Archive for the ‘Employment’ Category

How Does 360 Degree Feedback Work? Can It Benefit Your Business?

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

We all enjoy getting positive or constructive feedback and when it is delivered in the right way it can really benefit both the individual and the business. Even so, with evidence to support this idea, it is the fact that people do not get feedback that is considered to be the major contributor to their decision to leave their job, so it really is important to provide feedback to your employees. It is a wise decision as it allows you to find out where employees may require support or skills development to help them to boost their performance levels.

So, why do we have 360 degree feedback? This idea has resulted from a need to increase both the frequency and quality of feedback to individual employees. It is more than the usual annual appraisal, where you visit the manager’s office to be told what you are doing well and how you can improve.

Throughout time it has been the role of the manager to provide this feedback and as a result of increasing workloads, the feedback has not always been comprehensive. 360 degree feedback increases the circle of feedback and includes not only the manager’s comments, but also peer evaluation, self evaluation and direct reports. What results at the conclusion of this process is a comprehensive report that provides the individual with a comparison between how they perceive their performance and the perception of their associates. This report will then allow them to make any necessary adjustments through a targeted improvement plan.

There are a number of positive aspects to 360 degree feedback: the insight that employees gain concerning their behavioural weaknesses gives them the ability to manage their careers effectively as they address interpersonal skills and leadership abilities and the business benefits from a productive workforce that has both an enhanced level of skill and great experience.

What elements make the 360 degree feedback process successful?

There are six components.

1. Senior management must have ownership of the process and be supportive of its implementation. Employees need to gain the skills necessary to provide constructive feedback. Most importantly, managers must be willing to use the skills that they have attained to offer any relevant ongoing coaching.

2. Each survey carried out should have a link with the ethos of the business and any revelant skills sought and considered necessary for the success of both the business and the individual.

3. Each member of the team is required to attend a 360 degree orientation. At these training sessions they will be instructed with regards to the fact that 360 must never be used in performance appraisal, but only as a developmental tool. The importance of confidentiality is emphasised to assure those who are being rated and those doing the rating.

4. A questionnaire or survey is completed. Most of these surveys are completed online with special encryption software that allows for secure data collection.

5. These surveys are organised into a report, including any comments made verbatim and given to the individual. The report should be in an easy to read format. Senior management is usually provided with a group summary report where numeric ratings are tallied to indicate strengths and weaknesses of the group. This information can then be used to make decisions regarding training initiatives that match the needs of the group.

6. Coaching that is thought to be necessary for improvements is then given to those requiring it. Impartiality is one of the best qualities of an effective coach as is their ability to focus on achievable, useful goal setting. It is also appropriate for managers to adopt the role of coach as it will help to cement any skills gained and guarantee accountability.

So, how can this assist your company? It all depends on how much you are willing to put into the procedure. The amount of change is directly related to the amount of feedback given and to the level of assistance that is provided. 360 degree feedback can be a very powerful tool to engender the feedback required to make those changes in your organisation.

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Theo Benmanson has been developing personnel for that last 15 years. He has written many articles on the topic. Click the links for additional articles on 360 degree feedback. Or visit the website at www.engauge.co.uk.

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Create Your Own Cover Letter Templates When Job Searching To Have On Hand

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

When searching for a new job, you need to treat the search like a full time job in order to really get anywhere. Maintaining your own cover letter templates will help you to inquire about jobs faster and with a higher level of professionalism than you would otherwise have. The upfront effort required to pull this off properly is considerable, but in the end it may shorten the overall length of your search.

You can start off by studying the samples of letters you find. The quickest way to access letters in an array of different formats is to look online. Many job search sites now offer tutorials on how to create resumes, cover letters, and also professional etiquette. You will be able to notice how the job you are inquiring about, or the company will change how you format the letter as a whole. You don’t want to send a casual letter to a company with a very formal atmosphere.

As you are studying the differences in formats of the samples that you have collected, be sure to also notice the similarities. You will notice some things that tie together all of them that make them good examples in the first place. Making this observation will give you a better idea of what to include among all of your letter templates.

