4 things NOT to do when making your reference list

4 things NOT to do when making your reference list4 things NOT to do when making your reference listComing up with a reference list can be tricky to reach out, or not to reach out? To admit that its been a while, or not?close umfrage Advertisementclose dialog/* effects for .bx-campaign-1012257 *//* custom css .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-type-agilityzone .bx-close z-index 2-ms-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -ms-transform rotate(0deg) to -ms-transform rotate(360deg) -moz-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -moz-transform rotate(0deg) to -moz-transform rotate(360deg) -webkit-keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from -webkit-transform rotate(0deg) to -webkit-transform rotate(360deg) keyframes bx-anim-1012257-spin from transform rotate(0deg) to transform rotate(360deg) bx-close-inside-1012257 top 0 right 0 /* KD - Remove padding from video wrapper and set height to 100% */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper padding-top 0important height 100%.bx-custombx-campaign-1012257 bx-creative-1012257 .bx-wrap height auto/* KD - Change positioning to static as that was not necesaary and here you can adjust the height of the video element */.bx-custom.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-row-video .bx-video-wrapper video position static/* rendered styles .bx-campaign-1012257 */.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative *first-child width 100%.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-creative background-color transparentborder-style nonemax-width 900px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257.bx-active-step-1 .bx-close stroke whitebackground-color blackborder-style solidborder-color whiteborder-width 1px.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-group-1012257-AFvXBOB padding 10pxdisplay blockwidth auto.bxc.bx-campaign-101225 7 .bx-element-1012257-J0EiS8Y width auto.bxc.bx-campaign-1012257 .bx-element-1012257-J0EiS8Y *first-child padding 2px 4pxfont-size 10pxcolor rgb(255, 255, 255)text-transform uppercasebackground-color rgb(0, 0, 0)background-color rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.34)Heres what not to do when considering references for your latest job application.Dont make up your history with the person when reaching outThis should really go without saying, but theres nothing to be gained from fabricating your past with the person youre reaching out to, even if its been a while.It makes no sense, and theyll probably call you out on it.Although your time working with the person may seem very distant,you definitely shouldnt embellish the truth in an effort to make yourself look better. It will only backfire.Dont forget to think about what the person might really sayBe realistic before reaching out. Is there anything that your potential reference could say that could cast you in a negative light?Monster contributor Danie l Bortz writes that one of the errors people make is blindly assuming the person will give you a glowing review.Even though you think you were a great employee, your past manager may not feel the same way, Bortz writes. If youre even the slightest bit unsure of where you stand, ask your references ahead of time what theyre going to say about you. If they dont plan on flattering you, take them off your references list and move on to the next person.Dont reach out to someone who let you go from a companyCounselor Caris Thetford writes in The Muse that you shouldnt put someone who fired you on your list of references.I wish I didnt have to explain this, but Ive actually been asked, How do I deal with the fact that one of my references fired me?, she writes. There may be times when you cant avoid a potential employer talking with a past employer with whom you had a terrible relationship. But you dont have to serve that up on a silver platter by including them on a document you control. Theres no universal mandate that you have to use your fruchtwein recent (or any past) supervisor for this.Dont obnoxiously rub in your successAre you still part of that one department? Its been so many years since we worked together - Ive moved on to so many different employers while chasing my passion that Icant even rememberDont do this.You may have found massive success since you worked with this business contact many years ago, but remember, youre the one whos asking for help. So stay humble.The last thing you want to do is talk down to someone who has the power to sway your potential employers decision.

