How to Ask for Time Off at Your New Job (the Right Way)

How to Ask for Time Off at Your New Job (the Right Way)How to Ask for Time Off at Your New Job (the Right Way)Ah, summer. The time of year when your thoughts turn to tan lines and drinks with little umbrellas in them- unless, of course, youve just started a new job. In which case, youre probably staring jealously at your friends Instagram pictures and wondering how youre going to survive the summer without going on a single trip.The good news is, just because youre a new employee doesnt mean you have to give up your travel plans. To get the scoop, read on for answers to some of the most common questions about taking vacation at a new job.I just started a new job- when is it okay to take a vacation?After I graduated from college, someone gave me a piece of advice I always abide by Dont ask for any time off during the first three months of your job. Think of it as a probationary period in which youre trying to prove your worth- which is hard to do if youre sipping margaritas on the bea ch.After youve been at a job for three months, youve likely accrued a little vacation time and youre ready for a break from the 9-to-5 grind. At this point, its usually acceptable to ask for one day off for every month youve worked after your self-imposed probation. (Obviously, this varies depending on your companys time-off policy and how much vacation time youre given.) In general, though, if you started working in March and didnt take any time off in March, April, or May, youre elend going to raise any eyebrows if you ask for a day or two off in July.The exception to this rule comes if youre working at a company thats super-relaxed or touts vacation time as a major perk. Some start-ups and small companies cant pay their employees high salaries, so they try to make up for it with flexible schedules and lots of vacation days. If youre not sure what your companys culture is, look for some common cues. Has your anfhrer asked you what trips youve got planned for the summer? Are other new employees taking a long weekend over Independence Day? If so, you may be okay to bend the three-month vacation rule a bit.Ive been at a company for a few months, but Im still getting the hang of things. How can I determine the best time to book my trip for?As a new employee, the last thing you want to do is book a vacation during the busiest time of year or find out that your days off conflict with a critical meeting. So, do some research before you start looking at flights. If youre not sure when your companys busy season is, ask a fellow employee.You can also bring it up with your boss (and should, in most cases). A simple, Id like to use some of my vacation days this fall, and Im wondering what the best time to be out of the office would be, will help you schedule a stress-free vacation and show your boss that you take your job responsibilities seriously.My boss is a little intimidating. Whats the best way to approach her about taking vacation time?If you have a no-nonsense b oss, it can be a little scary to ask for vacation, even if youre entitled to time off. To make sure the conversation goes as smoothly as possible, broach the subject at the right time, like after youve wowed your boss with everything youve accomplished in your weekly status meeting or on a quiet Friday afternoon when she likely has time to chat. And definitely ask for the days off, rather than tell her that youre taking them. A simple, I have three vacation days, and Id like to use them the week of monat des herbstbeginns 9. Is that possible, and does that work for the team? works perfectly.After youve gotten verbal approval, document the vacation on your calendar and send your boss a reminder a week or two before the big day that says something like, Just a reminder that Im going to be out on vacation Monday through Thursday, but Ill get that report to you Friday afternoon for review. This lets you kill two birds with one stone Youve made sure that your vacation is still on your bo ss radar, and youve let her know that youre working hard to get everything set before you leave.My boss keeps sending me emails while Im trying to relax on the beach. Do I need to respond?Every workplace has a different expectation when it comes to staying connected on vacation. Its best to ask your boss ahead of time what he needs from you before you leave the office and what he expects while youre out of town. For example, does he want a quick update on the status of all your projects before you head out of the office? Will you need to check your email on a regular grund or just provide your boss with a way to reach you if any work-related emergencies arise?If you didnt have this conversation with your boss before you left, play it safe. Respond to important or time-sensitive office emails as best as you can, even if it means setting aside a few minutes each morning and evening for a little work. If your boss doesnt need a response until youre back from vacation, hell probably let you know.Im interviewing for a new job, but I havent been offered the position. When should I tell them about the vacation I just booked?Unless your vacation is a trip to the Amazon thats going to take you out of the country for a month, theres no need to announce it until an offer has been made. Once the company has extended an offer, you can ask HR or the hiring manager if they can accommodate your vacation plans. Again, remember to be courteous and ask for- but dont demand- the days off. If you end up accepting the job, youll want to make sure that youve started your employment off on the right foot.In short, you dont have to resign yourself to a boring summer just because you started a new job. By knowing how and when to ask for vacation, you can impress at your new job while still satisfying your wanderlust.Photo of man relaxed courtesy of Shutterstock.

