The executive assistant of a high-profile and respected showbiz personality, who I met during my first job, shared with me the CRAFT of impressing your boss. I have used this as a guiding light in my work-life and have received firsthand the benefits of such wisdom.
Today, I’m here to pass on this guiding light to you in the hopes that you too will reap great rewards and a harmonious relationship with your boss.
WHY WE NEED TO IMPRESS OUR BOSS
Before I share the CRAFT with you, let us first discuss why we need to please and impress our boss in the first place! Well, aside from the fact that your boss is the one who fills in your performance evaluation and has a say on promotions and pay increases, it pays to please your boss because if you don’t, you will have an unhappy superior, or worse, an angry one. And who wants a boss who gets annoyed at seeing the sight of you? Who wants a boss who screams and puts people down for breakfast?
The truth is, if your boss likes you and the way you do your job, he or she will be much kinder and supportive of your projects and ideas. Your boss will see you for the bright person that you are and may even take you under his or her wings and mentor you. This will help you achieve greater heights in your career. You will gain your boss’ and co-workers’ respect. And frankly, it feels really good to be recognized and respected for the work that you do. Don’t you agree?
THE CRAFT
So now that we know why it pays to impress your boss, let us discuss what the wisdom of CRAFT brings. CRAFT is an acronym for:
C – Communicate
R – Remind
A – Anticipate
F – Follow Through
T – Timing
Let us discuss these five habits that you need to master to work well with your boss.
COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR BOSS
Your boss is not a mind-reader, unless of course you work for a gifted mental telepath. When there is work-related information that he needs to know, tell him. If you don’t understand an instruction that he gives, ask questions. If there is an important development in your work or even your life that affects your work, initiate a discussion with your boss.
There are cases, however, wherein it’s hard to talk to your boss. For instance, what do you do when your boss is always busy and away on meetings? Well, communication is not just about talking. You can use many means such as email, text, chat, post-it notes or letters. Do what you have to do to communicate important information to your boss. Don’t just stop at a roadblock and say “I didn’t have load”.
REMIND YOUR BOSS
With the many responsibilities of your boss, he or she may not have the time to keep track of all of his schedules and correspondences. It is your job as his subordinate to remind him of important things. Our administrative supervisor Cynthia, does this flawlessly by keeping a daily planner for the bosses. Very early in the week, she emails our schedule to remind us of appointments. On top of that, we also use practical tools like a Monthly Calendar whiteboard to remind everyone of special events and schedules.
ANTICIPATE NEEDS
Anticipation is the skill of foreseeing needs, problems or events in the near future and preparing solutions for them. As an employee, you want to get three steps ahead of your boss. In my previous job, whenever I detected a problem, I would approach my boss and inform him about it. But I just don’t stop there. I knew that my likability factor will go down if I am always the bearer of bad news. So, I would analyze the situation and think before going to my boss. I would tell him the problem and give three suggestions to solve the problem. This way, I don’t become part of the problem. Instead, I’m part of the solution---and bosses love that.
FOLLOW THROUGH
As a boss, I always encourage my subordinates to write a things-to-do list to help them plan their day. One of my earlier staff followed this habit religiously, except there was a slight flaw. She would strike a task as soon as she does a task. For example, her first task is to call a client. So she calls the client, but he is out. After putting the phone down, she strikes the task as done. INCORRECT. When a boss gives you a task, he or she expects you to complete that task. Follow-through means doing the task well and completely, the first time.
And once you have accomplished the task, it is critical that you get back to your boss and update him of your progress. Do not wait for your boss to be the one to ask and follow up. Take the initiative to update him. This will show that you are on top of things and have follow-through.
TIMING
Now you don’t just go talk to your boss whenever you feel like it. Chances are your boss is busy and pressured with his own responsibilities at work. When you catch him at a toxic time, do not ask him if he prefers the team to wear colour blue or green uniforms in the sports festival two months from now. When you boss is busy, frowning and tense, approach with caution. If he has a secretary outside his office, ask her if it is a good time. If you need to talk to him about something important but not urgent, schedule an appointment. Use proper timing when dealing with your boss.
THE CRAFT OF IMPRESSING YOUR BOSS is really about saying and doing your job properly with good sense and sensibility. It is a guiding principle that will help you work in harmony with your boss. Now the CRAFT is yours, use it wisely.
Jhoanna O. Gan-So is the managing director of HR Club Philippines and president of Businessmaker Academy---a training company that offers corporate group seminars on Professional Work Skills and Attitude. They also hold short course seminars on business and entrepreneurship, sales and marketing, human resource management and corporate skills training, as well as develop interactive webinars for corporations and institutions. To know more about these organizations and the seminars they offer, you may visit www.businessmaker-academy.com and www.hrclubphilippines.com or call (632)6874645. You may email your comments and questions to: mbworklife@gmail.com
Showing posts with label columnist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label columnist. Show all posts
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
When Job Hunting, Is Honesty Really the Best Policy?
