Career Report October – December 2021 Issue # 247

Zoom Meeting Boredom Battle

If you don’t like attending Zoom meetings, you’re not alone. Most workers feel there are simply too many on-line meetings to attend on a daily and weekly basis, and that many of them are entirely unnecessary. But virtual meetings don’t have to be that way here are two secrets to making virtually any meeting both interesting and productive.

The first is to use the meeting to practice being “present moment-oriented.” In other words, try to absorb yourself in the meeting and don’t allow your mind to wander.  Make a deliberate attempt to be focused allowing you to get as much value out of the experience as possible.  Do not minimize the screen continue to look into the camera and keep those emails and text messages in off mode.

You can spend your time daydreaming or wishing you were somewhere else, but that doesn’t help you in your job or in your career. These virtual meetings provide an opportunity to show your superiors and coworkers that you are really a good listener. This will help you be highly responsive to whatever is being discussed. That way, if there is something you can contribute, you can make a strong impression with your answer.

Employing the “present moment” technique you will find meetings to be far more interesting. Additional insights will come to mind, and your contributions will grow.  Listening intently will also increase your sense of respect from others. They may not be consciously aware of it, but it seems that when those present in a meeting sense that you are truly paying attention, they want to listen to you as well.

The second secret is to tell yourself that you are going to learn something from each meeting. Listen intently to what is said and try to hear something you don’t already know. Rather than comparing what you’re hearing to what you already believe, search for new wisdom, a new insight, or a new way to do something.

Instead of saying “Yeah, Yeah, I already know this stuff,” try to clear your mind and allow yourself to have a beginner’s mind.

You will find the results quite impressive and significant. Your learning curve will dramatically increase, and meetings will become fun again. Why not spend this time in a productive, healthy way, practicing valuable emotional skills instead of wishing you could turn off your camera and mute your boss.

Try practicing staying fully present and by doing you’ll make your work life more interesting and effective.  And ZOOM FATIGUE will become less of a reality and you might actually enjoy the experience.

NEWS FROM BLK

Clients are hiring, candidates are seeking new employment and the scramble for top talent is extremely competitive.  Compensation with resurgence of inflation will begin to add another wild card into the mix. Office work, remote work, ideal mix percentage has corporate HR departments and management in a whirl of how to create the ideal and most productive standards.  We at Berman Larson Kane believe the immediate employment future is an evolving target and that both employees, new hires and corporations will all benefit from new standards.

As for the past quarter and this final quarter it is a good time to be a jobseeker, a good time to hire new talent and create a new set of standards and compensation.  We at Berman Larson Kane will do our best to assist all on their path to continuous success and remain flexible and ready to pivot at a moment’s notice.

We wish all good health and are always available to listen to your concerns and see if we can assist as the new normal emerges.  Stay well and healthy.

Career Report: January – March 2021 — Issue 244

Saying Goodbye to a Job Gracefully

As talk of a thaw in pandemic  hiring freezes rises, many people are already planning to look for a new position when the job market picks up.   In fact, one recent survey revealed that as many as 40 percent of workers say they are planning to leave their jobs when the economy returns post pandemic.  And while it may be tempting to give the boss an earful if you do land a new job, workers need to keep in mind that the way they quit can have a long term impact on their career.

Here are some tips from the newspaper article on to resign from a job on good terms:

• Be prepared. Review your employee handbook or employment contract before announcing your decision, so you know what your company policy is regarding resignations, severance, return of company property, and pay for unused vacation time. Also, find out the company’s reference policy to see what information will be disclosed to a prospective employer. If you have another job lined up, be sure to have your offer in writing before you resign.
• Use it or loose it. If you haven’t used vacation time and will lose it if you quit, you might want to use your time before leaving or link it to your resignation date. But if you don’t want to burn any bridges, don’t take vacation and announce your departure just after your return.
• Make an appointment. “Be formal and make an appointment with your boss,” recommended Tanya Maslach, a San Diego, Calif., career expert who specializes in relationship management issues. “Be prepared and engaging—and be transparent,” Maslach said. She also recommends asking your boss how you can help make the transition easier. After the discussion, put your resignation in a hard-copy letter that includes your last day and any transitional help you’ve offered.
• Give Two weeks Notice. Two weeks advance notice is still standard but experts recommend offering more time if you’ve worked at a company for more than five years. Importantly, though, you also need to be prepared to leave right away—some companies require it.
• Don’t take the stapler. “It’s not worth it,” said Michael J. Goldfarb, president of Northridge, Calif.-based Holman HR. “If there are security cameras or coworkers with a grudge, stealing from the company doesn’t look good.” In some cases, you could also end up getting billed for the missing equipment—or even taken to court, he said.
• Scrub your digital footprint. Clear your browser cache, remove passwords to Websites you use from work, such as your personal email or online bank account and delete any personal files on your work computer that aren’t relevant to work. Don’t delete anything work related if you’re required to keep it.
• Be honest but remain positive. Be helpful during the exit interview, but keep responses simple and professional. Don’t use the session to lay blame or rant about the workplace. “Whatever you do, don’t confess about how much you disliked working there,” said Maslach.
• Stay close. Consider joining an employee alumni association, which often serves as a networking group for former employees. It can be a good way to keep up with changes in the company and industry—and find leads to new jobs down the road. Lastly, make an effort to keep in touch with coworkers you worked with; they may end up in management roles.

