Commentary

Meetings with a clear purpose are the ones where the participants are engaged. Unfortunately, in the business world many meetings don’t have a clear purpose and therefore the participants are not engaged. To get people engaged, you have to be clear and specific about what you want them to do during this meeting. Set up the meeting space to promote more engagement. Be sure to thank the people who are making contributions. Last of all, use the information that you receive from the people who participated.

Key Takeaways:

• Think ahead of time about what you want out of each of the people who will be at the meeting.
• Ask people directly for engagement, and be sure that you leave room for them to provide it.
• Thank people for their contributions, and try to actually use the feedback people give you.

“When you are clear about why your group needs to meet and what you want to accomplish together, engagement is natural.”

Read more: https://www.recruiter.com/i/5-steps-to-improving-engagement-in-meetings/

Sitting down for extended periods can be bad for your health, and companies should focus more on keeping their employees healthy by keeping them moving their bodies. There’s several health benefits to moving, and offices can be redesigned to promote movement. The floor layout can be altered to make the employees walk and exercise more. Managers can be involved, and workout routines can be added. Exercise or workout rooms can be a typical part of the company’s week. Meetings and workflows can be changes to facilitate walking more, and the focus on employee wellness can be a central point going forward.

Key Takeaways:

• Given that sitting all day is probably bad for your health, it is perhaps no surprise that more mobile employees tend to be happier and more productive.
• Try to incorporate physical activity into normal workday practices whenever possible, and by making it easy to stay hydrated.
• Replace sitting meetings with standing and walking meetings in order to reduce sitting and make meetings shorter and more useful.

“Leaders who want to differentiate their companies should stand up (literally) and take notice.”

Read more: https://www.recruiter.com/i/want-to-boost-productivity-get-employees-moving/

If you aren’t content with your current job, economic conditions are such that now is a good time to begin searching for a new one. The first step is to update your resume. This will let you jump on a new job opportunity as soon as it opens up. Next, work on your talking points, especially how you would answer the popular question “tell me about yourself.” Last, update your LinkedIn profile, paying attention to your photo, work experience and contact information. Once you’ve finished these steps, you are ready to begin your search.

Key Takeaways:

• If you’re unhappy at work, it may help to know that if you decide to exit from your company, more jobs are out there than ever.
• Always keep your resume’ (and your LinkedIn page) updated, so it will be less work for you whenever you start at a new job.
• Think long and hard about what your career goals, values, and ethics are; these principles will guide you toward a better place for the future.

“If you’ve been unhappy in your current job, now is the time to look at your options. For many industries, it’s a job seeker’s market.”

Read more: https://www.recruiter.com/i/the-time-to-find-a-new-job-is-right-now/

Parkinson’s law basically the more time you are given, the longer it takes to complete a task. The task timetable will grow to fit the time perimeters. We might be ingrained to believe that we should not start tasks until they need to be done so we are not wasting our energy. We need to combat this natural tendency by giving ourselves deadlines, and then we also need to figure out what we are losing when we blow past our deadlines. Make sure the deadline is realistic and then realize that it is there to cut down on our stress, not add to it.

Key Takeaways:

• Give yourself deadlines to complete tasks that will motivate you to actually do the work instead of procrastinating.
• When you set a deadline for yourself, make sure you have something to lose if you do not finish your work on time.
• Set deadlines that are realistic rather than ones that will stress you out.

“We procrastinate for a wide variety of reasons, such as fear or simple laziness. However, there’s also an evolutionary motivation behind laziness.”

Read more: https://www.recruiter.com/i/how-to-stop-being-lazy-and-get-more-done/

Job hunting can be tough in today’s climate. If you are a first time job hunter, it is important to use as many resources as possible! Sites like LinkedIn or Indeed can help land a job. Writing a resume and cover letter is also important, but it is key to make sure that it is tailored to each job you apply for. When interviewing, which is the next step of the job hunt, always remember to dress to impress and to prepare questions for your interviewer. Finally, it is important to follow up. Make sure your interviewer knows that you want the job! This time of year is a great time to get a job, so get out there and have your pitches ready.

Key Takeaways:

• Go to websites like Indeed and LinkedIn and search for job openings using keywords.
• When writing your resume, try to use lots of keywords from the vacancies you are interested in, and quantify your experience as much as possible.
• Check your emails and your text messages as often as possible to make sure you don’t miss an interview opportunity.

“In the spirit of the back-to-school season, I’ve decided to cover the fundamentals. Welcome to Job Search 101!”

