How to Answer Why Do You Want to Work Here

How to Answer Why Do You Want to Work HereHow to Answer Why Do You Want to Work HereWhen you go in for a job interview, youre bound to be asked a bunch of garden-variety questions about your previous work experiences, education, and skills. You might also be asked those challenging interview questions that are designed to trip up any vermgen job candidate (i.e., What would you do if I died?)Seriously, how are you even supposed to answer that?But of all the job interview questions that can keep you on your toes- and possibly turn a sternfrmig job interview into something sour- the question, Why do you want to work here? is one of the big ones.Answer it correctly, and chances are the job can be yours. Tank it, and you might not ever hear back from the employer. If youre faced with the interview question, heres how to answer the Why do you want to work here? question.How toAnswer Why Do You Want to Work Here?1. Know the company inside and out.Employers are a particular bunch. They dont want to hire just any old employee who has the qualifications and skills to fit the job.No, they want to hire someone who eats, sleeps, and breathes their business. So just skimming the surface and reading the companys About Us page or doing a quickie Google search isnt going to be enough.If this is a job that you really want, you should have a working knowledge of the companys history, its major milestones, where it stands today, andany breaking industry information about the company. (It also helps to follow the company on social media, too)By knowing all this, youre showing a potential employer that youre not just applying to any and every position that you find, regardless of whether you want the job or not.2. Show how your interests align with the position.Every company has a message and a mission, and its up to you as a job seeker to show how your beliefs align with those of the companys. Maybe the company has a strong humanitarian outreach or donates to a charity that you are passionate about.Whatever the cause is, make sure that when you answer the question, Why do you want to work here, you help show a potential boss how your interests, education, and trajectory of your career path all connect you to this one job. Pinpoint particular parts of the position that you feel strongly about so that the employer feels, aprs interview, that this is the one and only job for you.3. Make it personal.Its easy to regurgitate your resume and cover letter during an interview to show how your previous work experiences make you a perfect candidate for the position. But thats not going to be enough if you want to win over a hiring manager.Instead, make it personal. Tell a story or relate how working for the company would be meaningful to you on both a professional andpersonal level.During an interview with a womens interest magazine, one of my interviewers (a working mom) talked about how to help working moms make connections to their kids during the workday. Immediatel y I lifted up my sleeve to show her a gummy bracelet that my daughter had given me for good luck during the interview and said that welches how I was connecting to her.My potential boss eyes lit up, and I was offered the job the next day. Was wearing a gummy bracelet the sole reason I was hired for the job? No, of course not, but it definitely showed that I understood the company as well as its demographic, and how it all personally related to me.4. Know what not to say.Equally as important as what to say is what not to say. Even if youre desperate to ditch a painfully long commute- and the company is one that has a strong remote work policy- you dont want to tell an employer that.Employers want to feel that they are more than just a paycheck and the potential to work in PJs all day to you. Ditto for admitting that youve been job searching for so long and youre just desperate to get hired. While honesty has its place in job interviews, you want to make an employer feel special.As a good job seeker, you want to nail every job interview question correctly. Knowing exactly why you want to work for a specific company can help you answer the question, Why do you want to work here? knowledgeably, accurately, and make you memorable to the employer so that youll eventually get a job offer.Readers, how have you answered the Why do you want to work here? question? Have you ever goofed it, and what happened? Let us know in the comments below

Animal Careers, Internships and Advice

Animal Careers, Internships and AdviceAnimal Careers, Internships and Advice

How the human cloud could shape the future of the staffing industry

How the menschlich wolke could shape the future of the staffing industryHow the human cloud could shape the future of the staffing industryHow the human cloud could shape the future of the staffing industryIn case you havent heard, online staffing models, aka the human cloud, have begun to permeate the staffing industry. In fact, talk of this tech trend was a recurring theme at the Staffing Industry Associations SIA Executive Forum in February 2019.So do staffing professionals have a real worry on their hands? Industry leaders dont seem to think so at least for the time being but its notlage a topic that can be ignored.As we look at thinktank research on occupations that will be disrupted by technology, recruiters are pretty far down on the list, says Richard Wahlquist, president and CEO of the American Staffing Association (ASA).This core value add that our industry brings to clients inspektion talent, sourcing talent and deploying talent that makes the match in a way that genera tes high degrees of fit, productivity, and engagement takes the human touch.Still, as human cloud platforms continue to develop, they could become an attractive, less expensive means to purchase labor. Thats why its more important than ever that staffing professionals upgrade their skills and find ways to stay competitive.What exactly is the human cloud?The human cloud refers to all of the online platforms that help workers find work, typically with very limited human intervention, explains Barry Asin, president of Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA).The most relevant part of the human cloud in the staffing world is the online staffing platforms, including companies like Upwork, Fiverr, or Freelancer, he says, most of which are connecting individual workers with project-based work.Another area of the human cloud (the biggest one) is online work services, most notably companies like Uber and Lyft.Those are the biggest players, but there are a whole sortiment of others such as translati on services, outsourced customer service, and legal services, says Asin.The final and smallest category is crowdsourcing in which a company puts out microtasks that it needs to be done and people bid or compete for the project.In total, about $80 billion is spent annually on human cloud technologies, with online staffing accounting for about $5 billion of that, says Asin.For the most part, online platforms align best with work that can be done remotely, such as knowledge work (IT, marketing and creative). But were also beginning to see platforms emerge that focus on local work (like hospitality shift work or industrial, assembly-line type jobs). Where it hasnt made much headway, however, is in placing highly skilled workers into full-time roles.But if the human cloud continues to evolve, and large corporations begin to explore them as viable options to help source candidates, what impact might that have on traditional staffing firms? Lets break it down by exploring some of the poten tial advantages and limitations of the human cloudThe ProsSpeed. The process is tech-driven so algorithms and business rules decide which jobs get shown to which workers, and that can happen instantly, says Asin.Cost savings. In some ways, the platform can be less expensive since theres just the tech in between the candidate and the hiring manager, says Asin.The ConsIt can be a free for all. If you need someone for full-time, on-site work, platforms right now cant do the proper vetting to find that fit, in the way human conversation can. One of the things recruiters and staffing firms do is convince imperfect candidates to take imperfect jobs, says Asin. Its a sales role it takes a person to convince people to try things that are not just a slam dunk.There could be legal issues. Platforms have been mostly geared toward the gig economy essentially, 1099 independent contractors versus W-2 employees. But the Uberization of work has brought into question the legal definition of indepen dent contractor. Uber is the target of the most scrutiny from drivers who allege that they should be treated as employees and have access to benefits that traditional employees have, says Wahlquist. Hence, the California Supreme Courtslandmark rulingthat has changed the test for independent contractor status in the state.Asin agrees Its true that online platforms tend to use an independent contractor model, and thats problematic for large enterprise companies concerned about making sure hires are classified properly.Its not conducive for full-time work (yet). On the candidate side, staffing platforms thus far are really about picking up short-term projects here and there but ultimately, most job seekers would prefer to find full-time jobs. Individuals that have been attracted to the pure online platform companies are getting relatively short, defined engagements, says Wahlquist.Staffing Firms are Leveraging TechnologyThe good news is that many top staffing companies are already sta ying ahead of the curve, incorporating bots and AI to do lower-level screening as people are making inquiries, says Wahlquist.And companies across different sectors are giving talent the opportunity to go online and bid for jobs and allowing clients access into the database to make matches as quickly and efficiently as possible. Technology is creating tremendous flexibility at a time where were looking for growth drivers and are facing talent shortages, says Wahlquist.For Hire Dynamics a staffing firm that has been matching talent with employers needing to fill roles in call center, admin, and warehouse and distribution jobs for over 18 years the decision to launch its Work4HD app last year was a no-brainer.We have them download the app, and do their whole application through it, says Larry Feinstein, CEO, but then we bring them in and vet them, drug test them, do a background, and an interview so we can get the right cultural fit.Combining the best of tech with the face-to-face h uman connection is what Feinstein says will separate a staffing company from a human cloud model.So far, app adoption has exceeded expectations, says Feinstein, with about half of applicants using it.In a competitive market, the app helps the jobs get filled pretty quickly. If someone calls us on a Saturday that needs workers on Monday, we can put it out on our app and its filled by Monday, he says.Thats because the app is built to target and push out notifications to not only people with the right skill set (for instance, a forklift operator certification), but also those in the right geographic area. But even more so, the data and insights shared via the app is helping the staffing associates better understand and engage the candidates so they can provide a better, streamlined experience, he says.Next up, Hire Dynamics is working on technology to support the client side as well. However, at the heart of all these technology upgrades, relationships and emotional connections will re main a top priority, says Feinstein. Its about solidifying our relationship with our talent so we can be better career advocates for them.And make no mistake thats what candidates want. As the ASA Workforce Monitor survey found, while 83% of individuals believe that tech has made finding a job easier, 7 in 10 believe the job search has become too impersonal.ur message is that high touch remains critically important and that organizations that rely too much on high tech are doing themselves a disservice and probably wont be able to make a connection, says Wahlquist.Looking Ahead The Convergence of Traditional Staffing and Technology While online staffing models have some potential to cause a shakeup, Wahlquist says its nothing that staffing firms havent faced before. Staffing has been on a tech continuum for the past 20 years. And as tech has advanced, it has enabled the world of staffing, he says. However, he points out, it can be a disruptive force for those who fail to embrace tec hnology.Asin thinks the most likely outcome will be a convergence between traditional pure service providers like staffing firms, and the platforms like Upwork.Like it or not, he says, staffing professionals will have to get more and more tech savvy, but youll always need people to understand the nuances of organizational culture and the career aspirations of the workers.Technology simply offers an opportunity for staffing firms to do what theyve been talking about becoming more of a consultant to the buyers, and more of a career coach to the candidate, says Asin.Or, put another way, todays staffing professionals are seeing online staffing as another arrow in their quiver, says Wahlquist. Its another tool in their toolkit to source and match candidates with clients even faster than had been done before, he says.But as we know, speed is hardly the only measure of success. If they become over-reliant on tech, they are going to lose a big piece of what makes their companies successful and that is an engaged workforce. Talent is a differentiator, says Wahlquist. You cant afford to risk your companys reputation with talent that is unqualified or not engaged.Thats also why Asin predicts that if platforms like Upwork want to successfully support the hiring needs of enterprise organizations, they, too, will have to take a more hybrid approach by adding a human layer to their platform offerings.The bottom line The staffing industry cant ignore trends and must stay current with would-be disruptors, but not at the expense of what it does best. Says Feinstein The companies that match the best experience with the best technology will prevail.

