Going Back to Work - Tips for Returning to the Workplace

Going Back to Work - Tips for Returning to the WorkplaceGoing Back to Work - Tips for Returning to the WorkplaceAccording to an analysis of Census data by Pew Research, 11 million parents- 18 percent of the U.S. workforce- did not work outside the home in 2016, the most recent year for which this information is available. (Livingston, Gretchen. Stay-at-Home Moms and Dads Account for About One-in-Five U.S. Parents. Pew Research FactTank, monat des herbstbeginns 24, 2018). At some point, many people who take time away from work to be stay-at-home parents return to the workforce. Going back to work means dealing with issues like arranging childcare and balancing work and family. These are the things with which all working parents must deal. Parents who are returning to the workforce after an extended absence also have concerns unique to their situation. Once all the practicalities of going back to work have been addressed, it will be time to make significant career-related decisions. F or example, you will have to decide whether to go back to doing what you were before your kids were born or try something new. And if you want to do something new, you will have to figure out what it will be. Is a Career Change in Order? There are several reasons for making a career change. If your career involved working excessively long hours or frequent travel, for example,you might anticipate that it will be too difficult to balance that with having a family. Your desire to change careers may have nothing to do with your role as a parent. Your interests may have changed during the hiatus you took from the workforce or perhaps you werent in the right career to begin with. This juncture presents the opportunity to find something more suitable. Changes in your career field or industry during recent years, for instance, a weak job outlook, may also necessitate finding a different occupation. It will take time to figure out what to do next. If possible, extend your time off to fo cus on choosing a career. If it is urgent to begin making money as soon as possible, consider looking for temporary employment until you can make a decision and get any required training for your new occupation. Temping can also ease your transition back to work. How Do You Make Up For Time Away From Your Field? Even if there are still job opportunities in your old field, it wont be easy to return to it. Many things could have changed during your absence, even if it only lasted a short time. Read up on your career field and industry and talk to people who are currently working in it. If you let your professional network lapse, now is a good time to revive it. Find out what you have to do to get ready to become a competitive job candidate. Consider doing a returnship. Returnships are internships geared toward people like you- experienced professionals who have been out of the workforce for an extended absence and are now planning to return. They can be in ones current career fie ld or a new one. A returnship can help you update your skills and provide networking opportunities and may even lead to a permanent position upon completion. Explaining the Gap in Your Employment History A returnship can also help bridge the gap in your employment history. If you use a chronological resume, it will otherwise end after your last job, which may have been several years ago. Many employers dont look favorably upon gaps in employment, and it will be incumbent on you to explain why your resume shows one. Dont make any apologies for the time you spent away from work. Instead, highlight your skills, especially any acquired during your absence from the workforce. Include any volunteer experiences and organizations in which you played an active role, such as the parent-teacher association at your childs school. While employers may not regard skills gained from volunteer work as highly as they do those that come from employment, it is a way of showing that you made good us e of your time. Many career development specialistssuggest using a functional resume rather than a chronological, one. It places the emphasis on skills rather than employment history. In your cover letter, explain that you are returning to the workforce and highlight your current skills. Do the same on job interviews. Many people shy away from talking about their employment gap, but since it is impossible to hide it, be straightforward and honest instead.

