Strange isn't it?

All the time you spend at school is about you working alone as an individual. Very little of your time is spent in group learning activities. In fact if you work with someone you might even be accused of cheating!

Yet... when you go into the work environment it's all about working with others in order to achieve goals and targets.

Strange isn't it?

The Quarterback Problem

Every year the top teams in the NFL tempt the very best young college quarterbacks with huge signing bonuses. Multi-million dollar contracts are the norm.

The hope is that they will reproduce the form and talent they displayed on the college circuit. But of course history has proved that previous form means nothing. So many stars in the making have fallen by the wayside after making the move.

But football is football isn't it. Well, yes and no. Sure the basic rules are the same but the standard most certainly isn't. Neither are the tactics. Nor is the skill-level of the opposing players.

This is the quarterback problem. There are certain roles where almost nothing you learn about a candidate can serve as a predictor of how they will perform once they're hired. Sure, the job-title may be the same, but the organisation, the people, the rules of engagement, the expectations, are going to be different.


This is the classic problem facing anyone who hires staff. They have to make a judgement. In the NFL there is nothing like being an NFL quarterback except being an NFL quarterback. You can't predict, you have to make a judgement and past history has often proved to be an unreliable guide to future performance.

How "engaged do you feel?"

A global Gallup survey found that at the average firm only 33% of employees describe themselves as fully engaged in their work, 49% say they are not engaged and 18% say they are "actively disengaged". At what Gallup calls "world-class" companies, the proportions are 67%, 26% and 7% respectively.How engaged do you feel with yur company?


Click the poll button to find out how everyone else feels.

How's Your CV???

Let's see how you think your CV rates!

Does your CV contain words like these...?

Managed    Controlled    Co-ordinated    Eliminated    Introduced    Headed    Successfully    Effectively

These are positive action words that will enhance you in the mind of the reader. Most people can't be bothered to review and analyse what they have really done in jobs they have previously held and therefore their CV is bland, unexciting and unlikely to make the cut. With the amount of competition for jobs today you simply have to put in more effort in order to win through to the next stage.

And of course the beauty is... that once you've done the work... it's done! You just have to tailor it to the role and the company each time to make sure that what they're looking for jumps out at them from your CV!

Check out Positive & Negative words and see you measure up!

Top Ten Jobs Employers are having difficulty filling globally

In 2011, a survey by ManpowerGroup found that 34% of employers worldwide were having trouble filling jobs, with technicians, salespeople, skilled-trades workers and engineers the hardest to find. Assuming the world economy manages to grow in 2012 the problem will get bigger.

Source: ManpowerGroup.

Qualities Employers Look For

• Communication Skills
• Team Player
• Attention to detail
• Energy/Commitment/Drive
• Initiative
• Common Sense
• Decision Making Ability
• Ability Under Pressure
• Enthusiasm
• Leadership
• Tenacity
• Motivation, Self and Others
• Organisational Ability
• Numeracy
• Planning and Co-ordinating
• Goal/Achiever
• Market Knowledge
• Problem Solving
• Responsibility

What Employers Want to See.

In simple terms employers want to see…

·        The Key Competencies which are of the utmost importance to them

·        Transferable Skills which allow a new hire to make an immediate impact in the role  and

·        To make an informed judgement as to whether your History, Experience & Qualifications encourages them to see You  fitting the role.

 

You must make the linkage because... the closer the perceived fit the better your chances