If you’re aiming for a marketing role in today’s competitive landscape, you need to be ready to answer the common interview questions. On the surface, many of these questions may appear simple, but don’t be fooled â they often contain nuances that can catch you off guard! This comprehensive list of marketing interview questions will […]
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In almost every office, there are “lucky” employees given formidable projects like setting up a new department or coming up with strategies for rebranding the company. Then, of course, there are those assigned to do the so-called “grunt work” such as alphabetizing clients’ files, updating suppliers’ contact details, and organizing meetings.
There’s nothing wrong with doing grunt work, as these tasks are necessary for the business to operate efficiently. However, there comes a point when you want to move on to do more meaningful and challenging work.
Simply put, you want to get promoted.
After all, doing the same thing over and over again isn’t exactly going to do anything for your career growth. That’s why you should have the courage to ask for bigger responsibilities. Don’t wait for your boss to hand that exciting project to youâyou must be proactive! Fight for it if you have to.
Here’s how you can show everyone you’re ready to move up in the world and finally earn that promotion:
Do the grunt work with enthusiasm. If necessary, over deliver. For instance, if you’re tasked with alphabetizing clients’ files, you can also make backup copies of the said files. If nobody wants to face a particularly difficult client, volunteer for the task. Doing so would prove that you’re willing to do even the most difficult things to make your mark. This also establishes your reputation as a reliable member of the team.
Once you’re done with the tasks assigned to you, you can help out any co-worker who’s overwhelmed with their tasks. Don’t be pushy, though. Let your co-worker tell you what to doâand then give it your best shot. Make sure you have your co-worker’s permission before you tell your boss and other office-mates about the collaboration. Otherwise, people might think you’re trying to take credit for their work.
Make an inventory of what you can do. Find a way to highlight these skills. If you’re good with words, you can offer to help your co-workers write their reports. You can also acquire more skills that will help you snag your target projects. For example, if your company has an office in Paris and you’d like to be assigned there, then learn French.
Get to know everything about your company. Immerse yourself in all sorts of information about the industry that you’re in. Know the trends and other factors affecting your line of work. This information can help you suggest new projects and tasks to your boss. When you pitch a project, it helps if you present your skill set as well so your boss knows what you can do.
Remember: YOU control your career’s direction.
You don’t have to wait that long to get the project or position or promotion that you want. If you have the drive and will to succeed, then you can move forward in your profession at a much faster pace.
The trick is to do everything that you’re assigned to do extraordinarily well and to keep improving your skill set. This way, you’re always ready to take advantage of an opportunity for career advancement.
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In the evolving world of marketing and branding, video content has taken center stage. From engaging promotional ads to interactive social media posts, videos are redefining how brands connect with their audience. In the arena of employer branding, the trend of video testimonials is gaining considerable traction. Video testimonials provide an authentic, engaging, and dynamic […]
The post Visual Impact: The Role Of Video Testimonials In Employer Branding appeared first on Jobacle.com.
Being ready to answer common recruiter interview questions is crucial if you want a position in this industry. And while some of the questions might seem straightforward at first, there can be many layers to them! This list of questions will help you prepare so you can leave a lasting impression on the interviewer. 1. […]
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You might be wondering if it’s possible to change industries as a manager. Of course it is. But is it easy? Well, not to people who don’t know how to do it.
Here’s the good news: you already have management experience. It’s actually harder, in my opinion, to go from an independent contributor role to a manager role when you’re switching companies, and it’s even harder when you’re changing industries.
But when you’re changing industries as a manager, you already have management experience. And that’s the most important thing employers are looking for.
@j.t.odonnell Replying to @nicflemrn How to switch industries as a manager. #jobsearch #manager #switchjobs #switchcareer #careerswitch #careerhelp #careeradvice #careerchange ⬠original sound – J.T. O’Donnell
You have management experience. Now you have to connect the dots for the hiring managers in that industry. You have to show them that, in spite of not having their exact industry experience, your management experience is so important and you can learn the rest.
So how do you do that?
Well, you start with informational interviews. Find five managers who are managing in that industry. Ask them to coffee or to lunch or a virtual meeting and say, “Look, I’m not asking you for help getting a job. What I’m trying to understand is where my gaps are and what I’m going to need to do to close those gaps so that I could get a management job in this industry.”