You can practice writing the letters using a template already available in your work processing program. These pre-formatted templates are great for learning with, although not so wonderful for using for the ones that you send out. This rings especially true when you are sending these out over the internet because there is never any guarantee that the formatting will look the same on the other end.

You want to make sure that your letter stands out from others. While others are using the forms that their computers are providing them with, yours will actually have a far more polished look to it. That’s something that can only come from paying close personal attention to the details.

Once you have done your homework, you will want to get started on making your own and saving them in a designated file. In each one of these be sure to leave blank spaces for where you will want to insert a company name, or greeting to a specific person. By leaving these blank you will reduce your risk of sending out letters to the wrong places, or sending the right letter to the wrong place. Errors like that can not only make you feel embarrassed, but can also cost you the job.

This little cover letter is starting to seem like a lot of work. It should, when you stop and think about it, it is your first impression with this company, and that’s not something that you can do over later on. Be sure to be to-the-point in your letter, while at the same time conveying why you think they need you.

Having several cover letter templates saved will save a considerable amount of time when you are wanting to get it sent out quickly. Just pull up the appropriate one, add in the necessary information concerning the company and the job you are applying for, and then you’re done. You’ll have something quickly that doesn’t look as though the computer did it for you. It’s an efficient way to set yourself apart from the crowd.

You can find more cover letter templates on the Web through many other web pages. You will also come across resume cover letters samples that can help you decide the look you want for your resume.

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Creating An Assortment Of Sample Cover Letters To Work From Is Valuable

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

It takes full time effort to find a new full time job. Being a job seeker is stressful, and the competition is steep. Anything you can do to make yourself stand out from the crowd in a positive light is a welcomed addition to your job seeking toolbox. Sample cover letters can go a long way to making the best first impression possible. You will want to have a variety to work so you can effectively use a variety of formats.

Look over a variety of samples to start with. Then you want to use those to create your own personal stock of letters. By doing this you will be able to quickly select an appropriate format and modify it to your needs. You won’t be caught searching for the right words while others are sending in theirs for a good job opening.

Do your homework and research the company that you are applying to. Knowing what their corporate atmosphere is like can be crucial when deciding whether to send out a letter that is more formal versus one that is more casual. When you think about it, this is really your first impression, and you should use it make it clear that you understand their organization and that you would fit in well.

Show them that you have a sincere interest in more than just the job, but also in their organization as a whole. Do your homework and find out all you can about their background and what they do. Then use the letter to illustrate that not only do you know about them, but also how you will be able to help them and be a valuable member of their team. Let them know that they need a person like you.

You may be expanding your horizons in your search. In doing so you will want to create separate types of letters to highlight differing types of experience or education that you may have. By having them ready ahead of time you won’t be searching for the right words when you see an opening pop up.

By taking these tips you will be able to submit a cover letter that differentiates you from the stack of other applicants sitting on someone’s desk. You want it to get their attention in a good way. This won’t get you hired right away, but it can get you the interview you may not have gotten otherwise.

Despite what you may have been taught, the auto-formatting function in your work processor is not your friend. It might save you time up front, but it could do some damage later on down the road. When sending in resumes or applications online these letters could loose their formatting, and end up reading as a jumbled mess. Do yourself a favor and take the time to format it manually.

This probably looks like it will be a lot of work: it is. The marketplace today is very competitive, and it takes a lot to get ahead, and to get the job. Be prepared and give job searching your best effort and you won’t have to search as long as others.

Locate all kinds of resume cover letter choices online. A lot of these sample cover letters will even be offered at very good prices if not free. Head online and find out more now.

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The Bearing Of Cover Letters In The Application Process

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

When you are seeking employment a cover letter is a necessary tool in your pursuit. The reasons that cover letters are so important in your queries is that is shows your professionalism. It shows that you can effectively write a basic letter stating what you want and the tone will set the mood of your personality and what a future employer is in store for if they hire you.

