6 Red Flags Employers See in Your Job History

6 Red Flags Employers See in Your Job History6 Red Flags Employers See in Your Job HistoryLong before you get to a job interview, hiring managers are forming opinions about you based on your resume and your job history. Here are six of the most common red flags they look for.1. You have multiple short-term jobs. If you have a history of quickly moving from one job to the next without staying very long, employers will wonder whether you get bored easily, or cant keep a job, or dont know how to identify the right fit for yourself. If you do have good reasons for the job changes (such as a spouse in the military), make sure to fill in your interviewer quickly so she doesnt draw the wrong conclusions.2. You quit your last job with nothing else lined up. Since most people line up a new job before quitting an old one, employers raise their eyebrows if you left without something new waiting. They wonder what the real story is Did you blow up one day and walk off the job in a fit of anger? D o you get upset at work and make impulsive and rash decisions? Were you actually fired but trying to claim you left on your own?3. You were laid off from your last job. While plenty of layoffs are about company cutbacks or restructuring, employers know that companies sometimes use them as an opportunity to get rid of lower performers. To combat this question, be sure to mention if your whole team or division was let go. If you were the only one laid off, that raises more questions than if you were part of a group that was laid off.4. Youve been unemployed for a while. Even in this economy, some hiring managers look at long-term unemployed candidates and wonder if theres a reason that other employers havent hired them. Fortunately, many employers do understand that it can take time for even good candidates to find work in this market- but its important to show that youve been spending your time volunteering, building your skills, or something other than a year-long job search.5. You have large gaps between jobs. When employers see gaps of unemployment, they wonder what happened during that time. Did you leave the previous job with nothing lined up, and if so, why? (See No. 2) Were you working somewhere that youve deliberately left off your resume, and if so, what are you hiding? Gaps raise questions that you dont want on a hiring managers mind.6. None of your past managers are on your reference list. If you only offer peers as references, or other people who didnt directly supervise your work, hiring managers are going to wonder why. Managers are usually best able to speak to the quality of your work and your strengths and weaknesses, and steering reference-checkers away from those conversations can be a red flag. Plus, employers will usually ask to be put in touch with your past managers anyway.Alison Green writes the popular Ask a Manager blog, where she dispenses advice on career, job search, and management issues. Shes also the co-author of Managing to Chan ge the World The Nonprofit Managers Guide to Getting Results, and former chief of staff of a successful nonprofit organization, where she oversaw day-to-day staff management, hiring, firing, and employee development.

Preparing for Careers in Criminology, Criminal Justice

Preparing for Careers in Criminology, Criminal JusticePreparing for Careers in Criminology, Criminal JusticeAfter all of the pomp and circumstance, after the parties and gifts and celebrations, and after all of the joy and excitement of college graduation, reality soon sets in. Youre going to have to do something with that degree of yours, arent you? Though some graduates with bachelors degrees in criminology or criminal justice will already have jobs lined up and waiting for them, many will not. Thats why its important to have a plan to get started on landing your new career. The good nachrichten is, the fields of criminology and criminal justice offer plenty of opportunities for people of all education levels. The bad news is, it can often take a lot of time and a lot of work to get hired. Figuring out what you want to do and how you want to do it now can save you plenty of time and heartache in the future. Whether youre just starting your college education, getting ready to walk a cross the stage, or even if youve been out of school for years, there are plenty of things that you can do after graduation to help you choose and find criminal justice and criminology careers. Determining a Career Path Obviously, before you can start a career, youll have to figure out exactly what it is you want to do. There are plenty of considerations that should go into finding the career in criminal justice or criminology thats right for you. They include taking a personal assessment of your natural talents and abilities, as well as your personal interests and strengths. One way to find out what career might be best for you is to look into some of the most popular criminal justice jobs available right now. These include police officers, probation and parole officers, detectives and investigators, paralegals and legal secretaries. If those careers dont do it for you, there are plenty of other options available to you. You can choose to go the academic route, perhaps to prepa re for a career as a criminologist or forensic psychologist. You may also be interested in learning more about working in forensics. The role of a forensic scientist can include some fascinating and truly intellectually stimulating work. It also allows for an almost infinite number of specialties within the field, including ballistics experts, bloodstain pattern analysts, and forensic computer investigators. Because forensics is a relatively young discipline, theres ample room for growth and diversification within the field.? Getting Started on the Job HuntAfter youve settled on the career path you want to pursue, youre going to need to begin the actual job search. In hunting for jobs, be sure to make use of the four keys to job search success cold calling, informational interviews, networking, and perseverance. In the age of the internet, of course, you cant discount the efficacy of job boards and career sites. Though there are limits to what you may find, online job search sites c an be an effective way to find a job or get a better picture of what may be available to you.? Background Checks and the Hiring ProcessOne important thing to remember about careers in criminology and criminal justice is that the hiring process can be lengthy and grueling. Extensive background investigations are often required, and polygraph exams may be administered. You may also be subjected to physical abilities tests and psychological assessments in order to determine your suitability for the job, depending on your career choice. Should You Go to Grad School? Of course, you may ultimately decide that youre not yet ready to leave college. If thats the case, there are plenty of benefits to earning a masters degree in criminal justice or criminology. In fact, many federal law enforcement careers give preference to candidates with either extensive work experience or advanced diplomas. Finding Success in Criminology and Criminal Justice Whatever you endeavor to do, you can hop e to find a long and rewarding career so long as you are willing to put forth the time and effort. Study hard, work hard, and maintain a clean background, and youll put yourself in the best possible position to land a great job in a great field.

