Managers: How to Set Performance Objectives
Performance objectives are the hallmarks of an employee’s position, giving him the blueprint to follow in order to achieve a certain level of success in the workplace. These objectives are generally provided and discussed at the annual performance review meeting and offer the employee a clear vision of where you both see his position going. Read more »
Secrets to Effective Interviewing
No matter if you’ve interviewed hundreds of candidates over the years or if you’re new to the “art of the interview,” here are some tips to help you as you work to find your next great hire. Listen. Really listen. Talk less. A good rule of thumb is to listen 80 percent of the time. Read more »
Determining When the Right Time to Hire Really Is
When the economy is good, and all companies are in a hiring mode, it’s tough for the smaller business to compete with larger companies, which draw well-qualified candidates based on the better opportunities they see at those companies in terms of job duties, pay, benefits and perks. A down economy, when larger firms are laying Read more »
The Do’s and Don’ts of Career Networks
Online career networks such as LinkedIn and even Facebook and Twitter have been career lifesavers for many professionals, allowing them to showcase their backgrounds, skills and education and how they can help a new employer. But many professionals have made mistakes online, sometimes to their career’s detriment. Here are some tips to help you keep Read more »
Workforce Planning: What is It and Do I Need It? (Part 2)
We gave a short primer last week on what workforce planning is. This week’s post will discuss how a company may want to implement a strategic workforce plan. Once you’ve decide you need to implement a workforce plan, you’ll need to get buy-in from your company’s executives and managers. You’ll need to present them with Read more »
Workforce Planning: What is It and Do I Need It? (Part 1)
You may have heard of workforce planning — the process by which your company makes sure it can find the right employees when needed at anytime in the future — and wondered what it is and if your business needs it. Here’s a short primer (part 1) on strategic workforce planning that will explain this Read more »
Working for a Difficult Boss
If you’re working for a difficult boss, our heartfelt sympathy goes out to you. Still, sympathy doesn’t make the bad boss go away. So here are some tips on how to work with a difficult boss. First of all, if your boss is making your life miserable, here are a few things you should not Read more »
Motivating Temporary Employees
As a business owner or manager, you’re undoubtedly using more temporary employees at your company for both short- and long-term assignments. In addition, you very well may be using highly skilled temporary workers, such as accountants, human resource managers, even project managers, technical writers, and document control technicians. Here are some ideas to help you Read more »
Five Common Hiring Mistakes You Must Avoid
When hiring employees, it’s easy to make mistakes and hire the wrong person. Here are what we believe are five of the most common hiring mistake and how to avoid them. 1) Settling for None but the PERFECT Person First of all, the perfect employee doesn’t exist. No matter how many great people are unemployed Read more »
Motivation Secrets: Getting Beyond Pay Raises
When budgets are tight and employee morale is low, what can a cash-strapped business do to motivate its hard working workers without crying “raises for all!”? Plenty. Money is a major factor in employee motivation — people need to feel they’re being compensated for their skills, effort, and time. But it’s not the only motivator. Read more »