Step by Step Guide to Employee Satisfaction Surveys

By Martin Day
  
Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy   

The benefit of running an annual employee survey has for a long time been widely accepted but many organizations have been put off by the amount of effort that is required.

Many organizations who have bit the bullet and conducted their own internal employee satisfaction surveys have often relied on word-processors to allow them to design and compile a survey, then gone through the effort of printing and distributing the survey and spent time chasing and collecting the completed surveys and then even more time transferring the survey response information into a meaningful management report.

Fortunately with the introduction of the Internet and hosted survey websites like www.surveygalaxy.com what was once a time consuming, resource hungry, long winded and cumbersome process is now slick, quick and easy.

This document provides a step by step guide to help implement a survey that will bring considerable benefits to any organization.

Step 1 - Identifying The Need

The reasons an organization would need a survey are as wide and they are long. Listed here are a few of the common reason why employee satisfaction surveys are conducted.

Event Driven

If your organization is about to embark, or is going through, a change management program employee surveys can assist in managing the change, measuring the effectiveness of the change, help to deliver a 'message' and gather valuable feedback throughout the change cycle.

For organizations that are experiencing rapid growth employee surveys can monitor internal communications and management structures to ensure that employees are aware of their reporting and management responsibilities.

Where an organization is suffering from poor moral brought on by either internal or external influences an employee survey can be used to identify the specific concerns of employees so those concerns can be properly addressed.

Where there is an increase in turnover of staff employee surveys can help an organization identify the underlying cause of employee unrest and through their findings help find solutions.

Periodically

As part of a periodic assessment, surveys will help an organization review their personnel and monitor on an individual level job satisfaction, training and career development.

Employee surveys also offer senior management the opportunity to look at the soft underbelly of their organization to confirm that their 'top down' view of the organization matches the reality and 'bottom up' perspective.

With the help of employee surveys an organization can establish good employer/employee communication that will in turn bring both direct and indirect benefits.

Step 2 - Management Buy-In

Management buy-in is always desirable for any initiative and many will argue that it is essential to ensure a successful employee survey, however, in some instances the findings of an employee survey can lead to kick-starting a management that has grown complacent and detached from their employees.

Some organization may be fortunate in that the senior management recognize and drive the need for employee surveys, while in others the management may need to first be convinced of the direct and indirect benefits an employee survey will bring.

The level of management commitment to an employee survey will have some bearing on the nature of the survey and to some extent will help determine what questions are to be asked and the manner they are asked.

A management that is supportive of the initiative may require feedback on specific areas of the business or they may give the go ahead because they feel confident that the results will only confirm that the level of employee satisfaction throughout the organization is high.

In nearly all cases it is good practice to at least try and get management to buy-in to the employee survey from the very start as they have a lot to gain and are in a position to effect any change that is later identified as being required.

Step 3 - Designing The Survey

Designing a good survey will take some time and effort but by following the basics of survey design and concentrating on the 'need to know' questions and removing the 'nice to know' a survey will rapidly take shape.

Determining the exact questions that should be asked will be entirely dependent on the individual organization, its structure and the previously identified primary need and objectives of the employee survey.

When considering what questions to ask consideration should be given to how the results are to be analyzed. For example there may be a desire to ask for individual comments but these types of answer formats can be very time consuming and cumbersome to analyze and should therefore be avoided or used sparingly.

With online surveys it is generally better to do a few smaller surveys than one very long survey as the longer the survey the higher the drop out rate will be.

Step 4 - Proof Reading And Testing

Grammar, Spelling And Clarity

Before publishing the survey make a careful check for spelling and typing mistakes and incorrect grammar. If available it is always better to have someone who has not been involved in designing the survey to proof read the survey with clean eyes, if no one is available try to take a break before checking through the survey again.

Say What You Mean And Mean What You Say

When checking the survey you need to consider the survey from the viewpoint of the respondent, you may know what you mean by each question but will the questions be clear to the employee?

Allow The Employee To Answer Truthfully

For closed questions where the employee will be required to choose from a number of available responses have you allowed the employee to answer accurately? Make use of responses like 'Don't know', 'No comment' or 'Not Applicable' where you have made the question mandatory but the employee may not be able to answer.

Consider allowing the employee to include an 'Other' answer but also appreciate that 'Other' answers will add to the complexity when analyzing the survey results.

Don't Require A Response To Questions That May Not Have One

Check that for any questions that you have made mandatory you do require an answer, for example open questions such as asking for additional comments should not be mandatory unless you definitely require the respondent to write a comment.

Check You Will Be Able To Analyze The Data

Check through the survey again but this time looking at how the results of the survey will be analyzed. Consider how you are likely to want to analyze the survey data, have you asked the right questions to be able to perform detailed analysis? For example if you wanted to view the detailed response data from the perspective of the different genders, or maybe departments, check you have asked the employee to indicate their own gender and/or department.

Don't Ask Anymore Questions Than You Need To

Consider all the questions in the survey and look for questions that are not 'need to know'.

Test The Link And Try Completing The Survey

Publish the survey and then send the survey's link to a number of people who will be willing to test the survey. By completing the survey yourself you will get a feel for how the respondent will view the survey. From your own and others feedback stop and make adjustments to the survey as required.

Repeat this process until you are happy with the survey.

Check The Data

Take time to view the online summary results of the test data and confirm that the data is being collected in a manner that can be properly analyzed and that will give meaningful results.

Step 5 - Promoting And Deploying The Survey

Where all or the majority of employees have access to the internet or company intranet deploying the online survey is as easy that ABC, either via email or by establishing a link to the survey from your own website or Intranet.

Where there are some or many employees that do not have direct access to the internet there are a number of alternatives that can be used from issuing the survey in printed form, providing a shared terminal or giving them an incentive to complete the survey at home.

Anonymous Responses?

