The Secret to Being Happy at Work

This is very likely the most desired answers by many people, and I am glad I am here to bring you the answers you are mostly likely wondering about too.

The first secret to being happy at work is to put your professional development first. This beholds knowing that you can grow and learn within your company. If this doesn’t seem realistic within your company, it may be time to move onto another adventure.

Picture from Forbes.com. Wondering if you should be happy at work? Click here to find out!

Secondly, figure out what motivates you. Not knowing what motivates you, may be giving you a lack of meaningfulness or connectedness with your team.

Next, you need to keep track of your tasks at work and after work, and note whether each activity drains you, or fills up your cup. After a few days of keeping track of this, make changes to what you can by doing less of what drains you and more of what cheers you up.

Do you remember the excitement you felt when you got your job offer? Or the way you felt during your first day at work? If all else fails, remind yourself of why you like working there and what drew you to the organization in the first place. It is easy to lose sight of what it is exciting about your work in the first place.

You also need to be disciplined about rest and balance. It is important to prioritize sleep, nutrition, hydration, and exercise. These are all very important steps in being happy at work.

Lastly, and arguably the most important aspect, especially for people on a salary is to not be ‘on’ 24/7. Unless it is something extremely urgent or a unique circumstance, employees should never feel the forced to be plugged in 24/7. This will not lead to a happy workforce.

Picture from Insider.com. Click here to read more on how to be happy at work.

Do you feel I missed an important aspect that leads to a happiness at work? Let me know by commenting on this blog! I look forward to hearing from you.

How to Be a Stellar Team Player

Being a team player is not an easy task, and being a stellar team player is even harder, but it will make you stand out at work. Who knows, you may even be rewarded for being this type of team player that other people look up to!

If you’re reading this article then you are probably wondering how to be a stellar team player, well let me give you 6 tips on how to do so:

Don’t know where to start the journey of being a team player? Click here to read more

1. Offer help to coworkers when you notice that they seem overwhelmed or struggling with a task they are trying to complete.

2. Actively listening when your coworkers are speaking with you and thinking thoroughly before responding to them.

3. Communicate, communicate, and communicate some more. Keep your coworkers and team updated on progress and what you could use to be more successful at your job.

4. Be respectful of others by recognizing that your team members are also trying to impress and fulfill their roles. Don’t overstep and have boundaries.

5. Be good at problem solving. When you see there is a problem you should take action and solve it by braining storming solutions to your concerns and encouraging feedback.

6. Celebrate your coworkers’ successes. No one likes a jealous person. If your coworkers succeed in the workplace, so do you.

Picture from rachelpawa.weebly.com

This week I challenge you to not only be a team player but be a stellar team player. I promise you someone will be watching and will notice. I am even sure you will be rewarded for it.

How to Recruit Through LinkedIn

The first step to using LinkedIn as a recruiting tool is setting up a Company Page. This is something that LinkedIn offers for free to organizations. When your company LinkedIn page is completely set up, you want to ensure that all the employees working at your organization, have their profile linked to your Company’s profile.

This will get your job posts to reach an even greater audience when your employees start sharing your job opening updates. It will leverage their network on LinkedIn too. If your company page only has 100 followers, but one of your employees who has linked their profile to the company’s profile, has 500 connections your posts will be pushed out to an even larger audience.

Photo from Maitryee Gol. Wondering how to use LinkedIn as a student? You can read more here

LinkedIn also operates similarly to job posting platforms, like Indeed and ZipRecruiter, in the sense that you can also post your companies job openings on LinkedIn. However, LinkedIn only allows you to post a job once through their platform for free, then the next job postings you make will require you to pay a fee.

Other than utilizing LinkedIn to apply for your openings through LinkedIn, you can still advertise your openings on your company page through making posts. I recommend including the link to apply through your company website for whatever job opening you’re making a post about. For example, if I was recruiting for an Engineer, I would make a post on my company’s page, and highlight a few responsibilities of the role, how great it is to work for my company, and at the end include the link for them to apply directly to my website.

If you are really trying to hunt down the perfect candidate, you can also directly search for people on LinkedIn, request to connect with them, and then send them a personalized message regarding the opening you feel they would be a great fit for.

Photo from Kinesis. Click here to read how to maximize your exposure on LinkedIn

If you are not already on LinkedIn as a Company, or an individual, I highly recommend creating an account. LinkedIn attracts the best of the best and is a great recruiting tool.

Have you ever scouted or been scouted on LinkedIn? Let me know below!

Recruitment and Selection Strategies

Today I want to share with you all a few recruitment and selection strategies to bring in well-qualified and hard-working candidates to your organization.

The first step, and arguably the most important step to recruiting good talent is to have a clear employer brand. What does your brand name stand for? What area of business are you in? What talent do you currently have at your organization?

