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Does your employer require you to write a review of your own job performance? Employee self-reviews are increasingly popular these days. But how can you honestly assess yourself in a way that's likely to influence your boss? Here are 10 key dos and don'ts.

Don't be modest. Don't be shy about letting your boss know where you shone during the review period. Highlight your accomplishments with grace and diplomacy and, naturally, without putting any of your colleagues down.
Don't forget about achievements made early on in the performance review period. Your boss cannot possibly remember all of your projects and your participation. Go back over documents and emails to help you remember your earlier accomplishments.
Don't be stuffy. Writing in a conversational style will encourage your supervisor to talk with you about the elements in the self-review.
Do get feedback from coworkers. Consider asking your colleagues what they think of your performance.
Do include objective measures of accomplishment.The more you can highlight tangible benefits you offer the company, the more invaluable you will appear. What difference did your efforts make to the bottom line? What did you do to contribute to excellent customer service? How did your work further the company's goals? Use dates, percentages, and numbers to back up your accomplishments.
Don't use your self-review as a bargaining chip. A review is not the time to pick a fight about your compensation. Be clear about your accomplishments; save salary discussions for another time.
Do use appropriate language. Choose words that demonstrate objectivity and distance. For example, instead of saying how much you like your job, detail the ways that your job skills have improved during the review period.
Do suggest areas with room for improvement. If you can think of specific ways to improve your performance, mention them. Employers appreciate employees who have a realistic view of where they can improve.
Do include task-related action plans. Be as specific as possible about any ideas you have for improving your performance, learning new skills, or taking on new responsibilities.
Do write more than one draft. This self-review will become part of your permanent employment record, so be sure it's well-crafted.

Source: http://allbusiness.washingtonpost.com/human-resources/workforce-management-employee-records/3779163-1.html

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When it’s time to start hiring, the people who really know your company and industry – your employees – are the best source of candidate recommendations. But participation in traditional employee referral programs is extremely low, even if you offer incentives for successful hiring recommendations. Here’s how to turn your staff into an effective recruiting team.

1. Change the question. Most employers ask, “Whom do you know who would be a good fit?” The majority of employees won’t personally know someone with the right qualifications, so their participation in the effort stops right there. Change the question to, “Whom do you and your friends know?” This broadens the pool of potential candidates and allows all employees to participate.

2. Leverage social media. Employees’ social media networks contain a treasure trove of relevant skills data – all of it just a few clicks away. Use smart social recruiting tools that match job descriptions with potential candidates’ qualifications. Find a technology solution that allows employees to effortlessly identify and forward relevant recommendations from within their social networks. The easier you make it, the higher the participation rate.

3. Widen the circle – offer referral rewards to trusted non-employees too. Employees are an obvious source to recommend qualified candidates since they know your business and industry well. But don’t forget other great sources, such as former employees, suppliers, vendors and partner organizations. A referral program that leverages these sources as well as employees can deliver more qualified candidates, and there’s no reason not the “spread the wealth” if they help you. Traditional referral rewards programs only offer rewards to employees, but smart referral programs let employees share the rewards with friends that help bring in candidates that get hired.

4. “Gamify” your referral program. Most referral programs only reward the few employees whose recommendations result in a hire. That leaves out everyone else who tried to help – and their efforts are important too. Introduce some friendly competition into the process by making a game of it. Use a leader board where employees and departments can see where they stand in terms of referral volume, and reward those who are active in the program with points or small prizes like movie tickets.

Hiring decisions are among the most important calls you’ll make as a business leader. You can’t make the best hires without a solid pool of qualified candidates. When you leverage the collective contacts of the people who know your company and industry best, use social media tools to make recommendations quick and easy and create incentives that encourage everyone to actively participate, you’ll be well on your way to making the right hires.

Source: http://www.corpmagazine.com/management/human-resources/itemid/9839/turn-your-staff-into-an-unstoppable-recruiting-force

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When you’re trying to grab the attention of Senior Management, remember this; they like a good story, especially one with pictures.

If your story is intended to address the company’s single largest expense – employee pay programs – the pictures will be charts & graphs that illustrate the points being made.

Pictures (charts and graphs) capture attention and build memories much better than text or even the spoken word. Show a picture and the image is locked in, while reliance on text only can be a risky proposition. The drone of dry prose can grow boring and is liable to lose the attention of all but your strongest supporters.

Attention grabbers that work: 1) speedometer style formats that graphically indicate the current situation against the target; 2) the green light, yellow light, red light approach, again to colorfully paint a picture that stays in the mind; and 3) pie charts, tables and even regressed lines that tell a story.

People remember images because they capture the imagination. Your audience might have a hard time recalling (and taking to heart) what you said or even what you wrote, so concentrate on your supportive imagery.

Make the story you’re telling is a short one. I once worked for a CEO who thought that any proposal could be reduced to a single piece of paper, with plenty of white space left over. “If you need more than that,” he would say, “it’s not such a grand idea.”

You need a plan

However, before you settle on the visual format best suited to sell your case, you should focus on the supportive data points necessary to make that case. Remember the old adage that a dream without a plan is only a fantasy? If you don’t take action steps to convert ideas to reality, what you’ll be left with is smoke & mirrors – all talk and few results to show for your efforts.

