Alexandra Levits Water Cooler Wisdom HR Needs to Look in the Mirror

Alexandra Levit's Water Cooler Wisdom HR Needs to Look in the Mirror Last year, a colleague emailed me a report by McKinsey and the Conference Board. Called False Summit: Why the Human Capital Function Still Has Far To Go, the paper eschewed the notion that companies and their leadership teams have achieved the holistic and systematic view of human capital strategy that is required in today’s business world. Using research conducted across three methods: a global survey, a literature review, and domestic and international focus groups, McKinsey and the Conference Board identified a few specific challenges that have held HR back in its effort to make more important contributions to the organization and its operations. The Challenges Basic capability was cited as the first problem. HR leaders, said the researchers, aren’t able to confidently and assertively solve business issues with line leaders and define the subsequent human capital implications. The second issue? Mindset. HR professionals view themselves as responsible for a support function. They have a low tolerance for risk and a limited sense of strategic authorship. Finally, HR is unable to communicate the ROI or business impact of the function. HR professionals have a reputation for being somewhat illiterate when it comes to general business acumen, and even if an organization is typically supportive of innovation, the most intriguing propositions and initiatives aren’t coming from the HR camp. The Opportunities This research was published almost three years ago, but I still hear from a lot of frustrated HR practitioners who feel that their organizations don’t take them seriously. They complain that they can’t get budget for their projects and they live in constant fear that half the department will be laid off next week. The strategic imperative of effective policies involving recruitment, retention, succession and workforce planning, employee engagement, and skill acquisition has never been more significant, and HR-related technology and social media developments have never been more exciting. Yet HR itself struggles to change. It’s time for HR to look in the mirror and stop blaming the executive team, the Board, other departments, or the field’s negative perception (or all of the above) for the c-suite’s closed door policy. Perhaps, if HR professionals were more willing to expand outside their comfort zones, take risks, and consider long-term gains over short-term expenses, they could inch closer to that golden chair at the CEO’s table. Maybe if they took the extra step of educating themselves about the business beyond their immediate roles and responsibilities, they would open minds about the value of a true partnership. For more content like this, check out the SilkRoad blog.

Five Steps to Getting Out of Credit Card Debt

Five Steps to Getting Out of Credit Card Debt Ever heard of free money? Of course not, it doesnt exist. In my world however, it did. This free money came in the form of a cute little card that fit neatly in my wallet, pocket and palm my credit card. Id sometimes forget my phone or keys, but Id never leave home without it. Dont get me wrong, having a credit card isnt necessarily bad. I just took it to another level. I had a charge-it-and-forget-it attitude. I charged everything from bottles of water to vacations. What got me in trouble was that I often paid the minimum and continuing charging away. In my world, as long as I was paying the minimum, everything was fine. Before I knew it, my balances were out of control. Yes, I say balanceS because I had two credit cards and both were nearing the limit. Eventually, I had to get a personal line of credit just to pay off those credits. You know what I did afterwards? I went right back to charging those two freshly cleared credit cards. By the time I finally woke up and smelled the debt, my consumer debt had reached $34,000! It was one of the hardest things I had to do and I had a few false starts, but I eventually got my cleared my debt. I learned a lot through that debt repayment process, but here are the five steps that helped me get to being debt-free. 1. Freeze Before even thinking about the next steps or how youll ever be able to get out of debt, just freeze. Stop buying things you dont need and most of all, stop using credit cards. This is a short period of time, just a few days to wrap your mind around the reality of your debt situation. Open those statements and panic, cry or scream if you have to. 2. Reassess and change your attitude My biggest problem was my attitude towards credit cards. Of course I knew, that Id have to pay back all that credit, but when I was in the moment, I just wasnt thinking about that. All that mattered was getting those cute shoes before the sale ended and my little plastic card was the answer. I had to live by the words I will not use my credit card to finance my out of control shopping habits. It is not free money. I couldnt change my attitude without changing my lifestyle and spending habits they go hand in hand. 3. Cash is your best friend The benefit of using cash is that you can see it dwindling. You have time to panic and realize how much money youre spending because your wallet is getting thinner after each purchase. Credit cards, on the other hand, are so convenient that you dont even realize how much money youre spending. For instance, dropping $200 in cash made me sweat, but that same amount on credit barely made me blink. If you dont see it, you dont feel the pain. 4. A budget is your second best friend In the days when I was spending like a rockstar, the thought of creating a budget made me dry heave. Once I got over the melodrama and created one, it changed my life. It helped able to keep track of where my money was going and I no longer threw my arms up and yelled where did my money go at the end of every month. 5. Pay, pay, pay My debt repayment became another bill I had to pay every month and I did whatever I could to save in other areas   to make more payments towards my debt. I quickly realized that my income wasnt going to cut it and I needed to make more money, so I got a side hustle and every penny from that side hustle went right towards my debt. It took me a year and I all I remember of 2011 was working my butt off and wanting to slap myself for getting into debt in the first place, but I reached my goal of paying off every penny of that $34,000 by the end of the year. Ive started using my credit cards again, but   I pay off the balance right away. Whats your attitude towards credit cards? Have you ever been in credit card debt?  