Lying on Your Resume

Lying on Your ResumeLying on Your ResumeAmid fierce competition for every single job, where do you draw the line between embellishing and lying on your resume?The Wall Street Journal examined the careers and resumes of 358 senior-level executives and directors at 53 publicly traded companies. The result At least seven top executives at Americas largest companies invented academic degrees they didnt have.Inflated academic credentials in the nations executive suites may be mora common than generally thought, wrote the author Keith J. Winstein in the November 2008 issue of The Wall Street Journal. But is it really a harte nuss? And amid the heavy competition for a jobs, wheres the line between putting your best foot forward and outright lying?In times when competition for a single job is high, its easy to entertain the thought of embellishing a resume. But its still true Regardless of the job-market climate and regardless of the level of the candidates experience, personal integrity mat ters, and it counts on a resume.Resumes do not have to provide every conceivable fact to the potential employer. You can leave out dates, certain past employment and material details. The truth is you can lie. Yes, you can. But you do it at your own peril. Attorneys who represent employers find this is as good a reason as any to prove you wrong in court.Courts are holding that material misrepresentations on an employment application and resume constitute just cause to terminate an employment contract reduce or deny benefits, including disability benefitsIf you are an excellent rsum writer, you will counsel someone who may feel desperate enough to lie to not do so. Each and every certified professional rsum writer and career coach I know encourages clients to tell us the truth so we can coach and create proper documents and search strategies for them. In fact, its hard to coach someone on a lie anyway. Most career professionals and the clients they serve agree that a rsum needs to be a marketing tool, a persuasive document that does not need (even in the case of federal rsums) to dump information on the reader just to be truthful.It wears well to use credible, reliable facts and achievements to build the case for our career-transition clients. Thats what we do, in the most inventive ways. Clients pay us for that keen and uniquely individualized perspective. But its not what we do that gets clients into trouble. They get into trouble by permitting themselves to lie to us and ultimately to potential employers.People lie to their professional resume writers - and if they then populate these lies on LinkedIn and other professional, bio-driven sites, they are creating even more problems and fuel for attorneys. Falsification has had a nice run on the Internet. Many people use the same techniques as an identity thief. The Internet provides a fountain of information, resources, databases to hack into, mock degrees and everything else for someone who wants to do this w rong right.How big a problem is resume fraud?It has been reported that 90 percent of the personnel directors surveyed by the SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) reported finding resume untruths ranging from past salaries to personal identification.Further, it costs companies and organizations billions of dollars to hire new candidates every year. These candidate costs can often average $5,000 or more to find, hire and properly onboard a new employee. Looking at the big picture, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimates that occupational fraud and abuse costs organizations more than $600 billion annually, or roughly 6 percent of gross revenues.Educational backgrounds seem to be the most fertile ground for fraud. It gets easy to make false scholastic claims changing areas of concentration and adding majors, minors and degrees never obtained. Usually fraud comes through in changes in employment dates, salary manipulation, job titles and duties, and omitting negati ve records that may come up on background checks.Although its not their job, career coaches and outplacement specialists continue to advocate honesty in their practices, to teach and even educate clients how they can creatively and imaginatively promote, but not falsify, their backgrounds to earn new positions, promotions and job assignments.Recruiters look for incongruities and evidence that demonstrate the candidate does not have the background to match her qualifications. But even with strong recruiters, background checks and previous employer verifications, many clients squeak through. Time becomes a factor, and companies sometimes figure out that they can prove resume fraud later if they need to so its to their advantage perhaps not to invest company time and money until they must.Lets turn the tables a bit Have you done a background check, employment verification and criminal records history on every babysitter who has ever worked for you? Wouldnt you like to know who will be watching your kids? Should you do this? Are your kids worth it? But the answer is probably no, isnt it? Its human nature to take the easy way out of situations, and unfortunately its people who handle hiring.So there you have it tell the truth, whether it be on your resume, your job application, or who broke the window with the baseball. Very few people have a blemish-free past or the perfect credentials for the perfect job.It is far better to know how to face the blemishes of your career head-on than simply to cover them up with lies. Good resume writers and career coaches can help job seekers gain perspective on imperfections and imaginatively present your past, thus eliminating the need to lie. Tell the truth in securing new work opportunities. You will face enough challenges and worries once you have the job. Dont take short cuts to get there take the higher road.