Read more: https://www.recruiter.com/i/back-to-school-basics-how-to-launch-your-first-job-search/

When it comes to choosing a career it can be difficult. Surveys have shown that almost one-third of the people have thought about changing careers after school. While 30 percent of survey takers have already changed careers completely. As the business world changes and grows, the demands, knowledge, and training change. If you are thinking of changing careers, consider the schooling or extra training involved. Think of the training or schooling you have already done and if you can apply it to your new career choice.

Key Takeaways:

• Surveys have shown that almost one-third of survey takers have thought about changing careers after schooling.
• As the business world changes, the demands; knowledge; and training change as well. If changing careers think of the extra schooling or training needed.
• Think of training or schooling previously had and if you can apply it to your new career choice and how to manage.

“Career changes are quite common in the business world, as professionals learn the reality of their chosen careers fails to align with their expectations.”

Read more: https://www.recruiter.com/i/career-changes-are-more-common-than-you-think/

Finding a new job could be a little difficult these days. However, if employees and employers take a few extra steps, unemployment may not be an option for long. Companies tend to downsize or reorganize from time to time resulting in lay offs and others may be fired. When looking for a new job, a great heat start is by updating one’s resume immediately. As an employer, employing these people that are let go, could be another companies prized treasure.

Key Takeaways:

• If you are a job recruiter and you are familiar with which companies have recently laid off workers, you can tap into this pool of hot candidates.
• Workers who have been recently laid off should not wait to update their resume or online profiles, because recruiters will be looking for them.
• Employees who were not laid off may also seek out job opportunities with companies that are more stable than the ones that recently laid off their co-workers.

“While companies may lay off employees to streamline processes or reorganize, that doesn’t mean those employees don’t have marketable skills that can be of value to a new employer.”

Read more: https://www.recruiter.com/i/finding-a-new-job-after-a-layoff/

Companies use analytics, or data, for a long time. However, companies seem to have a hard time prioritizing the data received and using it to achieve success. Employers try to micromanage their employees which results in data not being properly analyzed. To fix this problem, companies need to fix their hiring process so employees can do what needs to be done. Step two is asking questions, learning departments and their processes. Next is collecting data and breaking down what needs to be done. The last steps are simply presenting the data and offering change, which if allowed then make proper changes to make more money.

Key Takeaways:

• Although many companies are getting efficient in the collection of data they do not have a clue what to do with it.
• Analytics is usually perceived by companies as a technical challenge but that is not the case.
• Researchers at Northwestern University think that the data challenge is a cultural thing. Employees need to ask questions the data can answer.

“In short: data means nothing unless it can be explained to the people who matter.”

Read more: https://recruitingdaily.com/what-if-analytics-is-more-of-a-leadership-problem-than-a-technical-problem/

To improve productivity and reduce turn overs within a company, keeping employees engaged is key. Many companies use outdated methods, if any, when it comes to informing their employees. According to research, most companies still use e-mail and newsletters. With technology always advancing, there are more ways to interact with employees to engage them. Using job oriented apps will give data that offers solutions towards processes within the company. Employers fail to realize that employees are a continuation of the company it self.

Key Takeaways:

• Although companies know that employee engagement increases productivity, many companies don’t have an employee engagement policy in force.
• A successful employee communication tool is one which reaches all its workers no matter where they are located.
• Mobile is touted to be the only communication tool that gives employees a means of sharing opinions and giving feedback.

“As companies increasingly turn to gig and remote workers complete projects and reach goals, their outdated communication tools won’t be good enough to keep everyone engaged, connected, and informed.”

Read more: https://www.recruiter.com/i/relying-on-email-may-kill-employee-engagement/

Job hunting has changed drastically throughout the years and many people may find the whole process difficult these days. First, many employers use job searching websites to post available positions within companies. Some popular sites are Indeed and LinkedIn. These sites will let you search for keywords pertaining to your job. Once finding a potential job opportunity, upload a resume with a cover letter and fill out an application. After submitting everything, employers tend to reply with emails to request interviews.

Key Takeaways:

• Search online job sites for positions that suit you, using relevant keywords.
• Target your resume and cover letter for a specific job instead of sending out generic resumes and cover letters.
• Before an interview, prepare three questions that you will ask the interviewer about this particular position.

“In the spirit of the back-to-school season, I’ve decided to cover the fundamentals. Welcome to Job Search 101!”

Read more: https://www.recruiter.com/i/back-to-school-basics-how-to-launch-your-first-job-search/