There is a choice to allow all surveys to be completed anonymously. Allowing a survey to be anonymous may encourage employees to speak their minds enabling the survey to provide 'a warts and all' report, in turn giving management an opportunity to address underlying problems before they become serious.

However, allowing anonymous comments also allows employees to be more cavalier and flippant with their responses. Some organizations would therefore only want to consider comments where employees are prepared to stand by their convictions and that will also provide an opportunity to follow up the specific concerns of individual employees.

The decision to allow anonymous responses or not will, among other factors, be down to the individual organization, the specific nature of the survey, the surrounding circumstances, the management style and the existing employer/employee relationship.

Step 6 - Monitoring The Survey

While the survey is in progress you will be able to view the summary results online and also monitor in real-time the number of surveys that have been both started and completed.

If after a few days the number of completed surveys falls short of the expected target it is advisable to send periodic reminders to employees asking them to complete the survey.

Step 7 - Analyzing The Results

There are no hard and fast rules for analyzing the data. Much depends on the individual survey, the questions asked and the number of responses.

Most surveys will benefit from many of the results being displayed in graphical as well as tabular form.

When first analyzing survey data often a number of 'headline' results will immediately stand out that will provide you with a general overview and, providing the right questions have been asked, give you an instant assessment of the mood throughout the organization as a whole.

Where the results give areas of concern a more detailed analysis may be advisable. For example if employees were asked if they felt the organization provided equal opportunities to both genders and 25% gave a negative response it would be useful to know the gender split of the organization and also to look at what the gender split was of the 25% that answered negatively. Was the negative view shared by employees of both genders, evenly spread throughout the organization, or of a particular gender from a particular department?

There is a method of reporting that presents the result data in tabular and/or graphical form allowing those who are interested in the results to view the raw data.

Often used as a compliment to the first, another method is to interpret the results and provide an analysis of the data and offer a view as to what the meaning is behind the results, what circumstances may have contributed to the results being as they are and, where the results indicate a negative, what initiatives could be taken. Such analysis if done by a single individual is likely to be very personal, if done by a committee it is still likely to be objective and therefore open to interpretation.

Step 8 - Further Action

Probably the most important step is the last. An employee survey will either confirm that the perfect organization exists or it will highlight areas that are less than perfect by identifying individual and common concerns.

It may be that further more detailed surveys are required that target specific areas. For example the survey may reveal that employees working in a particular department are collectively unhappy, but the reasons for their dissatisfaction may not be clear. A smaller, specifically targeted follow-up survey may help reveal the root causes.

When employee surveys are periodically run an organization that has taken steps to address issues will see their efforts reflected in subsequent survey responses. Almost all organizations have some problems and it helps an organization's moral to see that a channel is available that will allow problems to be highlighted, addressed and resolved.

Summary

These guidelines are intended to help an organization conduct successful employee satisfaction surveys, they are however, only a guide.

Each organization is different in style and structure and the organizations 'personality' will go someway to influencing the tone and nature of the survey and organizations will have many different circumstances and primary reasons for conducting a survey.

By utilizing existing technology and conducting surveys online you are now able to monitor the heart beat of an organization, quickly, easily and, by using websites like Survey Galaxy, at minimal cost.

Tips for Successful Direct Mail Marketing

By Ron Morton

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

Considering Direct Mail Marketing? Good idea.

Direct Mail has been around forever and is still considered the most personal style of advertisement because no other medium can give you the ability to touch and feel it like mail does. There are many things to think about before you jump into a bulk mailing campaign; who your customers are, how you're going to reach them, and how many potential customers can use your product are just a few.

Do lots of research on direct mail, it never hurts to know more than you should. Keeping mail pieces that you have received is good too because it lets you get ideas from businesses that are in the bulk mail game already, and knowing what your competitors are doing can be an advantage.

Determining your mail route strategy is a very important factor. What neighborhoods will produce the most potential customers? Income, location, and household count should be three big decision makers when figuring out your mail distribution. Creating a database from current customers is a good strategy too, and sending direct mail to these current customers with coupons and upcoming sale items keeps these customers coming back for more. But know that there are potential customers out there awaiting your mail piece, you just have to know how to find them.

Creating your mail piece can become the tricky part. You need to have something that will catch the customer's eye, whether it is a great photo on the front or "SALE" in big letters, that always gets me to look. But the designing of your mail piece is part of a whole other department.