For those who have ever been on a diet, the experts recommend that you treat the effort like a project plan. They advise participants to write down everything they eat, to have goals to strive for and to set milestones to gauge progress. It also helps to keep score – to know where you stand and where you’re headed.

To accomplish this, you should create quantifiable metrics that collectively will illustrate the state of health of your compensation program(s) – and then establish baselines (current state) and targets for each performance indicator. This key step will help you understand whether your costs are being contained and whether the ROI on employee rewards is at the level your company requires.

Commonly used HR metrics:

§ Average salary/wage

§ Compa-ratios (comparison of pay to a range midpoint)

§ Count of employees per segment (hourly, non-exempt, professional, management)

§ Average performance ratings

§ Average annual pay rise for each performance rating

§ Count and average promotional and “equity” increases

§ Voluntary turnover (employees who decided to leave)

§ Average employee age and length of service

We could go on and on, but you get the point. Refine these and any other quantifiable factors by further segmentation – salary grade, employee group, male/female, etc. Make sure each metric is measurable, because accuracy counts. A compelling argument demands precision.

To make these metrics work for you and to avoid a series of make-work arithmetic exercises that do nothing more than capture minutiae, be certain to measure what is important to your business – not simply what data you can capture. Make sure the importance of the metric is clear to management or can be made so. Management needs to grasp the importance of attaining a goal demonstrating success with a metric to understand why the metric is important and what its achievement means for the business.

Once you have the right metrics established (collectively called the “dashboard”) and a baseline in place, you will be able to readily see both what’s going well and where the problems lie. At this point you can set specific target figures going forward to improve these weak areas, creating periodic milestones to mark your progress.

What to look for

Every organization has different pressure points. However, if your metrics data indicates any of the following situations, management should be informed that a problem needs to be addressed:

§ Average performance ratings that exceed how the business was rated

§ A workforce where key segments are approaching retirement age

§ Promotion and “equity” increase activity that overwhelms the budget

§ Low compa-ratios that indicate you are not paying your salary ranges

§ Any figure that is an unpleasant surprise.

When you’re telling a story to management, make it compelling – packed with facts and pictures that feed off the critical metrics analysis that is describing the pulse of your business. Then bring home the sale by showing how to solve the challenges being faced – with practical strategies designed to end your story on a happy and successful note.

Source: http://www.hrmtoday.com/featured-stories/once-upon-a-time/

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We spend a great deal of time talking to recruiters, employers and human resource staff every week. I recently sent an email asking some of them what they would list as their top 3 peeves when it came to receivingresumes and short-listing candidates. You should have seen my inbox fill up with responses! Many were repeated, so I thought I would share a list of the top 20.

Straight from the mouths of the people reading your resumes:

1. Rambling! I wish people would get to the point. I haven’t got time to read a novel.

2. Resumes that are a straight list of duties. Tell us what you did differently, what you did well.

3. I want people to tell me how they meet my need. If not, I move on to the next resume. Simple.

4. People who don’t meet the criteria for the role. If you don’t have the essential skills required, then don’t apply. Essential and desirable criteria are listed for a reason.

5. Career Objectives. OMG, these are so annoying. I don’t want to know what you want. I want to know what you can do for me!

6. Incorrect contact details. If an email bounces or the wrong phone number has been given, I won’t search for them, I’ll just move on to the next application.

7. Poor grammar and spelling mistakes. It amazes me how many people apply for a role where written business communication is a major component of the role and send me a resume riddled with errors. These people usually claim they pay attention to detail as well!

8. An application addressed to someone else. Its obvious they use the same application for every job and haven’t changed the salutation. These usually hit the shredder.

9. Clutter. Personally, I can’t stand looking at resumes that are jammed so tight and written using the smallest font to get as much information on the page as possible. They are too hard to read and very unappealing.

10. A cover letter that repeats, verbatim, what is in the resume. Why bother? You’ve wasted my time and yours.

11. Long resumes. Resumes longer than 3 pages lose me.

12. When you call a candidate about a job application and they say something along the lines of “ Sorry, what job is this about again?” Keep track of your applications.

13. Resumes without dates for each position. My first thought is “What are you trying to hide?”

14. I’m sick of reading that everyone is a team player, has attention to detail and can see the big picture. Really? Prove it.

15. When I ask about salary expectations and get the “What is this role offering?” question in return. You should have an expectation and be prepared to discuss it.

16. Candidates who can’t make the time for an interview. I spent close to 20mins on the phone the other day with a woman who couldn’t seem to lock in a time to meet. It interfered with soccer practice, music practice, a monthly ‘girls’ movie night, and of course, her current role. If you’re serious about job hunting – make the time to be available for the interview.

17. Template driven resumes. One day recently I saw 4 resumes, the exact same format, and in some sections, the exact same wording! Write it yourself or get a reputable writer to do it for you.

18. Resumes that are not in chronological order. It is too hard to followresumes that jump all over the place.

19. Trying to figure out locations of positions. People who have worked internationally or nationally need to include this information – I am not an atlas!

