effectively and ask for clarification You mentioned that your priority for me is to increase sales, but how much of an increase are you looking for, and in what timeframe?Or, if you boss tends to fire off complex, detailed information when she casually stops by your cubicle to chat, follow the conversation up with an email. Mention that you want to make koranvers that you have all the details you need, and ask for a short-and-sweet version of your talk, boiled down to th e high-level information.Encouraging your boss to embrace different communication styles will show her what works and what doesnt- when she realizes that you stop by her office every time she sends an email, shell probably get the picture that those emails arent as effective as she thinks they are.2. Repeat Instructions BackA former boss of mine once asked me to summarize and repeat whatever she said back to her. It sounds strange, but she wanted to make sure I completely understood what she said, whether she was communicating instructions, goals, or company information.It became a running joke at first When she popped her head into my office to say, Hey, Im leaving for the night, Id reply, So what youre saying is, youre going home? When shed ask if I wanted to go to lunch, Id say, So what youre saying is, youre going to buy me food?- and so on.But sarcasm aside, this technique can actually be a useful tool when executed in the right way. When your boss says something vague (Can you get me those numbers soon?), counter the statement by repeating what you think he means (Sure, I can get you the call-handling statistics from this week by the end of the day.). It may seem silly, but it will give your boss the opportunity to correct and clarify his statement, if needed (Oh, I actually meant the numbers for next months advertising budget- and I just need them by the end of the week). With one simple- albeit, repetitive- statement, youve just clarified the meaning of your bosss muddled instructions.And in the long run, this can help your boss may realize that hes not as good a communicator as he thought- if hes constantly having to clarify or repeat instructions, sooner or later hell just start explaining them more clearly in the first place.3. Get His or Her Undivided AttentionYou may think its the bosss job to call meetings, but when youre unclear about something your manager said or want to clarify goals or expectations, you should feel comfortable requesting som e one-on-one time with her. In the everyday hustle and bustle of the office, your boss may toss out vague instructions or information- so if you need clarification, youre going to need to separate yourself from everything else going on around you.So, send your manager an Outlook or Google Calendar invitation for a short, 15-minute meeting. In the body of the message, make sure to include the issues youd like to discuss, so your manager has some context and the ability to prepare. Then, come to the meeting with several specific points youd like to cover or questions youd like answered.With a specific chunk of time set aside, the office door closed, and all attention on you, youll be able to clarify your needs and concerns- and shell be able to focus solely on you without distraction.Depending on the size of your team, you may also be able to request that your meeting turn into a recurring event. For example, I have a weekly one-on-one meeting with my boss, which has given me the regu lar opportunity to bring any questions, concerns, and ideas to him- and this open forum has been great for making sure were always on the same page.Itll take a little extra effort on your part, but if you commit to helping your boss communicate better- she will. And the more often you help her out, the better chance that shell make it a lasting change.Photo of boss and employee courtesy of Shutterstock.