30 Employee Engagement Communication Tips

By Sarah Perry

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy   

High levels of employee engagement in an organization are linked to superior business performance, including increased profitability, productivity, employee retention, customer metrics and safety levels. Hence effective employee engagement communication is a key part of any internal communications strategy.
Tip # 1 - 60% of people communicate visually. Use interactive visual screensavers to portray company values and vision. A picture paints a thousand words. Use screensavers to show a positive view of the company. Broadcast it round your organization to capture people's imagination in an appealing, visual way.
Tip # 2 - Visual cues are important. So your CEO can't be at the meeting? No problem. Use Video to let staff see the commitment and intent in your CEO's eyes and hear the passion and empathy in his or her voice. Where possible, customize video for different groups of employees at different times and you can measure cut through.
Employee engagement communication tip # 3 - The power of small groups. Smaller face to face executive communication, such as brown bag lunches and skip level meetings, offer a more personalized and engaging format for leadership communication. Multiple time slots and venues can also help maximize the chances that employees can attend executive briefing sessions.
Tip # 4 - Customize engagement communications for different target audiences. Work with managers to make engagement communications as relevant as possible to different groups of staff.
Tip # 5 - Expand awarenesss. Make sure employees understand how the unit they work in contributes to the overall success of the organization. Expand their awareness beyond their own performance and extend it out into their team.
Tip # 6 - Highlight best practice. Include articles in your staff magazine that show how employees are modelling organizational values or supporting wider company initiatives.
Tip # 7- Reinforce understanding and develop local context. Use the pop-up Staff Quiz to ask scenario questions to reinforce understanding and local context. For example, "When I see a colleague working in an unsafe way, I would: A, B, C, or D or all of the above?" or "In XXX situation, how would you apply our company values?" Offer prizes to encourage staff to take part. Include humorous or trick questions and answers that make the quiz fun and build employee engagement.
Tip # 8 - Provide employee helpdesks. Set interactive online helpdesks to let staff ask questions about any aspect of the business and their role within it.
Tip # 9 - Get respected managers and staff to blog about various aspects of the business. These people can, answer questions and provide context to staff regarding any aspect of the business.
Tip # 10 - Encourage and help senior managers share ideas with their staff.
Tip # 11- Show that you're genuinely concerned about employees' opinions and use social media as a communications tool to build engagement.
Tip # 12 - Let staff tell their own stories to build engagement. Encourage them to tell their own stories in the staff magazine about what they are doing to support company strategies or embody organizational values.
Tip # 13 -Show how feedback is being used. Articles in staff magazines, updates on scrolling news feeds and even interactive corporate screensavers can be a great way to demonstrate to staff how their feedback is being used.
Tip # 14 - Involving employees builds engagement. Use Staff Quizzes to involve people. For example, by asking them to name new ways of working (e.g. new systems, projects) or suggest improvements. Offer prizes for the best ideas and recognize them using targeted corporate screensavers and articles in the staff magazine.
Tip # 15 - Promote employee development programs. Interactive corporate screensavers and articles in staff e-magazines can be effective ways to raise the profile and perceived value of employee development programs.
Tip # 16 - Promote employer brand. Internal brand messages can be lost if they are buried in email or on the intranet. Bring brand messages to life with interactive, visually engaging Communications channels such as messages on screensavers. Involve staff in creating brand values using staff surveys and discussion forums. Find out what staff know and think using fun staff quizzes.
Tip # 17 - Actively promote organizational effectiveness, reputation and ethics. Use all the internal communications channels at your disposal to raise employee awareness. Employees want to feel good about their leaders, where they work, the products they sell and the reputation of their company. Hence these types of engagement communications can valuable.
Tip # 18 - Communicate value. Screensaver images can be a very effective way to promote 'free goodies' available to staff. Anything from staff parties, discounted gym memberships to health checks, fun runs and fresh fruit can be promoted easily and effectively on corporate screensavers. Raising awareness of additional staff benefits can help employees feel more valued and engaged.
Employee engagement communication tip # 19 - Department highlights. Often people don't see where they fit into the bigger picture or why a specific department is working so hard on a particular initiative. Use screensaver messages and short articles in the staff newsletter to provide project updates and progress reports.
Tip # 20 Tell managers first. This gives them time to plan how they will react when their team hears important news and time for managers to prepare answers to the questions that may be unique to their team.
Tip # 21 Get managers to share ideas with one another. Social Media tools allow managers meet online to discuss strategies, share ideas and plan. This is especially useful when managers work in different locations.
Tip # 22- Measure how well managers are communicating. Help Managers see the importance of effective communication in order to increase engagement.
Tip # 23 - Not Communicating or Communicating late can damage employee engagement. Hearing about an important update from media, colleagues or family and friends can have a negative impact on employee engagement. Ensure employees hear these messages from the business as soon as possible. Desktop Alerts can achieve fast, effective message cut through. Reporting options let you check which recipients have opened the message. Message acknowledgement options allow you to ensure communications compliance.
Tip # 24 - Deliver localized content. Setting managers or their PAs up as internal communication assistants is a good way to make sure staff get information that is directly relevant to them as soon as it is available.
Tip # 25 - Measure understanding and impact on behaviors. Measure employee understanding and the impact of engagement communications on behaviors.
Tip # 26 - Celebrate both financial and non financial achievements.
Tip # 27 - Highlight success visibly. Interactive corporate screensavers are great engagement communication tools. Use visual communications to highlight and celebrate successes.
Tip # 28 - Document local success. Encourage employees to submit articles to the staff magazine that talk about what they have achieved (e.g. simpler ways of working, important milestones met).
Tip # 29 - Catch dissatisfaction early. Two way internal communications channels such as Staff Surveys and Social Media channels make it easy to regularly gather feedback from staff and to catch dissatisfaction early - to understand what's really going on.
Employee engagement communication tip # 30 - Promote opportunities for staff. Include a section in the employee newsletter promoting internal vacancies. Promote training opportunities and staff support schemes on interactive screensavers or as articles in the staff magazine.

Importance of Continuous Job Opportunities

By Macon Maic

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy

Jobs form the part of your life. It is impossible to lead a normal life without proper job. Jobs act as the major source of income thereby making the livelihood easy without many troubles. Jobs indeed keep the individual occupied without boredom. It is natural that you will completely feel bored if you sit simply without engaging yourself in any activities for about five days continuously. If this is the case, just imagine the situation you are unemployed. It will almost take your life both mentally and physically. A proper complete human life cycle comprises of job and it occupies a greater share in the livelihood and in the society. There are different types of jobs to which human beings get engaged themselves and these jobs varies depending on the qualification and other skills possessed by the individual apart from the availability of type of job in the place.

All the jobs are created by man and are also done by man in order to gain most out of it. Also there are many opportunities available around you that will definitely help you to fetch maximum and you would not have ever imagined about this kind of jobs in your life time. You might have come across many types of job opportunities while reading through various news papers and magazines. Apart from that, internet has emerged to be one of the latest developers of job wherein internet jobs are hitting the headlines. These job opportunity ads are published in the newspapers or magazines by giving the location as the headline like London jobs, Southampton jobs and so on. This clearly indicates that the job location is the particular place tagged along with the job in the opportunities heading.