Why I re-read my favorite books multiple times a year

Why I re-read my favorite books multiple times a yearWhy I re-read my favorite books multiple times a yearAbout four years ago I decided to read100 new books a year. Ive kept up that habit until recently.I stopped reading two new books a week because I forgot almost everything I learned more than a year earlier. And theres no way you can remember even a quarter of a book you read three years ago.I made this discovery this year when I started worrying about random things in my life. I thought, Didnt I deal with this issue years ago?And I was right, Ive read a lot about worrying, Ive coached people,and I even wrote a book about it.But Im bedrngnis a machine- Im not immune to the challenges that we all face. No one is.So I decided to re-read one of my all-time favorite personal development books,How To Stop Worrying and Start Livingby Dale Carnegie. After that, I remembered how to deal with worry again.Once I realized that knowledge disappears quickly from our minds, Ive been re-reading and studying at least one good book a week. We must arm ourselves against the challenge of life byrepeatingthe things we learn so often that they become a habit.If you want to master a particular skill, dont assume that reading a few books on the topic will help you do that- it requires endless repetition. Ryan Holiday said it best inThe Daily StoicWhen we repeat an action so often it becomes unconscious behavior, we can default to it without thinking.After re-reading close to 40 books this year, I want to share 5 tips with you that can help you master the skills that you value in life.1. Keep your all-time favorite books closeThe books you want to master need to be in a place where you see them every day. Keep them on your desk, on your nightstand, on the dinner table.Let the books remind you of what you want to get out of life. A book likeOn The Shortness Of Lifeis a constant reminder that life must be lived.Thats why I love to have it on my desk. I do the same with other books t hat are important to me likeOn Writing Wellby William Zinsser.So look at your life. What behaviors, characteristics, or skills do you want to make your own? What books are about those things? Keep those books close. But dont keep a stack of 30 books on your desk. Pick only 1-2 books per topic. And stick to thebest.2. Make sure youve highlighted your booksI always highlight a book when I read it for the first time. Now, when I want to go back and study a book, I dont need to reread everything. I look at my highlights, but I also read the whole paragraph.Every time someone tells me they are afraid to highlight books or that they dont want to buy books, I question that persons will to learn. Look, whats more important? Keeping your books neat? Or improving your life?Highlight your books. Make notes on the pages. Turn the book into something thatsyours.3. Grab a book and go through it in a day (or two)Ive learned that the meaning of a book changes over time. Thats not because of the boo k changes but becauseyouchange.The first time I readThe One Thingby Gary Keller, I learned about thepower of compounding. The second time I read it, I learned about the importance of blocking large chunks of time to get meaningful work done.Thats because I was in a different phase. And thats also why you want to read good books more than once. The great thing about re-reading non-fiction books is that it doesnt take much time.If youve highlighted a book, you can go through the whole book in three to four hours, in my experience. I can do that in one or two days. And I always learn something new.4. Make personal notes about the book in your journalNo matter how often you read a good book, youll still forget the majority of the content. It doesnt matter how good or useful a book is, over time, we forget a lot of what weve learned.But when you make notes about the things youve learned from a book, you start internalizing knowledge. Once you write about a topic in your own words, it bec omes a part of your muscle memory.Thats why I recommend writing notes to yourself in yourjournal. Just like Marcus Aurelius did in his journal (which later was published as Meditations). Tell yourself do this and dont do that.5. Repeat this process every week with a new book - multiple times a yearIts better to re-read a good book several times a year, compared to reading a decent book only once or twice. So as you keep rereading books, narrow down your list.I started with about 50 books I wanted to re-read. Ive cut it down to half by now. My goal is to end up with 8 books that I will skim through once a month (two a week). Once the material becomes a habit and is in my muscle memory, I intend to move to another book.Theres nothing new about this learning principle. Its exactly the same strategy Bruce Lee used to become one of the biggest martial artists and actors in history. He saidI fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one ki ck 10,000 times.Similarly, I dont admire the person who has read 1,000 books, but I admire the person who has read one book 1,000 times.This article first appeared on Darius Foroux.

The Lost Secret of Canva Resume Builder

The Lost Secret of Canva Resume Builder The Bad Side of Canva Resume Builder Possessing an expert profile is quite crucial for your resume. The Dj Business Cards Templates Free can likewise be structured in the way which best presents your abilities and experience. In other words, employing a Dj Business Cards Templates Free speeds up the practice of producing a winning resume and ensures that it is going to stick out in the application practice. Listed below are a few of top notch Canva Resume Templates images on the net. Our resume builder is the quickest approach to create a resume that will allow you to get your fantasy job. Be aware that the post is targeted at US readers, so if youre in a different nation, you might realize that a number of the advice doesnt necessarily apply and even if youre in the United States, dont feel you have to follow along with each and every point slavishly. The resume maker is really strong and provides a great level of control without bei ng overwhelming. A web-based CV maker is beinahe and easy with predefined settings, yet theres lots of room to reflect your personality. Something easy and non-obtrusive is recommended, therefore it doesnt draw attention away from the cap of the page. The good thing is an online resume maker gets you a professionally formatted resume in virtually no time, which means you may take the very first step toward a better paycheck faster. The templates are customizable to a good level, and therefore you dont have to be worried about your resume looking similar to anybody elses. Our resume builder is not going to bother you with any kind of annoying watermarks. The mixture of our templates and your input is likely to make your resume fly to the peak of any pile. Editing your Canva resume template couldnt be simpler just click the text you wish to replace and type your own. To save a whole lot of heartache later on, be sure you use our resume builder to create a document that could be easily transferred to several job applications. With your template ready to go, it ought to be a snap to collect your application the next time you find a job listing thats related to your skillset. Keep in mind, when youve finished personalizing your resume, youre not prepared to fill out an application yet. Our easy resume builder tafelgeschirr does not need advanced technical understanding, which means that you can concentrate on spending time sifting through your great achievements as you decide what things to include, instead of on attempting to work out the way to use our new program. Which is ideal if youre trying to find a new position after years settled in work. Getting the most of a resource that wont only help save you time, but is demonstrated to elevate your odds of scoring a work simply is reasonable. You will use somebody elses work and youll also probably not be presenting yourself in the very best light possible for the job. Its your time to impress. You must convey, clearly and concisely, exactly why you are going to be a very good fit for a specific part in a typical format that supplies potential employers with all the information that theyll count on. Each work position takes a different skill set which is exactly why only skills related to the applied position ought to be put in your resume. With the correct amount of preparation and education, youre going to be in a position to go into the work market with confidence. Keep in mind that the very purpose of it is not receiving the work instantly, but securing work interview. It is very important to keep in mind your situation is just temporary, and your next job could possibly be even better than your last. Modern times can be quite challenging when applying for employment, competition is huge. A complete alternative for candidates with lots of experience who desire to have a really good one-page resume template. A perfect alternative for academics and candidates searchin g for jobs in traditional sectors. Minimalist resume template appropriate for formal resumes. Whether youre writing your very first curriculum vitae or revising a recent CV, a template can be extremely useful. For instance, a template can demonstrate how to lay out your CV. Secondly, you ought to think about the title of your document. You should make certain to settle on a format thats easiest for you. Resume Templates is a superb method to take away the stress from writing and presenting a resume so you can concentrate on what you have to do when youre given the interview. Utilizing a resume template has turned into an acceptable and smart practice for several explanations. A Startling Fact about Canva Resume Builder Uncovered There are several qualified applicants out there, and an excellent presentation is critical so as to stick out from the crowd. Including an overview of qualifications is almost always a very good idea. Zetys resume templates are made with the assi stance of recruiters and adhere to the best practices in HR. As a way to use a resume to compose a CV, it is crucial to find several examples that possess the relevant specifics.

The Pain of Federal Resume

The Pain of Federal Resume The Tried and True Method for Federal Resume in Step by Step Detail The writers utilize the appropriate buzzwords for federal hiring. A powerful resume written by federal resume specialists provides you a huge advantage over your competition. You are going to have to read further into the announcement to figure out if its what you were actually researching. Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Federal Resume Therefore, its essential to review the particular job announcement for those abilities and knowledge required. Character matters as soon as it comes to federal job opportunities. If you are searching for a position at which you might be training individuals, then you are going to want to concentrate on the training skills that you learned while you were a military mechanic, not necessarily all the info you know about military vehicles. For instance, if youre interested in an engineering position, take a look at your abilities and define the skil ls that you believe can help you land the job. Our occupation is to supply you with the fruchtwein effective possible likelihood of locating the job which you desire. Although it searching costs a bundle and time, therefore it turns into a sense of shame for the candidate who gets rejected as a result of poor resume. How you summarize your experience can impact the way the employer interprets the remainder of your resume, so select your words carefully The important thing to remember while developing your resume is that you would like it to be simple to comprehend. Top Choices of Federal Resume As the amount of applicants for federal jobs continue growing, so do the variety of resume companies appearing to make the most of them. Make certain you select jobs youre qualified for. Federal jobs have become ever mora popular. When it is government jobs or not its important to boost your resume by including numerical outcomes. The One Thing to Do for Federal Resume If youre ke en on submitting an application for a federal job, you want to adhere to a different set or norms and techniques. You have to make sure the critical words and the core competencies are written in the document. Writing a federal resume means following federal resume guidelines to ensure hiring managers are in a position to obtain the precise details they are seeking with only a quick glance. One of the absolute most important federal resume tips is that you want to follow along with every detail of the guidelines, including character counts, for each and every section. The military has devised a communication system which may do the job well for them, but it doesnt necessarily do the job well for individuals which are looking for a location in the civilian job industry. You have to use some discretion whenever there is too much info. Eliminate all the military jargon that you may be tempted to use while writing your Air Force resume. Everything in a Federal resume needs to be first individual. Federal Resume Fundamentals Explained You are able to seek the advice of a federal resume writing service to boost your federal resume. The motive is to impress whoever is reading it. Things You Wont Like About Federal Resume and Things You Will Find out more about the occupation which youre interested in and develop your resume accordingly. Federal employers would like to know what in your experience is related to the position, even supposing it isnt recent. For instance, a position as an Agricultural Lawyer may require KSAs concerning the applicants SPECIFIC abilities, wisdom and abilities as to Agricultural Law. Creatively written Federal Resumesthat will make you distinguish yourself from the remainder of the candidates. When an applicant is not pertinent by the essential closing date, the application will typically be rejected. Whether there are vacancy announcements of the national government then there are certain rules that need to be followed. The documents linked to federal resume has a huge part in landing work outside from the results of your interview. During the procedure, you will work one-on-one with a certified, experienced professional till you have a resume youre pleased with. Ideas, Formulas and Shortcuts for Federal Resume The pricing for federal resume services varies based on several important things. There are customer services that could cater your demands and queries about their expert services. From that point you will discover information on jobs which are available and requirements. While the info necessary for a resume for federal job opportunities may appear to be long and detailed, its imperative that you make certain that you quickly get to the point. A federal cover letter could be a necessary portion of a federal job application package or it might not. Furthermore, the job descriptions are more detailed and in paragraph form. The margins of the document ought to be no less than one inc h. Dont neglect to compose a compelling piece so that you will get high grade. The Federal Resume Chronicles Your academic record should be put in your resume in chorological purchase. Other transferable skills might include the ability to work nicely with numbers, sale skills, or an ability to fix problems by considering the huge picture. Any service thats going to be capable of offering you a good federal resume, which will then let you be considered for the greater federal jobs, are going to have superior history and readily provide strong examples of their work. Military resumes also generally have a good deal of white space.