Years of convent-style schooling compels me to say that in anything you do, you should strive to be a person of honesty and integrity. I believe in that wholeheartedly, not because it gains me entry to heaven, but because humbling experiences have shown me that it is much simpler to tell the truth. And yes, the truth does set a lot of us free (unless, of course, if you are a criminal).
But when telling the truth, there is a fine line between Tactful and Tactless. What you say and more importantly, how you say it are really what ultimately affect people. This reminds me of an actual conversation that I witnessed among my childhood friends Mina* and Belle* (not their real names)
Mina approaches Belle and says, “No offense, Belle, but you’re tactless.” Belle gets back at her, “Ikaw, pangit!” (you’re ugly)... After awhile, Belle whispers to us, “What’s tactless?”
THAT conversation is a perfect example of tactlessness. In case you are wondering which girl is the tactless one---both of them were!
TELLING THE TRUTH, TACTFULLY
When job hunting, you’re ability to tell the truth tactfully or tactlessly can spell the difference between landing that job vs. losing the career opportunity. Telling the truth tactfully is a communication skill that not many people have and it would be wise to develop and apply it in the process of your job search.
So let’s take a look at some real-life job hunting scenarios where telling the truth tactfully matters the most...
Scenario 1: Jumping from Job to Job
You have worked as a call center agent for a year, but the problem is: it is not for just one company but for four companies. The first two companies you worked for closed down after 3 months, while the other two, you resigned from because it was really tough selling to US consumers in the midst of the recession. You don’t want to appear like a serial job hunter who can’t hold a job for a long time. Question: Should you even put these short stints in your resume?
My advice: The Call Center Industry generally has a higher job turnover rate compared to other industries. It is quite common to see shorter than normal stay among call center agents. Hence, if you are applying for another call center agent position, it would be good to include the jobs you held for that year since it will show that you have experience. Recruitment Officers review job experience and timeframe in resumes. If you do not put those stints, you will be leaving out a year’s worth of experience. That one year gap may render your resume as questionable.
Meanwhile, when you get that interview, simply tell the truth and explain that the companies you worked for closed down due to management decision. When the interviewer asks you why you resigned from the other ones, never ever tell him or her, “Ang hirap kasi ng trabaho”. (The work was too hard). Instead, try phrasing it this way: “I resigned because the job did not really utilize my strengths. Being productive gives me a lot of fulfilment.” And while you’re at it, make a mental note and tell yourself never to whine about work being hard. You can do it!
Scenario 2: You Hate Your Ex-boss’ Guts
You resigned from your previous job because you simply could not stand your boss. He gets angry easily and you are not happy with your pay. There are many things you don’t like about that company and have finally decided to call it quits. Question: How should you answer when the interviewer asks: Why did you resign from your previous job?
My advice: Never ever say that you hate your ex-boss’ guts as the reason why you resigned. Never ever bad-mouth previous employers. When I interview applicants and they start telling me negative things about their previous employers, I usually just cut the interview short. First of all, no one wants negative people in their office. Secondly, an interview is not a counselling session. Lastly, if you say bad things about previous employers, recruitment officers will immediately see that you are likely to do the same thing to their company. Instead, simply say that the company culture does not fit you well, that you are looking for a happier and rewarding place to work in.
Scenario 3: You Have Some Experience but No Title
For your first job, you worked in a small company where you did all-around work. You did a lot of stockroom inventory work, some marketing and purchasing. Now, you are applying for a bigger company as an Inventory Supervisor. The problem is, you previous job title is Office Assistant. Question: How can you show that you are qualified for the Supervisory position even if you did not have the proper title?
My advice: Do not claim that you used to be an “Inventory Supervisor” to get that Inventory Supervisor job. That’s considered lying. Believe it or not, this actually happened to an HR friend of mine who was duly checking the background of one of her job candidates. The candidate passed the interview, but when she called and verified the information presented, she realized that the candidate lied about the position title. As a result, the candidate didn’t get the job. See, it is important to know that Recruitment Officers do background checks. And they do not simply just call the references you presented. They call previous employers. So instead of giving false information, the simple solution here is to highlight your experience in stockroom inventory work. Enumerate your skills, the activities that you did and what you accomplished or contributed in your previous job.
THE TRUTHFUL WAY
Being honest, whether you’re applying for a job or talking to a childhood friend is not just about telling the truth and nothing but the truth. What you say and how you say it matters very much. It can make a relationship or break one. So be wise and tell the truth with a lot of tact.