You cannot avoid any opportunities as they are the main income source generators at your home front. You will always wish to look after your family and your dear ones in the most comforting and pleasing way. This wish can be converted to reality only with the help of a good job in hand. Sometimes people are also looking for additional opportunities in order to take them in the form of part time basis as they are finding it difficult to meet up the expenses due to increasing price rate. So it is advised to take care of all job opportunities with important care even if you are not in need of a new opportunity now.

Corrections Officer Workout Routine - How To Pass The Test

By EL Forestal

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy

Are you ready for the corrections officer physical fitness test?

If your answer is no, or you are in okay shape but need a little bit more work then keep reading. I've included some really simple workout tips in this article that will improve your strength, conditioning, and overall fat to muscle content.

The truth is some recruits have sailed through the correctional officer fitness test, while others have struggled mightily. I know if you are reading this article, you are dead serious about improving your overall fitness level. That's why I've written this article to help those candidates who are serious about getting a passing score on their corrections officer PFT.

You see, the corrections officer fitness test standards are different from agency to agency, but all of them are looking for recruits who are in shape. Seriously you don't want to show up to the test site out of shape or grossly overweight. Trust me if that happens, you might as well kiss your opportunity goodbye.

Here's how to get in shape fast:

The number one thing that you want to do when training for the law enforcement fitness test is to follow a workout routine that incorporates both strength training and cardiovascular improvement. If you do one without the other, you won't pass the test. The best workout program that incorporates both strength development and cardiovascular improvement is interval training.

If you don't know much about high intensity interval training, I suggest that you study up on this powerful workout program. If you include interval training to your regular training routine, you'll get into shape faster than you ever thought possible.

Careers Tips : Creating A Personal Career Map

by Nathan Newberger

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Whether you are unemployed or have an unfulfilling job, you probably suffer from an ailment that plagues many people: career disorientation. You are not where you want to be professionally. Somewhere along the road to professional happiness you veered off course and lost your way. If you are driving and become lost, a map is a handy tool to help get back on course. A career map is just as useful in curing career disorientation.

This article describes how to develop your own personal career map. Once you know the path you want to take, it is much easier to get where you want to go.

These four key elements will be covered:

1. Finding The Big Picture
2. Do Some Research
3. Start Marketing Yourself
4. Plan For The Unexpected

 

1. FINDING THE BIG PICTURE
To create a career map, you must be able to take a step back and examine your position. More often than not, you may need to take many steps before the big picture becomes visible. The whole purpose of a career map is to create a path to your end goal. Being able to envision the entire path is crucial. As you step back to examine your situation, ask yourself these questions:

• How far into the future do you want to plan? One year? Five years? Ten years?
• What job characteristics are most important to you? Location? Salary? Room for Promotion?
• Is there flexiblity for unexpected detours? You never know when a spouse will find a job in another city or when a new boss will make your current job unbearable.

2. DO SOME RESEARCH
Planning should not be a stationary act. A vital part of effective career mapping is gathering information. After all, you cannot fully prepare for a journey unless you have a detailed understanding of the places you want to go. Determining the path you want to take for the next few years requires a lot of legwork. You must identify the specific actions you need to take on the road to success and fulfillment.
There are numerous methods to obtain all the information necessary for creating a sound career map. Some of the most popular choices include:

• Reading trade magazines and professional industry analysis.
• Interviewing industry experts.
• Finding a mentor that is already successful in the job you hope aspire to be in one day.

3. START MARKETING YOURSELF
As you examine your path to success, you must determine how to get yourself on that path. This means you need to be in contact with the companies and/or industries you see in your future. As you already know, landing the job you want is not an easy task. That is why marketing is an essential part of career mapping.
Above all else, a self-marketing strategy for career mapping should address these three issues:

• Market Identification: Just like a business must decide on the customers to whom it will sell its product, you must decide on the companies and industries to which you will sell yourself. Be specific, having only a general idea will leave you unfocused. Make a list of specifics so you can properly allocate your time and effort.
• Strength/Weakness Identification: When a business sells its product, it does not just to tell you the product's name. Advertisements emphasize the advantages of a product. You need emphasize your strengths and downplay your weaknesses as you market yourself. Have your closest friends and colleagues help you compile a list of your positive and negative characteristics.
• Mission Statement: It may seem trivial to actual develop a mission statement for yourself, but they perform a very valuable function. Creating a mission statement requires you to concisely explain your goals. In doing this, you remove frivolous details and better focus yourself.

4. PLAN FOR THE UNEXPECTED
Often times, as a person develops their career map he or she realizes that they are far off course. This perfectly normal, but it also means that getting on the right road will require a change of direction.
What the future holds is always a mystery. Drastically changing your life can only complicate things. A very important concern to have is your financial stability. A career map is only valuable when it is realistic, so it should address any of your financial concerns. As you plan for the future, ensure you have a financial plan to tackle the worst-case scenario. With each step along the way, you career map should answer the question "Can I afford to continue on?" And the answer must be yes.

 

CONCLUSION
Planning before you act allows you to make focused moves. Once you've plotted your course, you must act without hesitation. Don't forget to check your career map regularly to ensure you have not veered off course. Make forecasts and continue to plan. When the job market is rough; the people that do well are those that have a strong idea of where they are trying to go. Remember, driving is a lot easier when you keep your eyes on the road. Happy planning! 

 

 

 

Careers Tips : Assess your skills and interest

By mappingyourfuture.org

Jobs Indonesia, Careers, Indonesia Vacancy

Think about your interests

• What do you like to do? Think about experiences you have enjoyed. What kind of school, religious, social, or sports activities do you like?
• Make a list of 10 activities you have enjoyed doing in the past four years.
• Evaluate those interests. Think about what you liked about the activities. What challenges did the activities offer? What skills do you need to develop further to continue in those activities?