The surprising pop song that improves your driving skills

The surprising pop song that improves your driving skillsThe surprising pop song that improves your driving skillsA new study by IAM Roadsmart and the motor magazine Auto Express, analyzes the impact different genres of music has on driving behavior. The researchers chose four artists and tracks to broadly illustrate a spectrum of intensity. Representing heavy metal, we have Slipknot, and their song Sic, representing pop, we have Taylor Swifts Shake it Off. Kendrick Lamarssummer smashHumble welches chosen for hip hop, and lastly, the revered German genius of the Baroque period, Johann Sebastian Bachs Goldberg Variations was chosen to represent classical music.Ultimately the study revealed, the more intense and erratic the music, the more dangerous the driver became. If the music was too mellow however, the driver became too relaxed. Ultimately pop music was deemed the best music to listen too while driving, on the basis of speed consistency and concentration. The study summarizesFoll ow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreVolume is the major factor for concentration and has a big effect. I would certainly advise drivers to dial down the noise when making a maneuver and save the thrash metal for later in the day, or nightMethodologyTo enact the study, consumer reporter Tristan Shale-Hester drove two laps around the Red Bull Ring Grand Prix pack in Austria. The first lap, which was the control lap, was performed without any music. Hester reached the finish line during this lap in four minutes and 34 seconds. While listening to the four tracks previously mentioned, Hester, executed varying accelerations, corning and speed challenges, with a controlled stop at the finishing line. Although heavy metal music made Hester drive 14 seconds slower than he did during his control run, it also made him drive more erratically, and perform uneven throttle movements. On this Hester remarked, listening to Slipknot made it harder to concentrate on the circuit layout.Listening to Bachs Goldberg Variations, caused Hester to drive 12 seconds slower than he did on his control lap in addition to driving 35 mph in a 50 mph zone. Lamars Humble saw Hester accidentally speed past the finish line even if it took only one second longer to complete this lap than his control lap. Swift resulted in the most consistent speed results, and it only cost Hester two seconds compared to his control lap. Heavy metal yielded Hesters worst overall lap, though classical music induced a level of relaxation counter-intuitive to safe focused driving.Tim Shallcross, IAM RoadSmarts head of technical policy, reports,What is clear is that the ferocious thrash metal really reduced the ability of the driver to get around the track smoothly. That, and high-energy dance music are designed to be felt as well as heard and to be listened to at volume. Its clear neither help when it comes to making ex acting driving maneuvers.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

