How to Take Suggestions from Employees - Spark Hire

How to Take Suggestions from Employees - Spark HireWhen it comes to making important decisions in human resources, taking suggestions from the front lines can be immensely helpful. Not only do employee surveys provide great HR tips, they help employees feel engaged in the workplace. By inviting employees to provide policy suggestions, you invite them to have a greater stake in the company culture. However, good employee surveys involve more than an annual mass email. To get really useful HR tips, it is important to promote a consistent dialogueand to frame the dialogue in a productive way.Annual employee surveys are a common way to gather HR tips from employees. To make these more effective, be sure to thank each employee for submitting the survey. Even consider sweetening the deal by offering a $10 toxikum card for the best contribution to company culture. I suggest adding this carrot because employee surveys conducted by the employer may not be as effective as other methods of gath ering feedback. You may get a large quantity of information, but would need additional incentive to help guarantee quality.A system that allows employees to continuously submit suggestions may allow for a greater impact on company culture. Basically, were talking about some form of suggestion box. This method increases the likelihood that each suggestion is motivated by an employees desire for change, rather than annual obligation. Some companies have an email account specifically designed for employee suggestions. Others simply have a box, or an open door to the human resources department. In any event, a reliable feedback mechanism is essential.Few things are more frustrating than coming up with a creative solution that falls on deaf ears. When an employee makes a suggestion regarding company culture, it is important to respond in a timely manner. Thank them for their contributions, and let them know whether the idea will be seriously considered. If you are rejecting the solution, politely explain your reasoning.Obviously, not every employee suggestion is going to be a winner (although Im still lobbying for a margarita machine in the break room). In a 2010 LinkedIn survey, more than half of respondents said that they had offered a workplace suggestion in the past year. One in three had offered twenty suggestions. To combat the inevitably unworkable suggestions, one professional gives this HR tip dont ask for suggestionsask for solutions. Challenge employees to solve problems in company culture, instead of just complaining.Do you conduct regular employee surveys? How often do employees come up with valuable HR tips? Leave a comment below.Image zimmytws/BigStock.com