Tips for Understanding Nonverbal Communication at Work

Tips for Understanding Nonverbal Communication at WorkTips for Understanding Nonverbal Communication at WorkIs therbeie ever any doubt in your mind as to the mood of a coworker upon their arrival at work? Nonverbal communication is the single most powerful form of communication. More than the voice or even words, nonverbal communication cues you into what is on another parties mind. The best communicators are sensitive to the power of emotions and thoughts communicated nonverbally. Nonverbal communication ranges from facial expression to body language. Gestures, signs, and use of space are also important in understanding nonverbal communication. Multicultural differences in body language, facial expression, use of space, and especially, gestures, are enormous and enormously open to misinterpretation. So, heed the need to become culturally sensitive before making an interpretation of body language that might or might not inform you of what the individual actually thinks. This also app lies to other nonverbal interpretation of a coworkers thinking or meaning. Some people are more sensitive to the meanings of nonverbal communication. Others are simply guessing. How Much of an Expert Are You in Understanding Nonverbal Communication? To gauge your expertise in interpreting nonverbal communication, check out the nonverbal communication interpretation quiz questions from the University of California at Santa Cruz. Each link leads to pictorial quiz questions and explanations. One of the funniest- yet at the same time, saddest- nonverbal exchanges witnessed occurred in the registrars office at a major university. A multinational student tried to communicate his problem to an older, white female. He gesticulated constantly, waving his hands to punctuate his communication. He tried to narrow the distance between himself and the university employee, who kept backing away to maintain herdesired amount of distance for her comfort. By the end of the conversation, the stude nt was chasing her the length of the countertop still gesturing with his hands heatedly. The employee, who obviously was not an expert at understanding nonverbal communication or recognizing the cultural differences mentioned earlier, was afraid. She indicated in a later conversation that she had been terrified of the student who was merely trying to tell her that he had already paid the bill he had just received from the university. The Significance of Understanding Nonverbal Communication One study at UCLA indicated that up to 93 percent of communication effectiveness is determined by nonverbal cues. Another study indicated that the impact of a performance was determined 7 percent by the words used, 38 percent by voice quality, and 55 percent by the nonverbal communication. If you want to mask your feelings or your immediate reaction to information, pay close attention to your nonverbal behavior. You may have your voice and words under control, but your body language, includin g the tiniest facial expressions and movement, can give your true thoughts and feelings away. Most people are really open books, especially to a skilled reader of nonverbal cues. No matter your position at work, improving your skill in interpreting nonverbal communication will add to your ability to share meaning with another person.Shared meaningis a preferred definition of communication. The correct interpretation of nonverbal communication will add depth to your ability to communicate. Tips for Understanding Nonverbal Communication Recognize that people communicate on many levels. Watch their facial expressions, eye contact, posture, hand and feet movements, body movement and placement, and appearance and passage as they walk toward you. Every gesture is communicating something if you listen with your eyes. Become accustomed to watching nonverbal communication and your ability to read nonverbal communication will grow with practice.If a persons words say one thing and their n onverbal communication says another, you are wont to listen to the nonverbal communication- and that is usually the correct decision. Assess job candidates based on their nonverbal communication. You can read volumes from how the applicant sits in the lobby. Nonverbal communication during an interview should also elucidate the candidates skills, strengths, weaknesses, and concerns for you.Probe nonverbal communication during an investigation or other situation in which you need facts and believable statements. Again, the nonverbal may reveal more than the persons spoken words.When leading a meeting or speaking to a group, recognize that nonverbal cues can tell you when youve talked long enough, when someone else wants to speak, and the mood of the crowd and their reaction to your remarks. Listen to them and youll become a better leader and a better speaker and communicator. Understanding nonverbal communication improves with practice. The first step is to recognize the power of non verbal communication. Youve surely experienced a time when you had the gut feeling that what a person said to you was untrue. Listen to your gut. Its your way of taking in and interpreting everything you see and hear from your coworkers body language, movement, the tone of voice, words, and whether all of ansicht components of communication match Along with your life experiences, training, beliefs and all that make up your past, its your inner expert on nonverbal communication.