Consider your skills

• Evaluate school, volunteer, work, or leisure experiences.
• Make a list of your school activities (clubs, organizations to which you belonged). Make a list of any volunteer work you have done (either through social, civic or religious organizations).
• After you have assessed your interests and skills, determine the relationship between skills and interests and possible careers. You may need to research different careers.

Importance of Continuous Job Opportunities

By Macon Maic

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy 

Jobs form the part of your life. It is impossible to lead a normal life without proper job. Jobs act as the major source of income thereby making the livelihood easy without many troubles. Jobs indeed keep the individual occupied without boredom. It is natural that you will completely feel bored if you sit simply without engaging yourself in any activities for about five days continuously. If this is the case, just imagine the situation you are unemployed. It will almost take your life both mentally and physically. A proper complete human life cycle comprises of job and it occupies a greater share in the livelihood and in the society. There are different types of jobs to which human beings get engaged themselves and these jobs varies depending on the qualification and other skills possessed by the individual apart from the availability of type of job in the place.
All the jobs are created by man and are also done by man in order to gain most out of it. Also there are many opportunities available around you that will definitely help you to fetch maximum and you would not have ever imagined about this kind of jobs in your life time. You might have come across many types of job opportunities while reading through various news papers and magazines. Apart from that, internet has emerged to be one of the latest developers of job wherein internet jobs are hitting the headlines. These job opportunity ads are published in the newspapers or magazines by giving the location as the headline like London jobs, Southampton jobs and so on. This clearly indicates that the job location is the particular place tagged along with the job in the opportunities heading.
You cannot avoid any opportunities as they are the main income source generators at your home front. You will always wish to look after your family and your dear ones in the most comforting and pleasing way. This wish can be converted to reality only with the help of a good job in hand. Sometimes people are also looking for additional opportunities in order to take them in the form of part time basis as they are finding it difficult to meet up the expenses due to increasing price rate. So it is advised to take care of all job opportunities with important care even if you are not in need of a new opportunity now.

Job Tips : Job Search Tips for Older Job Seekers

Job Search Tips and Strategies for Older Workers
By Alison Doyle

Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

I'm always a little surprised at how young can be considered old by employers. In some industries, especially high-tech, even mid-thirties can be considered old. In fact, I spoke to one computer programmer who considered the workers in his office who were over thirty old!

Unfortunately for older job seekers, the older you are, the longer it can take to get a job and the harder it can be to get hired.

What can you do to address age discrimination and promote your candidacy for employment? There are strategies older job seekers can implement to help expedite a job search and to find gainful, and meaningful, employment.
Job Search Tips for Older Workers

Resume Tips for Older Job Seekers
One way to overcome the perception that your age is an issue, is to age proof and edit your resume. Limiting what you include on your resume, from a chronological perspective, can help job seekers avoid the stigma of being considered "too old" by a prospective employer.

Cover Letter Tips for Older Job Seekers
Your cover letter is critical, as well. Review these cover letter tips for older job seekers, including what to include in your cover letter, how to showcase your skills, and how to effectively market your candidacy to employers.

Emphasize Your Relevant Experience
When writing your resume and your cover letters, there's no need to mention every job you've ever had. Include only the most recent positions and, if you attended college, don't list your graduation dates.

Fashion Tips for Older Job Seekers
You can strategically write your resume and cover letter, but you can't change the basic facts - your actual age and your employment history are etched in stone. However, there are ways you can work on your appearance when you are job searching. And that can make a big difference when you're interviewing. Here's how to update your job search image.

Use Your Network
Networking is still one of the best ways to find a job. Regardless of when you graduated, if your alma mater has a career network use it to contact alumni in your field of interest. Use online and offline networking resources to make connections to help with your job search.

Consider a Career Change
It can be easier than you might think to change careers. Here's advice on how to successful implement a mid-life career change.

Get Job Search Help
If you're struggling with your job search, consider seeking assistance. There are no-cost programs provided by OneStop Career Centers, non-profit groups, and local libraries, for example, that can assist.

Keep Your Skills Current
Everyone applying for employment, regardless of age, needs to be computer literate. If you can't send an email, or don't know what Instant Message is, take a computer class. There are classes offered, free or low-cost, by continuing education centers, churches, libraries, and school. The more current your skills, the better your prospects for finding employment.

Don't Give Up
Job searching typically isn't easy, regardless of how old you are. So, don't give up. It might take a while to find a job, but, there are employers who understand the value of an older worker with maturity, life experience, and skills.

Share Your Job Search Story
Share your job search success story and what you learned during your job search. What job search tools did you use, what job sites worked for you, how did you conduct your job search?

Quirky Ways to Get Your Resume Read

By Bruno Deshayes

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

Unless you want a quirky job you probably don't want to go quirky about your job application. Do you want to be paid with real money or monopoly currency?
The first pitfall to avoid is putting a photograph of yourself. Leave that to your facebook page if they want to check it out. Unless you are applying for a role as an actor or performing arts where a whole press-book is required a photo of yourself can be detrimental. People will hire you for your skills and your brains - not for your good looks. Remember more and more women sit on recruitment panels and your sex appeal might not cut it with them...
Next pitfall are unsubstantiated claims. Trust, honesty and loyalty are in short supply in our confused world. What you say about yourself need to be corroborated by circumstantial evidence. Don't say you are the fastest, the tallest, the quickest, etc... simply state the challenge you faced, the action you took and the result it produced. That's all an employer is interested in and they just want to know if you can do it again for them - simple, huh?
Next pitfall - going wild with fonts and colours. Your application might be passed around to various people on the recruitment committee, emailed to an iPhone, a Blackberry or an android smartphone. How mangled you will look through a not-so-perfect email program on those devices? If you want your layout and composition to remain unaffected then stick to the PDF format. Recruitment agencies hate it because their databases can't scan it for keywords.
Next pitfall - confusing your resume for an essay or a monologue. Unless you apply for a role as a writer and are asked to submit samples of your prose, you should not bore your audience with your introverted view of the world since you became unemployed. Employers are not interested in your moods, your political or religious views - all they want to know is if you can be productive from day one without any need for training or induction.
Next pitfall - ignoring your industry lingo. The best way to be rejected is to show a lack of grasp for your industry values. New lobby groups are forcing employers to comply with more and more regulations and standards. What is best practice in your field? Do you use due diligence? What about occupational health and safety? What about anti-discrimination laws?