16 things you should remove from your resume

16 things you should remove from your resume16 things you should remove from your resumeQuit distracting recruiters with ansicht unnecessary resume items today.An eye-tracking study by Ladders found that the average recruiter spends only six seconds reviewing a resume before deciding if its worth a closer inspection. When you only have six seconds to make the right impression, you have to make every word on your resume count. (Before reading on, get an idea of where you stand by reviewing your resume with the Ladders Resume Reviewer.)Related from Ladders18 words and phrases smart people never include on their resumesStudy This is exactly how much you can brag on your resume before it backfires6 keys to declutter your resume right nowBelow Ive compiled a list of 16 items you can remove from your resume right away that will help your job application avoid the hiring managers trash pile.ObjectiveWeve all seen those generic objective statements talk about professional looking for oppor tunities that will allow me to leverage my skills. Avoid the run-of-the-mill objective statement and replace it with your elevator pitch. In a brief paragraph, explain what youre great at, most interested in, and how you can provide value to a prospective employer. In other words, summarize your job goals and qualifications for the reader.Head shotUnless youre creating a CV to apply to positions outside of the United States, or youre in the entertainment world and a head shot is part of the job, you should never include a picture of yourself with your resume. Your photo will likely clue the employer into your nationality, religion and age (among other factors) that could inadvertently lead to discrimination. No need to give them any of those details until theyve considered your application based solely on your qualifications. Play it geldschrank and leave the head shot off your resume.Inappropriate email addressesThe email address hotbuns3559domain.com may have been cute when you were in college, but its not the best choice to represent your professional brand today. The same goes for shared family accounts such as joe_and_jane_kanedomain.com and email addresses that are offensive or sexual in nature. Do yourself a favor and sign up for a free address with a provider like Gmail thats reserved exclusively for your job-search and networking activities.Mailing addressIf youd like to relocate for work, you probably already know its best to leave your current address off your resume. However, its becoming increasingly common for professionals to remove this information, regardless of their target location. If youre searching for a position in your current location and want employers to know youre a local candidate, include your city and state. However, leave your street address off to protect yourself from potential identity theft.Multiple phone numbersDo you remember the scene in the movie Hes Just Not That Into You where Drew Barrymores character is complaining about playing phone (and email and Facebook and text) tag with a potential suitor? The more phone numbers you introduce into the mix, the easier it is to miss an important message from a prospective employer. Avoid this confusion by listing one phone number, preferably the number for your mobile phone, where you control the voicemail, who picks up the phone, and when.Personal detailsTheres no need to include rolleal information such as your social security number, marital status, nationality or spiritual beliefs. In fact, it is illegal for an employer to ask for these personal details. I also recommend removing your hobbies from the resume. Unless youre incredibly new to the workforce or your activities are directly related to your target job, youre merely wasting resume real estate.Irrelevant social media accountsNot only is this information a waste of resume space, but including personal social media accounts that arent aligned with your professional brand can derail your job sea rch. Remove these links from your resume and take steps to safeguard your brand.Flesh out at least one professional profile on sites like LinkedIn, GitHub, or About.Me, depending upon your line of work, and include the link at the top of your resume. If you work in a creative field, consider creating a personal site that has a mobile-responsive design so you can share your portfolio from any device.Current employers contact infoRemember, this contact information will be used by recruiters to contact you. Do you really want them calling you at work or using an email address that can be monitored by your current employer? Dont inadvertently tip your boss off about your job-search activities. Always list your personal email address and phone number on your resume and job applications. The same goes for any social media accounts associated with your professional brand.Embedded tablesDont include embedded tables or images in your resume and avoid using the actual Header and Footer sectio ns of the Word document, as these can confuse the employers online applicant tracking system, known as an ATS system, and scramble your job application.Crazy fonts and colorsWhen choosing your resume font, stick to ones that are considered easy to read and wont confuse the ATS systems Arial, Calibri, Cambria, Tahoma, Book Antiqua or Franklin Gothic. If youre in a creative position, save the creative designs for your online portfolio. Employers still need a version of your resume that can be easily uploaded, parsed and stored in their online tracking system.Fluffy buzzwordsWhile it can be tempting to throw a few buzzwords such as proactive and self-motivated into a professional summary, recruiters know these terms are mere fluff and wont be impressed when they see them. In fact, a survey by CareerBuilder found these words to be among hiring managers top 17 resume turn-offs. Instead of telling employers that youre a value-add, use strong action verbs explain how you were able to impro ve a process, increase revenue or cut costs.I or meWhile there is some debate among HR professionals these days about the need to add a more personal tone to resumes, the generally accepted practice is to refrain from referring to yourself in the first person with pronouns such as I or me. Similarly, dont use pronouns or your name to talk about yourself in the third person (i.e. John is an accomplished IT professional He is seeking opportunities to ___).Salary historyTheres no need to include salary information or hourly pay rates for roles you previously held. Its not only unnecessary it may send the wrong message to employers. Remember, your resume should showcase the value your professional experience and skills provide not its cost to former employers. If a job application asks for salary requirements, address these questions in your cover letter.Unrelated informationYou may be proud to coach your sons baseball team or run the annual bake sale at your church, but this informati on doesnt belong on your resume. If its not relevant to your target job goals, reconsider its place on your resume. Would the hiring manager reading your resume find this information valuable or would they ask themselves, So what?Too much of the pastEmployers are especially interested in your most recent experience and how that ties back to their open positions requirements. If youre an entry-level professional, its time to take out any references to your high school career. Instead, focus on highlighting your education, relevant internships and the leadership skills youve developed during college. If youre further along in your career, limit your resume to include the most recent 15 years of experience in reverse-chronological order and remove the dates from any degrees, certifications or awards that fall outside that 15-year window.References upon requestWhether youre new to the workforce or a seasoned professional, your resume real estate is precious. Dont waste space by listing your references or including a note such as References available upon request at the bottom of your resume. Employers dont ask for that information until you make it to a face-to-face interview, and they know youll provide it if they request it.

