How to Interview on Camera for a New Job

How to Interview on Camera for a New Job How to Interview on Camera for a New Job How to Interview on Camera for a New JobWhen interviewing for a new job, you have to be ready for anything. At the same time, though, you need to be able to relax and communicate, something that often is easier said than done. So what to do when a potential employer asks you to interview via video, something that can make even a seasoned veteran experience butterflies? And what if the video isnt even a two-way chat, but one way?The one-way camera interview is becoming a more common, and these days it is often the first step in the interviewing process. After logging in to an employers system, questions may be flashed on a screen to a prospective employee, with a time limit for each answer, all while the candidate does his or zu sich best to look into the camera and answer coherently. In this format, the usual social queues were used to dont exist. You cant see the interviewers facial expressions, nods o f agreement, etc. You need to have your wits about you.Skype Interviews is an app designed specifically for recruiters. Image SkypeWith this in mind, here are a few tips for making a good impression in the video interview.Start with one word Prepare, says Daisy Swan, a Playa Vista, Calif.-based career coach who has consulted for many engineers. Video offers its challenges, but remember that you can get used to it by going through practice runs and recording yourself. Get feedback from people you trust. You also have to remember that the same questions as in face-to-faceinterviews are often asked. Dont let this seem more difficult than it is.More for You Learn Interviewing Basics for EngineersThe impression you leave will be all the more important since you wont be able to get points through the connection you might have in a back and forth conversation.Consider whats behind you, Swan says. If there are any books you might elend want everyone in the world to know youre reading, havin g your bookshelf visible may not help. Also, some people dont worry about what theyre wearing for pants since the camera frames you often above the waist. But what if you move or get something filmed in the moment?It can also help to make the view seem more office-like. For example, doing the interview from your bedroom can give off the vibe of being unprofessional. As much as possible, treat this as if it were in an office, she saysFor your own self-evaluation, practice making eye contact on video. You see where a newscaster doesnt sometimes and how you can lose the audience, Swan says. The same applies here. They can turn the video off in thirty seconds.High EnergyAlso, listen closely to your voice in a dry run. A person can find themselves getting a little lazy and letting their energy subside when theyre alone, as opposed to when theyre in front of another person. Play back your practice video and ask if youre coming away as energetic and determined, or dour and listless.But in the end, whether filming a one-way or two-way video, have confidence and accept that this is the medium tyou have to deal with.Video cant undo the experience, the knowledge, and the positivity you can bring, Swan says. Dont get psyched out. Get locked in and believe in yourself.Eric Butterman is an independent writer. For Further Discussion Video cant undo the experience, the knowledge, and the positivity you can bring. Dont get psyched out. Get locked in and believe in yourself. Daisy Swan, Career Coach