Public Relations Job Description

By Silas Reed

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

The public relations job description covers a wide range of activities right from maintaining good relations with the press to even the company peers and rivals. The PR job description expects a PR professional to build up interest and awareness and serve as a spokesperson between the company and various groups, for instance the public. He controls the amount of information that the public receive about the company, product or a person related to the company. He can communicate very effectively on the print, through the phone or in person.

A campaign will be successful if the client company is presented in the best light. Conventionally, it is achieved through press releases to reporters and placement of stories in the broadcast, print and virtual media. A press release is in the format of a news story and sends a message. It is usually sent through email.

Advertising and Public Relations

A lot of people confuse the public relations job description with advertising. PR is different from advertising. In case of an advertisement, an ad time or space is purchased while in case of PR, that space or time is got for free. That is the strategy employed in public relations jobs which is not found in advertisement.

Job Titles

The lowest position from which public relations job opportunities start is from the level of account coordinator. Through hard work, it is possible to become the account director in a period of five years. In seven years, you can also become the PR manager. In the corporate setting, the duties of PR jobs fall under a variety of titles. There is the title of a community relations director, media specialist, external and internal communication specialists and PR Officer.

Skills Required

So what does a public relations job description really entail? For starters, you must not be shy. Your verbal and written communication skills should be excellent. Good PR personnel are well versed in news and current affairs and popular culture. They are also adept at time management, public speaking, cold calling, budgeting, event planning and research.

Salary

The salary varies depending on degree, skills, experience, city and company size. However last seen according to PayScale.com in an April 2009 survey, a US based account coordinator gets a median salary of $31, 987 while a PR manager earns around $65,959.

Public Relations Writing Tools

A lot of written materials are used for PR jobs. These mostly include press kits (fact sheet, company history and personnel biographies), press releases, newsletters, speeches, website content, feature articles, event listings, proposals, website content and pitch letters which are persuasive in tone and sent to TV producers and journalists. These pitch letters are generally sent with the intention of convincing them to run stories on the PR Officer's client.

Degree

A degree helps but it is not mandatory. There are a lot of colleges that offer degrees in public relations. A minimum graduate level of education is mandatory. However the best way to start in the industry is to do an internship. It gives on the job experience and prepares you for building a career in this field.

Public relations job opportunities are increasing and have been stipulated to increase after the current financial year.

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CAREER TIPS -> BE WISE

By jidaw.com

Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy

How to Tips for the Information Technology Career. Be Wise tips are to help you with developing careers in computers for Careers planning, career choices and IT career strategy.

Boosting computer careers - the computer career in computer and information systems - Information Technology Career Tips. 

You will need to make career choices every step of the way. Decisions will be taken about IT certification, Computer education, Technical training, Practice tests, Study Guides, Exams, IT professionalism and jobs.

A successful IT Career is more about wisdom than anything else. BE WISE!

42. Too often our career growth is hindered because by “good” reasons. It isn’t a crime to experience hiccups in your career journey, but respond with positives - create time, improve your preparation, network, develop your skills.  

Stop Planting Excuses. Be Wise. Excuses achieve nothing.

What “good” reason can there be for not updating yourself? What are the “good” reasons for your inconsistency? There is no middle ground. You’re either doing something to improve your career or you’re buried in the excuse planting season. If we sow excuses, what do we reap? What’s stopping you from starting? Why have you given up? Be honest, what do you really want from your career - results or excuses? There is no reward for excuses.

41. “Wait for perfect”, “stay with the crowd”, “don’t take risks”. Run, don’t walk away from such thoughts. The worship of fear is born to kill dreams. A programming career without audacity is one without substance and character. Want to build a successful career in Networking? Ignore the familiar and rock the boat! Be Wise. Your career decisions and growth can’t wait for 100% certainty.
 

Sure plan, do your research, finish your homework, choose wisely. But to start your IT career or business, never ever wait for perfect. And go beyond noise and popularity. What are you afraid of? The unknown, failure, rejection or becoming an outstanding contributor in the IT industry?  

40. SUBSTANCE OR SHOW. Are your career decisions based on substance? Is programming the right path for you, or are you a “me-too” activist? Career growth requires taking risks. But what really is your motive? Money, show or purpose? Is certification what you need, or is the promotion in control? Be Wise. The choices we make are life changing.

Your training decision appears sensible, but how did you choose your course and training institution? What is the main issue driving your job change? Activity can never be a substitute for substance. What matters more - ceremony or career growth?

39. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE. IT newcomer at zero level? Or does your career need a lift? Stop waiting for luck or fate. Enough of the excuses! You must own and drive your growth process. Are reward and fulfillment in your IT career horizon? Then banish fear and excuse. Be Wise. Provoke growth - Take risks. Seize the initiative. Connect with family, colleagues, counsellors for support and guidance. But never hand over your power. Nobody else is in charge of your movement forward. It’s your life. It’s your future. Responsibility for your growth lies with you.

38. THE OPPORTUNITY IN THE PROBLEM. When difficulties come how fast can you run? Are you one track minded when career efforts don’t seem to be working? Slow promotion, no job, “Boss-from-hell”? Tough! But develop your turnaround mentality and approach. Be Wise. Sometimes there are no right answers. Growth comes from being comfortable solving problems. Bad exam results do not mean bad IT professional. Career success has several routes. Is that challenge your full-stop or a seed for growth? Enough of the victim sing-song! Instead look for your opportunity in that problem.
 

37. HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY. You have hope and can see opportunity in Information Technology, but are those enough to make your career happen? Where are you? Where are you going? Be Wise. Hoping for the best, “whatever will be, will be”?? Without a sense of direction how will you reach your full potential? What is the purpose of your IT education? Coordinate your efforts and plan with your priorities in mind. Ignore the noisy crowds - let the main issue be the main issue. It is your job to create your own path.

36. DO SOMETHING NOW. You have ideas and you love the IT profession. Great! But unless you act, all you get is a big fat zero. What’s your excuse? The environment isn't right? Expecting to be supported? Be Wise. Wait for perfect and wait forever. Take charge and start building your amazing IT career now. IT professional, make your knowledge move today! Challenges exist but create your own path by investing in effort. Sitting in the farm all day doesn't make you a farmer. It is what you do that matters. Take action. Grumbling never achieves. 

35. MONEY HAS ITS LIMITS. To grow your IT career money helps for training, certification and books. But money is not the supreme ultimate resource. Stop allowing money to limit you! Be Wise. Can money cover up a dinosaur like attitude to tech learning? Or will money buy people networks or goodwill? Without putting in effort, time or common sense what is money? Does money mean creativity? Money assists but understand what money can do for your IT career, alternatives that exist and what you must do for yourself. 

34. CREATIVITY IS NOT A LUXURY. You can't grow by feeding on the predictable. Are you satisfied with the one-way street of convention? Training and certifications aren't enough in the world of constant change. Be Wise. Think outside familiar and comfortable routines to create new value. Is the creative path stressful? Or does it look strange or crazy? So what? Open your mind! Status quo is dead. Growth is the reward for expanding your mental bandwidth. Let dead dogs rest in peace.

33. PURPOSE AND CONTRIBUTION. The IT professional must have goals and a purpose. But it's not just about your agenda. Direction is important but your technical strengths are nothing without the value balance. Be Wise. What are your priorities vis a vis contribution? The key driver for career growth isn't your Java certification or your agenda, but is instead the value you create. Are you solving problems with your programming skills? Does the business make more profit with your networking know-how? Contribution is what gives backbone to your agenda.

32. GET BEYOND THE CERTIFICATE. Has your learning experience honed your problem solving skills and your learning ability? Have you used the classroom to build personal networks and improve your people skills? Be Wise. As you learn, open up your mind to ways of making the right impact in your career. What you put into your learning effort will often determine what you get out of the experience. Do you want growth, or is the certificate your only goal? See further than the certification. 

31. STOP LOOKING FOR GUARANTEES. Building a fulfilling IT career is not maths. Your Java knowledge doesn't guarantee anything. You need to step outside your comfort zone and take calculated risks if you want to succeed in Network security. 

Be Wise. Real IT professionals tackle the unknown and also anticipate and embrace change. The silver bullet-shortcut-password mindset is for robots. Network with other people, take up challenges and apply wisdom while learning from your experiences - both good and bad. 

30. IT IS NOT A HAPPY-GO-LUCKY PASTIME. It's about intense preparation and committing lifelong to a full-fledged career. Networking isn't flash-in-the-pan gambling. Or is programming an all comers affair? Be Wise. What is interest without the drive, without commitment? You should enjoy going the extra mile to look for the solutions, to remain current, rather than getting yourself hooked on quick fix supplied by the immediate results druggist.

29. The true IT professional is a positive, knowledgeable and supportive influence. Cisco guru, do you help or do you intimidate with your expertise? King of Java, are we safe in your hands? Be Wise. Trust is the mother of growth. But professionalism and trust isn't just about being "nice". It's also about having the courage and judgment to do the right thing in difficult situations.

28. You're perfect, right? Don't make me laugh! Nobody is an angel. But don't empower your weaknesses. Why let limitations bully you into defeat? Be Wise. Grow, learn from mistakes and empower your positives. Who are you and what do you offer? Despite shortcomings make a difference, be a positive contributor, with your attitude and tech know-how. It is your mission.

27. Knowledge is a "must-have" for your IT career. But have a clear understanding of what knowledge tools (training, education, certification) can and cannot do. What can knowledge do for you and what do you need to do for yourself? Be Wise. While knowledge confers advantage, it doesn't guarantee anything. Without a positive solid ethics attitude, initiative and people skills the train isn't leaving the station.

26. Stop asking only questions about pay, jobs and benefits. Your salary is not your value. Be wise. Growth comes from service and contribution. Ask the right questions: Is there a future in IT? Does that future include me? How do I empower myself to become a value provider?

25. What is your staying power in IT like? You can't afford to get burnt or worn out by the incredible rate of change and challenges. Be Wise. No matter how well you start and perform, how worthwhile is your effort if you don't finish? Develop your backbone with a can-do, can-bounce-back attitude. Achievement requires resilience - commitment and perseverance in the face of change and obstacles.. 

24. Sometimes less is more if you get your priorities right. Vegetating away at a job that doesn't enhance your value, simply because of the money is downright dangerous. Is it just about the pay packet? Be Wise. Growth is when you are creating opportunities for yourself now and in future. It isn't just about a meal ticket.

23. The worst thing you can do to your IT career is to take important decisions, such as investing in certification, without thinking about your long-term career focus. Be Wise. How will your decisions and investment take you from where you are to where you should be? Having a long-term career focus is the single most important driver for high quality career achievement.

22. Run, don't walk away, from any training provider that says you're guaranteed a job if you register for classes with them. Be Wise. Are you more interested in giving somebody money than your education or career?

21. As you gather experience in the industry, don't burn bridges you might need tomorrow. Be Wise. It is easier to succeed when you build your own personal network of individuals that you can rely on for advice, job leads, technical assistance and other helpful support.

20. Have a passion for what you do. Understand, and be happy, with what you do. Be Wise. It's difficult to be motivated; it's difficult to excel when you work at something you don't like.