Deloittes Cyber Security Leadership Wants to Meet You

Deloittes Cyber Security Leadership Wants to Meet You This event is intended for cyber security professionals with 2+ years of experience. If you are interested in attending the event, please email hipowertofly.com for an invitation. Deloitte, in partnership with PowerToFly, is assembling an exclusive event for New Yorks women in cyber security to connect with Emily Mossburg, Deloittes Secure Services Leader and a principal on Deloitte Touches Cyber Risk Services Leadership Team. This invite-only evening will include a panel with additional leaders from Deloitte, as well as an inside look into the companys technology innovations and culture where women can thrive.After the program, we will leave time for you to network with top women in your field and gruppe members from PowerToFly.This event would be the best fit for cyber security professionals with at least 2+ years of experience.The event will be held on Tuesday, June 26th from 6pm to 8pm at Deloittes NYC HQ, located at 30 Rocke feller Plaza, New York, NY 10111.Agenda (Subject to Change)600pm - Check-In Networking over Food Drinks630pm - Event Kickoff with PowerToFly635pm - Keynote Address by Emily Mossburg, Deloittes Secure Services Leader645pm - Featured SpeakersSamir Hans, Principal in Cyber Risk at Deloitte Vikram Kunchala, Senior Manager, Technology Risk, CISSP700pm - Fireside Chat with Emily Mossburg moderated by PowerToFly CoFounder President Katharine Zaleski715pm - Audience QA730pm - Networking over Food DrinksAlso, Deloitte is hiring Deloitte is committed to recruiting, developing, and promoting a diverse workforce while providing unique opportunities across our businesses. Deloitte has been recognized by Working Mothers as one of the 100 best companies for multicultural women. Their benefits include up to 16 weeks of Paid Family Leave, pension plans, and gym health subsidies.Follow Deloitte on PowerToFly for updates about open roles and dont forget to create your free profile.About our Event s All RSVPd attendees are welcome, regardless of race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, or age. If you require accommodation to fully participate in this event, please email hipowertofly.com, and we will contact you to discuss your specific needs.Unfortunately, PowerToFly and the company it is holding an event on behalf of cannot admit outside recruiters to this particular event. Please email hipowertofly.com if you have any questions about this policy.Related Articles Around the Web Gender Equality at Deloitte - YouTube Respect inclusion at Deloitte - YouTube Deloittes commitment to gender equality 30% female leadership by ... Aki Merced

68R - Veterinary Food Inspection Specialist

68R - Veterinary Food Inspection Specialist68R - Veterinary Food Inspection SpecialistIt may sound like a job that deals with animals, but Army Veterinary Food Inspection Specialists are actually tasked with inspecting the food that they and their fellow soldiers eat. Theyre the ones who test and inspect all food that goes into the meals-ready-to-eat (MREs) that soldiers rely on in the field. They approve all food vendors that work with the Army and taste and sample all the food at Army facilities. These soldiers may be deployed, or stationed at Army garrisons around the world even though they deal with food, these soldiers arent always confined to the kitchen. This important Army job is categorized as a military occupational specialty (MOS) 68R. Duties of Veterinary Food Inspection Specialists These soldiers inspect all food products intended for menschengerecht consumption. Using statistical sampling methods they make sure food is being stored at safe temperatures, and ensure t hat all food items are packaged according to Department of Defense standards. MOS 68R collects samples for lab testing and looks for any unsanitary food storage conditions at facilities and commissaries. Its up to them to maintain and operate any inspection equipment. Theyre also tasked with being on the lookout for any pests, in food and water supplies, and recommends any necessary corrective actions when unsanitary conditions are discovered. Training for MOS 68R If youre planning to pursue this job, prepare for ten weeks of Basic Combat Training and eight weeks of Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio Texas. This will include training infood safety and protection and quality assurance. Youll learn how to inspect meat, poultry, water foods, eggs, dairy products, and fresh fruit and vegetables, and how to identify unsanitary conditions in food storage facilities. Qualifying as MOS 68R Theres no Department of Defense security clearance needed f or this job, but youll need to score at least a 95 on the skilled technical area of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) tests. In addition, youll need to have normal color vision and have a strong sense of smell. You should have high school- or higher-level credits in math and science. Similar Civilian Occupations to MOS 68R While there are a lot of aspects of this job that are specific to the Army, there are some civilian equivalents to veterinary food inspector specialists. Youll be qualified as an agricultural inspector, and could find work as a restaurant safety inspector with a local health department. Note that such work may require additional training or licensing at the state or local level.

