Not so long ago, I was asked to come in and help with the corporate personality, or culture of a company who was experiencing 75% annual turnover. Upon assessment, I found the employees to be feeling pretty depressed and helpless - the way a lot of workers are feeling right now. This is bad for business. When employees are depressed, facts show they are less productive too.
When an entire company becomes depressed, it's often a result of circumstances that management was unable to predict or control. For example, layoffs are affecting lots of companies right now, but I can tell you some will rebound quite easily, while others will fall apart. Here's why...
Every company has a corporate culture that creates a personality for the organization. Some companies actively try to create the personality, while others ignore it and let the personality form itself. And we all know every personality has its strengths and weaknesses. In times of stress, the companies who let the ugly side of their personality control the environment don't do so well. However, those companies that recognize their corporate personality's weaknesses and opt to alter them do much better. So, I ask you: Is your company's personality hurting their ability to bounce back in this economy? To help you decide, let me explain the four corporate personalities at their worst:
Commander: Intense and deadline-driven, work is no place for emotion and there is no such thing as appreciation. Their motto, "I don't care what you did for me yesterday. What can you do for me today?"Energizer: Overly-optimistic to the point of being insincere and insane. Their motto, "Everything is fine, it's great. Just think happy thoughts, be super-positive and we'll mentally will our company to improve. Now, let's do a team cheer!"Empathizer: Reeling in self-pity, everyone is gossiping doom and gloom, including management. Their motto, "I would get your resume out there. This is so bad, get out while you can!"Contemplator: Secretly horrified, but doesn't want the world to know, nor do they want to do anything rash or stupid. Their motto, "Let's put our heads down and work. The less we talk about it, the better."
If any of the above personalities sound like your place of employment, then your company could use some help getting back on track. In fact, maybe you even see all four types within your management team - multiply personalities in a corporate culture can exist too. So, what can be done?
The secret lies in knowing how to implement strategies that can pull the corporate culture out of its funk. It's done using a Ying & Yang Approach. Simply put, companies implement some things that are opposite to their personality as a way to pull the culture out of its tunnel vision and restore balance. Let me share an example...
The company I mentioned above had a Commander personality. They were deadline-driven, intense high achievers who prided themselves on hiring the best and the brightest that delivered unbelievable results. Unfortunately, they had a couple of setbacks with the loss of a few key clients that left them reeling. So, instead of stepping back and taking the pressure off, the stepped it up and put the pressure on the staff - the result was top talent leaving in droves. So, how did we fix it? We went 180 degrees on the staff.
We instituted some programs that went completely against the personality of the company. Employee appreciation programs and some changes in rules, along with some staff training to help close knowledge gaps and easy pressure to perform. (I must NOTE the only reason it worked is because the executives of the company were on board and willing to recognize they needed to change the strategy in order to change the results.) But it did work, turnover dropped dramatically, and they got back on track.
In summary, I know there is a lot of corporate anxiety and fear out there right now, and that brings out the worst in corporate cultures. However, employees AND companies need to move past this. The best way to do it is with some innovative approaches that help the personality of the workplace get back to a good place as quickly as possible. Understanding how your corporate culture needs to change is the key. My advice to managers - don't wait! There are plenty of low-cost ways to bring your culture back to a calm state. Just be sure to implement some so your company's personality doesn't get the best of it.
Do you know how managers and co-workers view you at work? More importantly…want to find out? Click here » to take our FREE career personality test.
[This article was originally posted on an earlier date]
J.T. O’Donnell is the founder of CAREEREALISM.com and CEO of CareerHMO.com, a web-based career development company.Photo credit: Shutterstock
The leaves are changing, the kids are back in school, and that familiar chill is in the air. You think it's the perfect time to look for a job, and it is! But are your job search fears preventing you from making that leap?
It's not uncommon to feel lost when embarking on your job search journey. After all, school teaches us everything except how to get a job. What should you put on your resume? What questions should you ask in an interview? How can you stand out in the hiring process when there's so much competition?
Are you feeling spooked yet?
Believe it or not, there's no need to be afraid of the job search process! You can land your dream job with the right tools and strategy. You can find a job that won't give you nightmares. Here are three spooky secrets every job seeker should know as they look for a job this fall.
1. An Effective Job Search Starts With An Interview Bucket List
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Despite your fears, you've decided to take the plunge and look for a new job. You might be asking yourself, "Where do I start?" The answer is simple: start by creating an interview bucket list.
An interview bucket list is a list of 10-20 companies you'd love to work for. Are you passionate about a company's products or services? Do you feel connected to its mission? Can you relate to its values and beliefs as an organization? If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, that company probably belongs on your interview bucket list.
Once you create an interview bucket list, you'll be able to conduct a targeted job search, one with direction and a foundation upon which everything else will be built. An interview bucket list helps you focus your job search and networking strategies on the right opportunities, making it easier to get your foot in the door at one of your dream companies.
2. Your Job Application Needs To Disrupt Hiring Managers
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In order to stand out in the hiring process, you need to disrupt recruiters and hiring managers. You accomplish this by doing two things: optimizing your resume and writing a disruptive cover letter.
A well-optimized resume includes keywords from the job description. This ensures your resume gets past the ATS and into the hands of the hiring manager. Once it's in front of the hiring manager, it needs to grab and keep their attention. Quantifying your work experience—adding numbers to your bullet points—will make you stand out from other applicants. Hiring managers will want to know more about you and your accomplishments, and that's how you land a phone interview.
