10 ways to make your direct reports more efficient

10 ways to make your direct reports mora efficient10 ways to make your direct reports more efficientAs a leadership development expert, one of the things I find that managers struggle with the most is when direct reports dont meet their wertzuwachs expectations. Most managers are in their roles because they are high performers with high standards. Theyve likely never been coached for low performance or inefficiency, so that makes it doubly difficult when they encounter the situation in their direct reports. Fortunately, there are several things you can do when your employee is struggling.1. Do routine performance diagnostic testsBefore taking any action, I recommend conducting a performance diagnostic. All too often, managers assume they know the reason for the inefficiency and rush to correct the problem before even confirming that that is the issue. For example, managers will often assume any performance problem is caused by a lack of training, and will provide additional training in order to correct the problem. This is a mistake, because elend knowing how to perform a task is only one possible reason for poor performance.2. Talk in terms of behaviors, bedrngnis labelsMost managers use labels instead of behaviors to describe performance and this is often the crux of the problem. If you were to ask employees if theyre efficient, or motivated, most will tell you yes, because most people assume they are performing better than they actually are Instead of using words like efficient, be specific about what you want. For example, Please make sure you go through the whole inbox before going to the file room so you only have to make one trip is more effective than Can you please file more efficiently?3. Clarify tasksIn applied behavioral science terminology, task clarification refers to the process of explaining what needs to be done as well as how to do it. If you look at the job descriptions in most organizations, we do a pretty good job of telling people what, bu t not so good at how. To get top notch performance and efficiency, managers need to explain what and how. Great leaders will also throw in why, to keep people inspired.4. Provide feedbackI tell all my clients that more feedback is best. Employees assume no news is good news, so if youre not giving them feedback about their lack of efficiency, they wont know they need to improve. Giving frequent, objective feedback alone can improve performance by up to 15%5. Reinforce good behaviorCatch them doing something right, and reward them. How to properly reward employees is a science in and of itself, but suffice it to say a good manager is like a social vending machine. Good vending machines are consistent, they give you what youve asked for, they dont give you what you didnt ask for, and they only give up the goods if youve done your part. Thats how you as a manager should deliver your positive reinforcement.6. Set goalsIf employees dont know what you expect then you cant blame them for n ot delivering it. In addition to explaining how to do something, you should also explain what you expect in terms of output. If you think its appropriate for an employee to get through 50 work tickets a day, for example, then for goodness sakes tell them this If someones new its okay if they have mini-goals to shape their performance while theyre learning. Just make sure they understand this so they dont feel youre always asking for more.7. Be clear on prioritiesIf you want your employee to be more efficient, sometimes you need to coach them on how to spend their time or the companys money. Its a mistake to assume your employees see things the way you do. Some managers are so concerned about being perceived as the dreaded micro-manager that they neglect to provide much-needed guidance on priorities, and then seethe silently (or not so silently) when the employee chooses incorrectly.8. Educate on costsDont assume your employee understands the big picture. A lot of inefficiency and wa ste can be chalked up to simply not knowing whats at stake. If you explain to your line manager, for example, how having the highest paid employee sweep the floors while three minimum wage people learn a new skill inflates labor unnecessarily, they will be in a better position to manage tasks the next time. Just barking that overtime is too high will not solve the problem.9. Interview effectivelySometimes you need to solve a problem before it even starts, and in the case of inefficient employees this is in the interview process. Make sure to be as clear as possible during the interview about the work quality and quantity expectations, and ask detailed behavioral questions to determine employees previous capacity. Its essential to paint an accurate picture of the job, and to select the people who have done similar work in the past. The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, after all.10. Mandate organizationIf all else fails, or as a safeguard, you can always make the mo st efficient processes the required processes. Most candidates I interview these days prefer some latitude regarding how they accomplish their job, but they also agree that it makes sense to learn established best practices before innovating. Consider documenting the most efficient way to perform the job and making that your standard operating procedures.Like most problems, an inefficient employee wont improve if you just ignore the situation. You dont have the time or energy to let poor performance linger, so put on your big girl pants and deal with it head-on. If your employee is worth keeping, theyll thank you for your input.Carrie Maldonado is the founder of Todays Leadership Solutions Seattle-based consulting firm dedicated to providing business owners peace of mind and job fulfillment by ensuring their management teams are equipped to run their businesses successfully. A certified executive coach, organizational development expert, and HR Professional, Carrie consults with sma ll to medium-sized businesses on management, leadership, and recruiting solutions in addition to providing career coaching to managers and executives in transition.A version of this post previously appeared onFairygodboss, the largest career community that helps women get the inside scoop on pay, corporate culture, benefits, and work flexibility. Founded in 2015, Fairygodboss offers company ratings, job listings, discussion boards, and career advice.

