Michael DeSafey | Executive Recruiter and HR Professional
The Key to Getting the Job You Want
The Key to Getting the Job You Want
Many employees find themselves walking a fine line. They want a new position: to move into a job that takes better advantage of their skills, to attain a promotion within their existing job, or even to move to a different place of employment. When you have your eye on a specific position, you want to do everything in your power to get it. There’s one secret to the process: assertiveness. While you don’t want to be overbearing or appear that you’re trying to force your way into a position–particularly with an existing employer–you do want to be sure that you’re being clear and assertive about your plans.
1.Make your goals clear. If you’re content in your current position and don’t want further responsibility, it’s all right to say so. On the other hand, if you want something more, make sure that your employer knows it! There’s no need to be rude; simply
putting the information out there is more than enough. For example, you might say, “I would eventually like to be a construction foreman, and I’d like the opportunity to develop leadership skills within my current position.” If your current employer doesn’t know that you want to move up, you may miss out on valuable opportunities. When you’re looking to move to a new company, share why you’re interested in them: “I love your company’s vision, and all of my interactions with the company have shown that your culture would be a great fit for me.” Your employer can’t read your mind. By clearly sharing exactly what is that you want, you’ll discover that they’re more likely to give it to you.
2.Follow the application process. Whether you’re hoping to move up from within or you’re looking for a new job, it’s important to follow the described application process to the letter. Take a good look at even the most unusual or obscure instructions in the application process. Hiring managers at a new company take note of the details: if they tell you to send your information by email, do so. If they ask for a hard copy of your resume, it’s important to provide it. When you pay attention to the details of the application, you show that you’re genuinely interested in a specific job, not just following the same procedure for every application you put in–and you prove that you’ll give that same attention to detail in your everyday job performance.
3.Practice what you want to say. When you approach your boss about your interest in a new position or promotion, practice it first! Take the time to think through exactly what you want to say and remove filler from the statement. You’ll find that this makes you appear more confident, which in turn increases your employer’s confidence in you.
4.Be clear and positive about why you want the new position. It’s not that you feel you’re being under-utilized in your current position; instead, it’s that you think that you can bring more valuable skills and abilities to the table. You aren’t unhappy in your current job; rather, you think that a new job will be a great fit for you. When you’re positive about this shift in your employment status, you’ll discover that your attitude is more likely to rub off on the people in charge of putting you in a new position.
5.Remember that it’s okay to ask for the changes you want. You aren’t being ungrateful for your current job, nor are you leaving your current team in the lurch. Instead, you’re making a career move that’s best for you and your family–and you can do it without guilt! Drop the guilt from your attitude before you make your desires clear. It’s only holding you back and preventing you from asking for the job you really want.
Moving into the job of your dreams isn’t always as simple as asking for it, but it’s a great first step in the process! A simple assertive, calm attitude is a great way to put yourself forward and show that you’re a great fit for an available job. Ask for what you want and make it clear that you’re going to continue to pursue your career goals. You may be amazed by what you’re able to accomplish as a result.
Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing www.webuildstaffing.com . To learn more about Michael or to follow his blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com
How To Know When To Leave A Job In The Construction Industry
How To Know When To Leave A Job In The Construction Industry
The main problem to consider is workplace stress. If you are having trouble going to sleep and getting up in the morning due to work stress, and you dread going to your job every day, this is something to pay attention to. Stress is very individual, therefore what is stressful for one person may not be so for another. According to the CDC, “Stress sets off an alarm in the brain, which responds by preparing the body for defensive action. The nervous system is aroused and hormones are released to sharpen the senses, quicken the pulse, deepen respiration, and tense the muscles.”
Infrequent episodes of stress aren’t harmful to the body, because it is designed to come back to a place of relative calm. However, if the stress is constant or never resolved, the body is continually kept in a state of fight or flight, which can lead to poor sleep, intestinal issues, illness and mental health conditions like depression and nervous breakdowns. This is a cause for more frequent sick days. Employers not having the staff you need on site costs time, money, and expertise, and if you are the worker who is suffering, you are paying heavy consequences for the work you are doing.
Two areas of workplace stress include workload and working conditions. According to the CDC, “Heavy workload, infrequent rest breaks, long work hours and shift work” can all cause workplace stress. Unsafe site conditions and supervisors who expect work to be done regardless of the safety of their workers also take a heavy toll on employees in the construction industry. These conditions also affect employees’ home lives, which in turn will affect how they are able to execute their tasks.
Interpersonal relationships between supervisors and employees or employee to employee can also greatly affect your decision to leave a construction job. Unreasonable expectations, conflicting or confusing work roles, unethical behavior, negativity and working with difficult people can be very stressful.
Career Advancement and Compensation is another workplace stressor that must be considered, since you may not be getting paid sufficiently for the work you are doing or your advancement opportunities are limited. This is tricky, since you must consider whether you want to find another job with better pay, while working for your current employer.
Relaxed and clear-minded construction professionals are incredibly important, since some field personnel are using power tools like nail guns, saws, and often operating large machinery. The risk of injury for people who are stressed is very high, and it not only affects that individual but also co-workers and supervisors on the job.
The chance of error is also a big factor among stressed individuals, which can be costly when doing construction. One faucet hole drilled in the wrong place in a slab of granite counter-top could cost thousands in materials and time, for example. Errors on the job can also cause problems later on, such as when poor electrical wiring causes a fire for future homeowners or businesses, as well as affecting subsequent processes such as installing flooring over a surface that is not level.
Although other factors may come into play, workplace stress due to the factors described above is the biggest area to look at, especially for the construction industry. If you decide looking for a different job is in your best interests a good resource would be Webuild Staffing, who specializes in staffing construction organizations worldwide.
Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing www.webuildstaffing.com . To learn more about Michael or to follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com
EQ and the importance of Relationships for Career Advancement
EQ and the importance of Relationships for Career Advancement
When you want to find a better job, it’s often who you know instead of what you know that gets you there. One way to advance more rapidly in your profession is to increase your emotional intelligence, or EQ. This is the ability to correctly perceive your emotions and those of others. We want to help you find the next great position in your career pathway, and so we will explore the importance of relationships for career advancement in terms of EQ.
Building Your Soft Skills
Emotional intelligence is about building soft skills such as empathy, effective listening, compassion, sensitivity, and tolerance. It means controlling your emotions and using your perceptions to understand the emotions of others. You can build better relationships with everyone in your field by learning to communicate better. You can learn to listen to how you feel. You can share that information when appropriate and hold it back when the situation with another person doesn’t call for it.
How It Works
Increasing your EQ occurs on many levels. One way is to adapt your communication style to the messages you receive from others. For example, you wouldn’t use a loud voice or bring up a sensitive issue to an employee who just described having a terrible day. If you are the boss and you have to bring up something important, you would help the employee calm down before introducing any hot-button issues or criticism. Ideally, you would introduce any difficult subject matter on another day.
Get Started
There is a direct connection between one’s emotional intelligence and leadership. One study defined a transformational leader as someone who looks to find the motives in others and wants to satisfy their higher needs and engage them as full people. This is an important quality for leaders to have in the construction and engineering industries where teamwork is essential for timely project completion and for general safety on the job site. People want to work under transformational leaders who inspire them, and they will work harder each day for them. Transformational leaders with a high EQ are easier to understand the first time around, and they receive more messages the way that others intend them. They are more comfortable to be around on the job site.
Build stronger business relationships through sensitive communication if you take the time to use your EQ.
Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing www.webuildstaffing.com . To learn more about Michael or to follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com