20. Gaps in employment that haven’t been explained. I know you will have a reason for it, but try telling me, I’m not a psychic.

So there you have it …. 20 ways in which to kill your application and lose an opportunity. I hope by sharing these, you will be able to avoid some of these pitfalls in your job search.

Source: http://www.humanresourcesblog.in/2012/07/20-ways-to-kill-your-job-application/

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Marketing yourself to others is not quite as easy as it might first sound. You’re good at what you do so others will surely be able to pick up on this, right? Wrong.

Perhaps once it was that simple to get recognition for your achievements, but times have changed. There are now more young people out of work than ever before, and it’s certainly not because they aren’t skilled. In fact, they’re more educated than generations that came before them and yet, the number of graduates who are able to translate this academic route into a job role is dwindling.
With more highly qualified people available for work, the jobs market becomes incredibly competitive. And this doesn’t just apply to students, although it is inevitable that they will be hungry to get on the jobs ladder just as much as the next person seeking employment.

If anything, younger workers may be the preferred option. As ‘juniors’ they can be cheaper, and they are also willing to be moulded, unlike older generations where traditions and old habits may be difficult to shift.

Looking at the employment plain overall, it’s clear to see why knowing how to sell yourself effectively is vital. It doesn’t matter whether you are going for a new job role, hoping for a promotion or if you want to become an expert in a niche area.

If for no other reason, knowing how to market yourself properly is about protection as much as it is about progression. Think about the amount of redundancies that have occurred since the beginning of the recession. If you were in the running for the chop, would you be able to defend your worth?

The following action points should help you to stand out from the crowd, no matter what you are trying to achieve.

1. Always be yourself
It’s been reported that a large number of people lie on their CV. Only recently, it emerged that Scott Thompson, the chief executive of Yahoo! “embellished his academic credentials” claiming that he had obtained a computer science degree. It later turned out this wasn’t the case and despite his company stating that he is a great employee with a great track record of success, the point was, he achieved the position unfairly, and on the basis of false information.

Although there was a positive in there (his company was happy to label him as a great employee) his reputation is now tainted. Reinventing yourself and lying are two very different things. How can you expect others to like you if you didn’t like yourself enough to show people who you are? It’s counterproductive and you’re creating more work for yourself playing pretend.

2. Don’t be cocky. In fact, do.
The key here is to have the goods to back your claims. No-one wants to work with a know-it-all if teamwork is essential in that environment. That said, sometimes ballsy personalities make for great sales persons and can push the boundaries of a team’s structure. Judging when it’s appropriate is key.

Also, you’re well within your right to let potential employers/industries/colleagues – whoever it may be that you’re trying to impress! – know how good you are at certain tasks. In fact, you’d be wasting your time if you weren’t bothering to highlight your strong points.

If you’re claiming to be an expert in area, prove it. Actions speak louder than words. Start a blog commenting on your industry. Visit trade shows and keep abreast of new developments. Just saying you are good at sales or teamwork or management isn’t enough.

3. Know the market
This is an easy one. Do your research! There is such a wealth of information out there, that there really is no excuse to not be fully brushed up on the area you want to stand out in.

Putting in the time means you should be able to have a two-way conversation with a potential employer as opposed to an interview question-and-answer session.

If you are looking for a new job, or for a promotion, be realistic. Look for the average wages in this area. Asking for higher than this amount will look both cheeky and like you haven’t bothered to investigate the details.

4. Network online.
A lot of business is still a lot about who you know and not necessarily about what you know. A virtual ‘meeting’ could put you in the path of the person that could transform your career.

We say ‘virtual’ because, let’s face it, with such stiff employment competition, there simply isn’t the time for managers to meet everyone that needs help. Providing something useful for them could show off your strengths, put you in their good books and make you first on their list if a position opens up.

Another benefit to an online presence is your accessibility. Google your own name, and what do you see? If there is anything there that you wouldn’t want your employers to see, you’ve got some work to do. If you aren’t in the search results at all, to some people, you simply don’t exist.

Get onto LinkedIn. Start a blog. Try tweeting other industry professionals. Connecting through the internet means you can access those you can’t in person. This could potentially build a relationship. Remember, it’s who you know.

5. Don’t forget about your USP
What makes you so special? The hard truth is that there are plenty of other people who could do your job just as well, if not better than you.

It’s a hard one to accept but once you do, you are then more focused to sell your strong points, and admit your shortfalls. Many interviewers will ask what your weakness is. If you claim that you have none, you look pompous and unprepared. Make sure you know what you could develop, and make conscious and decent efforts to act upon this. Take an extra course. Read the right text books. Attend the relevant trade events. The fact that you are trying to better yourself will speak volumes and should increase your confidence as well as your CV.

Source: http://www.hrmtoday.com/featured-stories/5-ways-to-sell-yourself-effectively/

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10 Tips for Creating Your Performance Self-Review

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Turn Your Staff into an Unstoppable Recruiting Force

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Once Upon a Time

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20 Ways to Kill Your Job Application!

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5 ways to sell yourself effectively

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