Four Steps to a Successful Employment Brand

Fur Steps to a Successful Employment BrandFour Steps to a Successful Employment BrandFour Steps to a Successful Employment BrandEvery company, no matter the size, has an employment brand including your small geschftliches miteinander.A great employment brand can level the recruiting playing field and enable your company to attract the top talent.In this webinar, Four Steps to a Successful Employment Brand, author and small geschftlicher umgang consultant Roberta Matuson shares valuable insights about building a successful employment brand, based on her experience and conversations with small geschftslebenes.This well-paced webinar covers the four bases ofcreating a great employment brandStep One Take an Honest AssessmentAssess your employment brand from the job seekers perspective.Step Two Define Your Message Build a brand that reflects your company values and mission.Step Three Transform your Brand on a BudgetImprove your brand without breaking the bank.Step Four Implement an Action PlanManage your employment brand now and in the future.Learn employment brand strategies that will improve your companys hiring game.About the PresenterRoberta MatusonAuthor and President of Matuson ConsultingRoberta Matuson is the author of the international bestseller,Suddenly in Charge Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around (Nicholas Brealey, 2011), a Washington Post Top-5 Business Book for Leaders, and the forthcoming book, Talent Magnetism (Nicholas Brealey, 2013).Roberta is the President of Matuson Consulting which helps organizations create exceptional workplaces that deliver extraordinary results.Webinar Transcript Four Steps to a Successful Employment BrandWelcome to this small business webinar presented by Monster. We appreciate your attendance and time today, which we know is very valuable. Im Connie Blaszczyk, managing editor of the Resource Center, where youll find timely articles, interviews, and videos to help with your small business hiring and management . Today were excited to present our presentation, Four Steps to a Successful Employment Brand, and excited about our presenter, Roberta Matuson. Roberta is author of the international bestseller, Suddenly in Charge Managing Up, Managing Down, Succeeding All Around. It welches selected by the Washington Post as one of the top five business books for leaders. Her forthcoming book, Talent Magnetism, will be published in September. Roberta is president of Matuson Consulting, a firm that helps organizations achieve dramatic growth and market leadership through the maximization of talent.Before we begin, lets go through a few housekeeping details. All registered participants of todays webinar will receive an email with the direct link to our archived webinar presentation and recording. The archived webinar will also be available later this week on hiring.monster.com. Click on the resource center reiter for more information. We look forward to your questions today, which well address at th e end our presentation. To submit your question, please use the QA module on your WebEx screen. If youre listening to todays webinar by phone and you would like to ask a question, please be aware that youll be placed on mute until the QA session begins. Now its my pleaaya to turn the webinar over to Roberta Matuson. Welcome, Roberta.Thank you, Connie. Its my pleasure to present to your community today. First I want to go over what were going to be covering in this webinar, so that we cover our bases. Were going to begin by talking about why an employment brand is so important to your business, especially those small businesses that are trying to compete for talent with larger organizations. Were also going to talk about how you can objectively evaluate your employment brand, and discussion will be included on how you can improve it without breaking the bank. Then well move into talking about the need for maintenance and how you can maintain your employment brand as you go forward.It s summertime, and I thought it might be fun to put a little bit of spin on things and go with a baseball theme for todays webinar. Im a movie buff, and one of the most memorable lines for me comes from the movie Field of Dreams. Those of you who have seen the movie probably will recognize when Kevin Costner, who plays an Iowa corn farmer, hears a voice that says, If you built it, he will come. Of course being that this is Hollywood, eventually he and the rest of the team show up. Ive seen a similar build it and see strategy with many business owners that Ive worked with, and they optimistically believe that this is all it takes to attract an employee or a customer. Thats just half the story. You can either wait for the sequel to come along, or you can take action today, especially after this webinar, to create a story that will have a happy ending.Lets talk for a moment about what exactly an employment brand is. It is the impression that candidates have of your company and what it m ight be like to work for you. Its really based on what they see, and more importantly what they hear, about your organization from their network. Whether that is their personal network, or the ten thousand friends that they may have up on their social network. Its often based on the collective history of your company, which I like to call your company story.In a nutshell, its really about the employment experience. Its also about creating an image that reminds current employees of the reasons why they initially chose your company. This in turn is a gentle reminder of why staying with you is really a great idea. We are going to take a short poll right now. I want to hear from you guys and find out whether your company has a career page on your website. A career page is where a prospective employee, or even a current employee who is trying to help a friend find work, can go to learn more about your company, your benefits, and your job openings. You would also include links to your pos tings on this page. Im curious as to how many of you actually have a career page. While were tabulating ansicht results, Im going to guess that for many of you, you may plan to build one soon. My guess is that it would be the majority, but lets see what the results say.Were waiting for it to be tabulated in just a moment, and we can see whether or not Im clairvoyant. Great. Wow. Im a little off, but 65 percent of you say that you have one. Thats great news. As we go through todays session, you can focus on what exactly you need to do to improve the one that you have.When I work with my clients, Im often asked what is the difference between a recruitment and an employment brand. The way I see it, recruitment is very tactical and somewhat passive, especially if you dont have a team of experienced recruiters combing for talent, which many small businesses dont have. What typically happens is that you post a job, and then you hope or pray that the right candidate will select you from am ong many other opportunities that are competing for their attention. It sounds a bit to me like trying to hit the ball with one hand tied behind your back. The passive people are driven by a desire for growth. When I say passive job seekers, behauptung are the people who are not actively looking for work, but if an opportunity comes along, theyre certainly willing to entertain it, and theyre looking for meaningful work. Whats going to get them make a move is a challenge or an opportunity. Theyll really consider making a move if they believe that the future you are offering looks brighter than the one they currently have. When you focus on creating your employment brand that pulls people toward you, you are getting the attention of both active and passive job seekers. When you do this right, you address what we call the wants of prospective employees.A great example of this is Toms Shoes. Many of you may be familiar with Toms founder, Blake Mycoskies one-for-one program. He provides a pair of shoes to a child in need every time somebody buys a pair of Toms shoes. This message of giving back is part of the soul of the company, and its emotionally appealing to the wants of many who are looking to give back to the world. This message can be found throughout the organization on their websites, their videos, et cetera. So, this is an example of a company that does it really well. It has a really strong employment brand, and its able to pull in the talent they need to be quite successful in a very competitive environment.Im often asked by small businesses, Is this something that I really need to do? Quite frankly, the answer is yes. You can now compete for talent with larger organizations, and you can come out ahead. For example, there are many benefits to working for a small business. For one thing, as the president, you most likely are on first name basis with all of your employees, and you may even know a thing or two about their families. It is somewhat hard to i magine that the CEO of a Fortune 500 company has this type of relationship with all of his people. This is very appealing to many who may be tired of working in a larger organization where you are a small fish in a very large ocean.I should add that prospective clients usually check out a companys website before entering into a relationship. Your companys culture is a big part of that, especially if you are in a business where high levels of service are expected. Being able to get a feel for the company and the type of people the company hires can certainly help seal the deal. There are so many employment brands, and the only way I can really explain the importance of what this means is to share with you a personal experience that I had. I worked for an overnight delivery service, and I cant tell you how many times I lost out. I didnt get some really great candidates because I was losing out to Big Brown, also known as UPS. That was because as an organization, we really didnt do a g ood job of describing our employment brand, nor did we communicate it. When you have a great brand, that really helps to drive engagement, and it really helps draw the right candidates towards you. It creates an emotional connection with, again, both the active and passive job seekers. As I personally experienced, it can help you increase the number of accepted offers. Its something that you certainly want to consider, and as we talked about earlier, its definitely going to reinforce your marketing brand. Its definitely worth the investment.I want to shift gears here for a moment and talk a little bit about the job seekers. Its so important to determine the type of people that youre trying to attract, and in doing so, you have to think of whats in it for them, if they come to work for you. Job seekers, for the most part are very me-centric. Many business people tend to believe what they have to offer is no different than anyone else, but in most cases thats not entirely true.When I was doing research for my new book, Talent Magnetism, I interviewed a gentleman who shared with me some of the unique offerings that his people had in his small business. One of them was that he allowed one of his employees in the T-shirt printing business to leave the organization during the summer months and go out on tour with his band. Not only did he do that, but he also gave this gentleman the ability to print T-shirts in his shop and then sell them on the road. This is just something quite unique. Its very unlikely that this gentleman, whos been with him now for over five years, would even consider leaving, given the fact that hes working for an employer whos doing something quite unique.If you cant think of anything unique about your organization right now, then I would recommend that you simply ask your people what attracted them to your workplace and why they stay. I recently did that for an owner of a motorcycle company. It was quite interesting. I shared with him an arti cle that I wrote on low-cost ways to show your employees they are highly valued, and as the result of reading through that article, he selected two or three new initiatives that he wanted to bring to his organization, to help him attract better people. If you want to send me an email at robertamatusonconsulting.com and ask for that list of low cost ways, I will be more than happy to share that same list with you. I think it can be very, very valuable as you look at ways to stand out in a crowded employment field, particularly as the economy improves.This data came from a report that will soon be available on hiring.monster.com. Youll receive a link to this shortly, but what wound up happening when did the survey is that they found out that while salary is important to job seekers, its not the number one thing they look for. Ill give you a moment to look at this list. I bet, as many of you are looking at this list, youre probably bobbing your heads like, Yeah, thats what I value as w ell. I think this information is extremely valuable and very, very accurate.What is it that candidates really value in a company? First of all, I want to make the point that this is not an inclusive list. This is not everything, but its certainly a good place to start. People want to work for a company that they can be proud of, or a company that has what I call a sense of purpose, like Toms. Places with opportunities to move up in the organization are huge these days. They want to be in a great workplace. Thanks to all the visibility Google gets, everybody wants to be in that kind of environment where theyre actually making a contribution and having fun. Coming off this recession, though, theyre also looking for some job stability. If any of this is resonating for you, make a checkmark next to any of these items I would encourage you to look back on what you, as an organization, are offering, and really hone in on that message.I think that finding the perfect employee is a lot like dating, and heres what I mean by this. First of all, beauty is in the eye of the candidate. You might look like a great organization to work for, and some people may think that, while others may think that you are kind of average. Youve got to think about, and really define clearly, who youre trying to attract so that you can make yourself attractive to that kind of employee. If you try to be attractive to everyone, I can guarantee you that you will be very ordinary. In most cases, you wont be attractive to anyone. Really think about that. Beauty is in the eye of the candidate.It also comes from within, and I would like to call this your companys essence. You may not have the prettiest benefits and the nicest offices, but there must be something about your organization that resonates with people. They are there for a reason, and you need to figure out what that reason is. When I was growing up, my mom told me that looks didnt matter. Ive got to tell you I wish that that were true, but in the world of work, your looks do matter. When I say that, before you all send me hate mail, Im not talking about your personal looks. Im talking about the looks of your materials, your website, and your organization. People are looking at you, and they are making a very quick determination as to whether or not they want to interview with you, even before you call them in for an interview. Most importantly, the attraction must be mutual. Its great that you see a candidate that you love and want to bring into your organization, but if they dont feel that same connection, that relationship is never going to work.Lastly, I want you to think about the fact that you always need to be working on your relationships, to keep both parties happy and engaged.Now that you know what candidates are seeking when they look for a place to call home, lets take a look at some of the strategies to help you create an employment brand that will help you attract and retain great people. If youre vow ing to do this right, then you need to begin with an honest look at where you currently are in terms of your employment brand. Sixty-five percent of you said that you have an employment brand. Were not going to do a poll question on this, but Id be curious as to how many of you may have inherited those brands and may think, Wow, we have some really great opportunities to improve them.What Id like you to do is think about the following. Does your website look dated? In other words, has it been maybe five years since youve had your last facelift on your website? Does your company have a Facebook page? If so, do you regularly post on it, or is this like a once a month thing when you think about it? Are people actually falling asleep when theyre reading your job descriptions? You know, you can do your best to really capture the essence of the job you are describing, because your job is to get people excited. Its to get people to say, Oh, my gosh, I can actually see myself working in thi s organization, rather than, Oh yeah, thats just another nice job. Think about that when youre writing your job descriptions. Try to make them a little more engaging, so that you dont look like everyone else.I like to recommend that you choose a well-balanced team and include groups of people who you may be specifically trying to attract. For example, suppose youre expanding your mom and pop business, and youre looking to hire store personnel for a new retail site. Id suggest gathering input from current store employees to see if the brand that you are establishing accurately reflects your company. Ask for input regarding what else you should include to be more attractive to like-minded candidates.I also like to suggest that you reach out to candidates who might have rejected your job offers. I mean, rejection is never easy, but its good to get a sense of specifically why they may have taken another job or chosen another job over yours. Dont be surprised when doing so if some of the m actually ask if they could be reconsidered, which is what I call a home run especially if the position is mucksmuschenstill open.Id like to share with you what I consider some questions that I think are worth printing out. These are well worth discussing with your team as you work together on your employment brand. I want you to take a look at your company website and career page and ask yourself, Who are we trying to attract, and how are we doing in terms of attraction? Again, we talked a little bit about the job descriptions, and whether they are engaging and accurately reflect your companys culture. Id like to do a poll for a minute. Id like to find out how long you think it takes on average for a candidate to apply to your company for a job.If you can just quickly off the top of your head say how long you think its going to take somebody to apply for work at your organization. Again, I guess I wasnt quite accurate on the last poll, but Im still thinking that many of you are th inking that its probably less than five minutes. Im going to guarantee you that its probably more than ten. Lets see if my predictions are true here. Well have those results up in a moment.Lets see. Its a good thing Im not in the prediction business because my numbers are way off. Its good, though, and Im glad to see this. It shows me that you are much more realistic about this than most of my clients. Its really important to make it easy for people to apply for work with you. Otherwise, theyre going to get frustrated in the process and they will find another employer, rather than going though this very, very long process. Keep that in mind, because it needs to be easy for people to apply for work with you.I want to just go back over some more employment collateral. Some companies do an excellent job of attracting job seekers through Facebook. Again, dont be afraid to show people who you really are, how fun it is to work in your workplace, and some of the serious work that you do. L ook at your recruitment collateral, especially those of you who may do a lot of outreach, whether its on college campuses or in your community. Ive seen too many situations where organizations are looking to just use up the collateral from last year, because it is already printed, in an effort to save money. In the end, it actually costs them money. Also, are you making use of video? If so, does it really represent your brand well? Is this something that maybe you should be putting on hold until you have the resources to do it right? If its time for an employment brand makeover, I would suggest that you really prioritize your top issues and look at what will make your organization most successful. Will investing in a professional videographer help you attract more prestigious customers? If so, it certainly may be worth spending a bit more in this area.Perhaps not subsidizing health insurance for family coverage wasnt a big deal when you first started out, because most of your employ ees were single. Maybe thats no longer the case. You may need to revisit these kinds of things, particularly if youre trying to portray your place of business as a place thats family-friendly.Now its certainly understandable if you cant do all of this, so I really want to suggest that you consider