19. You can't claim to like the IT field and yet be unwilling to make the effort required for constant knowledge acquisition. Be Wise. In the IT field, ignorance is the path of the dinosaur.

18. Don't run from challenges that will crop up from time to time in the course of your career. Be Wise. Often challenges are an opportunity to conquer a difficult area, and carve a niche for yourself.

17. Your career is about value. Be Wise. Certifications, tech skills, degrees, experience don't amount to much if you can't use them to create real business value.

16. Focus on substance rather than style when taking career decisions. Be Wise. "All that glitters is not gold". Avoid becoming a hostage, always choose career value over popularity and hype.

15. No IT career is better than the other. Be Wise. "One man's meat is another man's poison". The best career for YOU should be based on YOUR interests, assets and abilities.

14. Setting career goals is important. But planning is a lame excuse for unfruitful career indecision. Be Wise. Your IT Career isn't just about planning. It's also about doing, not promising to do. You must follow through.

13. Approach your IT Career like a marathon, not a short sprint. Be Wise. If immediate results are what you are after, then the IT field might not be for you.

12. As an IT professional, maximize your career advantage by developing a good combination of soft skills and IT knowledge. Be Wise. Of what value are your IT skills, if you can't effective present yourself or your skills?

11. The acquisition of popular advanced level certifications by newcomers is not a guarantee of jobs. Beginners need to master the basics before moving to the advanced. Be Wise. Why waste your money and time on advanced level training and certification that is not useful to you at your level?

10. Integrity is the hallmark of a true IT professional. A bad reputation spreads faster than wild fire. Be Wise. Solid tech and soft skills will not take you anywhere if you can't be trusted.

9. Sometimes the career advice you need to hear may sound upsetting to you. Don't listen only to what you want to hear. Be Wise. Choose Brutal but honest over nice but self-deceit. Use frank but painful advice to make the necessary changes that will grow your career.

8. As you invest in knowledge and self-development don't carried away by "the best". Can you make the effort? The best instructors, books, training centers cannot replace your effort. Be Wise. It is one thing to have "the best" tools, it is another thing to make the effort.

7. Learn from your mistakes and from your successes. Be Wise. If don't make any mistakes, you're not doing anything. You learn and grow not only from what you did right but also from what you messed up.

6. As you develop your IT skills and knowledge never confuse repetition with practice or learning. Be Wise. Mindless repetition on its own is cramming. Repetition must be combined with analysis and understanding to be of benefit to you.

5. Experience is essential for a career in IT. But depending solely on experience limits growth. Be Wise. What is experience without passion or initiative?
Experience on its own restricts you to what you do on a regular basis. To get real value from work experience - Invest in lifelong learning. Invest in a success-driven attitude.

4. Interest in an IT career is of no value without action. Be Wise. Interest is cheap. Effort will cost you. What're you doing? What are you investing to achieve your career goal? Time, money, books or just interest?

3. You will need to use career tools and your personal network as you progress in your career. But don’t be totally dependent on others. Be Wise. Learn how to dig deep by your own effort. To move without resourcefulness is to move in reverse. Besides, whose career is it anyway?

2. IT is not a “get-rich-quick” scheme. IT is professionally and financially rewarding if you focus on acquiring practical skills and building your career rather than on sudden, immediate wealth. Be Wise. Nobody is in IT for the sole purpose of making you rich. If “fast money” is your sole aim, you won’t last under the intense workload and incredible rate of change.

1. Personal networking is essential for career growth. Over 80% of all career opportunities are found through networking. But your personal network doesn't work for you alone. It isn't a self-centered one-man show. Be Wise. What do you contribute to the network? The key to having a strong and dependable personal network is not "receive only" or "give to receive", but instead it is "give more than you receive." 

A successful IT Career is more about wisdom than anything else. BE WISE!

Selling Your Company To An International Entrepreneur

By Terry J Filkins

Job Vacancy Indonesia, Employee, Vacancy  

If you'd like to become successful with an international business and then consider selling your organization on the international stage, then there are several things you must think about.

Managing an enterprise and offering it to suitable clients is a very complicated activity. Putting up for sale your company on the global stage is a lot more complicated compared to selling in your own state or country. Selecting the most appropriate small business agent, lawyer or attorney together with an accountant together which all have a history of successful overseas business sales is also important. Look for a team that has a good deal of knowledge because during the extended sales process, you will come across many difficulties en route.

Develop a certain in-depth marketing document where you can include your background and characteristics of the business, several year financial overview, business missions, small business supervision also staff, very competitive examination, business enterprise and also industry targets, and business technique and projections. This could be employed to distribute your company, so it is important that it is created effectively to show a proficient look to potential business enterprise potential customers.

At all times check any probable purchasers by using your adviser wherever they come from. This is to make certain that only the genuine company buyers that are eligible and may afford to acquire your small business can get to talk to you. This could further decrease the probabilities that opponents will find out that you're selling your enterprise. Discretion is important in enterprise selling.

It is important that when advertising your enterprise for a foreign entrepreneur, interaction needs to be carried out in writing. Due to the fact writing is able to cut miscommunication and will give time to investigate and clarify issues. In the event you take care of issues on the phone or in person, promoting your enterprise could become extremely frustrating.

Another thing you should contemplate is the fact you must not discuss with out your dealer. You may not know how to take care of a foreign client even if you might be a professional at promoting a small business inside your place. Despite all the troubles and conditions that may be experienced, you must be able to get a wonderful value for your enterprise with a good company agent.

Furthermore, you shouldn't settle without having your broker. Though you may be an expert at marketing a company in your country, you may not understand how to manage a foreign customer. With a capable company dealer, you should be able to have a fantastic cost for your small business despite all the hassles and conditions can be displayed. A properly produced advertising strategy will make the sales method incredibly easier.