How to Use Yammer for Your Recruitment Team

How to Use Yammer for Your Recruitment Team I did some training with our in-house recruitment team yesterday on what to do with social media in their roles â€" they’d spent the day with LinkedIn getting trained on the basics of setting up an account and bits and bobs like that. By the time I got to them they had that glazed look on their faces as though to say “please Charly no more”…. Charming! I know that you know… Ok, so I know that they know that they should be posting their jobs out onto LinkedIn and Twitter, I also know that they now know how to actually do that…. But do they know why they should be doing it? Did they also understand that you can’t just spam your followers or connections with jobs with the hope that they might, one day, think “yeh ok I quite fancy the look of that place”?! So I spent some time with the team looking at what else they could actually talk about, other than the fact that we are recruiting for Pre-Sales Consultants! Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter I find it interesting that each of our main social networks all have a different purpose…. Facebook is there to tell all your mates what you got up to on Saturday night (and probably for one of you’re so called mates to tag you in a photo that they absolutely promised you on the night they were deleting). Thank goodness you can select who your friends are on Facebook and so have some damage limitation there! There’s LinkedIn where you build your network to share inspiring thoughts and ideas, along with being able to be the boss of your own career (and also secretly hope that these people may want to headhunt you in the future as you are clearly so knowledgeable in your field!!). Then you’ve got Twitter where you can quickly update people on what’s going on in your head right now â€" or push out interesting articles that someone else has written, #tagging to your heart’s content. Problem is, there is no way to control who is following you on here so you have to be careful of what exactly you talk about â€" you may be dying to update on an exciting meeting that you have attended at work but you know you can’t tell anyone outside of the business just yet…. Yammer-TIME!!! So where does Yammer fit into all of this? Where I work, we’ve just started using Yammer, it’s slowly crept upon us and then WHAM we’ve gone from 15 members to over 500 in two weeks…. What’s happened there then?! Well some people have invited some other people and started talking about all sorts of stuff â€" but its all internal! This means they can talk about that exciting meeting they have just attended and share their excitement with everyone else! As a business, we’ve always struggled with people within our brands having the opportunity to talk to each other; whether that be because they feel they are too culturally different, or just because they have never had the time or inclination to do so…. who knows! We’ve not quite got everyone in the company (1800 people) onto Yammer yet, but we’re getting there slowly but surely. I think people are responding well to Yammer as its breaking down all of the barriers that we have within the business there’s no specific rules around what you can or can’t talk about. We trust our employees to be sensible… and it’s amazing what people get talking about we’ve had discussions around fish chips on a Friday and whether its scraps or bits, then on a Tuesday we had people from our sales team asking if anyone knew someone within a company they were wanting to target we had three people that provided that person with leads into the business. We have found that in a really short space of time, employees are actively collaborating with each other, and building relationships with people that they may have never had the opportunity to meet. Back to the Recruitment Team After thinking about all of the above social networks and what they do for us, we agreed as a team that we needed to do something slightly different on each network to keep our following engaged. We don’t use Facebook at the moment for our recruitment as most of the roles we recruit for are at a more technical level, however we do believe that there would be some merit doing a small campaign on Facebook next time we are recruiting within our contact centres. The full team have accounts on LinkedIn, and each are tasked with growing their network and sharing articles that would be meaningful to our followers, along with sharing some top recruitment tips. We also make sure that all of our jobs are sent to LinkedIn via a weblink, and post around 4 jobs a month on LinkedIn’s job site. In addition, our fabulous resourcer is always connecting with people to build up her talent pipeline ready for when one of the Recruitment Managers has that oh so very tricky job to fill. We use Twitter in a very similar way to LinkedIn â€" apart from the headhunting side, and then there’s Yammer. As I said earlier this is a new concept to us and so we’re still fine tuning how we use it for the recruitment team â€" however so far we have run a few different polls where we have asked for people’s opinions on the referral scheme, we’ve shared some interesting articles to help people who are attending internal interviews â€" and we’ve also shared some of our success stories with the business… just to show them how hard we really work!! The team are really excited at how quickly social media has enhanced the recruitment process, and my role is to be constantly looking for new ways to make things even better for the team from a social media aspect. There are so many different social media sites out there and I have to make the call as to which I put in front of the Group Recruitment Manager as a possibility for us to use within the business â€" it’s a tricky job but someone has to do it! Related: How Recruiters Can Get Started with Social Media.