News from BLK

In our continuous effort to better service hiring companies and job-seekers Berman Larson Kane will be upgrading its ATS utilizing AI technologies to better serve all.   “We are very excited about the introduction of AI and look forward to  adding additional efficiencies to our talent discovery systems and improving our abilities to present exciting career opportunities to job-seeker” said Bob Larson, CPC president of Berman Larson Kane

Berman Larson Kane will be celebrating our 41 year anniversary on April 1, 2021. We thank all clients, job-seekers & staff for their support in achieving this milestone and look forward to continuing providing “The Best Staffing Options” over future decades.

October – December Issue # 243

Clear Communications – Whatever their level, communication is key for workers to advance. “This is really the ability to clearly articulate your point of view and the ability to create a connection through communication,” said Holly Paul, U.S. recruiting leader.

For job seekers in particular, clear communication can provide a snapshot of their work style to employers. “I can walk away from a five-minute conversation and feel their enthusiasm and have a good understanding of what’s important to them,” Paul told the newspaper.

As office conversations increasingly move online, some workers are losing or never developing the ability to give a presentation, for example. Others may be unable to write coherently for longer than, say, 140 characters.

“Technology in some ways has taken away our ability to write well. People are in such a hurry that they are multitasking,” and they skip basics such as spelling and proofing, said Paul McDonald, senior executive director of Robert Half International, a Menlo Park, Calif., staffing firm.

Personal Branding – Human-resources executives scour blogs, Twitter and professional networking sites such as LinkedIn when researching candidates, and it’s important that they like what they find, the article pointed out. That’s your brand, that’s how you represent yourself,” said Peter Handal, CEO of Dale Carnegie Training, a Hapuppauge, N.Y., provider of workplace-training services. “If you post something that comes back to haunt you, people will see that.”

Workers also should make sure their personal brand is attractive and reflects well on employers. “More and more employers are looking for employees to tweet on their behalf, to blog on their behalf, to build an audience and write compelling, snappy posts,” Meredith Haberfeld, an executive and career coach in New York, told the newspaper.

Flexibility – The ability to be flexible and quickly respond to an employer’s changing needs will be important next year as organizations try to respond nimbly to customers. “A lot of companies want us to work with their employees about how to get out of their comfort zone, how to adapt,” said Handal. “Somebody’s job market today may not be the same as next year.”

The ability to learn new skills is of top importance, said George Boué, human-resources vice president for Stiles, a real-estate services company in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “We want to know that if we roll out a new program or new tools that folks we have on board are going to be open to learning,” he said.

Productivity Improvement –Workers should find new ways to increase productivity, experts said. Executives are looking for a 20 percent improvement in employee performance from current levels, according to a recent survey by Corporate Executive Board, an Arlington, Va., business research and advisory firm.

“When you are at your job, do you volunteer for projects? Are you looking for creative ways to help the organization,” McDonald said. “The way to really differentiate yourself is to be proactive.”

Companies that are considering adding workers in coming years want current employees to operate in growth mode now, the article pointed out. “My clients are looking for employees that have a great ability to understand what is wanted and needed, rather than needing to be told,” Haberfield said.

Even hiring managers need to work on certain skills as organizations consider expanding next year. “The ability to spot talent and hire people has fallen out of use over post pandemic months said an organizational psychologist in New York. “As the economy turns around, companies will have to work harder to retain talented employees. Companies have trimmed the fat, and now they have to build the muscle.”

NEWS FROM BLK

Zoom interviews, virtual onboarding, remote desktops the world is spinning with change here at Berman Larson Kane and the world of employment.  We are not sure of when or what the other side of a Covid work environments will look like.  But we are 100% sure that it will not return to the past.

Berman Larson Kane is very blessed to have several clients continuing to build and replenish their teams. With some niche environments getting stronger and others weaken.  This pandemic has behaved like a tornado destroying one business and leaving one across the street untouched and able to flourish.

As we experience this 4^th quarter.  We are thankful for our continuing business and planning another 40 years.  Hoping for a vaccine in 2021so that we can all experience the new normal.  Good Health to ALL!