what will give you the most bang for your buck. Pick one or two areas and move them forward rapidly. Dont try to do it all, just pick one or two areas.Now that youve gathered some valuable input about your companys brand, lets move on to step two. Thats what I call defining your message.The clearer you are regarding the kind of message you want to be sending to prospective and current employees, the more likely youll be able to attract the right candidates. In my new book Talent Magnetism, I refer to this as creating a magnetic message that pulls talent towards you. This is really important. Part of this is really creating a mission statement and making sure that it is accurate and somethi ng that will resonate with people who you might want to have on your team. In doing so, I want you to also think about the values that are driving your organization.What are the values? Why are people working for you? If you dont know, ask your people, What brought you here? If Im the candidate youre looking for but I dont see an opportunity to step into the scene that youve just painted or created or I dont see myself as part of that picture, Im going to quickly dismiss what I see, because your brand doesnt resonate with me. That may be okay if youre not trying to attract someone like me, but its certainly not, if Im in the group that youre trying to bring in. Thats why when youre putting together your groups, I recommend making sure that you have people who represent the kinds of employees you want to hire as part of that process.Here are five questions to help guide you as you go through this process. Im going to suggest that you print this page out and post this on your bulletin board. Dont commit it to memory, because if youre like me, you probably wont be able to do that very well. In any case, go ahead and print this out. I think theyre really great questions to think about.Then you have to really weave this into the entire fabric of your organization, because its not just about what you say. This is about living your brand every single day. For example, if you say that your workplace is built on trust and mutual respect, then you have to be very intentional in your own behavior. You cant simply lose your temper when going to a tough stretch in your business. You have to live your brand. Keep that in mind as youre managing your businesses.So maybe your employment brand is great, or maybe its still could use some refining. The good news is that these improvements dont have to break the bank, and you dont have to do it all yourself. Lets go on to step three and look at how to transform your brand on what I call a budget.Again, you can get a lot done by as sembling a team that can create a brand that really rings true. What I recommend, and I do this in the new book as well, is I tell people to give your team guidelines. Give them a budget and give them the authority to make decisions, but most importantly, give them a deadline. If you dont give them a deadline, this could go on for years, and at the end of that road youll be in a position where you need to rebrand again.Make sure you have some very clear objectives and deadlines for your team. If you need to, bring in an expert to help guide them. Many people have never done this kind of work before, so they dont really know whats expected. If you can have somebody facilitate that conversation, thats even better. This doesnt really have to be a Hollywood production. It should, however, be reflective of your brand, so make sure that whatever you have out there aligns with the type of image youre trying to convey for your business.I love the use of videos, and I think they can be extre mely effective. Im also going to caution you about going overboard, though. When I was writing Talent Magnetism, I put out a request for organizations to share videos, so I could cite them in the new book. One organization in particular comes to mind, and not for a good reason. They responded and sent me a video that I thought was really cute at first. After 20 seconds and 15 curse words, I moved on. I have to tell you, it was memorable, thats for sure, but for all the wrong reasons. This is what theyre using to attract their workforce. That may be fine and they may be getting the workers they need, but I cant believe that this is helping them get clients. When youre doing your videos and thinking about your branding, youve got to keep both in mind.When I put this slide together, I was asked, Well, what do you mean, have mom cook lunch for your employees once a month? Whered you come up with that idea? I said, Well, I actually didnt come up with that idea. One of the magnetic compan ies that I interviewed for the book, they shared this story. This owner shared this story of his mother coming into the office once a month to cook lunch for all the employees, and thankfully for his mother, this was a small business. This was something that the employees love, though. Its become part of the culture. Its something they look forward to. This CEO was quite proud that his mum was in his company feeding his people. This is just a way to kind of stand out in the crowd.Another benefit that I think is very cool and effective is done by the company Evernote. They actually offer a housecleaning reimbursement bimonthly to all of their employees. At first glance, you say, Wow, isnt that great? Theyre really nice. When I saw the interview done by the CEO about this particular benefit, he said they did this very purposefully because they found that oftentimes when people were looking at changing jobs, they are also talking with their spouses and their partners. He said that this really got the attention of the partners who were telling their spouses or partners, No way in heck should you ever leave this company, because Im not giving up my cleaning lady or my cleaning company. Think about that. Those are the kinds of things that really help to supercharge your employment brand.Its so important today to use social media to really reinforce your brand. Some of you may say, Im running a business, or, I dont know how to use it, and I dont have time to use it. I would really suggest that you ask those in the know in your workplace, which might be your younger employees, your older employees, or your 14-year-old kid. Ask someone to take this over and have them show you how to put your brand out there in a very visible way, because social media is really here to stay.Make sure that you highlight these benefits in your candidate offer letters. That person is going to be sitting down, and they may have two offers in their hand. You want to make sure they pick you. We talked about having it on your career page and incorporating these benefits into your job descriptions as a gentle reminder.I really want to emphasize that youve got to toot your own horn when it comes to letting others know about your unique culture. You cannot think that theyre going to automatically get it, or that everybody knows that youre a great company. You have to constantly be out there.Step four is to implement an action plan. I am a firm believer in what gets written gets done. When you get off this webinar today, pull out your calendar and make a note that youre going to begin this process of assembling a team next Tuesday. Do something, but make sure that you put together a plan to make this a reality.As you look at what your next play is, I want you to think about the fact that business brands, like product brands, need to be kept up to date, and that includes employment brands. When your business evolves in some new and exciting way, you need to share that story. Again, dont think that everybody is going to know about some great thing that your organization is doing. You have to be out there all the time refreshing your brand.I want you to remember that hiring the right people for your company is critical for business success. Weve covered the basis of employment branding. Youve got what you need to hit a home run with your employment brand and make your field of dreams a reality. I would like to open up the lines and see if we have any questions that I can answer for you.Ladies and gentlemen, if you would like to register questions by telephone, please press one followed by four. You will hear a three-tone prompt to acknowledge your request. Your line will then be briefly accessed from the conference to obtain your information. Again, to register questions by telephone, please press one followed by four.Thank you, Roberta, for that very engaging presentation, which has already prompted a few questions coming in through the QA module. We wel come your questions, which you can submit by using the QA module on the WebEx screen in front of you. Roberta, lets start with some of the questions that have come in. One is asking about low budget alternatives to hiring a photographer or videographer, as you mentioned a couple of times. What do you recommend if there just isnt the budget for that kind of expenditure?Thats a great question, Connie. There are a lot of great places where you can purchase royalty-free pictures. Though my preference is not to use stock photos, of course if budget dictates that, that might be an option worth considering. If you do a search and you look for photolio.com or Getty Images. You can purchase stock photos that you have the right to use on your website. I would start there. The cost of cameras has come down substantially, and I think you can capture some great photos, of course with your employees permission. Be sure to get a release so that you can put them up. Im actually doing a lot of this myself. Im using my iPhone for capturing videos, and then putting them up on my YouTube page. I think thats a way you can do it.Great. We have a question from David Miller of Miller Carpet Cleaning. Hes asking if we can show an example of a career page. Unfortunately, David, I dont think we have that ability to do so now. We can certainly send you some examples. Roberta, it might be helpful to talk about what exactly is a career page, what should be on it, and the parameters.A career page, for David and everyone else listening in, is the place where those who are interested in working for you land to find out more about your company. In my experience, what typically happens is that career pages are what I call an afterthought. Theyre stuck on the backend, and theyre in a place where people cant find them. You can search for hours, days, or months, but they should be extremely visible, especially if youre in active hiring mode. I think that action speaks louder than words. Have a car eer page where you highlight your five top benefits that make you unique and include some videos of your employees participating in activities that are engaging and reflective of your culture. The whole idea is that you get the ideal candidate to say, Hey I can see myself working here. If youre not trying to attract twenty-somethings, then make sure that your career page doesnt look like a eu-agrarpolitik ad, because your stay-at-home moms or dads who are in their thirties or forties are not going to look at that and say, Oh I could see myself working here. Theyre going to say, These people dont look like me. I probably wouldnt fit in here. I need to find another place.Thats a really good point. I know from my experience that a lot of times the career link is very subtle from the homepage of even large company websites. Its often surprising that you have to really dig for it or that its in the footer. I think thats a good point you made about making it prominent, especially from the homepage, and especially if youre looking to hire. The point that that brand that youre talking to prospective employees about, is also the one that your customers might be looking at. They should really align with each other.Yes, thats a good point Connie. You also have to be very certain that its an honest picture, because I know a lot of companies that are really great at hiring people and attracting them because thats all they do. They can get people in the door, but once the people realize that what theyve been shown isnt reality, they are out quicker than they came in. Thats extremely costly.Can you talk about those costs just a little bit, just so that this is kind of understood?Well, first and foremost is the cost of a lost customer, because you have no one to service that account, or theyre looking at your organizations and theyre viewing it as being very unstable. A competitor can come along and demonstrate that theyve got a very loyal and customer-centric workplace, so y our great customer of five years is no longer your own customer. As you know, there are many costs associated with recruiting, including a business owners time for interviewing and checking references. In some cases youre required by law to do drug testing and background checks, and all of this can really add up. It can be very costly. Then most importantly, Connie, is your reputation. Your companys reputation is on the line every single day.Great point. We have both a comment and a question. This person writes, My problem isnt getting people, its keeping them. How can I adapt this approach to keep my best employees from leaving?Well, thats an interesting question, which Im afraid we cant answer today. If you cant keep people, then that says to me that there are other factors going on inside your organization. An area that I would tend to focus on is the leadership, because we do know that people tend to leave their bosses. If youre the boss, then I would suggest you step back and r eflect and say, Hmm, am I contributing to this? If so, consider finding an executive coach. Ive done work with a lot of owners to help them improve their own leadership because of this very same issue. I would want to make sure that Im paying a competitive wage, because salaries do matter. People need to live, and its getting more and more expensive, as we all know. I wouldnt do any branding until I went back and cleaned up my situation, so that when I went back out there, Id be able to open up the doors of my home and invite people in. I would not be worried that theyre going to quickly find out that Im not at all what I advertised to be.Thats a great metaphor. Again, we welcome your questions. You can submit them by using the QA module on your WebEx screen. Lets check in with our operator to see if we have any calls, phone calls on the line.There are no questions on the phone lines at this time.Lets go to another question thats coming via the QA module, Roberta. I think its someth ing that a lot of small business owners can identify with. The person says, I never have time, and neither does my team, for an offsite two-day workshop to come up with all of this stuff. How can we get this done without interrupting our workflow?Well, theres always that exchange of time and money, right? I dont have time to clean my house, Connie, so I pay somebody to clean my house. This is a really important thing to do in your business. Its part of bringing in new customers and attracting employees. You have a few options. One is that you can hire an outside expert to come in again and do this for you. You could have that person come in, facilitate the team, and let the team do the work. That would be a little less expensive. If youre really good at this, this should not take three full day meetings to do. You should be able to get this done in, I would say, less than a day of an off-site meeting. Really refine what the messaging is, what the organizations values are, and then c reate a plan to implement and get this going. It does not have to be a three-day retreat.Another question here comes from the opposite end of the hiring spectrum that we heard before, regarding getting people to stay. This one is, I have zero employee turnover, so why do I need to think about an employment brand for my business. Im obviously probably doing everything right.Yes, Connie, you probably are and thats why youre on this call. Im reminded of an interview I did with a hospital CEO who said to me, I dont really need to improve what Im doing because I have 0 percent turnover. I said to him, Well, that to me is like the equivalent of somebody having low blood pressure. Thats just as dangerous as high blood pressure. When I said that, he took a sip of his water and said to me, Tell me more.What came out of that conversation was the fact that he had a number of people in his organization retired and placed. He had leaders who did not make decisions regarding employees who needed to be managed. He had a lot of people just kind of hanging. Having 0 percent turnover in some situations can be just as deadly as having a high turnover. Take a look at that, and dont discard that information.Great. We have a question from Deborah. She comments, I know its different for everyone. Does branding cost thousands of dollars? Are there cheaper ways to create branding?Cheaper than thousands of dollars? I think it all depends on the organization and what theyre trying to achieve. I mean Ive seen large organizations spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and have very sophisticated branding. Ive also seen smaller organizations make it work on a shoestring budget, until such time as they could get the resources together to up their game. I think it depends on whether youre going to go to a big company and have them do this for you. Are you going to hire a consultant? That question really depends on the objective that youre truly trying to accomplish. For example, if you can s top one great employee from leaving because youre reminding them yet again why youre a terrific workplace, that would offset any cost that you might have to make right now.Thats true. Also, use your employees as brand advocates, as a lot of people have called them. Their satisfaction ends up multiplying and reducing your cost going forward.Right. Connie, you cannot look at this as a cost. You have to look at this as an investment. For most people listening in today, once they get their employment brand established, most of them can leave it alone for a year or a little bit longer. Its not like every month theres going to be this additional cost that youre going to have in order to have the latest and the greatest. Its really an investment and one, in my opinion, well-worth making.Great. We did have a question about the slides being available for download. If youve registered for this webinar, you will be receiving an email with a link in the next few days to the archived webinar and the slides. Thank you for that question. Lets just check in once more with the operator to see if we have any calls on the line.There are no questions from the phone lines.Okay, great. Lets take one more question here thats come in. Why do I need to pay attention to employment brands if there are still so many more candidates than jobs in my industry? In other words, I think this person is saying theyre getting a lot of people applying. Does upping the ante, by creating a great employment brand, only exacerbate that problem?First of all, I think that if you have the right employment brand, youll have the right people applying. So many people mistake quantity for quality. I mean, Im a chocoholic, but I would rather have one really good piece of chocolate than a whole bag full of average. I think what happens especially with small business owners is that theyve mistaken the fact that they have a pretty high applicant flow for one that has a lot of quality in it. Im here to tell you t hat you do not have to have the leftovers. You have the resources today, because the playing field has really been evened out. You have the resources to attract top talent regardless of the size of your company.Great, thats good news. I had said that was the last question, but we do have another one thats come in. I work for a small privately owned recruiting firm thats suffering from growing pains within the organization. I assume that means that includes recruiting issues. Are there any recommendations for best practices on how to present this information to my CEO?Yes, you can print this page thats sitting here that says, thank you. Id be happy to have a conversation with that person, because what often happens, especially if its a small business, is that they need to ask those questions. I would also suggest that you share this webinar when you get the recording. If you find it of high value, which I believe you have, hopefully, that you share that with him or her. Say, Hey, thi s is something I think thats really worth listening to. They have to hear it, rather than have it filtered.Terrific. Well, with that, were just about to the top of the hour. Well wrap up our QA session. Thanks to everyone who submitted a question, and thanks to everyone who attended. If we were unable to address your question today, please reach out and well make sure and get back to you. Thanks again to our presenter, Roberta Matuson.A recording of this event and the slide presentation will be available later this week. Visit hiring.monster.com and click on the Resource Center tab for more information. Thanks again for joining us.