How to Prepare for an Oral Board Interview

How to Prepare for an Oral Board InterviewHow to Prepare for an Oral Board InterviewThe interview is an important component of your criminal justicejob search.Depending on the specific job youre applying for, you may have a one-on-one with your vermgen supervisor, or you may face the dreaded oral board interview. Whatever the situation, learning to ace the oral interview will help you make that all-important first impression and put you on a path toward success in your criminology career. Follow these tips if you want to impress during your oral board interview. Do Some Reconnaissance Before your interview day, take the time to scope out the location. Get a feel for how long it will take you to get there and what the best route will be. Planning your route to the interview will help calm your nerves and make sure you get there on time. You wont impress anyone if you show up late for your interview. Remember, early is on time and on time is late. Anticipate Questions While pre paring for your interview, try to anticipate the type of questions youll be asked. You wont know everything, but youll be surprised at just how much information you can get through a simple web search. Nearly every agency has a mission statement and core values, and they often post them somewhere on their website. These will help you get a feel for what the department feels is its most important function. You should also search for recent news stories about the agency to learn about the issues that the department is currently facing. Aside from web research, consider talking to people who already work for the department. Theres no harm in asking about the types of questions you can expect. The worst that can happen is that theyll say they dont know or cant tell you, but at least youve shown interest and initiative. Devise some practice questions, and rehearse your answers. Some questions youll almost certainly hear will be about that type of person you are, why you want the job, and what you think you can contribute to the department. You can also expect to get some scenario-based questions, where the interviewer or interview board will present a situation and ask you how youll flossele it. Dont panic the idea is not to test your knowledge but to get an overall snapshot of your problem solving and critical thinking skills. Practice Makes Perfect Get your family or friends to help you practice. Have them ask you the questions youve come up with. Ask them to give you feedback and evaluate your response. Youll also want to spend some time practicing in the mirror so you can see for yourself how your mannerisms and facial expressions look. If you feel silly looking at yourself in the mirror, try recording video of yourself so you can do an honest self-evaluation. Maintain Eye Contact and Eliminate Gestures During the oral board interview, be sure to maintain eye contact and pay attention to your hand gestures. If youre allowed to sit down at a desk or tabl e, try to keep your hands folded on the table top and make small hand movements to accentuate points only when you feel its necessary. Watch Your Verbal Cues in the Interview Pay attention to your verbal cues, and eliminate as many ums, uhs, and ahs as you can. These distract the interviewer from the actual thought youre trying to convey. They give the appearance that you either dont know a lot about the subject matter or that youre making it up as you go along. Honesty IsAlways the Best Policy Above all else, the key to acing any oral board interview is, to be honest. If you always give honest answers to whatever question youre asked, your knowledge and passion will shine through, and youll never have to struggle to come up with a response. Also, dont forget that theres never anything wrong with saying I dont know. Interviewers can often see right through deception, and they always appreciate forthright honesty. The bottom line is, be yourself. Theres no need to be nervous in an oral board interview if you make it a point to put your best foot forward and have confidence in your abilities. If you believe in yourself and are well prepared, youll nail the interview. Even if you dont get the job, youll have gained valuable experience to help you find a great criminal justice job in the future.

6 Tips For Finding A Job In Todays Competitive Market

6 Tips For Finding A Job In Todays Competitive Market6 Tips For Finding A Job In Todays Competitive MarketIn todays tough job market, those looking for work will have to try extra hard to attract the attention of potential employers with a well-written resume and titelblatt letter that highlights their relevant skills and helps them stand out from a crowded field of qualified applicants. Sometimes thats not even enough. Competition is good, especially if youre winning. Heres how to get on top and get the job you wantBe honest. Job seekers who have been out of work for a while, either due to the economic downturn or personal reasons, need to make sure their resume and cover letterreflects their desire to get back into the workforce and show that they have an understanding of how their chosen industry has changed since they last worked.Write a resume from the bottom up. According to Fox Business News, many hiring managers actually scan a resume from the bottom up to make sure it tells a story with no illogical transitions. Resumes should have a solid, concise theme. A mistake in your resume is all it takes to lose out on a potential employment opportunity.Assess. Candidates need to assess their job skills to make sure they are relevant to the positions they will be applying to and to make sure they are in line with their long-term career goals. Many recruiters and hiring managers will want to know where a job seeker sees themselves over the next 5 to 10 years, so candidates need to be prepare to talk about why they are attracted to the industry and their future aspirations.Write a compelling cover letter. Job seekers should think of their cover letter as their first introduction to a potential employer. It should be personalized and emphasize the qualifications already included in a resume. Just like the resume, a cover letter should also be concise and straightforward.Practice interviewing skills. Often times a hiring manager will platzset up a quick 15-minute p hone interview to use as a screening process in order to evaluate whether the candidate is potentially a good fit for their company. Job seekers should prepare two to three stories that highlight their work experience that focus on relevant work-related themes. Once a job seeker is called in for a face-to-face meeting, they should be prepared to expand on their work experience and talk about how they would approach doing the job if hired.Use social media to enhance online branding. A number of recent studies have found that more recruiters are using social networking websites to find qualified candidates. Job seekers should make sure they have a strong online professional presence that will help them brand themselves as an expert in their field.Published Courtesy of Brafton