3 Goal-Setting Mistakes You Can#8217;t Afford to Make

3 Goal-Setting Mistakes You Can8217t Afford to Make 3 Goal-Setting Mistakes You Can8217t Afford to Make Goals are like your roadmap in life, or a compass. If you dont know where you want to go, you can never get there. - Spyros Thalassinos, founder of Design HavenWe harp on productivity metrics and constantly refine performance management programs, hoping all the attention will lead to more productive workforces and better business results.But what if the real issue occurs much earlier in the process? What if performance is being stunted at the very outtischtischtischset?It happens and it happens quite often when leaders and managers neglect to set performance goals with their workers, leaving employees without the roadmaps they need to succeed.Here are three common mistakes companies make with respect to the goal-setting processMistake 1 Not Setting Goals in the First PlaceOne of the most common goal-setting mistakes is not setting any goals to begin with. Only 36 percent of org anizations have standard, company-wide strategies for setting goals. Theres a significant chance your company isnt making a regular, concerted effort to set meaningful employee goals. This lack of goals is damaging toall involved, but especially to your newest hires. You invested so much in attracting them, and now they lack the guidance they need to thrive.The Solution Theres no shortcut here. To fix this mistake, you have to create an organization-wide goal-setting process leaders and employees can follow. The protocol should be scalable and applicable to everyone from interns to executives. That way, the goal-setting process will build good habits across the organization and remind everyone that no one is too new or too experienced to aim for improvement.Mistake 2 Setting Goals That Are Too AttainableNo one reaches greatness unless they consciously set themselves up for it. Theres nothing wrong with focusing on the little tasks that lead to the end of a big project, but those are daily goals. Theyre different from the big goals we use to guide our career trajectories or the achievements of an entire company.When setting goals with employees, its important that you find a balance between big challenges and smaller, more obvious wins. An even mix will mean a motivated and satisfied employee, while too much of one or the other canlead to frustration.The Solution Set goals with employees, not for them. Doing so will increase transparency and communication between you and your employees, who will jump at the chance to provide input on the direction of their career. Additionally, the process gives employees a more personal stake in achieving their goals.Mistake 3 Forgetting to Maintain GoalsMaybe you already have a goal-setting plan. Maybe you already work hard to name common goals and align employees personal aims with the company mission.And yet, at the end of the year, those goals you worked so hard to develop are left unattained.The problem isnt that you negl ected to set goals, nor did you fail to take employees motivations into account. Rather, the problem is that you overlooked the planning phase You cant just set goals in order for employees toactually achieve their goals,theyll need plans that keep them on track.The SolutionDid you know people who write down their goals are 50 percent more likely to achieve them? Thats why employees should leave goal-setting meetings with written lists of the objectives they need to achieve and the timeframes in which they need to achieve them. To further increase the chances of achievement, you should help the employee break their overarching goals down into week-by-week or month-by-month plans of tasks and objectives.Setting goals is important for any organization that wants to see real employee progress. To make sure your goal-setting process actually works, be sure to avoid these three mistakesA version of this article originally appeared on theiRev blog.Michael Heller is the CEO and founder ofi Rev.

10 Places You Can Find a Tech Job Online

10 Places You Can Find a Tech Job Online10 Places You Can Find a Tech Job OnlineTime for the boring part of the job hunt - the actual job hunting. It doesnt help that there are so many internet job boards, sometimes its difficult to tell which ones are worth your time, especially if youre looking for a specialized career or a site that recognizes your unique skill set. Here is a list of some of the top job boards and search sites for technology careers, to help you find a job online. 01Experience Experience.com is one of the largest new stufe and internship databases available. They have a comprehensive jobs database for those with anywhere from 0-3 years of experience. Also, they also offer links to tips on resume writing and networking, which is always a plus.ConclusionThis list isnt meant to be exhaustive, but it should be a good place to start on your journey to getting a tech job you love.