Survey The average American has $25,571 in student debt

Survey The average American has $25,571 in student debt Survey The average American has $25,571 in student debt Research has found that Americans spend 22% of their monthly income treating themselves, but recent data from Comet  shows that deciding on “a significant purchase” takes an average of 134 days. Additionally, 85% of people surveyed owe money on something they bought in the past.But while 41.2% surveyed reported being “delinquent” paying off a bill for medical care, 23.6% have been in this state for a student loan, 18.7% have for a credit card, and 13.4% have when paying off a home.In terms of how the research was carried out, the company used Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to poll 1,007 Americans with debt. They were between ages 18 and 82.How much Americans owe, on average “House:” $147,910 “Student loan:” $27,571 “Car:” $11,283 “Credit card:” $5,910 “Medical bill:” $3,895 “Smartphone:” $358 How many people are in debt for various itemsHere are the overall percentages of those surveyed who are in debt because of different items: “Credit card:” 64.8% “Car:” 55.4% “House:” 31.0% “Student loan:” 30.1% “Medical bill:” 26.6% “Smartphone:” 25.1% “Computer:” 11.8% “Furniture:” 10.6% “Home improvement project:” 8.6% “Vacation:” 7.6% Here are the top things that Americans polled said they’d be “willing to finance:” “House:” 93.8%  (95.0% of women, 92.7% of men) “Medical bill:” 90.7%  (91.8% of women, 89.6% of men) “Car:” 89.5%  (91.5% of women, 88.2% of men) “Credit card:” 87.5%  (89.5% of women, 87.5% of men) “Home improvement project:” 86.1%  (84.1% of women, 85.5% of men) The most popular thing that people “regret requesting a payment plan” for is a “student loan,” with 44.8% of women and 46.4% of men saying so. The least popular response was a home, with a slim 3.8% of women and 10.3% of men saying they feel this way.

Workplace Tensions Rise as Political Discussions Propagate Through Offices Nationwide

Workplace Tensions Rise as Political Discussions Propagate Through Offices Nationwide Workplace Tensions Rise as Political Discussions Propagate Through Offices Nationwide Specific risks, identified in the survey, that political workplace discussions pose include: 39.8 percent of employees have seen a political discussion transition into a personal attack. 29 percent of workers believe that managers play favorites with subordinates who express similar political views. 54 percent of respondents said that political discussions are not healthy and damage communications. 13.7 percent said that political discussions can lead to the exclusion of some coworkers. “Although political discussions at work may cause discomfort and tension, management should never outlaw specific topics of conversation,” said Halley Bock, CEO and president of Fierce, Inc. “Employees will inevitably discuss politics, whether it is allowed or not, so forward-thinking organizations should set guidelines for how to approach the subject of politics and what is acceptable behavior.” Instead of muzzling political discussions in the workplace, Fierce recommends employers limit time spent in discussion and set expectations on how to interact during exchanges. Rules should focus on making issues the focus on political conversations, not individuals, encouraging employees to keep their minds open to other opinions, and on calling out damaging behavior to offending employees on a one-to-one basis.  

The Real Reasons Why Employees Hate the Performance Review

The Real Reasons Why Employees Hate the Performance Review The Real Reasons Why Employees Hate the Performance Review It’s no secret that people often dread the performance review process at work. But what’s driving that fear and loathing? We regularly hear news about the ineffectiveness of performance appraisals or that companies are doing away with these assessments. But is nixing performance reviews a good solution? According to a new OfficeTeam survey, these meetings aren’t going anywhere just yet, and they may actually be increasing in frequency. Seventy-nine percent of HR managers said they schedule these discussions at least annually. More than a quarter (27 percent) hold appraisals at least twice a year, which is a nine-point increase from 2010. However, bosses and workers don’t necessarily see eye to eye on how effective the performance review process is. One in four (25 percent) employees feel the assessments do not help improve their performance. This contrasts with 89 percent of HR managers who believe their organization’s performance appraisals are at least somewhat effective. So where’s the disconnect? Making any of these six mistakes could be part of the reason why your employees are giving performance reviews the thumbs down. 1. You’re winging it. If you as a manager aren’t prepared for an employee’s performance review, it’ll show. It also gives off the impression that you don’t really care about your workers. In advance of the discussion, check with your HR representative to see if there’s a certain process you should follow for the meeting, or if there are forms you’re required to complete. Take time to think about your employee’s recent achievements and whether he or she met expectations. 2. It's not a two-way street. You shouldn’t be the only one talking during a performance appraisal. Make sure workers know what to expect from the meeting so they can prepare in advance. Asking employees to bring a list of accomplishments, obstacles and goals helps encourage a two-way conversation. 3. You’re not getting the full picture. What you personally see and hear from a worker may not tell the full story. Request feedback from colleagues who regularly collaborate with the employee for a more well-rounded, balanced assessment. 4. You focus only on the negative. One big reason why employees are apprehensive about reviews is because they’re scared they’ll receive negative feedback. Comments made during evaluations aren’t always all positive, but you should aim to provide specific, constructive feedback and suggestions for improvement rather than criticizing. Don’t forget to also recognize staff for what they’re doing well! 5. There’s no mention of the future. Assessing past performance is only half the battle. The review is also a time to discuss goals and what an employee needs to be successful (and happy) in the coming period. 6. It’s the only time you’re checking in.   The last thing you want is for any information shared during a review to be a surprise to your worker. That’s why regularly following up with employees to provide feedback and track progress outside of formal performance appraisal meetings is so important.   Now that you’ve gotten tips on conducting these discussion with employees, do you need help preparing for your own review? Read Performance Review Tips: Prepping for a Positive Talk with Your Boss.

The Interview Compel with Your Character

The Interview Compel with Your Character The Interview Compel with Your Character The most quietly compelling way to impress at an interview is to display your character while highlighting what you can bring to the table. When our perspective shifts to giving rather than receiving, the interview experience for both sides will immediately change for the better. Here is how to apply this method to three of the most popular interview questions:“So tell me about yourself.”Stepping into the interviewer’s shoes Pulling out your “sell yourself” answer cards. Ask yourself, how would the company and interviewer benefit from hiring me? Scott Ginsberg’s article addresses that one of the most effective ways of answering this question is to pinpoint three words to describe yourself with. If you pick the right words, you may also be hitting two birds with one stone when the interviewer tries to gage your soft skills.How do we exhibit solid soft skills and humble character when trying to impress an interviewer? The key is to employ the “show, not tell” approach in our word choices. Aim for descriptive, specific, and active words or even phrases. Don’t just tell your interviewer that you are “smart.” You can say, “I am an inductive, quantitative thinker,” “I work quickly but methodologically,” or “I am boldly logical in my reasoning skills.” These types of words show what kind of thinker you are. Don’t just say you’re “personable.” Pick words that describe specific traits that have helped you become more personable. You could say, “I always try to be a considerate colleague and friend,” or “I tend to be an optimist even in the worst of situations,” which you could further back up with specific stories or examples: “I once worked on a project with a colleague who was struggling with severe anxiety after experiencing a traumatic event. Instead of asking my supervisor for another project partner, I decided to encourage and work with him the best I could since I understood where he was coming from. Despite some difficulties, we ended up finishing the project together successfully.” This story would immediately show your interviewer a clearer picture of your character and that you have humility, instead of you having to directly tell them. “What has been your greatest weakness/failure?Exhibit humility and self-awareness without selling yourself short.While you should certainly avoid the eye-roll-inducing “perfectionist,” also try to predict what angle the interviewer is coming from when asking this question. Usually it is not to jar you, or trick you into answering brutally honestly. Rather, as Rob Sullivan wrote in his article, the interviewer wants to know what it is that you could improve on, as we all have something. Don’t just try to say what you think they want to hear. Know that they are asking for a meaningful answer. Be refreshing; reveal something that people who don’t like you would say about you. You could say, “people who I have had trouble getting along with in the past would probably say that I tend to assume people always know what is going on in my head, which can lead to miscommunication.” Think of times when you have been seen as unappealing to those who didn’t know you well, which may have resulted in social tension at the office. Tell a story about a time when you underperformed. “One time I got so nervous during a presentation that I completely dropped the ball and costed my team a contract with an important client. Ever since then, I’ve been doing all that I can to calm my nerves in such situations.” Give buildable and genuine examples. Always follow up with how you’ve learned and intend to continue improving. Be self-aware, reflective, and honest, but not self-condemning. “What questions do you have for us?”Top priority: seek out what ways you can give to the team of thinkers that you’re hoping to join.This question is oftentimes the trickiest and most telling of the candidate’s character and intentions. Red flags will pop up when the candidate replies with questions about the pay, the vacation, perks, promotions, or other self-seeking “what can I get from this” types of questions. The best questions tend to be thoughtful, professional ones concerning the team you’d join, and optimally, the interviewer. Find some inspiration from Marc Cenedella’s list of questions, such as “What keeps you up at night?” or “How can this position help achieve success for the company?” Ask the obvious but thoughtful question: what are they looking for? Don’t be shy to ask questions about what they are looking for as well, so you have a clearer picture of how you could better optimize your skills for their greatest needs.

These Are the 200 Most Powerful Adjectives to Use on a Resume

These Are the 200 Most Powerful Adjectives to Use on a Resume These Are the 200 Most Powerful Adjectives to Use on a Resume Let’s say you’ve just finished writing your resume. It has probably taken you a while. But then youve given your resume one final look and it just didnt sound right. Why could that be? The chances are you didn’t pick the right adjectives. Of course, your resume could suffer from other problems, like  mundane verbs or meaningless buzz phrases. But at the end of the day, its adjectives that give your resume color and personality. Which is why you should pay close attention to how you use them. The resume experts over at ZipJob recommend looking for adjectives mentioned in the job description and adding them to your resume. Your resume should always be tailored to the position you’re applying for. In the end, adjectives determine the tone of your text and help breathe life into otherwise dull descriptions. Which means they come particularly handy  when writing a resume. After all, youre trying to make a good impression on your potential employer. And these are the words that will significantly impact that impression. But all of the above is easier said than done. Good writing always takes practice, skill and a bit of alchemy. Fortunately, there are shortcuts to take and crutches to help you achieve the desired result. Like the cheat sheet below. We’ve created an extensive list of 200 power adjectives that will help you write a resume that stands out in any setting. See for yourself! Theyre crunchy, juicy, irresistible! (See how it works?)   (And if youre asking how weve come up with these words, its easy. We went through our database of real resume examples  by people who got hired at the worlds top companies. Check it out!) 200 Most Powerful Adjectives to Use On a Resume There are many other ways to make your resume stand out:  10 top career experts share their resume advice: How to make your resume stand out?  Good luck! Share Your Feedback or Ideas in the Comments!