Unproductive Meetings Got You Down Technology Can Help

Unproductive Meetings Got You Down Technology Can Help Unproductive Meetings Got You Down Technology Can Help Weve all sat through at least one meeting thatleft us thinking,Well that was a waste of time. It happens to the best of us One thing leads to another, and then another, and eventually, someones unrelated tangent goeson for the whole hur.Unfortunately, this isnt only a common problem its also a serious one.Unproductive meetings dont justwasteyourand your companys time. They also waste a staggering amount of money. According to Business Insider, American companies lose $37 billion every year on unproductive meetings.Just how do unproductive meetings cause such losses?Well, consider that a manager gets paid $2,000 for 40 hours of work every week, explainsShiv Sharma, Taskworlds content manager. If he sits in a two hour meeting that doesnt lead to any actionable conclusions, thats equivalent to burning $100.In the past, companies could easily blame this problem on a number of things e.g., unforeseen circumstances, a lack of resources, or even poor employee performance.But, if you want to move beyond excuses, now may be a good time to check out the various ways in which geschftliches miteinander technologies have come to rescue us all from unproductive meetings. Now,we have access toproductivity platforms like the aforementionedTaskworld that allow us tocreate projects for our meetings, assign action items in real time, and set completion dates for eachtask. With a simple app like that, meeting can become a lot more productive.Imagine starting your computer and finding a screen that tells you exactly what you need to do for the day, gives you all the files that you want, and allows you to communicate with any member of your team. Now imagine it also suggests specialized workflows to help organize your work. Thats the kind ofproductivity platform your company could benefit from if youre still struggling with unproductive meetings.Get Your Meetings Right The Four Golden Rules of Meaningful MeetingsThat being said, productivity platforms arent magic cure-alls. They wont automatically save you from bad meetings. In fact, before a productivity platform can help you, Sharma says, you have to learn and adhere to the four golden rules of meaningful meetingsHave a specific purpose.Involve the right people.Follow the schedule.End with planned actions.The word specific in that first step isextremely important. Generic agendas will only invite generic discussions.Instead of saying youll be discussing pricing in the meeting, say youll be coming up with pricing limits for enterprise costumers, Sharma says.And of course, you should invite only the people who can adequately contribute to the topic of conversation. According to Sharma, If you invite people who dont need to be there, your meeting will be longer, less efficient, and thus, more expensive.Ultimately, the key to having productive meetings lies in standardizing the way companieshold t heir meetings.We at Taskworld have created a methodology based on the above rules, Sharma explains. Even though the agendas of various meetings may differ, this methodology will still hold true.Beyond standardizing as much as possible, its also important to treat meetings as limited resources.With the advent of the latest technologies in project management and communication, it has become possible to avoid meetings for a lot of projects, Sharma says. Having fewer meetings keeps people motivated and focused.The truth is, nobody really likes having meetings. But theyre a necessary part of any business operationand they arent going anywhere, so we might as well make the most of them. And there are few things more satisfying than leaving a meeting with clarity, purpose, and a general sense of accomplishment.This is something we all like to feel in the workplace and, if you follow the tips outlined above, you will.Youll save your company some money, too.

5 unexpected blocks to creativity that are in your way

5 unexpected blocks to creativity that are in your way5 unexpected blocks to creativity that are in your wayIf you are ever faced with the feeling that all your creative juices have dried up, there is one question and one question only you need to ask yourselfWho are you studying?I am such a believer of input and its role in staying creative over long periods of time.Do you know why you feel so inspired after seeing live music?Or going to the theater?Or watching a really great movie?Its because you are allowing yourself to take in, instead of being in output mode.And if you stay in output mode too long, thats when the infamous writers block appears.1. You arent making time for inputLike I said above, if you arent constantly studying your craft and learning from others, where on earth do you think all your brilliance is going to come from?Your desk?In your empty apartment?You have to, have to, have to make time to not only study the work of others, but also to take a break from focusi ng on output.Its just like going to the gym. You cant lift weights for 10 hours straight without eating.In fact, eating is the most important part2. You arent sleepingTrust me, I know that sometimes sleep deprivation can lead to some pretty incredible a-ha moments - like a vision quest in the desert, or something - but 99.8 percent of the time, sleep is your best friend.And more than that, its not just about sleep, but allowing your brain a chance to rest. Again, this goes back to always being in output mode.You have to allow your engine a chance to cool down.3. You arent surrounded by creative peopleYou are the product of the environment that surrounds you.You are influenced by those around you.You are inspired by those around you.You learn from those around you.Environment plays such a monumental role in our development as human beings.If you want to be truly creative, you need to be surrounded by others who are also creative in their own ways, and will push you outside your con ventional patterns of thought.4. You arent mastering your emotions - your emotions are mastering you.At first, I was going to say, You are not in a positive place emotionally, but some of the worlds greatest art has come from tragedy and heartbreak.I think a more true statement, when it comes to creativity, is to be aware of how you feel and to use that as inspiration.It is one thing to be depressed.It is entirely another to know you are depressed, witness that emotion, and then transmute it into something incredible.That is, and should always be, the goal.5. You arent practicing.And finally, the simplest but most easily forgotten habit of all, the importance of practice.You might be naturally creative, but if you arent actively practicing, that muscle will become weak. Oddly enough, you will still hold yourself to the saatkorn standard you once performed at, but will not be able to replicate the same success because you arent practicing.Creativity is a skill.It must be practiced, diligently and with focus, in order to be honed and cultivated.This article originally appeared on Inc Magazine