People are happy to help you like that. They’re happy to sit down, talk it through, and give you advice and tips. That’s going to help you. But you’re also networking in the industry so that when their company has a management position open up, you can message them and say:
“Hey, I just applied to the open position on your company’s site. I’m so grateful I had that conversation with you because it really helped me prepare. And I’ve done a few things since. And, hopefully, the hiring manager might take a look at me for the position.”
What’s going to happen?
Well, first of all, this person is going to love that. You said they were helpful. Second of all, since they got to know you, they might walk down the hall or message the hiring manager and tell them they should pull your resume from the pile because you’re actually worth looking at as an applicant.
Only 25% of applicants are usually qualified for the role. Not everybody has the experience. But what employers need most is people who have the right personality and some of the key skills (like management experience) more so than industry experience.
So, if you do the informational interviewing, you’re going to build a network. You’re going to find out where your gaps are so that you can close them. And then you’ll stand out to employers as a great job candidate despite not having the exact industry experience.
This is how you change industries as a manager. It all comes down to that management experience.
You can do this, my friend. Go get ’em!
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When you’re really nervous for a job interview, it can work against you. You might not realize it, but your nervousness can actually make you overcompensate and appear arrogant, which can hurt your first impression.
Instead of risking looking overconfident during interviews, apply these tips:
If you’re worried you’ll sound like you’re bragging during an interview, take some of the focus off you by talking about your mentors. Show them that you’re open to new perspectives and respect the expertise of others. This will take some of the pressure off you and highlight that you’re willing to learn from others (aka you’re probably not a know-it-all).
One sign of looking arrogant is talking too much about yourself. Yes, you’re expected to talk about yourself during interviews, but the best interviews are two-way conversations between the interviewee and the interviewer. When you do this, you appear more interested and genuinely excited about what they have to say. So, pepper in some insightful questions about the role, company, or interviewer.
The truth is, if you’re overcompensating, you’re trying to make up for that lack of self-confidence. And that lack of confidence contributes to that overwhelming nervousness and anxiety you’re feeling. So, find ways to increase your self-confidence. Whether it’s showcasing your strengths or passion for the industry, find a way to boost your self-confidence.
Don’t let “accidental arrogance” kill an opportunity. Use the tips above to nail that first impression and avoid appearing overconfident in your next job interview!
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When it comes to running a successful business, CEOs must have the necessary skills to manage both people and profit. Not knowing how to balance these two things is the number one skill CEOs lack in the new purpose-driven economy.
In this article, Work It Daily experts from Vistage delve into the complexities of balancing these competing priorities and offer strategies for creating a sustainable business model that benefits both people and profit. Read on to discover what CEOs should know about people, profit, and success.
The number one skill I see lacking is the view that people and profit are a dichotomy. I believe that placing them at odds is a detriment to leadership and business success.
People are your profit. Only people will lead you out of a complex situation. Only people will find a better way to do something. And letâs be honest, it’s only people that will show up at your funeral.
Pitting profit against people places leaders in the position of having to choose. Having to think there actually are only TWO CHOICES! Saying, “What should I do here, pick people or pick the bottom line?”
What I suggest they do is ask âWHAT COULD I DO HERE?â
Thinking about people and profit as connected and not in competition with each other opens more possibilities for leaders.
Often, the dichotomy becomes more real when short-term decisions that promote or invest in people are costly in the near term. However, when taking a long view, many of these same decisions are both good for people and the bottom line. One just needs a wider lens with which to view the issue. Take for example investing in leadership developmentâa cost often viewed as a luxury over a necessity. McKinsey and others report otherwise. Investing in leaders values the people but when budgets get tight it is often cut.
This is a bias for the short term and an overall fallacy. When the costs of leadership development are compared to the costs of leadership mistakes and compounded by employee turnover costs, development expenses are both necessary and inexpensive.
People are your profit!
Kirsten Yurich is a former CEO and current Vistage Chair. As a clinician, professor, author, and executive, she leverages this unique blend and creates learning environments for executives to become better leaders, spouses, and parents.