Not sure where to start when creating your employer brand? Click here to read more on the 5 branding strategies.

Once you know what your brand stands for, you need to create job postings that reflect this. You also should conduct research on what platforms are best to advertise for your brand, depending on your brand values and the type of work your organization does.

Use social media and external job posting sites (Indeed, etc.) to post and promote your job openings on. This is where things will fall into place. If you need to attract more educated/specifically skilled candidate’s I recommend utilizing LinkedIn. If you are looking for candidates such as jobs in marketing, I would use platforms like Instagram and TikTok.

A great way to attract new applicants is through employee referral programs. This is especially helpful if you have a really great and hard-working team. It is very likely they are going to refer applicants that are like them. This can be hard for smaller or start up companies, but it can be key if you are in desperate need of employees.

Lastly, keep records of past employees who were a runner up, but not selected for a past opening. Things may have changed with them, and it may be worth it to re-interview them and see where things go. Don’t just keep an application on file, keep notes that you took during screenings and interviews with the candidate so you can reference them if you do need to consider past candidates.

Click here to read more on what you need to know about full-cycle recruiting.

Did I miss anything? Comment down below and let me know how you would do things differently!

Why You Need A Diverse Workforce

You may be wondering what a diverse workforce means…let me tell you! A diverse workforce employs people from all different walks of life. More specifically, different ages, backgrounds, genders, religions, races, and abilities. All these aspects will bring in different ideas and perspectives to the organization, and in return benefit the company.

Photo from c&en – How to foster a diverse workplace. To read this article click here

Workplace diversity will help produce an increase in creativity amongst one another. Imagine all the ideas a group of employees can come up with if that room consists of different genders, races, ages, etc. On the other hand, if there was no diversity, you’re employing a homogeneous workforce. This is everyone from the same background, with the same viewpoints and socio-economic circumstance.

Creativity will lead to productivity. Thanks to a diverse workforce that has first made an increase in creativity, it is also increasing productivity with the new ideas flowing in.

Workplace diversity discourages group think. Instead, each individual feels a sense of belonging and representing their background, making them more likely to contribute to group efforts, rather than conforming with others.

Not only does workforce diversity look good, but it is also clearly essential in having a great team who is productive and creative. Diverse teams will give back to the organization thanks to all the different ideas and inputs.

Photo from GroSum – Top 6 Benefits of Diversity in the Workplace… to read more of this article, click here

I encourage you to create diversity in your workspace if it is lacking. If this is not a possibility, I recommend catching yourself before you fall into group think or conformation of your peers. Let’s embrace our differences to make a welcoming and valuable workplace!

5 Exit Interview Questions You Need to Be Asking

Most companies should be conducting exit interviews anytime an employee resigns. Exit interviews are important for both the employee and the company. It provides valuable insights and information about employee experience, weaknesses, and company culture. These are also beneficial to the employee because it allows them a chance to feel heard and get pressing issues off their chest before leaving the company.

Photo from Vintage Circle. Click here to read a complete guide on employee exit interviews.

I recommend when conducting an exit interview to not be direct or forceful with your questions, because it is most likely a nerve-racking experience to the employee. Instead, you should word your questions carefully, and stick to a script.

1. What encouraged you to begin looking for another job opportunity?
2. Do you feel as if your manager provided you with the necessary tools to succeed at this organization?
3. What was your favorite thing about your job? What about the least favorite thing about your job here?
4. With any/all achievements you have made, did you feel recognized by your peers or company?
5. What suggestions do you have for the company, and any areas we could improve on?

Photo from Bryq. If you want to see more examples of exit interview questions, click here

As the conductor of the interview, remain open minded and a good listener. It may be hard to listen to the things the employee says, but they have valuable insight on that position.

If you aren’t already doing exit interviews, I strongly urge you to do so. As someone who has never been offered one, I feel as if I could have given great insight in those positions I held. Find the time to do exit interviews!

How to Hire Interns

Having internship opportunities is not only a great opportunity for the student, but also for the organization. However, some organizations look at interns as inexpensive labor (meaning you don’t have to pay them as much as FT employees, and they aren’t offered benefits). It is important to avoid and discourage this type of thought focused on interns.

The first steps of creating an internship program at your organization is to write a job description focused on the duties and responsibilities of the internship. Things to include in the job description is the length of the internship, who they will report to, what their tasks are, and education that is required for the position.

Photo from Wix – for the interns, do’s and don’ts. To read more click here

Next you will want to develop projects for the intern to work on during their time with your organization. You should make sure to only assign them projects that you know they will be able to fully complete before their internship ends.

The third step to this process is selecting a supervisor to whom the intern will report to. It is crucial to assign the intern to a supervisor who is up for the extra challenge and work that comes with having an intern. What I mean by this is, they are willing to mentor, direct and assign things to them to keep the interns busy.

