Boost the mood in the office with these tips.

Do your employees drag themselves into work? Is office laughter a vague memory? Your employees’ morale may need a boost.

After all, low morale can lead to poor co-operation, low productivity and increased turnover – and ultimately stop a business reaching its goals.

Since employee morale can quickly build or break a company’s success, effective leaders often keep a close eye on it and enlist simple and creative approaches to strengthen it. Here a few tactics to think about adapting for your business:

1. Keep employees feeling their work is more than just a job.

Everyone wants to feel that his or her work has a higher purpose. Sometimes, though, that purpose gets lost in the day-to-day grind. One of the key ways that Snagajob.com, an online job-search company based in Glen Allen, Virginia, inspires its 126 employees is by sharing “I got a job!” stories that show them the value of their work. Circulated by e-mail, the real-life stories come from grateful job seekers who recently landed a new job through the company’s website.

2. Take time to creatively celebrate accomplishments.

It’s natural to focus on what’s ahead rather than reflect on how much has been achieved. Taking time to reflect, though, helps employees appreciate how much they have done. All departments at Acuity, a financial-services company based in Sheboygan, Wis., are asked each year to recognize their own work by providing a list of significant accomplishments of their team. The lists are reviewed by Acuity officers, who select the 100 most outstanding achievements for inclusion in a Top 100 Accomplishments list. The latest list was designed as a book, Acuity World Records, with the help of Guinness World Records, and given to all 831 employees.

3. Grant time off to employees to pursue projects they are passionate about.

Personal projects can provide an energizing break from regular responsibilities and can serve as a source of innovation for a company. Atlassian, a developer of collaboration software based in Sydney, encourages creativity during its “FedEx Day.” During this event, all 62 employees get about 24 hours (hence the name) to work on anything that excites them. Then, at a presentation, participants show off the results of their projects. From these ideas, Atlassian has adopted more than a dozen projects, ranging from product upgrades to process improvements.

4. Mix up the company’s usual way of doing things.

Departing from the customary routine of meetings and cubicle life can go a long way toward building morale. The accounting firm Ehrhardt Keefe Steiner & Hottman, based in Denver, uses the concept of neighbourhoods to shake things up. All 387 employees are organized into neighbourhoods, based on their sections in the office. These groups have regular get-togethers and shape the contours of meetings. For example, during an all-employee meeting day, the firm staged a basketball tournament and each group came up with team names, homemade jerseys, mascots, and cheerleaders.

5. Don’t forget to have fun.

For the online discounter FatWallet, based in Rockton, Ill., fun is a regular part of the schedule. Its 55 employees are invited to play in a monthly Game Day, an in-house competition with activities ranging from Trivial Pursuit to Wii bowling matches. The company also offers quarterly “fun” rewards when staffers achieve certain goals, such as hockey games, casino nights, or trips to amusement parks. Team-building events have included a city scavenger hunt in Chicago and a rooftop Cubs game.

6. Train employees to develop positive attitudes.

During the height of the recession in 2009, employee morale became a big issue for 4Imprint, a maker of customized promotional products, based in Oshkosh, Wis. The company’s training team decided to try to boost morale by setting up classes for the 419 employees to watch and discuss videos with inspiring themes, like Lance Armstrong’s comeback from cancer and the friendly culture at Southwest Airlines.

7. Offer time away from the office to do some good.

Another way to build employee morale and camaraderie is through community service. Studer Group, a Gulf Breeze, Fla.-based management consulting firm, gives its 114 employees four paid hours a month to volunteer for a charitable initiative or organization of their choice. Departments also take on volunteer projects as a group

Want to get hired? …..do some homework.

 

Interviewing for a job is a lot like giving a presentation. It’s hard to imagine your career going anywhere unless you learn how to do it effectively. Unfortunately, you probably weren’t born with the interview gene. For most people, interviewing is a real struggle.