One of the top reasons why CEOs report that they didnât deliver on their âoperatingâ plan is related to execution. When you dig into it, we also see that there is a disconnect between the business strategy and the people strategy. In most cases, there isnât a people strategy (less than 50% of SMB leaders say they have one) so fundamentally it says there is value in determining what role people have in delivering the profits you anticipated.
For many SMB owners/CEOs, if their business is growing or making enough money from their perspective, they can brush off the miss and keep going on. For those who want to be the best, it is time to reflect on what is happening with the “P” side of the P&L, and I donât mean profit. I mean PEOPLE.
According to a recent HBR study, purpose-led companies had faster growth and were more profitable. They averaged 12.5% higher EBITDA growth over a five-year period.
“How do I get there?” you might ask. I would start by going back to the well and reminding yourself of what the purpose you started with OR whoever started the company, what was their purpose? In that reflection time, be honest with yourself and decide if you are living it yourself or not. If not, why not? If yes, ask why isnât it translating?
Here comes the part where you have to be willing to ask your organization (all levels), your suppliers, and your community and you will be pleasantly surprised at how they observe a lot of what happens and you will be able to take their feedback and perspective and begin to re-engage the organization on its purpose, live it, and engage everyone in it. Call out when people do things that show it, highlight when it isnât lived, and reward those who carry it forward.
When you get this clarity, make sure that you are building a people strategy into your business strategy. It will allow you to put the foundation in place, and here is the value:
In the end, reality always WINS. Always.
Mike Thorne is a former CEO and current Vistage Chair. He leads and facilitates a group of trusted advisor entrepreneurs and a CEO peer group in New Hampshire and Maine.
This monthâs CEO Table Talks topic asks the question in relation to people vs. profit: âWhat is the number one skill CEOs lack in the new purpose-driven economy.â
First, letâs explore people vs. profit. I donât consider these at odds with each other. In fact, I consider them in tandem with each other. Invest in people and increase profit. Of course, there is a limit to the investment, but a CEO should never stop investing in people. Never, never, never.
I suggest you focus on staff development long before you invest in perks like massages, dry-cleaning, and happy hours. Focus on education. Do not use the excuse that you canât afford to educate staff. You might not have the cash to pay for formal education like degrees or even seminars, but there are countless less expensive alternatives, from lunchtime learnings to book clubs to YouTube videos. There is always a solution. Investing in your people will 1) make them more productive and 2) give them pride which is priceless.
Regarding the number one skill CEOs lack in the new purpose-driven economy, Iâd like to shift to what is the lowest-hanging fruit that CEOs are ignoring. Simon Sinekâs âJust Causeâ is a goldmine for forward-looking leaders. In his book The Infinite Game, Sinek defines a Just Cause as a âspecific vision of an ideal state of the future that inspires people.â “Inspires people” is the key phrase in the definition. An inspired staff creates a ripple effect or, more accurately, a tidal wave of goodness, from increased productivity to low turnover to high-quality employee candidates.
In this short piece, I canât describe a Just Cause, so please do your research. What I can do is give examples to inspire you to be part of this movement.
A plumbing companyâs Just Cause could be âwater for everyone.â A pest control companyâs Just Cause could be âno more malaria.â A bankâs Just Cause could be âsecure savings for everyone.â
Think of the implication of the bankâs Just Cause. Not only is âsecure savingsâ mentioned, but also âeveryone.â The idea that everyone on the planet could have savings is a âspecific vision of an ideal state of the future that inspires people.â I would want to work for that bank. I would want to put my money in that bank. I would want to be part of moving toward that Just Cause.
Like I say, this is low-hanging fruit. What are you waiting for? Pick the fruit!
Mark Fackler is a retired CEO and currently leads the Vistage CEO group that he was a member of from 1991 to 2002. He is passionate about creating great ROI for his member CEOs.
What’s your experience trying to balance driving revenue and optimizing profitability? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily’s Executive Program.
You want to pursue your dreams. You have lots of dreams and things you want to do. But for some reason, you’re hesitatingâeven though no one is holding you back.