This is the best way to overcome your fear of missing out

This is the best way to overcome your fear of missing out This is the best way to overcome your fear of missing out You  hear about FOMO a lot these days. In fact, the word  was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013.What does it really mean? A recent  study  on the subject defined it as:…‘‘the uneasy and sometimes all-consuming feeling that you’re missing out â€" that your peers are doing, in the know about, or in possession of more or something better than you’’. Under this framing of FoMO, nearly three quarters of young adults reported they experienced the phenomenon.It’s certainly not a good thing. And it leads you to  check social media again and again and again so you don’t feel out of the loop. So you know you’re doing okay. So you don’t feel left out.Sometimes that alleviates the anxiety - but often it doesn’t. And either way it drives you to keep running around the digital hamster wheel to feel okay with yourself.Is this just a symptom of modern life? Is it no big deal? Or is it telling us something we need to know? And is there anything we can do to break t he vicious cycle?Research has answers. And you can fix this problem. But first, the bad news: FOMO is a lot worse than you think…FOMO comes from unhappinessCaught in the FOMO cycle? You’re probably not feeling too great about your life. FOMO often originates in  unhappiness:Our findings show those with low levels of satisfaction of the fundamental needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness tend towards higher levels of fear of missing out as do those with lower levels of general mood and overall life satisfaction.So you’re not feeling so hot about things. Or you’re wondering if everyone else is having more fun than you. How do you scratch the itch? Check Facebook, of course:Across all three mediation models results FoMO was robustly associated with social media engagement, b = .40, p .001 (B path)…  Study 2 showed that fear of missing played a key and robust role in explaining social media engagement over and above the other factors we considered.In fact, FOMO leads people to check social media right after they wake up, before they go to bed and during meals:Results conceptually replicated findings from Study 2, those high in FoMO tended to use Facebook more often immediately after waking, before going to sleep, and during meals.Um, sounds uncomfortably like addiction to me…(To learn the four things neuroscience says will keep your brain happy, click  here.)So you’re not feeling so great  - whether you realize it or not - and you turn to social media to make you feel better. Only one problem there: it actually makes you feel worse…The Facebook illusionWe all know that Facebook doesn’t provide a very well-rounded picture of people’s lives. It’s more like the cherry-picked perfection version.Often it seems like if bragging and showing off were banned, some people wouldn’t post anything at all.But despite knowing this,  studies  say we can’t help but compare our lives to theirs:After controlling for the possibility of reverse cau sality, our results suggest that (Social Network Site)  users have a higher probability to compare their achievements with those of others.And  research  shows this is the happiness equivalent of taking someone with a nut allergy and putting them on an all-cashew diet:According to Burke, passive consumption of Facebook also correlates to a marginal increase in depression. “If two women each talk to their friends the same amount of time, but one of them spends more time reading about friends on Facebook as well, the one reading tends to grow slightly more depressed,” Burke says…Again and again the happiness research shows comparisons to lives that seem better than yours, well,  that’s some bad juju, hombre.  As  Montesquieu  once said:If one only wished to be happy, this could be easily accomplished; but we wish to be happier than other people, and this is always difficult, for we believe others to be happier than they are.As Swarthmore professor  Barry Schwartz  writes in hi s excellent book,  The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less:“Stop paying so much attention to how others around you are doing” is easy advice to give, but hard to follow, because the evidence of how others are doing is pervasive, because most of us seem to care a great deal about status, and finally, because access to some of the most important things in life (for example, the best colleges, the best jobs, the best houses in the best neighborhoods) is granted only to those who do better than their peers. Nonetheless, social comparison seems sufficiently destructive to our sense of well-being that it is worthwhile to remind ourselves to do it less.So you’re wondering if your life measures up and you turn to everyone else’s deliberately sculpted illusion of lifestyle perfection… This is the happiness equivalent of reading  your bank statement after looking at  the Forbes 400 list.As Erica Jong once said:  â€œJealousy is all the fun you think they had.”Even if we logically k now Facebook  isn’t an accurate depiction of people’s lives, well, confronting your seeming inadequacy 24/7 against an unachievable false reality  can hammer your already vulnerable self-esteem.  You just can’t compete with their highly-edited topiary of lifestyle awesomeness - especially when you’re feeling a little down or anxious to begin with.So what’s the most common response? To post something. As if to say:  Look at me! I’m cool, too!But this  only strengthens the cycle. As internet maven and co-founder of Flickr, Caterina Fake,  once said:Social software is both the creator and the cure of FOMO.  It’s cyclical.And the research agrees. People with FOMO have ambivalent feelings toward Facebook. It brings them up and slams them back down:To evaluate our prediction that FoMO would be associated with high levels of ambivalent emotions when using Facebook use we regressed positive affect, b=.31, p.001, and negative affect, b = .40, p .001, on FoMO scores. This patt ern of relations indicated those high in FoMO were more likely to experienced mixed feelings when using social media.A roller coaster of emotion. Just like the highs and lows of addiction, eh?But posting to alleviate your discomfort  also has an important secondary effect: by presenting your carefully edited version  of life awesomeness, you just made anyone who sees it feel worse.  You’re spreading the virus.Good for Facebook. Good for Haagen Dazs sales. Bad for happiness.(To learn what Harvard research says will make you happier and more successful, click  here.)So this is how FOMO comes about and why it’s so awful. But how do we break the cycle?The Problem is  attentionLooking at social media for happiness is a bad idea. You won’t find it out there. Sounds cliche, but the  research  says you need to look inside:“The problem with FOMO is the individuals it impacts are looking outward instead of inward,” McLaughlin said. “When you’re so tuned in to the ‘other,’ or the ‘better’ (in your mind), you lose your authentic sense of self. This constant fear of missing out means you are not participating as a real person in your own world.”Facebook isn’t real life.  It’s obviously not life. And it’s  certainly  not real. Only real life is real life. But you’re comparing yourself to  fake life. (Someone cue the music from “The Matrix”, please.)And the key to happiness really comes down to one word:Attention.We all have bad things we could think about. But they don’t bother us when we pay them no mind.  â€œLook on the bright side” is a cliche, but it’s also scientifically valid.Paul Dolan teaches at the London School of Economics and was a visiting scholar at Princeton where he worked with Nobel-Prize winner Daniel Kahneman.He explains the importance of attention in his book,  Happiness by Design: Change What You Do, Not How You Think:Your happiness is determined by how you allocate your attention. What you attend to drives your behavior and it determines your happiness. Attention is the glue that holds your life together… The scarcity of attentional resources means that you must consider how you can make and facilitate better decisions about what to pay attention to and in what ways. If you are not as happy as you could be, then you must be misallocating your attention… So changing behavior and enhancing happiness is as much about withdrawing attention from the negative as it is about attending to the positive.But when you’re caught in the loop of FOMO you tune out the real world and tune in to the fake one - Facebook.And that’s what the research shows: people with FOMO stop paying attention to life and turn to social media for their happiness cure.Students with  FOMO pay less attention in school and are even more likely to check their phone when they’re driving:This analysis showed that students high in FoMO were more liable to use Facebook during university lectures…  Young adults who were high in fear of missing out paid greater attention to emails, text messages, and their mobile phones when driving compared to those lower on FoMO.(To learn more about how to focus your attention and be happy, click  here.)But  how do you focus your attention so that you appreciate the real world and don’t turn to Facebook (which is only going to make you feel worse)? What can you pay attention to when life is, frankly, kinda sad or boring?It’s deceptively simple, really…Try gratitudeSounds sappy, I know. But try a simple experiment:Look around. What good things might  you be taking for granted? Home? Family? Friends?Now take a couple seconds to imagine those  were taken away from you. How would you feel? Bad things happen to us randomly, right? So to some degree, you are  lucky  to have what you do.Does this exercise sound silly?  Research  shows it works. Mentally subtracting cherished moments from your life makes you appreciate them more, makes you grateful and makes you hap pier.In fact,  gratitude  is arguably the king of happiness. What’s the research say? Can’t be more clear  than this:…the more a person is inclined to gratitude, the less likely he or she is to be depressed, anxious, lonely, envious, or neurotic.And feeling gratitude doesn’t just make you happier. It’s correlated with an  objectively better life:…we found that  gratitude, controlling for materialism, uniquely predicts all outcomes considered: higher grade point average, life satisfaction, social integration, and absorption, as well as lower envy and depression.The inevitable comparisons to the fake lives on Facebook makes you feel you have  less. Contemplating what you are lucky to already possess makes you feel you have  more.So  maybe it’s time to look at  the good things you take for granted  in life rather than your Facebook wall. Turn notifications off. As the author of the FOMO study  said:“For people who feel very secure in their relationships, their relations hips are important to them, but they don’t feel compelled to always be connected,” Przybylski said. Social media may not create the tendency, he said, but it likely exacerbates it by making sharing so easy. “Sometimes,” he said, “it’s good to insulate yourself from the world of possibilities.”(To learn more about how you can use gratitude to make yourself happy all the time, click  here.)Alright, let’s round up what we’ve learned about FOMO and find out the best way to make sure you keep feeling good when you hear the siren song of social media…Sum upHere’s where FOMO comes from and how to beat it: FOMO starts with sadness.  For the best way to feel better and stop the problem before it starts, click  here. Social media makes it worse, not better.  Facebook isn’t evil -  but relying on it for happiness is. Happiness is about attention.  Focus on the good and you will feel good. Gratitude is essential.  Imagine losing the  things you’re lucky to have and you will  appreciate them. Social media isn’t the devil. But we’re wired to compare ourselves to others and you know where that leads on a medium where everyone is cutting corners  to look their best.And Facebook  can  help you be happy. But don’t scroll and compare.  Use it to  plan face-to-face get togethers.  University of Chicago professor  John Cacioppo, the leading researcher on loneliness, says doing that can  make your life better:Facebook is merely a tool, he says, and like any tool, its effectiveness will depend on its user. “If you use Facebook to increase face-to-face contact,” he says, “it increases social capital.” So if social media lets you organize a game of football among your friends, that’s healthy. If you turn to social media instead of playing football, however, that’s unhealthy.And when you’re with friends,  put that phone away. Seeing friends and family regularly is the happiness equivalent of an extra  $97,265 a year. Whatever you want to check on social media  ainâ €™t worth a hundred grand, bubba.Forget the fake perfect lives of Facebook that lead to FOMO. Instead, try JOMO: the joy of missing out on all those illusions.When you spend all that time staring in envy at the oh-so-cool pictures of cleverly crafted bliss on Facebook, keep  one thing  in mind:It’s your life you’re missing out on.Join over 260,000 readers.  