Jhoanna O. Gan-So is president of Businessmaker Academy and managing director for HR Club Philippines. Together with her team of HR Consultants, she has developed a successful seminar series on Human Resource Management which includes courses on Recruitment, Screening and Selection for HR practitioners. To know more about these seminars, you may visit www.businessmaker-academy.com and www.hrclubphilippines.com or call (632)6874645. You may email your comments and questions to: worklife@businessmaker-academy.com
But when telling the truth, there is a fine line between Tactful and Tactless. What you say and more importantly, how you say it are really what ultimately affect people. This reminds me of an actual conversation that I witnessed among my childhood friends Mina* and Belle* (not their real names)
Mina approaches Belle and says, “No offense, Belle, but you’re tactless.” Belle gets back at her, “Ikaw, pangit!” (you’re ugly)... After awhile, Belle whispers to us, “What’s tactless?”
THAT conversation is a perfect example of tactlessness. In case you are wondering which girl is the tactless one---both of them were!
TELLING THE TRUTH, TACTFULLY
When job hunting, you’re ability to tell the truth tactfully or tactlessly can spell the difference between landing that job vs. losing the career opportunity. Telling the truth tactfully is a communication skill that not many people have and it would be wise to develop and apply it in the process of your job search.
So let’s take a look at some real-life job hunting scenarios where telling the truth tactfully matters the most...
Scenario 1: Jumping from Job to Job
You have worked as a call center agent for a year, but the problem is: it is not for just one company but for four companies. The first two companies you worked for closed down after 3 months, while the other two, you resigned from because it was really tough selling to US consumers in the midst of the recession. You don’t want to appear like a serial job hunter who can’t hold a job for a long time. Question: Should you even put these short stints in your resume?
My advice: The Call Center Industry generally has a higher job turnover rate compared to other industries. It is quite common to see shorter than normal stay among call center agents. Hence, if you are applying for another call center agent position, it would be good to include the jobs you held for that year since it will show that you have experience. Recruitment Officers review job experience and timeframe in resumes. If you do not put those stints, you will be leaving out a year’s worth of experience. That one year gap may render your resume as questionable.
Meanwhile, when you get that interview, simply tell the truth and explain that the companies you worked for closed down due to management decision. When the interviewer asks you why you resigned from the other ones, never ever tell him or her, “Ang hirap kasi ng trabaho”. (The work was too hard). Instead, try phrasing it this way: “I resigned because the job did not really utilize my strengths. Being productive gives me a lot of fulfilment.” And while you’re at it, make a mental note and tell yourself never to whine about work being hard. You can do it!
Scenario 2: You Hate Your Ex-boss’ Guts
You resigned from your previous job because you simply could not stand your boss. He gets angry easily and you are not happy with your pay. There are many things you don’t like about that company and have finally decided to call it quits. Question: How should you answer when the interviewer asks: Why did you resign from your previous job?
My advice: Never ever say that you hate your ex-boss’ guts as the reason why you resigned. Never ever bad-mouth previous employers. When I interview applicants and they start telling me negative things about their previous employers, I usually just cut the interview short. First of all, no one wants negative people in their office. Secondly, an interview is not a counselling session. Lastly, if you say bad things about previous employers, recruitment officers will immediately see that you are likely to do the same thing to their company. Instead, simply say that the company culture does not fit you well, that you are looking for a happier and rewarding place to work in.
Scenario 3: You Have Some Experience but No Title
For your first job, you worked in a small company where you did all-around work. You did a lot of stockroom inventory work, some marketing and purchasing. Now, you are applying for a bigger company as an Inventory Supervisor. The problem is, you previous job title is Office Assistant. Question: How can you show that you are qualified for the Supervisory position even if you did not have the proper title?
My advice: Do not claim that you used to be an “Inventory Supervisor” to get that Inventory Supervisor job. That’s considered lying. Believe it or not, this actually happened to an HR friend of mine who was duly checking the background of one of her job candidates. The candidate passed the interview, but when she called and verified the information presented, she realized that the candidate lied about the position title. As a result, the candidate didn’t get the job. See, it is important to know that Recruitment Officers do background checks. And they do not simply just call the references you presented. They call previous employers. So instead of giving false information, the simple solution here is to highlight your experience in stockroom inventory work. Enumerate your skills, the activities that you did and what you accomplished or contributed in your previous job.
THE TRUTHFUL WAY
Being honest, whether you’re applying for a job or talking to a childhood friend is not just about telling the truth and nothing but the truth. What you say and how you say it matters very much. It can make a relationship or break one. So be wise and tell the truth with a lot of tact.
Jhoanna O. Gan-So is president of Businessmaker Academy and managing director for HR Club Philippines. Together with her team of HR Consultants, she has developed a successful seminar series on Human Resource Management which includes courses on Recruitment, Screening and Selection for HR practitioners. To know more about these seminars, you may visit www.businessmaker-academy.com and www.hrclubphilippines.com or call (632)6874645. You may email your comments and questions to: worklife@businessmaker-academy.com
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