Write the Resume Before the Job Search

Write the Resume Before the Job SearchWrite the Resume Before the Job SearchTim Ide changed his resume and discovered he was qualified for mora jobs than he ever imagined.The resume rarely comes first. But perhaps it should.A job search typically begins when a job seeker decides what he wants to do and for what jobs he wants to apply. He will usually craft a resume designed to land those jobs. Tim Ide of Carlton, Ore., would argue those job seekers have it backward.Ide, the general manager of a small electronics-manufacturing plant near Portland, Ore., unintentionally put his resume first after a rewrite and let the document tell him the jobs for which to apply.Ide had his resume rewritten by Don Burns, a certified professional resume writer who works with the Ladders, and the resulting resume convinced Ide he had skills beyond his position and industry. Its even allowed him to consider jobs in locations with a warmer climate, important to the health of his wife, he said.The re-done resume gave me a shotgun instead of a rifle, he said. I realized I could branch out a bit.I am looking at positions (now) that would be the director of operations in an electronics-manufacturing business, he said. I have looked at some CFO (chief financial officer) positions in other businesses. The position I applied for today is general manager of a business that imports and resells motorcycle accessories.A resume often puts into focus the pieces of a career and the jobs a candidate is qualified to do, said Burns. Often, he said, it requires a dispassionate outsider to help see the whole picture.People often come to a realization after redoing their resumes, he said. What I do is almost like portrait painting. Im an outsider, putting together their portrait. Some people look at their rewritten resume and say, It doesnt look like me. But I dont make anything up. When you have an outsider look at you objectively, you are going to get a new view of yourself.Death by bulletsIde has be en at the same company for 10 years but decided to look for a job this year after the company was acquired by a new owner and his wife developed some minor medical issues that doctors have told him would benefit from living in a warmer climate. Hes been researching jobs in warmer cities, such as Orlando, as well as Oregon.Ide had recently updated his resume to address his current job description and title. But when I got the critique back (as part of Ladders premium membership), it said let me see if I can remember this correctly death by bullets, he said.Bullet points and keywords (a resume standard) are important but often overused, Burns said. A laundry list of job descriptions does little to explain what he brings to the job and can confuse the employer.Often, an employer cant determine from their resume what job the employee wants, he said. Tims resume was disorganized. You could see he had a background in operations, but most of the recent information was a jumble it was mor e general management. He lumped together all types of skills marketing, finance, sales, menschlich resources which needed to be presented as more of a progression. We did that with a summary paragraph.Its important that the potential employer sees the portrait the candidate wants to paint and quickly, Burns said.Someone looks at a resume for 10 or 15 seconds, he said. They look at what the person has done, where he has been. The resume needs to present that information, plus accomplishments, clearly.Ide said that he understood why the changes were necessary. When I got the critique back, I agreed with it in the sense that it was definitely much less oriented toward accomplishments, he said. Im more oriented toward very concise summaries. And yet, I recognize that not all people think the same way I do. The rewrite was such that it was more verb-oriented. More of I accomplished this, as opposed to this was my task.For instance, he continued, I originally had, responsible for all as pects of operations. The rewrite came out, designed and implemented cost-accounting processes. It broke down all the functions of my job and gave information on my accomplishments instead of responsible for all aspects of accounting and human resources.Transferring skillsNew resume in hand, Ide is looking at positions as a CFO, director of operations, general manager, even a job as marshal of a court of appeals in Florida. This position is the administrative boss of the court, the person who handles the personnel, the budget it seems like a great position. It uses a lot of my skills but is different than manufacturing stuff that Ive been doing.While all of these jobs sound a little different, they all require the skills of someone who can manage a project, manage a budget, handle human resources and more.My skills are transferrable, he said. If I could find a job that would pay me to play with motorcycles, I couldnt think of anything that would be much better, he said. I do have opt ions. I just have to convince other people.