You Can Become an Effective Active Listener

You Can Become an Effective Active ListenerYou Can Become an Effective Active ListenerWhen you listen, you are giving your full attention to something or someone who is making a sound. Are you interested in becoming an active listener who can so deeply listen that your coworkers and staff feel fortunate to have you as a colleague? You can with deliberate practice and more experience. In deep, or active listening, which are words used to describe the most effective listening styles, the listener exhibits certain powerful listening behaviors. When you give your undivided attention to anotherbei part or activity, you are deeply listening to whatever they are attempting to communicate. This listening is perceived by the other person as respectful and caring. This listening is also perceived, by the person you are listening to, as evidence that you are really hearing and understanding what the person is trying to communicate. Youll want to learn to actively and deeply listen because these skills will help you become an effective business communicator. You cant become a great verbal communicator without the second half of the listening equation, active listening, strongly embraced. Understand What Constitutes Active or Deep Listening In active listening, the person who is the listener, conveys to the person whom he or she is listening to, their deepest respect. This is conveyed through a serious effort to focus in on and concentrate on the words and the meaning that the person who is communicating with them, is trying to convey. In deep or active listening The listener asks questions that probe and focus on understanding and clarifying the meaning of what the communicator is trying to convey. The listener does not spend the time formulating an answer or response to the speakers communication in their minds while the other person is speaking to them.The listener focuses his or her mind and full attention on the words and meaning of the person communicating as obse rved and heard through such components of speaking as their words, thetone of voice, nonverbal facial expressions and body language, examples, and speaking speed. The goal of active listening is shared meaning in which the listener and the person communicating are in agreement about the message that was conveyed from one to the other. (This does not mean that you agree with the speaker, just that you are absolutely certain that you understand the message they were attempting to convey.)In active listening, the listener provides to the person attempting to communicate, affirming body language, murmured agreement words, and other sounds and actions that help the person communicating feel heard out and listened to.For example, you can nod your head, smile, say yes, I understand, and use other methods of providing feedback as you listen. Eliminate Listening Bad Habits to Become an Effective Active Listener It is easy to fall into bad listening habits in the daily busy that you expe rience at work. Casual conversations and interaction with your every day coworkers can lead to an informality that doesnt support active listening. These are the common listening bad habits that will prevent you from becoming the most effective communicator. If an employee repeatedly raises the same issues or points of view to you, as an active listener, the fundamental problem to consider is that the employee is repeating himself because he doesnt feel you are hearing him. Take a look at your active listening habits to see if you are exhibiting the needed listening behaviors that will communicate to the employee that you really are listening- and hearing and understanding him.Dont try to pay partial attention to a colleague or staff member. You insult the person and you will never fully comprehend their position or need. When an employee or coworker approaches you for advice, inspiration, feedback or a discussion, listen to understand what the individual needs from you. If you cant fully attend to the staff person at that minute for any reason, it is better to reschedule the conversation. If you are, for example, on your way to a meeting, struggling with a deadline, trying to leave early, or experiencing any other distraction, it is better to make an appointment when you can really listen to the person.In the worst case scenario, if you only partially listen, the employee walks away feeling that you dont care about his or her concerns. It is far better to reschedule the discussion when you have time to listen with your active and deep attention. Say, Tom, Im really distracted by my 3 p.m. deadline on the current project. Can we get together tomorrow morning at 9 so that I can listen and fully understand your concerns? Listen with your full attention directed toward understanding what your coworker or staff member needs from you. Many managers, especially, are so used to helping people solve problems that their first course of action is to begin brainstorming solutions and giving advice. Maybe the employee just needs a listening ear. Your best approach is to listen actively and deeply. Ask questions for clarification to make koranvers that you understand exactly what the employee is trying to communicate. When you believe you do, then, and only then, ask the person what they would like from you.Trust this. They usually know, and often, they breathe a sigh of relief and say, Thank you so much for just listening. It is exactly what I needed. I dont need you to do anything else. The Bottom Line About Active Listening You can become a more effective active listener if you pay attention to these main bad listening habits. With repeated practice, you can eliminate your bad habits and become a great active listener. These changes will make you an effective business communicator. Your colleagues and reporting staff members will benefit from your deliberate practice.

Is College Still the Surest Path to Success

Is College Still the Surest Path to SuccessIs College Still the Surest Path to Success?Is College Still the Surest Path to SuccessWho says you need a college degree to live the American Dream?Over the last 25 to 50 years, many parents have stressed an agenda that included going to college, earning a degree, and moving on to make beaucoup bucks in the workforce. And many children have heeded the message. Today, the U.S. has more than five times as many college-degree holders as it had just after World War II.Since then, the economy has transformed from one powered by manufacturing to one powered more by information. Those with college degrees today are more likely to work in front of a computer than with a fustel or pliers in their hands. I saw this unfold in the years after I graduated from a high school that taught technologies such as woodworking, electricity, and building trades. The school eventually switched to an all college-prep curriculum.As the economy crawls through a slow recovery and the cost of sending a child to college keeps climbing into the stratosphere, blue collar jobs are making a comeback. If we continue to churn out more college graduates, will there be enough non-college grads around to build your house, overhaul your cars transmission, and fix your plumbing?Absolutely Somewhere along the line, some of us have forgotten about the importance of skilled craftspeople in these jobs that dont need college degrees. There is a blue collar renaissance going on right now, author Joe Lamacchia told PayScale.com recently. And why not? If youre smart and skilled at a craft, you can see the potential pool of experienced tradespeople thin out as more teenagers head off to college, making it easier to find a job in the trades.Lamacchia, who wrote the book Blue Collar and Proud of It The All-in-One-Resource for Finding Freedom, Financial Success, and Security Outside of the Cubicle, added These are necessary jobs, and theyre not going to go anywhere. ur nations infrastructure is crumbling. .... Theres a lot of opportunity here.