Category: Business Ownership

Fighting the odds of termination

3/12/2015

(Geralt/CC0 Public Domain)

Good news for the unemployment rates. In February of this year, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that unemployment rate decreased to 5.5 percent. Teen unemployment decreased to 17.1 percent; jobless rates for adult men were 5.2 percent and adult women were 4.9 percent.

But in a perfect world, the number would lower to zero. In the mean time, employees can do everything within their power to try to beat the odds. Downsizing and layoffs will happen, but terminations can be optional.

Here are tips to avoid the plunge.

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Why eye contact and mutual engagement matter during a job interview

2/19/2015

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Job sites and news programs are steadily reporting on how the employment market has improved, but what caught my interest recently was a statistic in Forbes about job candidates who turn jobs down.

More than half (56 percent) of all employers reported that a candidate rejected their job offer in 2012.

Why would a statistic like this matter with job candidates being so plentiful in today's job market? Because there are job interviewers who too often forget that a job applicant has options, too. One of those options is to find a job where she feels that her time would be respected within the company. Just as the job applicant should put her best foot forward, so should the hiring managers. A job interviewer never knows who will walk through the door. The next person to walk into a conference room may be the ideal person to finally put a stop to endless resume submissions and work piling up.

As both a manager and a job applicant, I know what it's like to be in a group job interview and have to keep the interest of everyone else in the room. In a recent conversation with a colleague about her job hunt, I advised her on what hiring managers look for when speaking to candidates and what the job applicant should do to keep the group attentive. She was going on her second job interview with two different companies. However, as soon as she left both of the follow-up interviews, she told me she considered writing a "thank you" e-mail and pulling her name out of possible candidates. Here were her reasons why.

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Three tips to keep small businesses afloat and successful

2/13/2015

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There are plenty of examples of smaller businesses getting eaten up by larger corporations. However, optimistic small businesses continue to have the drive to fight against their odds. Some of those companies go on to be successful. Others do not.

Here are a few tips for a small business to understand how to get the upper hand against their competition.

Step 1: Take a look at your marketplace, and be willing to outwork the competition. Sometimes it's not about the dollar amount that you're spending on marketing or operating your company. Research any weaknesses in those larger companies, and make sure those are your strengths.

Step 2: Activate a plan to explain how your particular small business is different from the competition. Emphasize a high level of service. Give customers and clients that one-on-one experience that will make them feel important. Word of mouth can be a lifesaver or yank a company into the deep end without swimming lessons.

Step 3: Be a solution provider. A company that resolves a problem will always be relevant. Maybe your business fixes technology equipment. Or, you're a catering company that specializes in a menu for people with a very specific diet. Or, you're a law firm that goes out of your way to help clients understand contract details or negotiations. No matter what your company specializes in, do not let your client get off of a phone call or leave your office with the same amount of questions and confusion that the client had before contacting you.

There's a reason that customer service companies have started utilizing survey results to monitor employees. They want to know if the situation has been resolved. If it hasn't, then your representatives aren't effectively working in the marketplace.

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Fighting the odds of termination

Why eye contact and mutual engagement matter during a job interview

Three tips to keep small businesses afloat and successful

Consulting with Costen

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