Does Working With A Team Result In Greater Productivity?

Almost all job applicants are keen on informing the prospective employer that they have the ability to work in a team. And while it is of utmost importance that you know how to blend in and collaborate with a group of professionals, you also need to know whether you thrive in a group setting or if you’re more productive working on your own.

If you’re a team leader, you also need to determine which work setup suits your team and your nature of work. This also includes identifying the working style of every member in your team. Some personalities are best placed in a group setting, while others are more productive working alone.

Tough job? Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages of working in a team and of working solo. They will guide you in determining which to implement in your team.

Advantages of working in a team

• More minds mean a more efficient way to solve problems.
• More minds mean more creativity and innovation, allowing for the best strategies and output. It’s amazing how a group can come up with the best strategies in an hour.

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How to Stick to Your Career Objective Timeline

Without a target, an arrow released from a strong bow is useless. Same goes with your career – it should have a path that leads to a goal. Without it, you will easily get demotivated, the quality of your work will suffer, and before you know it, you’re stuck in a rut without anywhere to go.

Your career objective should be clear to yourself, your family, and employers. It should be clearly defined so you yourself know where you’re going and what you can do to reach it.

Sometimes, a career objective seems too far away. This may lead you to lose your focus and simply live for the moment – doing your tasks and nothing more. You might also get derailed and put your goals at the bottom of your list of priorities. But you don’t want to waste your time and energy without achieving anything significant for your future. Below are some tips that can help you stick to your career objective and accomplish it within a time frame that you yourself set.

Be intentional. A career objective is attainable through small and big steps. If your career objective is to be the CEO of your company in five years, you need to brush up on a wide range of technical and soft skills. A huge step may be enrolling in a master’s degree or getting a PhD, while meeting with your employees one by one every month is a good starting point.

Set little goals. If you want to be visible in the industry, for instance, you need to work on it through little goals. Build a LinkedIn profile and spend 30 minutes on it every day. Such a small step will go a long way, but you have to start today and you have to follow through.

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Take Stock Of Your Skills And Get Promoted

When was the last time you did an inventory of your skills and accomplishments? You might not know it, but you may already be eligible for a promotion. It is up to you to gather all your accomplishments, achievements, and completed projects to show and prove to your boss that you have indeed already upskilled.

How can you maximise your current skills and use them to make you eligible for a higher position in your current company? Here are some tips that will help you move up the corporate ladder without having to go through a job search in Singapore.

• Align your skills with the job opening. It is not enough that you have excellent skills. You need to be able to prove to the hiring manager that what you know and what you can do perfectly fit the vacant post. Take time to trim down your list of skills and familiarise yourself with it. This way, when it is time for the interview, you can confidently assert yourself as a worthy candidate.
• Be specific. It isn’t enough to have a list of accomplishments that prove your new and upgraded skills. You need to have a detailed description of each accomplished project. List the problems you encountered, the strategies and actions you undertook, as well as the positive results.
• Look everywhere. You may have accepted a project that was not directly related to your current position, or you might have volunteered for a non-profit organisation during your free time. These opportunities certainly helped increase your skills, and may even serve as the training ground on which you acquired the skills required for the promotion. You can cite this additional information when the time comes for the management to evaluate your application.
• Ask other people. Have your team give you a brief evaluation of your skills and what you can do. This way, you get a clearer picture of how much you have grown, and whether or not you are indeed qualified for a promotion. The opinions of your colleagues can also support your application for promotion.

If you are uncertain about how your skills can land you that promotion, then it means that you need to be on your feet and start working toward growth. You can update your skills by following these pointers:

• Shadow for a colleague in a higher position. He doesn’t necessarily have to be in the position you are eyeing for. If you have extra time, offer to help with any pending projects so you can learn from him. Also, if you have friends who just landed a job similar to the position you want, interview them and find out how they got promoted.
• Get a mentor. Ask somebody you look up to for an hour of exchanging ideas and insight. Don’t underestimate the power of having somebody who can pass on valuable information and knowledge to you.