Unanswered Issues With Words to Use on a Resume Revealed

Unanswered Issues With Words to Use on a Resume Revealed A great method to prove that youre organized is to compose a well-organized resume. Many are just plain boring. Put simply, there are many resumes to manage that there isnt any way to devote much time with any except the very best. There is no good reason for you to achieve that. As youre at it, have a look at their yearly report for more clues. Youre certain to get several great suggestions. Our experts have made a comprehensive collection of all of the best resume adjectives, in addition to a guide on the way to use them effectively. Just take a peek at other issues you want to cope with. Whats leid stated is what YOU desire. Clinical is among the best words you may utilize. You need to always steer clear from vague and not as impactful words. Attempt not to look like youre a mimic and you are just borrowing their words for your resume. Employing a custom resume instead of a generic one is going to greatly i ncrease your probability of an interview, as youll be a better match in the view of the reader. Expert Stay away from the term expert, if you dont truly are, states Bensusen. Knowing when to highlight an individu education vs. experience is crucial. Clearly state what kind of a job that you need and know what skill-set and experience is required to succeed in that job. In order to reveal your employer what youre made of, you should make an attempt in locating the correct words. The very last thing that you want to display on a document intended to dazzle an employer is a scarcity of original thought. TheLadders research proves that a recruiters eyes are drawn to the headers and down the middle of the webpage, states Augustine. Utilizing the incorrect wording can force you to sound as a cog in the machine as a substitute for a creative go-getter. Employers arent permitted to ask for that sort of information, and you need tont offer. Resumes are the ideal time to brag, and t hus dont be shy. They should demonstrate what you can do and not what you can not do, says Harrison. The Battle Over Words to Use on a Resume and How to Win It What you ought to do is switch out a number of the keywords from the posting into your resume. Search for the messages conveyed by the webpage, and pick out keywords you may use to describe your own abilities and aims. Whether your resume is already online or totenstill in paper form, its likely to wind up in a database sooner or later and you must make certain it comes up in the most suitable searches. Employing purposeful words will help to make your resume more unique, enabling you to outshine the competition. Utilizing strong words here is needed. Use job-related keywords which you do not posses. Utilizing good keywords shows prospective employers which you might be a very good fit for the provider. Whether youre asking for a fleck in the private, nonprofit, or government sectors, being in a position to spot and utilize key words is a vital skill. A good posting for a nursing position will include things like experiences particular to the profession. If youre a senior professional, pay attention to your business abilities and technical expertise also. There are specific soft skills which are important for each industry also. As soon as you locate a job description that fits with your skills, you will have to rewrite your resume to showcase your very best qualifications. To accomplish that, you have to be in a position to pitch yourself and your abilities. Organizational skills are soft abilities, which makes it difficult to quantify them. They are needed for anyone in assistant or managerial positions. The Secret to Words to Use on a Resume Your very first task in a thriving job application is to become past the initial scanning and selection procedure. Coach you in the way the employment procedure works using insider info. Thus, your job application should be written so it is easily understood by somebody from outside your industry also. Your resume will frequently be screened by means of an ATS (applicant tracking system) that will hunt for relevant keywords in your job resume application to be able to get the best match between the work ad and the job applications.