So what do you do? Get online and search for tips. Unfortunately, the vast majority of that stuff is written by self-proclaimed experts who’ve never been hiring managers and didn’t learn how to do it right from a Fortune 500 company that depends on hiring young up-and-comers and promoting from within.

In other words, they really have no idea what they’re talking about.

The truth is that, when you’re on a job hunt, the absolute worst thing you can do is get yourself all worked up by reading laundry lists of interview questions and horror stories, worrying about stuff you can’t do anything about, and filling your head with useless advice.

All that does is keep you from being yourself and doing what matters most in a job interview: demonstrating you’re the right person for the job.

The best way to do that is the first lesson in interviewing for a job, which just so happens to be the same first lesson in giving an effective presentation: find out what matters most to the audience. More specifically, find out what matters most to hiring managers.

Fortunately, I happen to know all about that sort of thing. You see, as a young manager at Texas Instruments, I volunteered to lead the recruiting effort for my entire department. And since TI is very big on hiring up-and-comers and grooming them for senior management, they train their managers on how to find the right people for the right job.

Since then, I’ve interviewed and hired countless people at every organizational level, from individual contributors to VPs, from engineers to marketers. I’ve worked with some very successful HR executives and recruiters. Not only that, I’ve interviewed with more than a few successful CEOs and tough VCs myself.

I guess you can say I’m battle-tested on both sides of the equation. So, not only is this What Hiring Managers Really Look For, but if you’re a hiring manager and this isn’t what you look for in a job interview, you might want to reconsider that strategy:

• Initial gut feeling. What can I tell you; it’s not scientific but it is the truth. Good managers and executives learn to trust their gut instincts and, sure enough, that’s pretty darn subjective. The best thing to do is be yourself, be genuine, be nice, be open, and relax. Look him right in the eye, smile, and remember, he’s just a flesh and blood person, just like you. Chemistry is all about making a connection and it starts with first impressions.
• Do you meet the job spec? If gut feeling is highly subjective, this is the opposite. Right or wrong, there’s a written job spec and the hiring manager wants to find out if you meet it or not. That includes everything from functional capability and previous experience to communication skills and personal characteristics. Since you’ve presumably read the spec, this is your window into what they’re looking for.
• Are you who you represent yourself to be? They bring you in based on a virtual piece of paper – your resume – and maybe a phone screen, so they want to see if that’s really you or a bunch of BS. Hopefully, you’re better in person than on paper. My favorite analogy is this: you want to look at least as good naked as you do in clothes. It’s the same thing when you’re interviewing. You don’t want to be a letdown in the flesh. Think about that when you’re embellishing your resume.
• Your experience. This is huge, but not in the way you think. Get this. What they’re really looking for are specific anecdotes that resonate with their current situation, concerns, and priorities for the position. If you can find out what that is and satisfy that criteria, I doubt if the number of years you’ve been doing something matters much. Example: if they’re trying to grow a new business, they want to hear exactly how you’ve done that in the past.
• Are you smart? You can gain wisdom, get experience, and learn skills, but by the time you interview for a professional job, the smarts are pretty much baked in. The hiring manager wants to know how you think and problem solve. That’s what all those weird questions you always hear about are for. But the thing is, reading laundry lists of weird questions won’t change how you handle them because it doesn’t change how you think or problem solve? Make sense?
• What’s your personality like? What kind of person are you? What are your strengths and weaknesses: positive characteristics and attributes that you need to work on, and are you aware of the latter? Do you have a can-do attitude and a strong work ethic or a sense of entitlement? How do you carry yourself? Are you confident and self-assured or overconfident and full of yourself? Are you grounded, self-driven? Can you handle responsibility and will you hold yourself accountable?
• Do you get along with others? Are you better on your own or as a team player? Are you so thin-skinned that everything rubs you the wrong way or so insular that you’re completely oblivious to the needs and wants of others? How well do you actually listen? Are you aggressive and set in your ways or calm and flexible? Reference checks are also part of this, but they’ll still want to get a read of you in person.
• Are you like-minded? I know, I know. We shouldn’t, and it’s not logical, but we do. We look for ourselves, or at least people who have some of the same characteristics we value in ourselves. It’s human nature. That’s why, when you – the candidate – ask a question, it might resonate and it might not. It’s highly subjective. If it’s the same sort of question she would have asked, she’ll like that. If she thinks it’s dopey, not so much. My advice here: listen hard for clues and otherwise be very open-minded, neutral, non-controversial, and non-confrontational.