Many times a letter will be read and the resume attached to it never will. The company will read cover letters and decide if they need to waste any more of their time looking further. This is why the cover letter is so important. You already got the potential employer to read it so do not blow it by having a lousy cover letter. You only get one chance many times to make a good first impression.

On the flip side if you do not include a cover letter then your potential employer will doubt your marketability in their business if you do not even know that you are supposed to have a cover letter. It is your way to make a great first impression with someone with whom your want to be hired by. Give them a sample of you and make them want to call you in to learn more about you with your fabulous letter.

A cover letter also gives you the opportunity to let someone know more about you and your personality that is not in the resume itself. This short and sweet pitch of yourself is your opportunity to shine. Let them know why you are the best candidate for the job and why they can benefit from hiring you. That is why you will want to ensure that your cover letter is impeccable.

Misspelling words on you cover letters is one of the most common mistakes by many people. If you are going to write a letter makes absolutely sure that you have not misspelled words. Look them up if you have to and read it and then read it again. Do not depend on a spell checker to catch all of the mistakes. Read it out loud if you have to and ensure that it sounds well written.

Another mistake is to drown out your wants with overstating them. Write concisely what you want, who you are, and why you are great. This is stated simply for you, but no matter what you say this is the jest of what your letter should be.

When you present your application to an employer cover letters will be placed on top of the resume when you mail it to them. The letter should have a name of the direct person you are applying to. If you do not know the name you can find out easily by contacting the company or looking online.

If you need examples there are many to be found online. This is a good source to see what an effective cover letters look like. Check them and see how you can effectively get the job you want by having an award winning letter for the cover of your resume.

Locate the perfect resume cover letter styles by looking online. There are several of ways you can approach a cover letter. But by heading to http://www.job-cover-letters.com today you will find the perfect.

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Why You Should Have Lawyer Cover Letters?

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

In a lawyer cover letter you will find that the lawyer is trying to show his experience, skills and personality. Actually lawyer cover letters are designed in such a way. These letters are specially designed to show the overall personality of the person. When professionals look for a lawyer they want a standard cover letter. A well-written cover letter is a vital element to getting an interview for an attorney job.

The main purpose of the cover letter is to have a silent and written conversation between the interviewer and the interviewee. It is a single golden opportunity through which you can show the interviewer that why you are the best candidate for the position. A resume is different from a cover letter. In a resume you add your strengths to minimize the weaknesses but in a cover letter you add your own personal touch. Just read on further and see what you should include in your cover letter and in what way. I will also show you the best way to write your cover letter.

The first and the most important thing that you should keep in mind is the size of the cover letter. Keep your cover letter as small as possible. But it does not mean you omit the important details. It should be designed in such a way that it covers all the information in one page. Limit your cover letter around 500 words. Add your skills and experiences and just about your previous company and not about all the companies you worked with. Choose such type of skills to write in the cover letter that it should match the current opening. So before writing a cover letter you should make an outline of it in your mind.

Make your cover letter as simple as possible. Avoid using unnecessary details just to drag the attention of the professionals. Professional will straight way reject you. Make your cover letter short but it does not mean that the cover letter should be small like an application for leave. It should be one page long but not more than one page.

Manage all the skills and experiences in such a way that it makes a beauty combination. Choose the skills that match with the opened position. Do not include your skills other than that.

Include some special things in the cover letter so that it can differentiate you from others. You will see that mostly candidates include some common things like he is detail oriented, etc. Same are the first things that will come to your mind to write but try to mold it a bit. You can do it by including an example from your previous company. This will highlight your skills also.

Keep in mind that there should be no typos or any grammatical or punctuation errors. This will give a bad impression. Read your cover letter at least three times before keeping in front of the employer. Read each and every single word with full concentration.

If you are not interested in writing a cover letter at your own then you can take the help of an expert. You can find an expert on internet.

Lawyer cover letters are your gate pass towards employment in your desired company. You need to prepare a careful layout of your cover letter and resume so that it will attract the attention of your prospective employer. You may want to try law student resumes.

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