3 Reasons Why Video Interviewing is an International Recruiters Best Friend - Spark Hire

3 Reasons Why Video Interviewing is an International Recruiters Best Friend - Spark HireAs an international recruiter, I understand how difficult it can be to ensure the best placement when working remotely. However, one of the key resources that I have found to be of great value in my recruiting strategy is video bewerberinterviewing.There are three reasons why I consider video interviewing to be my best friend in the recruiting process.1. Provides face-to-face interactionWhen you are speaking with candidates all over the world, it is impossible to be able to meet in-person with each candidate. Video helps me get a little closer to the face-to-face interaction that I need in order to build stronger relationships with my candidates.As the Undercover Recruiter points out, video is one of the easiest methods for anyone to use and it helps to give the interview more depth.While it is possible to build strong relationships with candidates without face-to-face interaction, I have found th at video can help to strengthen those relationships quicker than a distant phone call. Being able to physically see the person you are communicating with is of huge benefit for the job seeker as well as the recruiter.2. Allows a more thorough interviewSimply having a phone conversation with a candidate does not always give me the details and insight that I would like. Facial expressions cannot be evaluated over the phone.Video allows me the opportunity to visually see the candidates excitement and interest in the opportunity. Also, it helps to see how the candidate reacts or behaves during an interview. When I have the perfect candidate for the job, I am better able to coach and prepare them for any follow-on interviews when I am able to visually see how the candidate represents himself.For example, video allows me to see if a candidate needs to step it up a notch or two when it comes to interview dress. When scheduling a video interview between the candidate and client, I am able t o provide any suggestions regarding the candidates video background. If the lighting is too dim, if there is a lot of clutter in the background, or if the candidate is looking more frequently at the computer screen versus the camera, I am able to provide guidance to the candidate that will help him to have a more successful interview with my client.Video interviewing my candidates helps me to have a more thorough interview and ensure successful interviews between the candidate and client as we move forward in the process.3. Saves money and timeI cannot stress enough the amount of time and money that video interviewing will save you As an international recruiter, travel costs and time can eat into my budget quickly and video interviewing helps to alleviate that cost and consumption of time. By being able to interview candidates without the high cost of transportation and lodging, my job becomes much more simple and quick.In addition, video interviewing will help to save your client a nd candidate travel cost and time. Rather than persuading your client to travel in a top notch candidate, it is much easier to arrange a video interview. Not only will you make the interview process easier for your client and candidate, but you will also save both parties a lot of time and money. Transportation, lodging, and meals can quickly eat a huge dent into both your clients and candidates pockets. They will appreciate and find great value in your cost effective and time saving solution.Whats keeping you from integrating video into your recruiting process?Image monkeybusinessimages/BigStock.com

New York Work-at-Home Call Center Jobs

New York Work-at-Home Call Center JobsNew York Work-at-Home Call Center JobsIf you live in New York you will need to concentrate your search to those that hire in the Empire State. Very few work at home call center companies hire in all states. Some states have a lot, while others have few call center companies. This list is by no means definitive, but these call center companies hire for work at home jobs in New York. Call Center Companies Accolade Support Call Center ServicesThe company uses independent contractor agents in tech stab und sttze and customer tafelgeschirr jobs. Payment is on a per-minute basis and it is capped at $10/hour, but there is no nadir rate of pay. Amazon.comThe online retail giant only hires in the select state but New York is one of them. Search work from home in Amazons job database for full- and part-time employment positions. Jobs pay $10-12/hour. American ExpressThis financial services company employs home-based call center agents with experience in re servation systems for its corporate travel division. Bilingual agents needed. Apple At-Home AdvisorsApple At-Home is a work-at-home call center program from Apple that hires both college students and non-students for full- and part-time positions. It is part of the companys AppleCare support department. Use the keyword home in the companys job database. Recruits from Albany. .Apple provides a computer and phone. AsurionCall center for device replacement insurance (formerly NEW Corp) hires home-based employees in New York. Its agents are full- and part-time. Denihan Hospitality GroupNew York City-based hotel management and development company whose brands include The James and Affinia Hotels employs work from home reservation agents.Must train in NYC office before working from home. LiveOpsThe company hires independent contractor agents, including licensed insurance agents, for a variety of call center jobs for its clients including outbound sales, bilingual customer service (Spanish and French) and financial services. Agents are paid at a rate that is based on minutes of talk time plus sales incentives in some cases. Agents must become certified to work for individual clients. This certification is not paid. Background check at the expense of the agent is required. Sitel WorkHomeHome-based employees take customer service calls, providing service in billing, orders, installation scheduling or technical support. All positions involve some sales. Bilingual agents with fluency in English, French, German, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese and Spanish. More Bilingual Call Center Jobs Support.comThe company provides remote technical support to clients, via home-based tech supportchatandcall center agents. Its remote services technicians answer inbound calls and its solutions center supervisors support and supervise the remote services technicians. TeleTechHomeGlobal business process outsourcing (BPO) company employs full- and part-time associates to work from hom e as call agents and other fields. Bilingual call center agents needed. Benefits include paid training, 401k. Pay is $9-10/hour. Ver-A-FastWork at home call center agents uses a predictive dialer system to make verification calls for the companys clients, which are primarily from the newspaper industry. Independent contractors only. Working SolutionsThe company hires independent contractors to work on a project basis in home call centers, as travel consultants, and on data entry, There may be more companies on this list of call center companies that hire agents from New York. Know of another home call center company operating in New York?