Bottom line. Look, if you find it entertaining to read about weird interview questions or horror stories, knock yourself out. But if you want to get hired for a good job, now you know the inside scoop on what good hiring managers look for.

If I had to offer just one piece of advice to improve your chance of getting hired, it’s this. Find out as much as you can about what they’re looking for, think about your knowledge and experience, find the intersection points, and deliver a couple of hard-hitting anecdotes that demonstrate you’re the one who can do what they need done. Otherwise, relax and be yourself.

Workshop Supervisor Opportunity – Qatar (Middle East)

CA Oil & Gas Middle East is looking for a WORKSHOP SUPERVISOR.

This is a brilliant opportunity for a dynamic Supervisor.

1. Workshop Supervisor

Exp: Min 10 years of exp in oil and gas

Qlf: ITI or equivalent

Must have supervisory exp in mechanical workshop

Target industry: plant / workshop

Please email all applications to marius@caglobalint.com

 

Electricians job opportunity in Qatar – apply now!

CA Oil & Gas Middle East is looking for a ELECTRICIANS for a EPCM Oil & Gas Company in Qatar.

Do you have what it takes?

Details of role:

1. Electrician – EEC ( Indian nationals may be considered)

Electrical Troubleshooting , Preventive maintenance , repair and rehabilitation of Road Construction Equipment mainly Paving & Compacting products ( like Vogele / HAMM) , Should also have Basic Knowledge of Mechanical and Hydraulics of these products. Additional Knowledge of Road Milling Machines ( Wirtgen ) and Surface Miners ( Wirtgen ) would be a Plus point. Should have basic operating skills of Pavers.

if you have worked for the following Target Companies: Sany Heavy Industry, PT Gaya Makmur Tractors(Indonesia), Worldwide Trading Co Pvt Ltd.(Nepal), Senok Trade Combine Ltd. (Sri Lanka) please submit your resume.

Please submit all applications to marius@caglobalint.com

ONLY SUBMIT RESUME if you have all the experience and skills needed for this role.

 

 

General Manager role available – Qatar.

CA Oil & Gas Middle East has a exciting opportunity available for a GENERAL MANAGER.

This is for a EPCM Oil & Gas Company based in Qatar, Middle East. ———-  Do you have what it takes?

This position has a broad, overall accountability for the sales organization including the Profit & Loss responsibility.

Responsibilities:

1. Manage continuous contact with all clients and follow up on opportunities / projects.
2. Manage, develop and mentor relationships with Principals and develop new suppliers.
3. Manage the performance and career aspirations of the team / direct reports.
4. Lead and coordinate the strategic planning function. Responsible for the design and execution of the organization’s road map, short term and long term goals.
5. Direct and coordinate the organization’s financial and budget activities to fund operations, maximize investments and increase efficiency.
6. Be a brand ambassador for the organization by representing the organization to the external market through business forums, trade shows, seminars.
7. Education & Certification: Bachelor’s Degree in related Engineering field.  Additional degree would be a plus.
8. Skills & Competencies: Good communication skills (verbal & written).
9. Excellent team management and motivation skills. Ability to balance career aspirations of the team and organizational priorities is very essential.
10. Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources, leadership and coordination of people and resources.
11. Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
12. Knowledge of finance, accounting, budgeting and cost control principles.
13. Experience: Experience in strategic planning and execution, change management and people management.