You are the only one that is responsible for what you can and cannot do. So, how do you pursue your dreams? Here are a few things to keep in mind:
You are a gift to the world. There are things the world would like to see, hear, and feel from you. You are an artist regardless of what you do because the world wants your craft. Do not deny the world this craft.
In this day and age, you do not have the excuse of no money, no time, and barriers. Everything you dream of, you can start with the device in your pocket. Start now.
To create impact, the union of thinking and doing is a necessity. To pursue your dreams, don’t just think. You need to DO. That means to act upon what you have been thinking.
Doing is easy. Thinking makes it hard. The more you think, the more resistance rears its head.
People think those who achieve their dreams are special people who have a certain formula. The truth is, when you pursue your dreams, sometimes formulas work. Sometimes they don’t. That’s how new formulas are created. That’s how you improve.
Create your own formula to achieve your dreams.
People tell you that ideas are important. But you already have an idea of what your dreams are. You want to pursue your dreams. Your dreams are your ideas. Ideas are worthless. An idea brought to life is priceless.
If that is so, execute those ideas. Go and really pursue your dreamsâto breathe life into an idea, act, execute, and, as Seth Godin says, “ship.”
There are no whys or maybes. There is a time to ask questions. There is a time to stop. Now is the time to feel the fear and do it anyway. The more you do, the better you get.
This website is an example of how I am pursuing one of my dreams. Sure, it isn’t something bigâa lot of people own websites and successful blogs. However, it’s a step in the right direction. I did not sit, think, and dream. I pursued my dream. It’s a step in the right directionâsharing my experience. I did not ask if I will make a fool of myself. If I did, then so be it.
Execution breeds excellence. Practice is the growth to perfection. The more you do, the better you become. Everything takes practice including pursuing your dreams.
If you want to achieve your dreams, start. Then learn from the experience and adjust.
People often tell you your dreams are too risky. But having a dream and not pursuing it is even riskier. What you feel is not risk. What you feel is anxiety. Anxiety is not risk. Risk can be calculated. Anxiety cannot.
You delay because you fear. You are afraid to pursue your dreams because you don’t know. You fear the unknown. You will only know when you do. It’s time, don’t you think? Do. Don’t talk. Go!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
Has your organization been affected by a ransomware attack or some other type of disaster? If so, you quickly figured out that time is of the essence! Did the organization have a comprehensive and well-thought-out business continuity planning (BCP) plan defining how to handle the disruption? Or did each line of business muscle through, with some areas faring better than others?
Disasters are chaotic so you want to minimize stress as much as you can. If your organization doesnât have a written BCP plan you can commit to starting one today. The BCP plan documents how the organization will continue to operate (who, what, where, when, and why) during a disaster. Also, how to get back to ânormalâ operations after the disaster.
Some of the key steps to create a BCP plan are:
1. Identify the key risks and perform a risk assessment of the different types of disasters. From natural disasters, major power outages, cyber threats, and other potential risks. What is the likelihood of the disaster and the subsequent impact (enterprise-wide, regional, department-specific, etc.) for your organization? You can create a basic chart such as the following:
2. Perform business impact analysis (BIA). I typically create a BIA questionnaire wherein each department identifies its processes, resources, etc. Since you probably donât have enough resources to recover everything immediately, youâll need to prioritize and assign criticality (e.g., mission-critical, essential, and non-essential). Make sure you consider financial, regulatory, and/or legal impacts. Additional BIA info on the Ready.gov site.
3. Create a detailed BCP plan. It should contain information such as potential alternate locations, equipment/supplies needed, and contact information for critical employees as well as key vendors and customers. You may need copies of documents such as procedures, insurance policies, blank paper forms, and even a hard copy of the plan. Additional BCP info on the Ready.gov site.
There are multiple tools to create the plan ranging from Word to specific BCP software solutions. Even if you use Word, creating templates for all departments to use will keep the document consistent and facilitate collaboration. The plan needs to be easy to read and use to facilitate communications.
4. One of the most important steps is to review and test the plan regularly (at least annually). When testing, tabletop testing is good but more rigorous testing such as a simulation is better. If certain departments have more âmission criticalâ processes, they want to be confident that they can continue during an interruption. Testing is critical and has multiple benefits including:
You will be affected by some type of disasterâyes, itâs when (and not if) the next disaster occurs. If you have a comprehensive and well-thought-out BCP plan, youâll be poised to pivot and get through the disruption more effectively.