The Pros and Cons of Timesheets in Advertising

The Pros and Cons of Timesheets in AdvertisingThe Pros and Cons of Timesheets in AdvertisingMany industries rely on timesheets to monitor employee productivity and calculate earnings and benefits. Some use a clocking in system with official timecards, and others rely on a time management system that records intricate details about the way the time was spent each day. The latter is the one used by advertising, marketing, and entwurf agencies around the world. The data input on these timesheets, usually by the staff in the creative department, logs the hours that have been spent on every part of the project. That doesnt just mean the creation of the campaign, but the initial briefing, the client presentation, and even the time spent at the shoots and production studios. Only by getting a clear picture of the way the time has been spent can an agency effectively handle the workload, the client billing arrangement, and the way the time is allocated between teams. The Timesheet in a N utshell In the early days of advertising, like so many tasks of that era, time was recorded manually on paper with pens and pencils (and a lot of erasing). These days, time is entered into the computer or a tablet using a sophisticated piece of software that can pull reports of all varieties. Most shops have a very similar template that includes The job numberTheclientThe task at handAny and all assigned staffThe date and number of hours workedThe price per hourOvertime When starting a project for a client, the account manager or besucherzahlen manager will open a job number and begin to track hours. These will usually match the proposal or bid given to the client, and will be broken down into hours spent primarily in research, planning and strategy, creative development, production and project administration. If all goes to plan, the actual hours spent on the project will correlate nicely with the estimate, but that usually isnt the case. Creative development often eats up more ti me than any other part of the process, due to a change in direction, client feedback, or the inability to crack the brief. It can become a point of contention with the client because they dont want to be spending a lot of extra money on creative time because the creative department is having trouble identifying a solution. However, the timesheet must be filled in correctly to track that time and show the client how the money was spent, and how the agency operated. Its a good way to see if some projects are too labor-intensive to turn a profit, or if others are so lucrative as to merit investment in that client for further work. And in a nutshell, thats the role of the timesheet. Pros Heres why timesheets are the lifeblood of any agency Money Timesheets show an agency (even in-house) how many hours were recorded for each part of every campaign. Its easy then to see if the clients retainer is worth it, or if its time to put the client on a project-by-project basis. With an in-hou se agency, that time may notlage directly lead to billings, but it does show management how effectively they are utilizing the creative departments time. If it is discovered, they are spending 90% of their time on just one aspect of the business, that can create some red flags. Transparency If timesheets are done correctly, its easy to see where things are working smoothly, and where bottlenecks or inefficiencies are creeping in. Why is one copywriter spending half the time on one client than another is? And if more creatives are needed, a quick look at the timesheet will see if the department is overworked.Commitment and Accountability Most clients expect a certain amount of hours to be spent on a project. If they dont believe the right amount of effort was put into a job, the timesheets can provide the data to say otherwise. Its also a way to show some clients just how much value theyre getting from the agency. Analysis Past performance is often a good indicator of the future. If a client is sucking the life out of the agency and making it hell on everyone, the data from timesheets can show if its worth keeping that client around, or if its time to let them go. On the other side of the equation, it can show an agency the profitability of some clients, which require minimal creative work and effort, but a maximum return on the investment. Cons With all those plus points, whats the problem? Well, there is a reason the timesheets are universally loathed by almost everyone except the number crunchers of the agency Time Many people in agencies, especially in creative departments, do not want to dedicate any of their time to administration. As a creative, it can be detrimental to break away from a great creative brainstorm to fill in hours. Many account managers have the saatkorn problems. Its ironic, but time for timesheets is rarely allocated.Errors This goes directly to the first point. Many creatives will leave the timesheets until the last minute before t he end of month billing report. And that means that the accuracy of a timesheet goes from fairly good to appalling. Its hard to remember how many minutes you spent on one job two weeks ago, so its often a piece of guesswork. If the timesheets are all guessed, it makes them almost useless. Poor Focus Time isnot a great indicator of excellent advertising.One shop could spend 40 hours and not produce anything of note another could work 10 and produce a masterpiece. Timesheets do not record the quality of thinking just the time spent doing it. The Future Timesheets are here to stay, and they must be done manually. Automated time tracking doesnt work, because it requires manual starting and stopping. If you forget to start the clock, you lose hours. Forget to stop it, and some poor client is being billed for hours of work that were spent on another project. That, in turn, could lead to problems (and even lawsuits) with overbilling, and the loss of a valuable client. The only way to g uarantee good time tracking is to insist everyone in the agency updates timesheets at least twice a day, once before lunch and then again before going home. If this is done, the timesheets will be accurate and helpful. And if its not being done, agencies should getcreative with motivation.Find a way to incentive the time tracking process. Give those employees who keep a meticulous record of their time a weekly bonus, or a few hours off on Fridays. It may seem like a waste of time and money, but accurate timesheets can be worth far more to the agency than a few hundred bucks here or there each week.