4 Steps to Creating a Healthy Organizational Culture

4 Steps to Creating a Healthy Organizational Culture4 Steps to Creating a Healthy Organizational CultureEvery organization develops an organizational culture. Sometimes company cultures just happen. They develop over time from the interaction of the people in an organization. Nobody ever sat down and thought through what they wanted the company to become. It just happened. Some company founders sit down and discuss the type of culture theyd like to have from day one. They are focused on creating a specific culture. Sometimes they succeed at this, and sometimes they fail. Why would they fail if they are so set on developing a specific culture? The Purposeful Culture Group offers explanations. Heres what you need to know to shape your organizations culture purposefully. Only Senior Leaders Can Modify Their Organizations Culture Joe in accounting is a great guy who is always friendly, kind, and fair, but his behavior is notlagelage enough to change the organizations overall culture. Steve in marketing can act like a jerk, but his bad behavior isnt enough to land the company in the worst places to work list. But, the behaviors of senior leaders do cause changes to the overall organizations culture. To help guide senior leaders to become more attentive to culture and intentional about culture, consider these tips from S. Chris Edmonds, CEO of the Purposeful Culture Group. Make your culture as important as results, your values as important as productivity.Your organization has stated performance expectations and works to hold everyone accountable for those expectations. What most organizations dont have are expectations about values, liberating rules that ensure cooperation, teamwork, validation, and (yes) fun at work. With both performance expectations and values expectations formally defined and agreed to, you know youve spelled out exactly how you want everyone to behave. Do you say that your organizations culture is one of openness and honesty, but you make b ig decisions behind closed doors? If an employee complains about something, are they praised for bringing the issue to senior managements attention, or shunned for being a nay-sayer or tattletale? Many companies say that they value one type of action, but they would never punish a manager for violating those culture rules. Make sure that you hold everyone inyour organization to the culture guidelines. If you arent holding everyone to them, its not your actual culture. Make them observable, tangible, and measurable. If you ask ten people in your company what integrity means, youll get ten different answers. (Maybe twenty.) You must define your values in behavioral terms. Craft I value statements that outline how you want people to behave. You might decide that integrity means I keep my promises or I do what I say I will do. Those specific behaviors leave little wiggle room for interpretation. Note that youre only defining desirable behaviors rather than making statements like I dont curse at my customers. Formalize only the behaviors you want everyone to model. I statements are somewhat difficult to craft if you arent completely clear on what you mean. Lots of companies- especially in the startup world- want to have fun cultures. But what does that mean? Does that mean you play sports or have water fights at lunch? If you cant define what a fun culture means, you cant enforce and measure it. It is a critical step that takes a lot of time but do not skip it, or youll never shape the culture you want. Live your valued behaviors in every interaction. Just telling people how you want them to behave doesnt mean theyll immediately begin acting that way. Leaders must be role models of desired valued behaviors. How leaders embrace, model, and coach these valued behaviors is how team members will (or wont) embrace them. Leaders modeling behaviors is powerful- and they must validate others modeling desired behaviors and redirect folks who are not modeling desired behavio rs. Living your stated values may also mean making hard decisions. If your stated value is fairness, and your I statement is I treat everyone equally, you have to fire the office bully, even if she brings in the highest sales and large amounts of money. It may seem painful to the bottom line, but your employees wont take your culture seriously if you dont make hard decisions in line with the values. Hold everyone accountable for living your valued behaviors, daily.Dont tolerate bad behavior any longer. Just as meeting performance expectations deserves reward and recognition, so too should modeling desired valued behaviors. And, just as missing performance expectations deserves redirection and coaching, so too should not modeling desired valued behaviors. By holding people accountable for both performance and values, you increase the frequency of desired performance and desired values. It is the most critical step. You cant let a value slide because its crunch time or a big client th at you cant afford to lose is involved. If you do, then your real values are different than the stated values, and your real culture is not whats printed on the plaque in your break room. As a leader, the most important rolle to hold to this standard is yourself. You cant make exceptions for leadership or high performers. Its either the companys value or its not. Holding people accountable every day will make a world of difference in how your companys culture grows and becomes a positive work environment. With a positive work environment, youll see employee performance improve as well, and youll make your workplace a more attractive destination for top quality employees. Suzanne Lucas is a freelance journalist specializing in Human Resources. Suzannes work has been featured on notes publications including Forbes, CBS, Business Insider and Yahoo.

A STEM Degree Does NOT Guarantee a Higher SalaryHeres Why

A STEM Degree Does NOT Guarantee a Higher SalaryHeres WhyA STEM Degree Does NOT Guarantee a Higher Salary- Heres Why Today, its not just common sense that degrees within the STEM field (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) earn you a higher degree - theres loads of data to back it up. Recent Glassdoor research revealed that the majority of the top 10 highest-paying college majors are in STEM fields, while other studies have found that STEM majors starting salaries are about $15,500 higher on average than their non-STEM peers, have higher employment rates, and earn about $300,000 mora than non-STEM majors over their entire careers.Given this, it might seem like a STEM degree is a golden ticket to a higher salary, nearly guaranteed to earn you more than your non-STEM counterparts - right? Not so fast.While the Glassdoor study found that many of these highly technical, specialized degrees did have a higher payoff overall, there were also many degr ees in which salaries varied significantly, even within the same major - especially for women . For example, within Mathematics, Glassdoors study found an 18 percent pay gap, with men earning a median base pay of $60,000 in the first five years after college and women with $49,182. Similarly, men who studied Biology had a median base pay of $46,000 in the first five years after college, while women brought in about $40,000.This is largely a matter of occupational sorting, the tendency of men and women to sort themselves into different positions. For female Mathematics majors, the three fruchtwein common jobs after college (ignoring grad-school jobs like teaching and research assistants) are data analyst , analyst , and business analyst . For men, the three most common jobs are (ignoring grad-school jobs) analyst , data analyst , and data scientist , the study reads. The larger share of male math majors working as highly-paid data scientists is the primary factor driving this male-female pay gap after college.Similarly, among women who major in Biology, the most common three jobs after college are lab technician , pharmacy technician , and sales associate . By contrast, the three most common jobs for male Biology majors are lab technician , data analyst , and manager. The fact that men are more likely to work as higher-paying data analysts or managers, while women are more likely to work in lower-paying roles as pharmacy technicians and sales associates creates a gender pay gap, even for students with the same college major, the study continues. What we dont yet quite know for certain, though, is why this happens. Some studies suggest that marriage and motherhood factor into compensation , while others hypothesize that personal passion plays a large role , and still others notenzeichen that when women begin to take over a certain career path, pay as a whole drops .As you can see, when it comes to guaranteeing that you earn top dollar, muc h of the impetus largely falls on you. Here are a few actions you can takeWhile receiving a STEM degree is a great first step towards ensuring that you receive a good salary, that alone is not enough - but coupled with some knowledge and proactivity, youll be set up for success.