Performance Review: Meeting With the Boss

5 Ways to Make the Conversation a Success
by Margaret Steen, for Yahoo! HotJobs


When you walk into your boss' office for your performance review, you need a game plan. Documenting your accomplishments is a good starting point. But just as important, you need to know how to come out of the meeting with the information you need.

Experts offer these tips for handling this sometimes tricky conversation:

* Ask questions.
Always press for details, says Gail Ginder, an executive coach with the Claros Group.

If your boss says you're doing a great job, this could mean you're about to be promoted. It could also mean that your performance is just OK, but your boss didn't want to take the time to do a more thoughtful review. To find out which is the case, ask for details. What aspects of your performance stand out to your boss?

Asking questions becomes even more important when the review is negative. "Often feedback is given without specifics," Ginder said. "Ask for specific examples of times when your performance didn't meet expectations. Then ask, 'And what would great performance have looked like? What would you have wanted me to do in that situation?'"

* Tell your story.
If you disagree with your boss' assessment of your performance, ask if you can tell your side of the story.

"Say, 'I have a different perspective on this situation. Would you like to hear it?'" Ginder said. Make sure your tone of voice is not defensive. "You want to make your boss curious," not annoyed, about what you have to say. Then explain, calmly, why you didn't make the choice your boss now says you should have.

Don't feel you need to give an explanation like this in every case, though. "It's perfectly fine to say, 'I hadn't looked at it that way. I'd like to try that next time,'" Ginder said.

* Play it by ear.
It's generally a good idea to discuss your future with your boss at your review. But if you're blindsided by criticism of your performance, it may be better to save that for another day.

"Only have the big-picture discussion about where you want your career to go if your review is going well," said Janet Scarborough Civitelli, founder and president of Bridgeway Career Development.

* Don't sweat the small stuff.
You don't have to explain or discuss every minor improvement your boss thinks you could make.

The key is to know when the issue is something that could put your job or promotion prospects at risk. Once again, the best way to find out is to ask.

Ginder suggests saying to your boss, "'I need a little perspective here. How serious is this?'"

* Follow up.
If you are surprised by a negative review and want some time to reflect before discussing it, ask your boss for more time. "Your boss knew it was coming," Civitelli said. "You may have to say, 'I need some time to think about these things.'"

If your boss wants you to improve your performance, ask if you can talk again in a few weeks to see if you're succeeding.

In some cases, if your review is very negative and you feel it's unfair, you may want to ask if there's a way to avoid having the review made part of your permanent record until you have had a chance to rectify the situation.

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4 Types of Political Players in the Office

by Larry Buhl, for Yahoo! HotJobs


The campaign trail isn't the only place to find political players; your office may be loaded with them. In a new survey conducted by Accountemps, more than half (53%) of employees interviewed said the level of office politics in their workplaces has increased compared to five years ago, and just 12% said politics has declined.

"I think in uncertain times like these, people are even more sensitive to political undercurrents in the office," Josh Warborg, district president for Accountemps, tells Yahoo! Hot Jobs. But office politicians are real, and a little understanding of the types and how they operate can help you avoid getting burned, Warborg adds.

Below are four common types of players and Warborg's advice for handling them:

* The Pundit loves to speculate about what's happening around the office. They may have good information, or they may just like to gossip. For dealing with this type, you should listen, but don't share too much information if you don't want to end up in the rumor mill.

* The Lobbyist is always championing his or her projects. But they don't always have the best ideas and they're usually not willing to hear dissenting opinions. Be aware of the agendas they're pushing, carefully evaluate the merit of the issues when they ask for your support, and be willing to stand up for the better idea, Warborg says.

* The Covert Operator is a charmer, and tries to get ahead through manipulation rather than good ideas and hard work. This person will criticize coworkers and take credit for other people's projects. Stand up for yourself if you're on the receiving end of such smears and make sure the leadership understands your ideas are better (if they really are). But don't respond with hostility or your own covert actions.

* The Advisor is tight with a company's leadership and serves as their eyes and ears. This type may not be a negative influence; many are senior aides or executive assistants and have earned their place in the organization. But because they wield significant behind-the-scenes influence, it's important to tread carefully. Work to develop a good rapport with them, without resorting to gossip-mongering or obsequiousness, Warborg says.

The best way to avoid the most poisonous office politics, Warborg suggests, is to look for the warning signs before you're hired. "If you're being interviewed by people who badmouth others on the team or disclose sensitive information, it's a sign that the company may not have a culture of meritocracy."

If your office is a political minefield and you don't have the option of leaving, Warborg recommends doing what your parents and grandparents told you to do: Keep your nose to the grindstone.