How to Create a List of Employers to Target During Your Job Search

How to Create a List of Employers to Target During Your Job SearchHow to Create a List of Employers to Target During Your Job SearchHow to Build a Company List of Top Employers for Your Job SearchIf youre looking for a job, creating a list of companies youre aiming for is a great place to departure.Landing a new job often requires you to pursue multiple job opportunities at the same time. To streamline this process, it is helpful to build a list of companies that meet your location, industry, size, and corporate culture needs.Below are seven tips to help you identify the right employers for your personal target company list and how to leverage them during your job search.Document your goals.You may have a clear idea as to the type of role you want to pursue next, but have you thought about the kind of company youd like to work for? If you havent already, write down the things that matter most to you when it comes to your next employer. Include details like the companys size, distance from your home, industry, corporate culture, and the values the organization believes in. This information will help you keep your job search on track and make smart decisions about the roles you apply for.Run a Google search.Dont overlook the value of a good ol Google search. In just a few keystrokes you can find lists of companies that share the same ideals as you, such as a focus on innovation, work-life balance, or customer service.Glassdoor, CareerBliss, and The Muse all offer company profiles and employee reviews to help you get a better sense of the organization and what its really like to work there.RelatedWhy You Need to Google Yourself to Monitor Your zugnglich BrandFollow in your colleagues footsteps.If youre unsure of what type of company is best for you, consider where your former colleagues have found their next gigs. Run a search on LinkedIn to see where those youve previously worked with found employment. This is a good way to find companies in different industries that may value your background it works especially well if you both worked in the same department or business unit. As an added bonus, you now have a contact at the company who can put in a good word for you.Search for face-to-face events.As youre building your dream company list, take a look at sites like 10times, Meetup, and Eventbrite for upcoming events you can attend that are relevant to your industry. Use these face-to-face opportunities to find new organizations to add to your list and increase the connections in your professional network.In addition, check out your target companies social media pages and websites, paying close attention to the Careers and Press sections, to find out if any of them are hosting or speaking at events in your area. This is a great chance to meet people from the company and demonstrate your genuine interest in working at their organization.Monitor your targets with Google News Alerts.Set up Google News Alerts for your target employers and their c ompetitors to keep an eye on the market. If you closely follow the news in your industry, you may be able to predict when new job openings will become available within the companies that interest you most. For example, if the company of your dreams announces its plans to expand its operations, then the organization may go on a hiring streak to prepare for the extra business.Evaluate your network.Run an advanced search on your LinkedIn professional network to find out if you know anyone who currently works or previously worked for one of the companies on your list. If a friend of a friend, i.e. a second connection, works for one of your dream companies, then ask for an introduction from your mutual connection.You can also learn more about the company culture and its hiring practices by requesting an informational interview with someone who currently works at the organization. In addition to gaining valuable information, this is also a great way to secure an employee referral for when the right opportunity appears, and to get the inside track on job opportunities that you wont find published online.Leverage social media.If you havent already, start following the social media accounts of your dream companies, their recruiters, and their senior leadership. These profiles will often provide insight into the organization, like its company culture and when new job opportunities become available.Click on the following link for more job-search advice.Will your resume help you land more interviews with the companies youre aiming for? Find out where you stand with a free resume critique.Recommended ReadingWhat Kind of Work Culture Works for You?Is This Company Right for You? Run a Social Media Check to Find Out7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Applying for a New Job