For more information on the benefits of having a comprehensive business continuity planning (BCP) plan, follow me on LinkedIn!
During the summer, it can be difficult to set realistic goals and deadlines in the workplace when most employees, including upper management, use their PTO to travel, spend time with family, and take a much-needed vacation. So, how can leaders build practical strategies for prioritizing tasks, managing expectations, and maintaining a healthy work-life balance to ensure successful goal attainment amidst the unique dynamics of the summer season?
We recently asked our leading executives for their best tips on how to set realistic goals and deadlines during the summer.
Here are their responses…
Here are some tips on how to set realistic goals and deadlines during the summer:
Here are some examples of realistic goals and deadlines for the summer:
No matter what your goals are, setting realistic deadlines and sticking to them will help you make the most of your summer break.
Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the “red thread.”
âI love talking about how the NFL spends the summer season. A large chunk of the summer months in NFL football is known as the âdark period.â From right after the Super Bowl until the beginning of July, the NFL front office cannot communicate with the players, team staff, or game officials when they should be taking their time away from football.
1. Deep Planning
Following the Super Bowl, NFL league office executives, team owners, and select coaches meet as a competition committee to review the previous season. As a result of these meetings, new rules are born as part of player safety or ways to make the game more competitive and safer.
While working at the NFL, I have been trained to think and work as far into the future as possible. For example, the special events staff works on Super Bowls at least five years into the future. So, for me working in financial operations, budgets and other front office matters have been done for months. Game day staff have been hired for the upcoming season. I take my time off when pre-season is about to start (early August).
2. Execution and Forecasting
During the latter part of July and through August, I focus on setting up new files and Excel spreadsheets, getting ready for the kick-off.
My budget worksheets are set up for multiple years, so I begin to update the following year’s budget with the information I know will change based on the already approved collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The deadline for the budget is late November.
3. In Closing â In football, the summer months are downtime mixed with energized excitement for kick-off.
Michael Willis has 18+ years of experience working with accounting & sports organizations and has managed P&Ls of $10M – $125M+ with budgets of $3M-$50M+. He worked for the NFL for 22 1/2 years, mainly with the game officials working on the financial/accounting side of the business.
Summer is a time for relaxation and enjoyment, but it can also be a productive season for setting and achieving personal and professional goals. Whether you’re a student, a working professional, or simply looking to make the most of your summer months, setting realistic goals and deadlines can help you stay focused and make meaningful progress.
Here are some tips I’ve used this summer to set achievable goals and establish effective deadlines to ensure a productive and fulfilling summer:
Summer presents a unique opportunity to set and achieve meaningful goals that bring you one step closer to your dreams and aspirations.
Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.
How do you set realistic goals and deadlines during the summer? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily’s Executive Program.
The other day, I was sitting around with other education consultants. And, as those who observe classrooms for a living are apt to do, we started discussing what teaching and learning elements illustrate both quality instruction and superior learning environments. What elements might define the âperfectâ classroom?
Even though most educators live at âproficientâ and only visit âwell-developedâ practices, for reasons both within and outside oneâs locus of control, I believe a conversation on how a utopian classroom might look, in theory, is also worth having here.
âAll too often, educators get caught up thinking about the activities that students are going to do without first considering if these activities are aligned with learning goals. Stop. Think strategically. Review the basic, ground-level parameters for quality teaching and learning first.
At their core, every lesson must answer three basic questions in this order:
Once we have a clear understanding that every lesson should answer the above questions, sequentially, we can then consider the elements for what might be the âperfect classroom.â Here are the 10 things that I would want to see in paradise:
Sometimes, I will sit down in a classroom before students arrive back from specials, lunch, recess, their last class, etc. I do this because I want to see if there are clear policies and procedures in place; a well-organized classroom is one where we do not lose one second of teaching time. Is there an introductory activity (âDo Nowâ) that students must complete as they enter the room? Do students know where in the classroom to pick up their writing journals? Is there a clear format/agenda to how the lesson will proceedâintroduction, mini-lecture, student practice, and summary? At the end of class, is there a summary learning activity? A well-ordered classroom is usually a happier one with fewer student behavioral issues.