The Undeniable Reality About Legal Resume That Nobody Is Sharing With You

The Undeniable Reality About Legal Resume That Nobody Is Sharing With You Get the Scoop on Legal Resume Before Youre Too Late On your side of the equation, contract work can provide you an opportunity to display your dedication and talent, and to meet those who might be the real key to a full-time prospect. Your resume should be formatted in an easy, professional way. Your goal in constructing your resume is to make an effective advertising tool. In addition, you can look for attorney jobs on Monster. Furthermora, you can look for legal assistant jobs on Monster. Apply now and receive the most effective Legal Assistant job available. The job of a company lawyer isnt in any respect easy. If You Read Nothing Else Today, Read This Report on Legal Resume What follows is a wide selection of professional resume samples for jobs in a variety of industries. The skills section will be able to help you show hiring managers more thorough information that proves you are going to be an excellent asset to their company. There was not any third option. If you wish to go from really being a legal secretary to an arbitration representative, then you want a great legal resume. The Basics of Legal Resume Pay attention to the following guidelines to ensure youre not overlooked or dismissed. If thats the case, be certain your descriptions reflect that information. In Appendix II, you will locate a sample resume. A sample legal resume should incorporate an easy sentence stating the objective that you want to achieve to your legal resume. Just make sure, whichever format you opt for, which youre targeting it for the job that youre applying to. Imagine you have two resumes before you. So how can you compose a resume cover letter is all-important to comprehend. The absolute most efficient cover letters possess lots of white space. The Foolproof Legal Resume Strategy While Simple Resume Templates may give you basic examples to use, you still need to modify your r esumes further so they can represent you better. Studying career-specific resume samples is among the most effective ways to understand how to format and focus your abilities and abilities. Should you ever needed a resume to submit an application for a job, then youve got likely needed tools like Basic Resume Templates. Ladders best resume templates are sure to offer you an advantage in your job search. Legal Resume Fundamentals Explained Employers wish to employ someone with a great attitude. Know the field youre trying to break in to. Theres no limit to where it is possible to go The highly competitive area of legal resume writing services possesses a substantial number of opportunities for career development, and a chance for successful career change. There are several unique qualifications, expectations, and hiring practices that you ought to be familiarized with to maximize your odds of being hired. Maybe you need a growth opportunity in your existing field. Next you wish to place your employment history, in chronological order starting with the latest position. Be sure all info is up-to-date. You must include your own personal contact information whereby the employer might get in contact with you. Its true, you would like to have as much information as possible there, but nevertheless, it also needs to be easily readable. It is very important to exclude all irrelevant info, including experience, employment and superfluous details. What follows is a very long way removed on the internet. There are a lot of things to take into consideration when thinking about whether to set up shop on ones own. There are more than a few reasons and the major one being that most other legal resumes are one page. Before the days of the web, the only means to discover a new job was supposed to look for one. How to Choose Legal Resume Use keywords that will attract prospective employers and thatll be relevant to their requirements. Resumes arent usual ly one of the more important things that admissions committees consider. LinkedIn is a little different. Our LinkedIn resume writer also teaches you how to quickly compose a CV that any employer might want to read. Legal Resume - the Story Legal assistants provide aid to lawyers. Finding that dream job is easy with the assistance of a good lawyer resume. After all, the law can be tough to break into, thus the demand for a resume that may advertise you properly. If you are practicing law for a number of years have many accomplishments below your belt, you dont need to be limited to a single page resume. Work experience and qualities The employers are extremely much interested to understand what all tasks you performed in your prior workplace. Even if your information is in bullet format, it may still be hard to quickly recognize the pertinent abilities and accomplishments which are important to the possible employer. Other crucial areas in your work experience will likewis e be explored to highlight your credentials and make a stand-out resume. Because your work title may mean various responsibilities and skills to various employers, you ought to use descriptions to get rid of doubt and clarify your position.

The Fundamentals of Resume Writing Sand Comics Revealed

The Fundamentals of Resume Writing Sand Comics Revealed With the correct practice and research, the possibility of you getting the job is only going to increase. No worries, understanding how to create a perfect resume isnt as hard as it looks. Initially working with Cherie was a way to find a better job. You will not ever send your master resume to anybody, therefore it is irrelevant how much time it is. The comedy writers must be acknowledged for entertaining multitudes of people across the world. Its far better include published work, but inexperienced writers may consist of work thats unpublished. The art of indenting was lost. Freelance editing jobs come from a variety of places so that you may have to consider what kind of article youre editing and what its objective is. Its sufficient to make any professional a tiny frustrated. Scannable resumes need specific page designs because computer scanners cannot read certain products. ur 20 templates supply you with exam ples for most instances which you will face. In virtually all scenarios, the response is yes. Inexperienced writers will need to acquire creative when preparing clips. You may be asked to check at it again. Read through some samples, and customize your own letter so that it shows why you ought to be selected for an interview. The War Against Resume Writing Sand Comics A sample is able to help you decide what things to put in your letter, and the way to format the letter. Youre now prepared to be seriously interviewed You may be surprised at how many writing gems you find when you get started searching your files. Cramming as much information regarding yourself as text dimensions and margins will allow makes it harder for the hiring manager to get the most relevant info. Resume Writing Sand Comics Can Be Fun for Everyone Bear in mind, employers have a tendency to have many resumes they should look over, and so dont tend to devote much time on any individual resume at le ast in the first stages of the application procedure. If youve got many abilities, the previous skill paragraph may be called Additional Skills. On occasion the Skills and Accomplishments section is a distinct section. Skills, courses or projects of interest to the domain of the possible employer will interest the recruiter. Articles The majority of the online writing jobs are going to be about articles. You would like an entry-level job for a web content writer. If you are a newcomer to the work market, your Summary is going to be based more on ability than experience. If you dont understand how to get going on your job search, I can provide help For one, you dont need to be accountable for writing a totally original idea. You will be provided a simple outline on the essence of the announcement that you need to make and you might be given the link of the company where you are able to do the required research. At times, an write-up requires you to turn into strict with col loquial terms and other little details you wouldnt normally pay lots of attention to. It will also need a short summary to go on top.