What You Should Do to Find Out About Painter Resume Before Youre Left Behind

What You Should Do to Find Out About Painter Resume Before Youre Left Behind The function of the letter differs generally, youre going to be conveying particular info or asking someone to do a particular activity and there are specific expectations concerning formatting and style. A fantastic academic resume Template is the very first step in obtaining a very good job, because it is on the grounds of your resume that youre judged before even your very first meeting. Remember that you will require a cover letter to have the greatest chances of landing employment. A standard small small geschftlicher umgang letter comprises three segments, an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. The Meaning of Painter Resume In 5 minutes, you are going to find out how to compose an equally excellent artist resume yourself. The exact last thing you plan to do is certainly get a job that you just cant do. As you near the conclusion of the interview, you will most likely be given time to voic e out a couple questions of your own. Also, if youre considering a career switch, have a look at all the skills youve got below your belt. Painters need good manual dexterity in order to accomplish a good, clean coat. Professional painters must apply primer and paint at the acceptable spread rate and temperature so as to guarantee the best outcomes. They must have a keen knowledge of color theory. Our professional painters utilize the most suitable equipment and sort of paint for your items. The Downside Risk of Painter Resume Give a review of the things you are going to be creating from the correspondence. When a hiring manager would like to find out more about you, then youll hear a request for references.3. In the event the hiring manager asks to review your references, then you ought to submit them on a different bit of paper. You must fine-tune the stocker job description with the ideal data in a proper format once you hunt for able employees. While color selection is ultimately up to the client, painters must have the ability to advise clients and understand how to make the appearance their clients seek. Moreover, federal presentation resume format depends on specific job announcements. Match it to the work description. Details of Painter Resume While writing a resume for House Painter, remember it isnt sufficient to have just the accurate experience and techniques, but you need to learn how to present them. If you own a specialization, you should include it upon your painter resume. With additional training, you might get specialized certifications that increases your job abilities. The absolute most important section of your resume can become your work experience. Include different talents about the particular job that youre applying for. Click every one of them to check out various resume examples and select the one which is the very best fit in accordance with your qualifications and the job youre applying for. Theres always a gimmick of some kind attached to free merchandise, completely free vitamins, totally free resumes and absolutely free anything. When there is anything else for need, please dont be afraid to call. Get onboard with what it is thats happening now so that you may apply for and be hired for the job you truly want. A paint job may make a big difference in the appearance and feel of a space, which is why the majority of men and women elect for skilled paint jobs. The summary was made to give the possible hiring manager a reason to carry on reading your resume. If youre interviewing for work, make certain that you are able to deal with these topics. Resume is being thought to be a potent tool to advertise oneself for a specific job prospect. Also, read advice and ideas for the work interview. Youve got to compose a fitting Stocker Job Description as a way to fish out the correct talent in the business. Recruiters will nonetheless be in a place to find you in various ways, like thr ough your on-line profile. Mention different positions you have held in prior jobs if you are interested in finding a managerial position. These painter resume templates give stellar examples of how to make an eye-catching painters resume. A team-player whos eager to work with individuals of different backgrounds. If you want to compose a new resume and you require some very good carpenter resume examples, you may use the one weve written below. In case youre searching to compose a new resume and you require some excellent painter resume examples, youre in the proper location. Choosing Painter Resume Youve got to get into your skill set (manual along with knowledge of helpful software), work experience, educational qualification along with projects undertaken before. On the program, youre made to incorporate every job. The actual writing process will offer you an opportunity to take into consideration your aims, your qualities, and your contributions at work. The task sea rch might be a lengthy process merely think about the statistics below