De-stressing out of the office

De-stressing out of the office After a bad day its easy to turn to a glass of wine for comfort. Although thatll give you a temporary fix, come the morning a fuzzy head makes everything seem ten times worse. Thats why more and more working women are putting their foot down and hitting the treadmill to kiss that stressful day goodbye. Yet when youve spent all day cooped up at your desk, a breath of fresh air can be just what the doctor ordered. So dodge the gym price tag, put on some walking clothes and choose to enjoy the benefits of de-stressing in the beautiful outdoors instead. Exercise has long been acknowledged for its many perks. Beyond the obvious calorie burning pros, gentle exercise is renowned for reducing the risk of diabetes, breast cancer and dementia. But what really seals the deal is the boost in mood and the energy we can gain. Light to moderate exercise produces the right chemicals in your brain to release endorphins and let out some steam after a long day, leaving you feeling de-stressed and more confident. Whats more, a short burst of outdoor exercise can easily be incorporated into your evening or weekend schedule. So theres no excuse! Heres a few ideas to get you started. Its scientifically proven that as little as 30 minutes exercise can kick start the positive benefits, reducing mental and physical stress. This can be anything from a leisurely walk home to an afternoon hike and there are plenty of options available for all abilities right on your doorstep. Tough day? Skip off the subway or bus a few stops early and walk the rest of the journey home. This allows you to get some fresh air and clear your head, meaning you wont bring the stress of the day into your home. Alternatively, if thats not an option then use your lunch break wisely. Studies show that were more efficient when we take breaks so step away from your computer and take a walk around the block during lunch. Incorporating leisurely walks into your lifestyle is a great way to help you relax without taking up too much of your time. Once the weekend is in sight, use your free time wisely and get to grips with nature. Instead of spending your weekend sprawled out on the couch, check out whats on offer outdoors. With minimal equipment required, invest in some supportive boots and weather resistant clothing and youre good to go. Fly solo or double up with your partner or friends and spend the afternoon hiking. If youre unsure of routes there are plenty of online resources to inspire you such as TrailLinks app which lets you search for route maps by city or ZIP code. Go one step further and join a local walking or hiking club to get those endorphins and meet new people. Striking a good work-life balance doesnt require a drastic overhaul or nights spent pounding the treadmill. Adapting your routine to make way for 30 minutes exercise isnt a tall order and is a great way to relax leaving you energised for everyday challenges. From a short walk on your lunch break to delving into the woods at the weekend, theres an option for all abilities to catch some Vitamin D and unwind. Images by Martin Fisch and Jenny Downing, used under the Creative Commons license.

