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Digg it UP - How Invisible Communication Barriers Kill Productivity
Everyone has heard that you don’t ask about salary on the first interview for a job.In the best case, you don’t ask about it at all, because the interviewer brings it up, on the second interview. He or she will most likely say, "We should make sure we're in the same ballpark compensation-wise." But what if that doesn’t happen?If you have interviewed twice - the interviews are done, and you’ve left the building - and no one has said a word about what the job is paying, that’s not great. It means that the company is happy to use up your time without bothering to check in to see whether you’ll be interested in taking the job if you get an offer. What if you spend all this time interviewing, and the job pays ten thousand dollars less per year than you’d be willing to take?When you get a phone call, inviting you back for a third interview (meaning that you’ve been to two interviews already and salary hasn’t come up - and I’m talking about two separate visits to the company, not including a previous headhunter interviewer), speak up.When the hiring manager, internal recruiter, or search consultant calls, or emails you, to say “We’d love to schedule a third interview,” say this (or write it in a return email message):“That sounds great! I am very interested in the position - or, I should say, I think I am interested. I realized after the last meeting that we hadn’t talked about compensation yet. Shall we do that now?”If the person who calls you, or writes you, isn’t a person who has the authority to talk with you about compensa
He or she
It seems like not a week goes by that I don't get a small business owner who wants my help with their brochure. They need help with the copy, with the design, with the layout -- all of it.They are usually ready to pay me good money, too. Only problem is I tell them there's no way I would ever waste my time with a brochure. I've never used them myself and I've never known anyone who used them and reported it made a big difference in their profits.So I always tell people to forget the brochure. Instead, use a sales letter. A sales letter is much more effective than a brochure.Why do I say this?Well, for one thing if you get two pieces of mail one day -- one a three cover folded brochure, the other a letter that looks like it’s hand-typed and personally signed and personally addressed in a number 10 white envelope with a stamp on it -- which one are you going to read first?Fact is a simple, even ugly, sales letter is more personalized than a brochure. And so they are way more likely to be noticed and read and acted on.In my humble opinion, brochures are losers as far as communication. They're cold, ineffective, institutional advertising pushed by people by producing such materials.There is nothing a fancy, expensive brochure with pretty pictures and designs and curly cues can offer and do for you that a letter -- a plain white piece of paper with words -- can't.If you don't believe me test it yourself. Test a regular, typed up letter (or letter that looks typed) against a fancy brochure.You'll see
Obviously, if we want our communication to be effective, we have to be continually on our guard to detect such noise, whatever the source. When we find it, we must drown it out. Or better still, eliminate it altogether.
Of course, before we can overcome such barriers, from wherever they come, we must be able to recognize them. When they take the form of literal noise, they're usually easy enough to distinguish.
But what we don't appreciate enough is the plethora of forms of metaphorical noise. In the workplace, for example, we often find conflicting thoughts competing for attention.
Most business executives (and their secretaries!) are familiar with this type of scenario: the boss may call for a certain file from the filing cabinet, and be quite amazed that this simple request turns out to be so problematic.
He or she d
Don’t Underestimate The Power Of A ResumeYou may have spent hours searching for your dream job and applied for a job in every promising company you came across. In spite of your sincere efforts to find a job, you may not have received an interview call yet. Have you ever stopped to wonder why none of them have ever bothered to call you?One possibility could be that you did not have the necessary expertise to qualify for the jobs that you applied for. This problem can be solved to some extent by upgrading your skills or enrolling in a course that could make you eligible for the job. On the other hand, it could also be possible that your resume never got noticed. No matter how qualified you are, your resume will not be considered if it is not structured properly. Generally, most companies receive hundreds of resumes on a daily basis. In order to simplify the recruitment process, employers and recruiters generally screen applications on the basis of resumes. All those resumes that are badly written are discarded first - making way for well-written, attention-grabbing resumes.Is your resume one of the latter? Think hard before answering. And then get your resume evaluated by a professional career coach.Avoiding Common Resume MistakesMost people underestimate the power of a dynamic resume and often overlook their importance during their job search. Your resume speaks volumes about you and can make or break your chance to make that all-important first impression. Avoid writing long and boring resumes, as employers do n
Of course, before we can overcome such barriers, from wherever they come, we must be able to recognize them. When they take the form of literal noise, they're usually easy enough to distinguish.
But what we don't appreciate enough is the plethora of forms of metaphorical noise. In the workplace, for example, we often find conflicting thoughts competing for attention.
Most business executives (and their secretaries!) are familiar with this type of scenario: the boss may call for a certain file from the filing cabinet, and be quite amazed that this simple request turns out to be so problematic.