Top 5 Cities with the Most Hospitality Tourism Jobs

Top 5 Cities with the Most Hospitality Tourism JobsTop 5 Cities with the Most Hospitality Tourism JobsIf youre a fan of flexible work schedules, meeting people from different locations and receiving discounts on food and lodging, you might be interested in a job in the hospitality and tourism industry.If so, youre in luck. There are more than 400,000 jobs available in this industry in the U.S. today. This is almost twice as many as we found this time last year. In June, hospitality and tourism jobs made up 8.5 percent of total jobs. according to Simply Hireds data.Although job seekers start looking for hospitality jobs in July, historically we have seen available jobs increase between July and October each year. So if you havent found a great job yet, keep looking. New jobs become available every day.For those of you whose calling might be as a travel agent, chef, concierge or tour guide, here are the top five cities with the most jobs in the hospitality and tourism industry.Los An geles, CaliforniaHome to amusement parks, theaters and Hollywood, its no surprise that Los Angeles and its surrounding area ranks first for the most jobs in hospitality and tourism.Number of jobs 20,000+Percentage of total jobs 11.3%Job growth since 2014 94% (nearly twice as many hospitality jobs)Dallas, TexasBotanical gardens, museums and the symphony are attractions that help Dallas rise to the No. 2 spot for hospitality jobs.Number of jobs 13,000Percentage of total jobs 10.81%Job growth since 2014 102%Chicago, IllinoisFrom blues and jazz clubs to deep dish mafiatorte tasting to Wrigley Field, Chicagos 50 million+ visitors each yearfind many activities to enjoy.Number of jobs 11,000Percentage of total jobs 8.38%Job growth since 2014 13%New York, New YorkBetween visits to the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building, travelers to New York can participate in food tours, visit museums and take in a Broadway show.Number of jobs 10,000Percentage of total jobs 3.81%Job growth since 2 014 less than 1% declineAtlanta, GeorgiaKnown for the Coca-Cola Museum, Atlanta also boasts a large aquarium and several parks. Although Atlanta ranks 7th in tourism in the U.S., it comes in 5th on our list of total jobs in the HT industry.Number of jobs 10,000Percentage of total jobs 10.76%Job growth since 2014 79%

7 words smart job candidates avoid in cover letters

7 words smart job candidates avoid in cover letters7 words smart job candidates avoid in cover lettersTedious, yet mandatory writing a cover letter to pitch your qualifications and your personality in only a few paragraphs is usually the most difficult parte of applying for a job.

Why Follow-Up Can Make or Break Your Job Search

Why Follow-Up Can Make or Break Your Job SearchWhy Follow-Up Can Make or Break Your Job SearchYouve spent several hours crafting the perfect pitch to a potential client you met at a conference, clicked send on your email, and then waited expectantly for a response. None comes. Do you give up, or follow up?If you want to increase your chances of landing the gig, then youll overcome your fear of rejection and reach out again with a polite follow-up. While it takes some gumption to make yourself vulnerable with a second communication after youve already applied to a job or appealed to a professional contact for help, learning the art of following up on your initial pitches is critical to your job search.Here are some tips on how follow up diplomatically and appropriately, regardless of what type of opportunity youre courtingFind the happy medium.Effective follow-up during a job search or pitch for a gig is more art than science. Your goal is to find the middle ground between too much fo llow-up and too little. On the one hand, you want to avoid appearing desperate or needy- for example, by not allowing enough time to pass (think an hour or day) before you inquire about your original pitch. But you also dont want to wait so long to follow up that the recipient of your message has forgotten who you are and what job or project youre talking about.Once a reasonable amount of time has passed between your first communication, its okay to put out a feeler and request a status check about your application or ask if your email proposal is under consideration. Whats reasonable in terms of timing may vary depending on the circumstances and situation, but in general, give people at least a week to respond before anxiously circling back to them. Dont wait more than a month to do it, though.Let go of the guilt.Do you feel like youre bugging people by following up with a prospect? Dont sabotage your potential success by being overly worried about bothering others with an appropri ate follow-up. Whether youre trying to land a new client or new job, sometimes recruiters or hiring managers just need to be reminded about who you are for your resume to rise to the top of their crowded inbox.Keep in mind that employers are juggling dozens or even hundreds of candidates as they consider their options, usually while also doing their own job. A well-timed and polite follow-up note under the right circumstances- for example, after youve met with the hiring team for an interview- can help brand your offering in their mind and might help you make a lasting impact.Consider the starting point.elend all job search situations require the same type of follow-up. If you run your own business and responded to an initial inquiry about your services from a potential new client but then got the silent treatment, dont assume that you said something wrong or that the prospect isnt interested. Since the person requested information about gaining assistance in your area of expertise, he or she may simply be too overwhelmed to be checking every message and may welcome the chance to see your fresh email come through offering help again.On the other hand, if you applied for a job using an applicant tracking system on a corporate website, then there may be no actual person to follow up with. In this case, wasting too much time and energy crafting follow-up responses may prove to be a waste of time, since youll have no way to know whether anyone actually received them.Follow-up can make you feel nervous, but its worth fighting through your jitters to keep communication lines open with potential employers. You never know if that follow-up note or email will be the one that opens the door to something youve worked hard on the front end to get.Know someone looking for a job? Refer a friend to with this link- youll get a month free service and theyll get 30% off