10 Best Cities Across the World for Job Aspirants - CareerMetis.com

10 Best Cities Across the World for Job Aspirants Source â€" Pexels.comIf you thought that college and university was the hardest part of your life, then you, my friend, are in for a surprise.Did you ask why? Well, now that you finished your higher studies, you will have to come out from the sanctity of your hostel corridors. You will have to get out in the real world and make a mark for yourself.If you are an amateur job seeker, then you must know that finding a job that justifies your worth can be quite a task. You must see the annual pay package, the perks offered and what you are going to learn from it.evalAre you on a hunt for a job and thinking of moving into a new city for better job prospects? Then there is a list of the best cities all over the world and why should you choose them.The United States of AmericaThe USA is a global power and contributes as a massive job generator. According to a report from the Labor Department, the US has created some 157,000 job openings in May, June, and July.As a result, the unemployment ra te has gone down to an impressive 3.9% from a previously recorded 4%.If you are a rookie, then the States should be your priority.1. Seattle, WashingtonevalLike the national rate, Seattle claims an unemployment rate of 3.9% and has therefore made it to the list of 10-best-cities-for-job-seekers by the CNBC.If you are a student of biotechnology or have studied health care, then Seattle is the right place for you. And if you are not, then you need not worry. Big names like Amazon, Microsoft, and Zillow, are associated with it too, and you can drop in your CV if you are interested.The average salary in Seattle is as higher as $ 61,170 and has a salary ranking of 18. However, we must warn you about the high cost of living in this metro city.2. Boston, MassachusettsevalTo start with, Boston boasts of an employment rate of 3.5% that is 0.4% lower than the national level. As it is a scenic location with greenery and the sea, tourism and hospitality happen to be the vital industries here. N ot to forget, the city also is home to the famed Harvard University.With some of the most renowned medical centers like Massachusetts General Hospital to its name, health care is an influential employer too.If you have studied medicine, then Boston can be a good option for you. The annual average salary is $64,080 as compared to the national figure of $49,630.3. San Francisco, CaliforniaThe most attractive thing about this metro city is the higher wages than most metropolitans in the world. San Francisco teems with a diverse range of job opportunities. From tourism to biotechnology to healthcare, you will have several doors open for you.evalBoasting 30 financial institutions, San Francisco is a hub for the business and finance sector. If you are a business student, this might be your haven.And what is more?The town has a remarkable unemployment rate that is as low as 3.3% and pays a handsome annual salary too. No wonder why the city has been ranked as the 2ndposition by the CNBC for the year 2018.4. New York City, NYIf you like a fast-paced life that is ever welcoming to newcomers, make it a point to hunt for a job in the “city that never sleeps.” Brimming with all sorts of career opportunities, NYC happens to be an artist’s paradise. If you are artistically inclined and thinking of creating your niche, then this is the place for you.The leading influencer in theatre and fashion trends, this is your place if you want to make it big in the world of Showbiz. Home to magnates like Pfizer, PepsiCo, and Morgan Stanley and Citigroup â€" the city has a brilliantly strong economy and is known for an average income that is noticeably higher than the national average.The United KingdomAccording to a report from the National Statistics, the unemployment rate of the UK declined with the number of jobs openings reaching a record high between March and May this year. Let us have a look at the best cities in the UK that job aspirant as you should