Every lesson should have a clear learning objective; however, we canât end the discussion on learning objectives there. Learning objectives must be cognitively complex; that is, they must extend our studentsâ thinking beyond rote memorization if students are to become critical consumers of information in society as well as problem solvers.
When crafting learning objectivesâwhich teachers should also post and discuss with studentsâI want teachers to consider the depth of knowledgeâmental demandâthat they will require of students: the questions they will ask students to answer, tasks they will ask students to complete, etc. For example, we can have high school students memorize tips on writing a business proposal or, better yet, to have cognitive complexity, we can have students write and present their own business proposals.
Assessment does not always have to be a formal paper and pencil test that comes at the end of each unit. In every lesson, every day, I want to see teachers checking on student understanding in both informal and formative ways.
Think about driving for a moment. While one may have driving directions to help them reach their destination, sometimes detours and circle-backs are necessary to ultimately get to where one wants to go. Just like in driving, sometimes student misconceptions will force us as teachers to go slower, model a procedure multiple times, or find another way to present a concept. A teacher can only know if they must pivot through ongoing assessmentâquestioning/cold calling, signaling, polling, etc.
I once worked with a middle school teacher who had students produce a morning chat show (âGood Morning Athensâ) when they were learning about ancient Greece; the students came alive. While standardized paper and pencil tests arenât going away anytime soon, and students do need to be prepared for this type of assessment, assessing students authenticallyâproject-based learning, applying scientific/math problems to real-world situations, designing models, creating multimedia projects, and engaging students in role-plays/problem of practice consultanciesâcan help teachers better assess how well students can transfer knowledge to new situations. Such activities can also be designed in ways that are kinesthetic, visual, and auditory in nature, allowing our students the opportunity to practice learning from multiple angles.
If teachers do the above, we should not see students disrupting and/or avoiding tasks but rather students invested in their learning and on-task in their interactions with peers; even better if students are assessing their individual and collective growth and achievement.
The textbook is not the curriculum. However, I often find myself reminding teachers of this fact. Itâs ok to augment textbooks and written curriculum with age-appropriate multimodal resources that may further engage students in learning. Enrich the type of student-facing materials you, as teacher, provide. Have non-print materials such as video clips (not full movies); bring in primary source materials like photographs; use infographics, graphs, charts, maps; integrate audio recordings, podcasts, artifacts; and utilize math manipulatives, etc.
Teachers need to be mindful of how much space their desk and personal effects are taking up within a classroom. I distinctly remember working with one teacher whose room was covered by Denver Broncos memorabilia. Yes, educators, show your personalities but in a confined way.
In so doing, teachers may find that they have the floor space to divide their classroom into learning âzonesâ for individual, small group, and whole group student learning. Classroom walls are also a precious gift if they are used to reinforce literacy (word walls), exhibit student work that demonstrates mastery of standards (portfolio assessment), post directions/steps to common math problems, and display anchor charts such as reading annotation codes as well as performance rubrics, etc. Configurable ergonomic furniture can also allow for maximum student mobility while smaller teacher desks with wheels can be positioned next to students.
Struggling students and, on the other end of the spectrum, bored students are both a recipe for disengagement from school. When I observe a classroom, I like to ask students what they are doing. When students show me their work, I can see if this work is differentiatedâmeaning are high-interest/low-level reading texts offered and scaffolds provided to help struggling students meet grade-appropriate learning objectives? Are multiple resources and/or is text being provided at a higher reading level to students who have already met the objective? While some teachers may say that personalization of learning takes too much effort, we need to invest the time if we want to ensure that all our students have an equitable opportunity to learn.
The reality is that we must be mindful that we are all literacy teachers. If students donât understand what they are reading, they will not understand the subject-specific content. In lower elementary school, I look to see both the teaching of phonics AND whole language explicitly. In upper elementary through high school, literacy should be weaved into content/subject-specific learning using learning tools such as Cornell Notes, annotations while reading, and other content-specific vocabulary development activities. This is critically important if we are serving struggling readers, students with special needs, and/or multi-lingual learners.