Before that, though, a hiring manager will read your cover letter. To disrupt them, you need to write a disruptive cover letter (obviously!). A disruptive cover letter gives you the opportunity to tell a story about why you feel connected to the company you're applying for. It's that storytelling aspect that will stand out to hiring managers and compel them to pick up the phone and give you a call.
3. Employers Hire You Based On 3 Things
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You can't get hired unless you know what employers are assessing you on in the interview process. While your skills and expertise matter, companies actually hire for three things: personality, aptitude, and experience (in that order).
Most job seekers don't realize how important it is to demonstrate their personality, aptitude, and experience in an interview. You could have the right experience for a job, but if the hiring manager doesn't think your personality is a good fit for the company culture, you probably won't get a job offer.
Make sure you demonstrate your soft skills and learn how to answer behavioral interview questions to prove you're the best candidate for the job you're applying for, not just the most qualified.
Want To Learn More Job Search Secrets?
As you look for a job this fall, it might be helpful to know some more spooky secrets so you can get over your job search fears and finally take control of your career.
We know the job search process can be scary. However, it's important to get clear on what you want to do next and focus on conducting a strategic job search, or what we refer to at Work It DAILY as job shopping. This is the only way to effectively market yourself to employers. If they can't see exactly where and how you add value, then that's going to decrease your chances of landing the job.
The competition is fierce, and there are a lot of factors that are out of your control. But the one factor you can control is your job search strategy, the tools and tactics you use to land a job.
If you want to learn the secrets to conducting a strategic job search, sign up for our Job Search Bootcamp, a two-hour, on-demand video workshop that comes with a free workbook.
In this video workshop, you'll learn:
How to use backchanneling to get directly to hiring managers.
The secret to using a connection story to stand out against the competition.
How social media can be your secret weapon to get job interviews.
The resume format that is getting job seekers more job interviews.
Not so long ago, I was asked to come in and help with the corporate personality, or culture of a company who was experiencing 75% annual turnover. Upon assessment, I found the employees to be feeling pretty depressed and helpless - the way a lot of workers are feeling right now. This is bad for business. When employees are depressed, facts show they are less productive too.
When an entire company becomes depressed, it's often a result of circumstances that management was unable to predict or control. For example, layoffs are affecting lots of companies right now, but I can tell you some will rebound quite easily, while others will fall apart. Here's why...
Every company has a corporate culture that creates a personality for the organization. Some companies actively try to create the personality, while others ignore it and let the personality form itself. And we all know every personality has its strengths and weaknesses. In times of stress, the companies who let the ugly side of their personality control the environment don't do so well. However, those companies that recognize their corporate personality's weaknesses and opt to alter them do much better. So, I ask you: Is your company's personality hurting their ability to bounce back in this economy? To help you decide, let me explain the four corporate personalities at their worst:
Commander: Intense and deadline-driven, work is no place for emotion and there is no such thing as appreciation. Their motto, "I don't care what you did for me yesterday. What can you do for me today?"Energizer: Overly-optimistic to the point of being insincere and insane. Their motto, "Everything is fine, it's great. Just think happy thoughts, be super-positive and we'll mentally will our company to improve. Now, let's do a team cheer!"Empathizer: Reeling in self-pity, everyone is gossiping doom and gloom, including management. Their motto, "I would get your resume out there. This is so bad, get out while you can!"Contemplator: Secretly horrified, but doesn't want the world to know, nor do they want to do anything rash or stupid. Their motto, "Let's put our heads down and work. The less we talk about it, the better."
If any of the above personalities sound like your place of employment, then your company could use some help getting back on track. In fact, maybe you even see all four types within your management team - multiply personalities in a corporate culture can exist too. So, what can be done?
The secret lies in knowing how to implement strategies that can pull the corporate culture out of its funk. It's done using a Ying & Yang Approach. Simply put, companies implement some things that are opposite to their personality as a way to pull the culture out of its tunnel vision and restore balance. Let me share an example...
The company I mentioned above had a Commander personality. They were deadline-driven, intense high achievers who prided themselves on hiring the best and the brightest that delivered unbelievable results. Unfortunately, they had a couple of setbacks with the loss of a few key clients that left them reeling. So, instead of stepping back and taking the pressure off, the stepped it up and put the pressure on the staff - the result was top talent leaving in droves. So, how did we fix it? We went 180 degrees on the staff.
We instituted some programs that went completely against the personality of the company. Employee appreciation programs and some changes in rules, along with some staff training to help close knowledge gaps and easy pressure to perform. (I must NOTE the only reason it worked is because the executives of the company were on board and willing to recognize they needed to change the strategy in order to change the results.) But it did work, turnover dropped dramatically, and they got back on track.
In summary, I know there is a lot of corporate anxiety and fear out there right now, and that brings out the worst in corporate cultures. However, employees AND companies need to move past this. The best way to do it is with some innovative approaches that help the personality of the workplace get back to a good place as quickly as possible. Understanding how your corporate culture needs to change is the key. My advice to managers - don't wait! There are plenty of low-cost ways to bring your culture back to a calm state. Just be sure to implement some so your company's personality doesn't get the best of it.
Do you know how managers and co-workers view you at work? More importantly…want to find out? Click here » to take our FREE career personality test.
[This article was originally posted on an earlier date]
J.T. O’Donnell is the founder of CAREEREALISM.com and CEO of CareerHMO.com, a web-based career development company.Photo credit: Shutterstock