consider.eval5. Edinbu rgh, ScotlandEdinburgh is considered one of the strongest economies. It boasts the second highest annual average salary in the UK at £24,628. When compared to the national unemployment rate of 4.4%, the city follows the standard with its unemployment rate of 6.7 percent.Edinburgh owes mainly to the public sector for job opportunities with health and social work being the top industries. The city also flourishes with sectors like wholesale/retail and finance. If you are a science student, the Scottish capital can be your sanctum too.6. GlasgowKnown as the thriving creative industry, Glasgow is as diverse as it gets. From architecture to film, from fashion to cultural heritage â€" the city has it all. If you want a career in designing or looking forward to being a celebrated journalist, this is where you should be. Home to several visual artists and gamers, Glasgow is the place if you have specialized in digital studies. Also, if you are a student of Finance, then you are in luck. Bar clays, the financial/investment magnate, has said that it could create up to 2,500 new job opportunities in the finance sector in Glasgow.AustraliaevalAustralia has seen a rise in the employment rate from 62% to 62.10% in June 2018. As a result, the country has recorded an unemployment rate of 5.3% globally as it, therefore, a hub for job aspirants.7. SydneyThe city brags of an economy bigger than cities like Hong Kong or Singapore. Producing more than $306 billion of goods and services annually, the employment prospects in Sydney are quite useful for novices as well as experienced workers.The major industries in the city are financial and professional services, manufacturing, and communications technology. As the city is so beautiful, tourism is a significant sector for career opportunities.8. Melbourne, VictoriaMelbourne is home to some of the biggest brands. Moreover, it is quite welcoming when it comes to immigrants. So, if you are planning to move to Melbourne, then you will be open to a lot of job prospects. The primary industries in Melbourne include the automotive industry, aviation, building and construction, education, engineering, nursing, financial services, and information and communications technology.Most employees earn an average annual salary of AU$60,931. There is a lot of scope for Graphic Designers to who draw a starting salary as high as AU$50,534 annually.evalAsiaAlthough considered a developing continent, Asia has a healthy economy, thanks to its diversity. If you are looking forward to settling in a city in the Asian continent, then let us give you an insight into the best cities where you can trust the job market.9. DubaiAccording to the Labour Force Survey of the Dubai Statistics Center (DSC), Dubai has a fantastic unemployment rate of 0.5 percent as compared to the global average rate. An oil-rich country, Dubai boasts of an economy that is robust and is experiencing continuous growth over the recent years. Dubai’s major industries include aluminum, boat building and ship repair, construction, fishing and petroleum and petrochemicals.The city has a spectacular infrastructure and is acclaimed for the beautiful Burj Khalifa. This makes the town a tourist attracted spot thus making hospitality and tourism major employment sectors too.10. TokyoThe unemployment rate in Japan has been recorded at a low 2.4 percent in June of 2018 and is, therefore, a haven for job aspirants. What comes to your mind when we say Japan? The word Anime, right?If you are an anime enthusiast who is pursuing graphics and virtual designing, then Tokyo is where you would want to be. When it comes to the manufacturing sector, Tokyo happens to be Japan’s leading industrial center.As a result, the city’s economy is thoroughly developed. Home to industries like Chiba, Kawasaki, and Yokohama, Tokyo is a harbor for the production of electronic equipment.So what are you waiting for? The best cities in the world are waiting for you with open ar ms and brilliant job openings. Draw up your resume and get going. Good luck!