The final step to creating an intern program is to advertise the position accordingly. It is best to post the internship at universities local to your organization’s location.

When it is time to go through the applicants, the hiring manager and HR should go through each application with a fine comb. You want to make sure that the applicants have the required education and knowledge for the internship program.

Photo from Ramsey Solutions. To read more on how to get an internship, click here

Does your organization have an internship program? If not, I challenge you to bring the idea to your HR department and see if it is a possibility for your organization to begin offering. Let me know how it goes!

Why Aren’t People Taking You Seriously As A Leader?

I cannot think of one leader who would not care if they were taken seriously or not as a leader. Actually, I believe that a lot of leaders deal with this at one point in their career.

I want to share some reasons why people may not be taking you serious as a leader and how you can work on improving their views.

This article also has great information regarding why people don’t take you serious as a leader, click here.

I think one of the biggest reasons why people are not taking you seriously as a leader, is because you are not consistent, and you do not keep your word. I have struggled with this from an entrée level standpoint towards my manager, and I am sure most people have as well. It is hard to build trust with your leaders if they are always changing their word. So if you’re reading this as a leader, don’t do it!!

Another reason you aren’t being taken seriously is because you only care about the numbers and financial side of things. This is an unfortunate event that can occur. Instead of only focusing on the numbers, leaders should also focus on the employee culture of their work.

Lastly, you lack boundaries. It can be hard to keep boundaries as a leader because things get hectic – lets be real. Whether it is setting boundaries on work-life balance or setting boundaries on sharing personal information, you need to have them as a leader since people look to you for everything.

What does it take to be a leader? Click here for leadership characteristics.

This isn’t to say that you are not fit for being a leader if you are in violation of these things, it just means your leadership skills could use work.

Whether you are in an entry level position or you are a leader, let me know your experiences with leaders not being taken seriously.

The Secret to Being Happy at Work (As an HR Professional)

Some people kind of fall into the field of Human Resources, but others, like myself work towards and dream of working in Human Resources.

Not a lot of us know how to be happy at work though. Since HR can be very emotionally draining and difficult, it can be easy to lose focus on your goals and be happy at work.

Picture from SHRM. Click here to read more on how HR workers can win friends at work!

Here are 6 ways you can be happy at work – tailored to you, an HR Professional:

1. Find a path you enjoy. Is it Recruiting, or maybe its Benefits, or maybe its Employee Relations? Whatever your HR calling is, enjoy doing it.

2. Find a company that gives you a work-life balance. This can be especially challenging as someone working in Human Resources, but it is important to find work-life balance to avoid burn-out.

3. Avoid negativity and drama in your workplace. It is easy to get wrapped up in gossip when you’re feeling frustrated, but it’s best to avoid it all together so it doesn’t consume your time, and more importantly so it doesn’t come back aground to you.

4. Having a higher wage is tied to higher levels of employee satisfaction. This is not often in your control, but if it is something you know will make a difference, a new job at a new organization may just be what you need. Know your worth!

5. Continue to learn new things. I first started out in Recruitment, and I eventually started falling into a routine of doing the same thing every single day. I was bored and was not being challenged in a way that I needed to keep me happy and satisfied at work.

6. Lastly, make friends at work. You don’t need to hangout with them outside of work if you don’t wish to do so. It’s important to make friends to have something to look forward to at work. How boring it is to work somewhere with no friends! Who do you talk to about work!?

Here is how HR Professionals can handle work friendships.

This week I challenge you to make a friend at work (or another friend). I hope you relate over more than you ever thought you would!

5 New Hire Orientation Topics That Should Be Covered to Help Your Companies New Hires Succeed

New hire orientation is the first step in welcoming new employees to your company. New hire orientation is meant to give new hires the information they need to know about the company to help them succeed.

Wondering how to put on an effective new hire orientation? Click here to read more

Yes, orientation is part of the onboarding process, but not the same thing. Orientation is going to prepare every new hire for their role within the company.

The first thing to go over in orientation is your company’s organizational history. Highlight your company’s events that have changed the trajectory of the company. This could also be the time to go over your company’s organization chart (if they have one).

Next, at least one or two executive leaders should be introduced to the new hires. If the executive leaders are unable to make it to the orientation, the next best thing is to have them record a welcome video that you can play for the new hires.

Third, HR should go over relevant policies and procedures. Such policies or procedures should cover social media policies, PTO policies, Harassment policies, and Safety procedures.

Read how to conduct new employee orientation here

Next on the schedule for orientation should be to discuss payroll and benefit procedures. Including pay day dates, benefits enrollment information, insurance costs and a breakdown of the insurance plan your company offers.

Lastly, leave the floor open for any questions that the new hires may have specifically to HR. Taking time to answer any questions will prevent them from having future related questions.

New Hire Orientation will increase engagement by making new hires feel welcomed and helps give them a voice.