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What HR Managers Want To See In Your CV

HR managers spend a significant amount of time reading resumes, evaluating applicants, throwing resumes in the trash, and calling qualified applicants. Their job is no mean feat – just imagine the sheer number of professionals looking for jobs in Singapore. It is safe to assume that they know when a CV owner is worth calling or if he will just be a waste of time.
The opinion that matters the most is that of an HR manager, especially when it comes to creating your resume. After all, your CV is the first thing that a potential employer will see. How do you make sure that your resume creates a good first impression enough to get past the HR manager? Here’s a list of what they are looking for in a CV:

• A clean layout. You wouldn’t want to read a document full of blocks of words. You want an easy-to-read, clean-looking CV. So mind the font you use (Arial or Verdana), the spacing and margins, and your use of bullet points. Preserve your document’s layout by converting it to PDF.
• Highlighted elements that contribute to the job description. The HR manager is looking for a perfect fit in their company. Hence, you want your CV to shine with words and details that will convince him that you are indeed a great fit. Place these important details on the first page of the document, or bold them so they can easily be seen.
• Short and sweet. If you have to go over one page, go ahead. However, three pages can be too long for an application. Unless you’re applying for a job that has three different sets of responsibilities, keep words to a minimum – just what the HR manager needs to hear.
• A professional email address. The HR manager will immediately have a bad impression about you if you have an email address like cuteandcuddly@gmail.com. Use your nickname and surname with a reputable email platform such as Gmail. And of course, don’t use your current company email address when sending your CV.
• Answers to questions. For instance, if you are applying for a job in another location, indicate in your resume that you are willing to move. You don’t want the HR manager to wonder whether to call you or not just because your home address is far from his office. You want to be proactive through your CV, so answer questions and address any concerns that the HR manager may have in mind.
• A killer cover letter. In all honesty, HR managers aren’t very excited about cover letters. They may just browse through it or skip it altogether and just download your CV. So you have to make sure that your cover letter is well-written, with a brief summary of your qualifications and experience that make you the ideal candidate for the job. Make it seem like it is communicating to the employer, and that it does not look like a general e-mail message.

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Why Redundancy Isn’t So Bad

Being made redundant is a tough situation. The moment you hear of the news, your self-confidence goes down the drain, and your doubts and worry surface like they’re your old friends. The truth is redundancy isn’t really as bad as you think it is. It’s up to you how you will look at it because there is life after redundancy after all.

• Redundancy happens because there is a need to change. Your company may be undergoing loads of different changes, which include having to reallocate resources. As a resource, this will affect you. The only thing that you see is how you lost a job when the fact is it’s the whole company going through a merger, changing leaders, cost-cutting, or coping with an economic difficulty.
• It isn’t about you. You’ll only waste your time thinking about what you did wrong to be made redundant. Don’t feel sorry for yourself because it’s not your fault. There’s nothing you can do about it, so look around and see what else there is.

• You’re not in control about a lot of things. While you can take control of your career by working smart, there are some things that are just beyond your control. For instance, government regulations may affect your employment, as well as management decisions that call for restructuring of your organisation.
• You can leave your company with great relationships. The time you spent in your previous company is not time wasted because you were able to form good relationships with your colleagues. Leave the company with a network so strong that you can use it in the near future to build your career and rise to the top.
• You can reflect and think of the things you want to do. Redundancy is the perfect time to recalibrate yourself. Maybe you have years of experience in a finance job and you want to occupy a high-paying banking job? You can use this downtime to reposition yourself in the industry you want to be in, and start anew.
• You can spend time upgrading your skills. While you apply for the jobs that you want, you can use your available time to upgrade your skills. You can enroll in a special class, learn a new skill, watch helpful career videos, and read on the latest industry news and developments.
• There are a lot of opportunities ahead. Understandably, it feels horrible to be laid off with all your financial obligations. However, you can be grateful later on for that one great opportunity you wouldn’t take if you had your previous job. All is well that ends well, so they say.

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