MBA Career Outlook from a Global Perspective - Margaret Buj - Interview Coach

MBA Career Outlook from a Global Perspective The “international MBA” or “global MBA” is becoming one of the most valued degrees, as management art is getting increasingly complex. Businesses are expanding worldwide to meet the demands and challenges of their international customers. This is why MBA programs offered by the leading business schools are adopting an international angle in their pedagogical approaches to prepare their students for an international business world. Students who study for the GMAT exam can improve their chances of getting into a top MBA program. People working in the global workforce consider gaining an international perspective through an MBA degree essential. Employers, leading entrepreneurs, and international marketers believe that a global perspective is a must-have skill for MBA graduates if they want to work in international markets. Plus, the skill is mandatory for MBA graduates who are striving to bring a change via the social enterprise. The leading business schools in the UK, such as the London Business School and the Imperial College Business School, offer international or global MBA programs for students to broaden their learning horizon. However, other schools try to adopt this approach within their traditional programs. Either way, the features of these programs include overseas traveling that enables students to learn and experience unfamiliar business practices and culture. Global MBA provides students the insights that help them widen their outlook for the business and foreign cultures. Particularly, they learn the significance of getting a grasp of cultural differences when doing business in different parts of the world. This aids MBA graduates in enhancing their future careers as international leaders of the expanding global workforce. Why Having a Global Perspective Is Essential for MBA Graduates There is no denying that receiving an MBA degree gives students’ career prospects a kick. And having practical experience of doing business in new countries is what sets them apart from others. Simply put, having a global perspective is essential if you are looking for making a career with your MBA degree. Business schools fly their MBAs off regularly to international programs in other parts of the world. London business schools, for example, offer a wide range of partnership programs and swaps to MBA graduates during the course. The purpose of introducing such programs is to give MBA students an opportunity to see how foreign business works. Globalization is a dominating and inevitable aspect when it comes to becoming a part of the global workforce. The global perspective is what prepares the next generation for a diverse international business world. It is worth noting that MBAs cannot gain a global perspective just by reading case studies within a classroom. Until they arrive in a foreign culture to see the business processes and receive first-hand experience, it is hard to learn business mechanics in the global workforce. Why Employers Expect Global Perspective from MBA Students Given the international economic forces, leading Corporations can only succeed with an outlook on global business. They need to identify new ventures, improve old thinking, and adopt global perspectives to excel in a competitive market. Therefore, it is unsurprising that entrepreneurs now value this perspective and prefer to hire MBA graduates with international business horizons. Let’s delve into two of the most important reasons why a global perspective has become so important for business owners and employers. ·             Having a Global Outlook Can Help Business Grow and Compete The global market is deeply interconnected in terms of business interests. The modern economics in the global market requires businesses to establish international relationships if they wish to grow and succeed. Whether a business is looking to expand in a global market or wants to optimize production to compete with foreign competitors, a global perspective can benefit. It helps the business explore the latest challenges and development on the global business forums. And these changes could make that business thrive. That is why businesses prize a global perspective in their upcoming talent. They want MBAs to have insights and identifying skills that can benefit their businesses to compete in the global market. Even if a business has a domestic scope, managers with global perspectives can help anticipate challenges in the market and plan strategies accordingly. With international education and practical experience, successful MBAs are recruited to help businesses secure a better market position and identify innovative ventures. ·             MBA Students with Global Perspective can Offer Innovative Ideas Businesses that do not incorporate a global perspective or integrate best practices often fail to survive in the global market. Global perspectives not only help companies navigate international markets but also offer new ideas to businesses. By gaining global learning experience, MBAs can gather important information about business challenges that are different from their own countries. With global business strategies and learning perspective, MBAs can benefit companies in making informed decisions and taking advantage of their competitive business.  Career Opportunities for Global MBA Graduates Business professionals or students who want to study how to do business in foreign countries often pursue the degree of Global Master of Business Administration. The MBA program prepares students for different managerial positions within multi-national corporations. The MBAs lead their company in all foreign business areas, including logistics, financial management, marketing, and trade regulations. Here we have enlisted a few career choices for Global MBA graduates that require different business specialties. Multi-national Marketing Manager: This is a sought-after position offered by many businesses to MBA graduates. Global marketing managers are mainly needed to plan and execute effective advertising, monitor current global trends, and maintain brand reputation to attract international customers. Global Consultant: This role gives MBAs a great experience when they help businesses improve their operations and processes. The management consultant can improve the business’s information technology, marketing performance, and financial services. Global Policy Adviser: MBA graduates who specialize in business and trade regulations related to imports and exports can guide businesses on how to sell products overseas or how to import foreign goods in the market. They can also help companies find international business partners to expand business in the overseas market. Bottom Line Overall, the world is constantly changing. Businesses are globalized to gain work experience and profits from international markets. This is what makes having a global perspective extremely important for MBA graduates to excel in their field.

How to Create Your Own Reddit Resume

How to Create Your Own Reddit ResumeThe Internet is filled with articles, blogs, and forums on how to create a great resume and creating a Reddit resume tip is one of the methods you can use to learn more about it. Although most companies won't let you use their professional resume as a training tool, you can definitely use it as part of your resume. This means you could send it to recruiters or even use it in your portfolio.There are lots of websites online that offer various resumes that you can use to increase your chances of getting a job. One of the things you can do is pay for the services of professionals. You can find plenty of companies who will charge you fees for helping you write your resume. With the information you can use to write your own, the time you save will pay for the service.You can also try writing your own professional resume. It can be very helpful if you look up as many resumes as you can before you start creating your own. It's always a good idea to get as many tips as you can from the professionals out there because they can tell you how to make your resume unique and effective.You'll need a good word processing software to help you write the resume. You'll also need to know how to use basic HTML and have a computer. You don't want to spend a lot of money on these skills just so you can produce your own resume. It can take several hours to complete.Reddit is a great resource because there are many people who are already in the same situation as you are. You can learn a lot by talking to other people who have tried to use a professional resume service and failed. You can share tips and tricks that you found useful so other people can avoid the mistakes you made.By putting up your work, you can save yourself a lot of money and time. As you get more experience, you'll be able to figure out how to do things the right way. If you learn the proper ways to use a professional resume, you can learn how to make your own and save yourself a lo t of money as well.Your resume should be filled with information about you. You can keep it short and basic, but it should still be interesting and professional looking. You should give them something that will spark an interest for them to click on your link.Once you've created your easy resume, you can start posting your resume on various places on the Internet. With enough exposure, you can find a few recruiters to contact and hopefully land a job. If you're lucky, you'll get an interview.