He or she
A pre employment screening usually involves some basic investigation. The most important and common screening is for the authentication of the data in the resume. Many applicants have fake job experiences in their resumes. This might make the resume look attractive but might prove to be harmful to the applicant if the results turn up that the resume has been falsified. Many people expect the employers to take the resume at face value. Of course, a good resume does provide a good impression but if it is falsified, there could be no chance that the employer would consider the candidate.Basic verification of the resume includes checking the education records such as if the schools and colleges mentioned do exist and if the candidate has indeed enrolled. This can be available in the school or college records, but the investigator will have access to these only if the investigation is indeed legal and authentic.Past employment details are also verified and must comply with the details provided at the time of the interview. Referrals will be called and checked for authenticity. The exact reasons for quitting previous jobs also carry a lot of weight. It is very important to check for the applicant’s worker’s compensation history. If the candidate seems to have too many of these cases against the past employers, it is better to make sure the candidate is not in a position to sue the new company also.Other screenings include the verification of the social security number, driving history, and motor vehicle history. This is most important if the pos
But what we don't appreciate enough is the plethora of forms of metaphorical noise. In the workplace, for example, we often find conflicting thoughts competing for attention.
Most business executives (and their secretaries!) are familiar with this type of scenario: the boss may call for a certain file from the filing cabinet, and be quite amazed that this simple request turns out to be so problematic.
He or she
1) Achievement goals - These describe results that you will have when you finish the goal. Examples include: retire with a million dollars at age 65, earn a promotion by June, increase sales by 5%. Most major goals are achievement goals.2) Action goals - These describe specific actions that you will take to accomplish achievement goals. Examples include: meet with an investment counselor, attend a workshop to learn new job skills, contact all of the prospects in the database.3) Limit goals - These set boundaries. Examples include: Spend less than $5,000 on new equipment, go to bed before 10 PM each night, take less than 45 minutes for lunch while at work. These help manage priorities.4) Rate goals - These specify actions repeatedly done over time. Examples include: Read two books per month, exercise three times per week, or write in a journal every day. Many personal growth activities can be performed as rate goals. 5) Exclusion goals - These state things that you will not do. Examples include: Do not watch TV after 8 P.M., do not use a cell phone when with other people, do not eat junk foods. These help you decide in advance which activities you will avoid.6) Layered goals - These specify the same goal with different levels of priority and difficulty. Example: Top Priority: Read one book each moth, Medium Priority: Read two books each month. Low Priority: Read three books each month. Use layered goals to stretch your performance beyond minimum achievements.7) Incredible goals. These goals are highly optimistic, far fetched, o
Most business executives (and their secretaries!) are familiar with this type of scenario: the boss may call for a certain file from the filing cabinet, and be quite amazed that this simple request turns out to be so problematic.
He or she
All businesses make investments in both plant and equipment, and also in their employees. Depending on the type of enterprise, some businesses will have more invested capital than others. For example, a manufacturing oriented business will have substantially more hard physical capital invested than one devoted to service. No matter the type of business, the primary question remains the same. The question is--- what is the purpose (or goal) of any business investment? The answer--- the purpose of any investment is to increase the net worth of that investment.Then, how do you accomplish this? This is accomplished by maximizing the return on invested capital. Unfortunately, therein lies the rub. By maximizing your rate-of-return on invested capital you also maximize your business risk---- and also your competition. If you wish to shoot for high returns, then you have to accept a higher level of risk. If you can concisely take all the wisdom in the world and melt it down to a single sentence, it would read --- there is no such thing as a free lunch. (Although, at times, it is possible to transfer the cost to someone else.)If you are in the business world you have to accept risk. Business is risk. There is a difference, though, of shooting for the moon and taking a calculated risk. The financial debacles of both Enron and Global Crossing illustrate an important point. Both companies decided to utilize large amounts of leverage (debt) to quickly expand both their top and bottom lines. In their conceit they forgot one important rule when ut
He or she doesn't know this instruction has triggered an unexpected stimulus: ''File? Yes, I must remember to stop by the store on the way home to pick up a nail file...''
Then again, many executives fail to realize the extent to which distrust can distort messages. A manager who routinely insists that every printing order is urgent, is not too likely to find receptive ears when time really is of the essence.
Let's take a look at an incident in the working lives of two very special imaginary characters - Mr Thompson, Chief Operating Officer of a flourishing corporation, and his work supervisor, Mr Brown..
This is a day for which Mr Brown has been waiting in very keen anticipation. Why?
Our Mr Brown has been rather unhappy of late.
The economic downturn hasn't touched our company yet
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