Interviewing At Stash

Interviewing At Stash Below is an article originally written by Kahne Raja, Lead Engineer at PowerToFly Partner Stash, and published on March 26, 2018. Go to Stashs page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn mora.Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowellClean Code A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship by Uncle BobExtreme Programming Explained by Kent BeckStash Invest Careers. Join usIf you love clean code and you want to help disrupt the fintech industry, then look no further Recently, we here at Stash have upped our recruitment game. Over the past few months, Ive seen the company ersatzdarsteller with an outstanding crew of new engineers who truly care about what they do and how they do it. We are dealing with scale issues on all fronts and we need your helpThe mission at Stash is clear. Build financial systems that work for everyone not just the wealthy.Its a big challenge and we have a long way to go. A big part of that is growing the team with the right people.As an engineer at Stash myself, I regularly host technical interviews. Here are some of my notes on what it takes to pass our first stage code pairing challenge.Back to basics.Interview preparation takes weeks even months. Do it in batches and do it well. Enjoy the nostalgia. Enjoy the beauty of math.Your regular tech work life patterns and practices are important but quite often they are not so helpful when doing interviews. Here are some ideas to help you prepare for the engineering interview at StashRead Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakmann McDowell.Read Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck.Watch as much Uncle Bob talking about SOLID principles as possible.Ask a friend to test you at a whiteboard over lunch.Choose a language and get comfortable with it (without an IDE).Our first line of code.When I sit down with you to pair online coderpad, this is what I am looking forA focus on data structures and algorithms.At lea st one passing unit test.A simplification of complex ideas.I want you to start by slicing off a single conditional in two to three lines of code. Something we can compile, run, test, and discuss.Example challenge Leap Year.Problem statement write a function that returns true or false depending on whether its input integer is a leap year or not. If we can get to this place within a few minutes, that is a great start We should then be able to complete a number of variations within 10 to 20 lines of code.Try to avoid spending too much time on the followingWeb app / CRUD design patterns like Controllers and Repositories.Database structures and persistence strategies.Language comparisons and platform specific features.Scorecard.After each interview, I assess candidates on the following metrics. Ability to think on your feet, communication, critical thinking, creative problem-solving, debugging, speed, management of competing priorities, organizational skill s, and test driven.Following this initial online code pairing session, youll be invited in for a half day session with a number of colleagues.At Stash, extreme programming and solid principles are at the heart of what we do. We move fast and embrace change.Please dont hesitate to hit me up on twitter kahneraja. Im always happy to help a candidate get ready for an awesome new career at Stash. One of the biggest challenges in almost all industries today is achieving gender parity. Gender diversity provides huge benefits in the workplace. pWhile some industries have made significant advancements in gender diversity, some industries lag further behind... and the construction industry is well-known for being in the latter category. If someone says, construction workers, youll likely picture a group of men in yellow hard hats analyzing an architects plans or laying bricks on top of a scaffold. And men at work signs only help to reinforce this image.pThis stereotype is rooted in reality. When was the last time you actually spotted a woman on a construction site? Or hired a female plumber or carpenter? Your answer is most likely never. In fact, the Bureau of Labor Statisticsreports that only 3.4% of the total of 8.3 million construction employees are women.pBut the construction industry has a lot more to offer than steel-toed boots and hard hats, and it needs women to help advance the industry in this era of rapid change. Here are 5 reasons why women joining the workforce or looking to make a pivot should consider a career in construction.h21. Fuel Innovation/h2pNot only is diversity the socially and morally right thing to do, but it is also actually an excellent business strategy. pResearch presented in the Harvard Business Reviewshows that diverse teams develop more innovative ideas. This is further supported by a study conducted by Gallupon the performance of gender-diverse teams versus single-gender teams, which found that the difference in backgrounds and perspectives led to better business performance and problem-solving. h22. Capitalize on Demand/h2pThe construction industry is currently experiencing a labor shortage. The industry itself is booming and projected to be one of the fastest-growing industries, with total spending projected to exceed $1.45 trillion in 2023/a. However, most construction companies are unable to meet the rising demand. pAccording to the Associated General Contractors of America/a, more than 80% of contractors are experiencing difficulties filling hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce.pAnd demand isnt limited to individual contributor roles. Given the industry boom, there are a number of open stable and high-paying roles (any project managers out there?) waiting for the right candidateh23. Leadership Opportunities/h2pAccording to the Bureau of Labor Statistics/a, women compose only 7.7% of the total 1 million managerial positions in construction.br/pBut given the highly collaborative nature of construction work, more women in leadership roles would help drive neuerung and enhance productivity.Furthermore, as a woman in construction in a leadership position, youd have the unique opportunity to drive change for the industry and make it a more attractive option for other women.h24. High-Income Potential/h2pSalaries for many skilled positions in construction are on the rise, making a construction career a prime choice for women looking for a high-paying job,pThe 2018 Construction Craft Salary Surveyconducted by the National Center for Construction Education and Research revealed that salaries for many skilled craft areas are increasing. Project managers and project supervisors topped the list at $92,523 and $88,355, respectively. The next set of highest-paying jobs include those of combo welders ($71,067), instrumentation technicians ($70,080), pipe welders ($69,222), power line workers ($68,262) and industrial electricians ($67,269). Of the 32 categories of workers in the survey, 19 positions earned an average salary of $60,000 or higher.h25. Sense of accomplishment/h2p The construction industry can give employees a unique sense of achievement. Yes, the job is stressful and the work can be demanding, but nothing beats the feeling of being able to build something from the ground up. pHow many professionals in other industries can point at a school, a hospital, or a skyscraper and say I helped build that?pThe construction industry has a long way to go in combating gender bias and supporting women in the workforce, but given the current demand for workers, theres no better time to pick up a sledgehammer (figurative or literal) and smash the gender stereotypes plaguing the construction industry.