"Work hard, focus on results, and have a good attitude," he says. "If an employer sees you doing these things, it should take you far, no matter what kind of political environment you're in."

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Top 15 Effective Tips For Job Search

Looking for a new job is a challenging and a very daunting process. Each and every step taken in the process should be professional, appropriate, and focused. For this it is very important to have a mindset of what you want so that you can easily get away from the midst of job search. There are many other factors that play a crucial role when searching for your dream job.

Here are some of the most effective tips for job search:

1. The first thing to remember is that your first impression will make a huge difference and in case of a job search it is made through an effective resume. Make your resume clear and precise yet expressive and communicative. Ensure that it is free of errors and full of key essentials like your credibility, your worth, your skills, and your years of experience.

2. If in case you find it difficult to prepare an appropriate resume you can get in touch with some job consultancy that can help you build an effective resume. These days there are many such companies and online portals that offer resume making services at cost-effective prices.

3. Look for appropriate jobs rather than applying for all the available jobs in the market. You very well know your qualifications so apply only for those where you feel you are the best matched candidate.

4. Don't run for too many good jobs but select few best jobs and apply for the same.

5. Explore your possibilities by posting your resume online, browsing online job portals, searching through newspapers, and even attending job fairs.

6. These days there are many good job portals that make your job search easier and better. You can take help of search engines to learn about such websites and portals.

7. Use your contacts to follow the best job in the market. Many times the most demanding and fruitful jobs are not advertised but if you have a strong business network and social contacts as well you may get a chance to apply for the job and get a footstep into the specified company.

8. Be confident and follow up. Don't be afraid to call the employer for any kind of feedback or follow-up as it improve your chances of getting employed.

9. When going for an interview make sure that you are dressed up smartly in formal clothing.

10. Ensure that you reach at the interview spot on time and are well prepared for the same.

11. Be generous and pass on a thank you message after the interview or the business meeting.

12. Be smart enough to answer all the queries of the employer. Any kind of hesitation and ignorance of work related information will take you down the drain.

13. Stay moving with the corporate world. You should be well aware of all the happenings in the corporate sector so that you know well where to hit and when. You also get to learn more about the companies and then it becomes easier for you to select the best company for job hunt.

14. Don't lose hope and give up. At times the job market is really tough and it becomes difficult to get a fruitful job but continue with your efforts to pluck jobs from the market.

15. Keep all the references ready to give to the interviewers. References have become very important these days because of the fast competition in the corporate world. Every company is in search for grabbing the best candidate.

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Tips For Recruiting Online

Many companies are now recruiting online, as it has become so easy to use the Internet to locate the best candidates from all over the world. The continual advances in technology make it much easier and more cost effective for companies to find job seekers who match specific criteria that are necessary attributes for the job advertised.

There are a number of recruiting tips on what to look for in a candidate that will help you to find the right person for the vacancy that you are trying to fill.

These tips can be applied to any recruiting situation but there are specific considerations that apply when you are recruiting online, which are also covered.

Find the right attitude

It is extremely important to find someone with the right kind of attitude towards work, as a person with the right kind of attitude will be able to achieve greater success in any business. When you are recruiting online for a position in your company, you need to find a way of measuring the attitude of the candidates on the short list.

You can do this by screening for certain positive words in the resumes that you receive or ask applicants to go through an online assessment test that will help to provide insights into their attitude. Also, if you are interviewing face to face, you will be able to judge from the candidate's demeanor if they are positive or not.

Find a team player

As with any role, it is very important to find a team player, rather than a lone superstar. The candidate you choose must have the capability to either manage a team effectively or to fit into your current team environment and contribute as soon as possible to reaching your organization goals.

Normally a quick review of the candidates resume would provide this type of information, but you need to be ready to handle a significant amount of volume of applications when recruiting online. You can use screening keywords to specifically include or exclude applicants that include these words in their resumes. Another way that you can use screening keywords is in relation to technical qualifications where specific keywords will indicate whether a candidate is suitably qualified for the role

Find a candidate with the right character

Whilst qualifications prove that the candidate has sufficient technical knowledge to meet the requirements of the role, character on the other hand is a necessary attribute to maintain a proper and healthy working environment in the workplace. The resume of a candidate will give you a good summary of their previous experience and credentials, but you need to get a deeper insight into the character of the candidate by questioning them in person, using questions that will provide answers to what type of character they are.

Normally this would be done in an interview situation, and when recruiting online it can also be found out through a telephone interview. You should also ask specific questions either in a pre-selection questionnaire or at the interview to find candidates who are multi-skilled and can multitask easily. These qualities come in very useful in times of emergencies

These tips will help you focus on the skills that are not found as easily from the candidate's resume or application form but can be found using some of the technology that is available to you when you are recruiting online.

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