Choosing the Correct File Format for Your Cover Letter

Choosing the Correct File Format for Your Cover LetterChoosing the Correct File Format for Your Cover LetterWriting a strong deckblatt letter with an easy to read format is not enough to get selected. You must choose the correct file format for your cover letter too. You may ask why it is so important. Well, using the correct file format will not only make you look mora professional but also will show the content of the cover letter as you intended it to be. And, hence a lot of emphasis is given for choosing the correct file format.Which File Format to Use?There are two main file formats that are used generally for sending cover letters. They are PDF and Ms Word. While both file formats are used side by side, there are some cases where it is better to use the other one.Since the company may use Applicant Tracking System software, you need to use either a PDF or .doc file. Sending your cover letter as a Word file makes it sure that the hiring managers can easily read, edit and print y our data. While using a PDF file ensures that your data cannot be modified and the hiring managers will see your cover letter as you created it.Although, if the company explicitly mentions the file format they need, make sure you send in that format only.How to Name Your File?A lot of applicants, even after successfully writing the perfect content for their cover letters, use unprofessional names for their files.You cannot just name it whatever you like you need to name it in such a way that the hiring managers can understand it is a cover letter. Also, you need them to recognize or differentiate between your cover letter and several others. So, rather than saving your file as Cover-Letter, save it as John-Harrington-Cover-Letter. Mention your full name along with the word cover letter.

Outrageous Bad Resume Examples Tips

Outrageous Bad Resume Examples Tips Choosing Bad Resume Examples Is Simple In this column, were likely to lay down the top five warning signs which youve written an extremely bad medical assistant resume, and the way you can go about fixing it. Understanding how to tailor your resume will obviously offer you an advantage. Consider having a friend review your resume to be sure there arent any mistakes. Bearing that in mind, continue reading for a prime Bad Resume example and corresponding explanations on exactly what you can do in order to avoid making the very same mistakes. The Supreme Approach for Bad Resume Examples Also show youre a well-rounded worker. Writing a resume for employment in the art industry can be difficult. The overall manager is one particular step up the corporate chain from a shop manager. Most modern hiring managers know that if they wish to see your references they need to ask the individual candidate. For that, you should deliver internship program letters into some huge variety of companies who might be ready to engage you as an intern. Volunteer experience is also a wonderful add-on to healthcare resumes since it shows the hiring manager which you have compassion off the work too. There are a great deal of jobs offered within this exciting field. Preventing work program is essential for landing a work interview. A mean of 75% of resumes are automatically rejected by means of an ATS so you wish to guarantee youve got the ideal keywords to permit the software know that youre a superb match for the position. Unique kinds of work in the food service industry require resumes with lots of the very same skills. Its necessary your project application has to be encouraged with an appropriate resume cover letter once youre asking to acquire job and especially applying to have an advertising occupation. Customer service is an important element in many jobs and its crucial that you concentrate on that in your resume. Who Else Wan ts to Learn About Bad Resume Examples? In reality, you should be aware that plenty of companies nowadays are using Applicant Tracking Systems to help them screen resumes and get the best candidates. Sales is much like customer service as salespeople can be effective in a wide selection of industries. Well-defined resume headers make it simpler for potential employers to rapidly find the things that they need to understand about you. Take a look at our sample to find out what a good construction resume looks like. Its also a fantastic notion to incorporate any type of affiliation or membership to any organization that may boost your appeal as a prospective employee to an employer. Resume Help It is a wonderful instance of a traditional CV that could work whatever position youre applying for. Plus, have a look at our templates for some inspiration on where to start. The entwurfer also included a PDF guide to assist you make this resume your own, in the event you dont understand h ow to organize your resume utilizing this template. There are two types of font. A professional resume template, like the one pictured below, will be able to help you avoid layout and design troubles. There are five significant cases when it is possible to use a 2 page resume. Fantastic news is you dont need to devote hours doing this, because there are tons of ready to use templates out there for you to select from. Yes there are lots of terrible college student resumes floating around There is not anybody golden resume format. Figuring out the abilities and experience you already might have that hyperlink to the work that youre looking for. Be sure the skills are related to the job which you desire. The old advice was supposed to incorporate a resume heading called Objective at the peak of your resume. It helps to include skills you have on a restart. Resume objectives can be a little controversial. Including those internships will also provide the resume a feeling of d irection and focus.