Get a free weekly update via email  here.Related posts:How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior ExpertNew Neuroscience Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You HappyNew Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More SuccessfulThis article originally appeared at Barking Up the Wrong Tree. This is the best way to overcome your fear of missing out You  hear about FOMO a lot these days. In fact, the word  was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2013.What does it really mean? A recent  study  on the subject defined it as:…‘‘the uneasy and sometimes all-consuming feeling that you’re missing out â€" that your peers are doing, in the know about, or in possession of more or something better than you’’. Under this framing of FoMO, nearly three quarters of young adults reported they experienced the phenomenon.It’s certainly not a good thing. And it leads you to  check social media again and again and again so you don’t feel out of the loop. So you know you’re doing okay. So you don’t feel left out.Sometimes that alleviates the anxiety - but often it doesn’t. And either way it drives you to keep running around the digital hamster wheel to feel okay with yourself.Is this just a symptom of modern life? Is it no big deal? Or is it telling us something we need to know? And is there anything we can do to break t he vicious cycle?Research has answers. And you can fix this problem. But first, the bad news: FOMO is a lot worse than you think…FOMO comes from unhappinessCaught in the FOMO cycle? You’re probably not feeling too great about your life. FOMO often originates in  unhappiness:Our findings show those with low levels of satisfaction of the fundamental needs for competence, autonomy, and relatedness tend towards higher levels of fear of missing out as do those with lower levels of general mood and overall life satisfaction.So you’re not feeling so hot about things. Or you’re wondering if everyone else is having more fun than you. How do you scratch the itch? Check Facebook, of course:Across all three mediation models results FoMO was robustly associated with social media engagement, b = .40, p .001 (B path)…  Study 2 showed that fear of missing played a key and robust role in explaining social media engagement over and above the other factors we considered.In fact, FOMO leads people to check social media right after they wake up, before they go to bed and during meals:Results conceptually replicated findings from Study 2, those high in FoMO tended to use Facebook more often immediately after waking, before going to sleep, and during meals.Um, sounds uncomfortably like addiction to me…(To learn the four things neuroscience says will keep your brain happy, click  here.)So you’re not feeling so great  - whether you realize it or not - and you turn to social media to make you feel better. Only one problem there: it actually makes you feel worse…The Facebook illusionWe all know that Facebook doesn’t provide a very well-rounded picture of people’s lives. It’s more like the cherry-picked perfection version.Often it seems like if bragging and showing off were banned, some people wouldn’t post anything at all.But despite knowing this,  studies  say we can’t help but compare our lives to theirs:After controlling for the possibility of reverse cau sality, our results suggest that (Social Network Site)  users have a higher probability to compare their achievements with those of others.And  research  shows this is the happiness equivalent of taking someone with a nut allergy and putting them on an all-cashew diet:According to Burke, passive consumption of Facebook also correlates to a marginal increase in depression. “If two women each talk to their friends the same amount of time, but one of them spends more time reading about friends on Facebook as well, the one reading tends to grow slightly more depressed,” Burke says…Again and again the happiness research shows comparisons to lives that seem better than yours, well,  that’s some bad juju, hombre.  As  Montesquieu  once said:If one only wished to be happy, this could be easily accomplished; but we wish to be happier than other people, and this is always difficult, for we believe others to be happier than they are.As Swarthmore professor  Barry Schwartz  writes in hi s excellent book,  The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less:“Stop paying so much attention to how others around you are doing” is easy advice to give, but hard to follow, because the evidence of how others are doing is pervasive, because most of us seem to care a great deal about status, and finally, because access to some of the most important things in life (for example, the best colleges, the best jobs, the best houses in the best neighborhoods) is granted only to those who do better than their peers. Nonetheless, social comparison seems sufficiently destructive to our sense of well-being that it is worthwhile to remind ourselves to do it less.So you’re wondering if your life measures up and you turn to everyone else’s deliberately sculpted illusion of lifestyle perfection… This is the happiness equivalent of reading  your bank statement after looking at  the Forbes 400 list.As Erica Jong once said:  â€œJealousy is all the fun you think they had.”Even if we logically k now Facebook  isn’t an accurate depiction of people’s lives, well, confronting your seeming inadequacy 24/7 against an unachievable false reality  can hammer your already vulnerable self-esteem.  You just can’t compete with their highly-edited topiary of lifestyle awesomeness - especially when you’re feeling a little down or anxious to begin with.So what’s the most common response? To post something. As if to say:  Look at me! I’m cool, too!But this  only strengthens the cycle. As internet maven and co-founder of Flickr, Caterina Fake,  once said:Social software is both the creator and the cure of FOMO.  It’s cyclical.And the research agrees. People with FOMO have ambivalent feelings toward Facebook. It brings them up and slams them back down:To evaluate our prediction that FoMO would be associated with high levels of ambivalent emotions when using Facebook use we regressed positive affect, b=.31, p.001, and negative affect, b = .40, p .001, on FoMO scores. This patt ern of relations indicated those high in FoMO were more likely to experienced mixed feelings when using social media.A roller coaster of emotion. Just like the highs and lows of addiction, eh?But posting to alleviate your discomfort  also has an important secondary effect: by presenting your carefully edited version  of life awesomeness, you just made anyone who sees it feel worse.  You’re spreading the virus.Good for Facebook. Good for Haagen Dazs sales. Bad for happiness.(To learn what Harvard research says will make you happier and more successful, click  here.)So this is how FOMO comes about and why it’s so awful. But how do we break the cycle?The Problem is  attentionLooking at social media for happiness is a bad idea. You won’t find it out there. Sounds cliche, but the  research  says you need to look inside:“The problem with FOMO is the individuals it impacts are looking outward instead of inward,” McLaughlin said. “When you’re so tuned in to the ‘other,’ or the ‘better’ (in your mind), you lose your authentic sense of self. This constant fear of missing out means you are not participating as a real person in your own world.”Facebook isn’t real life.  It’s obviously not life. And it’s  certainly  not real. Only real life is real life. But you’re comparing yourself to  fake life. (Someone cue the music from “The Matrix”, please.)And the key to happiness really comes down to one word:Attention.We all have bad things we could think about. But they don’t bother us when we pay them no mind.  â€œLook on the bright side” is a cliche, but it’s also scientifically valid.Paul Dolan teaches at the London School of Economics and was a visiting scholar at Princeton where he worked with Nobel-Prize winner Daniel Kahneman.He explains the importance of attention in his book,  Happiness by Design: Change What You Do, Not How You Think:Your happiness is determined by how you allocate your attention. What you attend to drives your behavior and it determines your happiness. Attention is the glue that holds your life together… The scarcity of attentional resources means that you must consider how you can make and facilitate better decisions about what to pay attention to and in what ways. If you are not as happy as you could be, then you must be misallocating your attention… So changing behavior and enhancing happiness is as much about withdrawing attention from the negative as it is about attending to the positive.But when you’re caught in the loop of FOMO you tune out the real world and tune in to the fake one - Facebook.And that’s what the research shows: people with FOMO stop paying attention to life and turn to social media for their happiness cure.Students with  FOMO pay less attention in school and are even more likely to check their phone when they’re driving:This analysis showed that students high in FoMO were more liable to use Facebook during university lectures…  Young adults who were high in fear of missing out paid greater attention to emails, text messages, and their mobile phones when driving compared to those lower on FoMO.(To learn more about how to focus your attention and be happy, click  here.)But  how do you focus your attention so that you appreciate the real world and don’t turn to Facebook (which is only going to make you feel worse)? What can you pay attention to when life is, frankly, kinda sad or boring?It’s deceptively simple, really…Try gratitudeSounds sappy, I know. But try a simple experiment:Look around. What good things might  you be taking for granted? Home? Family? Friends?Now take a couple seconds to imagine those  were taken away from you. How would you feel? Bad things happen to us randomly, right? So to some degree, you are  lucky  to have what you do.Does this exercise sound silly?  Research  shows it works. Mentally subtracting cherished moments from your life makes you appreciate them more, makes you grateful and makes you hap pier.In fact,  gratitude  is arguably the king of happiness. What’s the research say? Can’t be more clear  than this:…the more a person is inclined to gratitude, the less likely he or she is to be depressed, anxious, lonely, envious, or neurotic.And feeling gratitude doesn’t just make you happier. It’s correlated with an  objectively better life:…we found that  gratitude, controlling for materialism, uniquely predicts all outcomes considered: higher grade point average, life satisfaction, social integration, and absorption, as well as lower envy and depression.The inevitable comparisons to the fake lives on Facebook makes you feel you have  less. Contemplating what you are lucky to already possess makes you feel you have  more.So  maybe it’s time to look at  the good things you take for granted  in life rather than your Facebook wall. Turn notifications off. As the author of the FOMO study  said:“For people who feel very secure in their relationships, their relations hips are important to them, but they don’t feel compelled to always be connected,” Przybylski said. Social media may not create the tendency, he said, but it likely exacerbates it by making sharing so easy. “Sometimes,” he said, “it’s good to insulate yourself from the world of possibilities.”(To learn more about how you can use gratitude to make yourself happy all the time, click  here.)Alright, let’s round up what we’ve learned about FOMO and find out the best way to make sure you keep feeling good when you hear the siren song of social media…Sum upHere’s where FOMO comes from and how to beat it: FOMO starts with sadness.  For the best way to feel better and stop the problem before it starts, click  here. Social media makes it worse, not better.  Facebook isn’t evil -  but relying on it for happiness is. Happiness is about attention.  Focus on the good and you will feel good. Gratitude is essential.  Imagine losing the  things you’re lucky to have and you will  appreciate them. Social media isn’t the devil. But we’re wired to compare ourselves to others and you know where that leads on a medium where everyone is cutting corners  to look their best.And Facebook  can  help you be happy. But don’t scroll and compare.  Use it to  plan face-to-face get togethers.  University of Chicago professor  John Cacioppo, the leading researcher on loneliness, says doing that can  make your life better:Facebook is merely a tool, he says, and like any tool, its effectiveness will depend on its user. “If you use Facebook to increase face-to-face contact,” he says, “it increases social capital.” So if social media lets you organize a game of football among your friends, that’s healthy. If you turn to social media instead of playing football, however, that’s unhealthy.And when you’re with friends,  put that phone away. Seeing friends and family regularly is the happiness equivalent of an extra  $97,265 a year. Whatever you want to check on social media  ainâ €™t worth a hundred grand, bubba.Forget the fake perfect lives of Facebook that lead to FOMO. Instead, try JOMO: the joy of missing out on all those illusions.When you spend all that time staring in envy at the oh-so-cool pictures of cleverly crafted bliss on Facebook, keep  one thing  in mind:It’s your life you’re missing out on.Join over 260,000 readers.  Get a free weekly update via email  here.Related posts:How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior ExpertNew Neuroscience Reveals 4 Rituals That Will Make You HappyNew Harvard Research Reveals A Fun Way To Be More SuccessfulThis article originally appeared at Barking Up the Wrong Tree.