We all know that, in the wake of the pandemic, students are struggling with their mental health. We also know that bullying that starts online often finds its way into our schools. In a post-pandemic classroom, we should see teachers developing multi-layered lessons and activities where students can develop the self-awareness that leads to strong self-identity, establish interpersonal skills that nurture positive social relationships, and demonstrate intentional decision-making skills.
The above can come in the form of activities that ask students to self- and peer-assess as well as through more extended student-informed portfolio assessment and student conferencing activities. Teachers and students also can shout out positive student behavior when they see it, particularly during lesson summary activities.
Letâs remain calm over the advent of AI. While AI comes with risks, it also provides teachers with, for example, the opportunity to develop differentiated lessons more efficiently and can help students research answers to questions they may pose across the depth of knowledge continuum. AI can even help us adjust the reading level of texts for students. The uses are almost endless.
Although AI has captured our attention as educators, EdTech is more than just AI. Many 21st-century schools, for instance, use Google Classrooms to organize learning digitally. Within moderation, EdTechâdigital gamification in particularâalso can increase student engagement through both cooperation and competition. Consider then the diverse needs of students when integrating EdTech. EdTech should be a value-add not just a mindless distraction. Make learning equitable, efficient, effective, and/or engaging through its useâthink â4Es.â
Schools and teachers have constraints; so, donât fret about doing everything all at once. Still, knowing the different elements of good practice can only further our mission to help all students grow and achieve; teachers should make a conscious effort to infuse their classrooms with as many of these elements at one time that make sense and all over time.
John Schembari is a school improvement coach. You can reach out to him on LinkedIn.
Sometimes the reason your resume gets dismissed by employers has nothing to do with your experience and skills. It simply could come down to having phrases that turn employers off.
On top of avoiding overused buzzwords on your resume like “creative,” “innovative,” “visionary,” “team player,” “motivated,” “highly skilled,” “hard worker,” “passionate,” and “driven”âthat are really blank statements that don’t demonstrate anythingâyou want to also avoid certain phrases on your resume at all costs.
Here are some of the top phrases to avoid on your resume:
“Job duties” essentially says to the employer that these are my responsibilities on the job. Well, that’s fine if the only one you need to impress is the applicant tracking system (ATS) looking for matches in the job description.
The problem with including this phrase on your resume is it doesn’t inform the hiring manager how well you perform on the jobâand they ultimately have the final say as to whether your resume is a keeper or not.
A more effective phrase to use is “accomplishments” to describe your work experience. You want to inform the employer of what you did on the job and prove that what you did produced valuable results. You always need to quantify your accomplishments on your resume. The first step in quantifying your accomplishments on your resume is getting rid of the phrase “job duties.”
While professional resume writers speak of highlighting “transferable skills” on your resume when you’re looking to make a career change or when you don’t have the exact work experience the employer may be looking for, the specific term should be avoided on the resume.
When hiring managers and recruiters see “transferable skills” on a resume, it basically sends the message “I don’t have the exact experience or hard skills you’re looking for, but…”
A more effective phrase to use is “skills” or “skill set” or even “experience summary” (see below). It doesn’t bring attention to the fact that you aren’t a direct match with what they are looking for, but goes straight to the point of what you can offer that is of value to them.
Traditionally, the objective statement takes a prime spot at the top of the resume detailing what you, the job seeker, are looking forâbut that’s no way to compete in today’s job market. The opening of your resume needs to make a bold statement informing the employer what you can do for them.
Replace an objective statement with an experience summary, which is a list of 6-8 hard or transferable skills needed for the specific job you’re applying for. It’ll help you stand out to employers within seconds of them reviewing your resume.
You can assume all employers will go through a reference check before they hire you. Including this phrase on your resume is simply a waste of space and makes your resume come across as outdated since it was common practice to include it at the end of the resume years ago before ATS changed the landscape of the job search process.
Today’s job seekers need a well-polished resume to compete. Avoiding overused buzzwords and phrases that say nothing or that may imply something negative will help keep you in the running.
We know today’s hiring managers get more applicants than needed for each job opening, so don’t let bad phrases be the cause for them turning away your resume!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.