Interested applicants can apply to

JOB Interview Success Checklist

Succeeding at job interviews and getting the job you want depends, in large part, on your having the right approach. You need a well-thought-out, coherent strategy that will guide your behavior at interviews, no matter what type of interview you are facing.

One of the keys to acing job interviews is to adopt the attitude that you are an equal participant in the process. The interviewers are judging you and your accomplishments, but you are judging them and the organization as well. You must ensure that there is a reasonable balance of power between you and the interviewers during and after an interview.

Here is a list of ten things you should do to significantly enhance your chances of success in getting the job you want.

#1. Ensure that you conduct good pre-interview research on the company or organization you are targeting. Ideally, this should be done before you ever establish any contact with the company — after all, you want to be sure that you only target those organizations that have some kind of fit between your career goals and what they can offer.

#2. Your mindset is critically important in interviews and in life. You must develop an attitude of self-trust and confidence to succeed at any endeavor. As stated above, be aware of the power you have in an interview situation and exercise some of that power to steer the outcome of the meeting.

#3. Make a written list of your accomplishments. Elaborate on them. Make lists of your biggest strengths and write down experiences from the workplace (or other experiences, if appropriate) that brought out each of the strengths. Basically, you want to be able to demonstrate to the interviewers, using concrete examples, that you have the track record it takes to do well at the job you are targeting.

#4. If there are negatives in your background (and most people have at least some negatives), be honest about them, but put a positive spin on them. You may need to think this through carefully and take the help of friends and trusted colleagues to do this.

#5. Dress appropriately for the job interview. What is appropriate depends on the kind of job you are applying for and the company’s practices. Your pre-interview research should give you clues to this.

#6. If there are gaps in your communication abilities — written or oral — get whatever help you need to address it. There are classes that help you develop fluency, for example. There are people who can train you in using language properly.

#7. Get your act together. Make sure you are well-organized and punctual in everything you do. If you have been asked to fax transcripts, for example, do so promptly.

#8. Energy and enthusiasm are highly contagious. Project liberal doses of both during your meetings with prospective employers.

#9. Listen carefully to what the interviewers are saying. Pay attention not only to what they say, but to their body language as well. This will allow you to answer questions and in general, project yourself in the best possible manner during job interviews. There is nothing worse than enthusiastically answering a question — and then discovering that the interviewer had asked something quite different!

#10. After the interview is over, follow up persistently but politely. Don’t just passively wait to hear from them.

Personal Branding Tips to Help the Job Search

Finding a new job involves search and self-promotion. The search requires online and plain old sneaker networking. You need to get out there with the your charm and the best LinkedIn profile and make connections. You have to get yourself out there, too, with personal branding. This article will give you several tips to strengthen the branding effort.

You have to identify yourself to the job managers and the human resource professionals and everyone else, to the best of your ability as the person they want and need.  Here are some suggestions:

Bill Gates here with wife, Melinda, has a solid brand, but it has evolved based on need.

1. Resume tweaking. Pay attention to the job description. DO NOT  TREAT EACH JOB AS IDENTICAL.  Study the job description and make some adjustments to your resume to match the most important requirements listed in the listing. This will improve your chances of making it through the software filters (and the human ones, too). For years as head of Microsoft Bill Gates promoted his brand as a technology wizard. Now that he is mainly working to advance his Gates Foundation, his brand is more humanistic. He has changed it based on his need.
2. Identify your unique personal selling point. What makes you different? What is distinctive about you on the job that will make a difference. This has to come across in your resume, as well as your cover letter and in every phone screen and in-person interview.
3. Listen carefully. Part of figuring out what  to communicate is to understand well what makes them tick, or, what they are looking for.
4. Practice.  Create your branding pitch. Write it down first and read it aloud. Read it over and over. Gradually you’ll learn it just as actors learn their lines. You’ll make a more compelling case for yourself.

Job seekers must be consistent with their brand. You can always refine it and perfect it, but don’t ignore the importance of representing yourself to the best of your ability. It is a priceless benefit.