How Supervisors Can Help Employees Learn

How teamberaterins Can Help Employees LearnHow Supervisors Can Help Employees LearnHow Supervisors Can Help Employees LearnHow Supervisors Can Help Employees Learn PDFNote Youll need Adobe Reader to view the PDF file above. Download Adobe Reader.Wednesday,December 12, 2012Supervisors can have a dramatic impact on employee learning. This webinar will share innovative practices for helping front line coachs build skills critical to their performance. By developing their skills using real workplace challenges, teamberaterins strengthen their ability to lead their teams and improve key business metrics.In this session, you will learn how toUse experiential, work-based learning to build skillsReinforce critical skills taught in other traditional, mora formal training programsEmbed training concepts into day-to-day workplace behaviorHave a long-lasting impact on supervisorin performancePresented byPhyllis SnyderVice President, CAELPhyllis has led CAELs Philadelphia rtlich office since 1993 . She was responsible for designing and implementing the Department of Labor funded Nursing Career Lattice program in 10 sites throughout the country. Phyllis and the workforce development staff have created many CAEL consulting products, including Educational Strategy Sessions, Workforce 2.0 tools, and Supervisor Circles. She has also served on the CAEL team that consulted with the MassJobs Council to shape the One-Stop Career Center System in Massachusetts. As part of her interest in designing initiatives for mature workers, Phyllis has conducted research for the Conference Board and Civic Ventures, helped to develop and implement the Tapping Mature Talent project, and created the Mentors 4 STEM program. Phyllis educational background includes a masters degree in teaching from Harvard University, a masters degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania, and a bachelors degree from Smith College.Laura WintersSenior Project Director, CAELLaura Winters has worked with CA EL in a sortiment of capacities for over twenty years. In her tenure with CAEL she has been responsible for designing and implementing initiatives and projects for corporations, workforce organizations and colleges. Winters workforce development and consulting work has included a diverse group of CAEL clients including Exelon Corporation, Digital Equipment Corporation, CF Industries, Northeast Utilities, Levi Strauss and Company, University of Chicago Hospitals, Inland Steel, Chase Bank, the Chicago Board of Trade, the Chicago Mayors Office of Workforce Development, DePaul University, South Seattle Community College, US West, Ameritech, Scott Paper Company, and Ford Motor Company, The Workforce Boards of Metropolitan Chicago, the U.S. Department of Education, the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, and the U.S. Department of Labor. She holds bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in psychology and communications. Winters also completed doctoral cu rsework at the University of Pennsylvania and worked for several years in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania hospital in research, editorial and administrative positions.Webinar Transcript How Supervisors Can Help Employees LearnGood afternoon. Im Jim Thompson, senior writer from Monster. I would like to thank you for joining us today for this exclusive webinar hosted by Intelligence.Todays webinar is entitled How Supervisors Can Help Employees Learn. Phyllis Snyder and Laura Winters from CAEL, the Council for Adult Experiential Learning, will be presenting this afternoon. In this webinar, Phyllis and Laura will discuss how to use experiential work base learning to build employee skills, reinforce critical skills taught in other traditional and more formal training programs, embed training concepts into day-to-day workplace behavior, and have long lasting impact on supervisor performance.Before we get started, I would like to mention a few housekeeping it ems. Todays presentation, and a copy of the recording, will be posted on hiring.monster.com within the next two to three business days. Please click on the resources tab and navigate to HR Events to obtain a copy. All registered participants will also receive an email with a direct link to todays materials.Intelligence helps HR professionals improve worker performance, retain top talent, and enhance recruiting strategies. We analyze and collect data from over four million unique searches performed on each day. We invite you to visit hiring.monster.com and read our in-depth reports and analysis. For our latest materials, click on the Resource Center tab when you visit the site. After the presentation, therell be time for questions. Our meeting manager will help to facilitate the QA. Please feel free to type your questions into the available space during the event, and well make every effort to include them in todays QA. And if youre listening to todays presentation via telephone, you ll be placed on mute until the Q and A session begins.Now, Id like to provide some background on Phyllis Snyder and Laura Winters. Phyllis Snyder is the vice president of CAEL. Phyllis has led CAELs Philadelphia lokal office since 1993. She was responsible for designing and implementing the Department of Labor funded Nursing Career Lattice program at ten locations throughout the country. Phyllis and the workforce development staff have created many CAEL consulting products, including Educational Strategy Sessions, workforce 2.0 tools and Supervisor Circles. As part of her interest in designing initiatives for mature workers, Phyllis has conducted research for the Conference Board and Civic Ventures, helped to develop and implement the Tapping Mature Talent project, and created the Mentors 4 STEM program. Phyllis holds a masters degree in teaching from Harvard University, a masters in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania as well as a bachelors from Smith College.Our seco nd presenter today, Laura Winters has worked with CAEL in a sortiment of capacities for over 20 years. During her 10 years with CAEL, Laura has been responsible for designing and implementing projects for corporations, workforce organizations, and colleges. Lauras workforce development and consulting work has included the diverse range of CAEL clients including Exelon Corporation, Digital Equipment Corporation, Levi Strauss, and the U.S. Department of Labor. Laura holds a bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Pennsylvania in psychology and communication. Phyllis and Laura, I will now turn the webinar over to you.Well, thank you so much, and I want to tell all of you how pleased we are to be here with you today and to have this opportunity to talk to you about our approach to developing supervisors. So, as you heard Im joined today by my colleague Laura Winters, but also, and very importantly, joined by Steven Frenkel, who has been our partner in implementing the Super visor Toolkit at Northeast Utilities. Steven is a senior leadership development consultant at Northeast Utilities, and youll be hearing from him in a little while.So, what were talking with you about today is an approach that weve created to develop front line supervisors, and its grounded in their own organization. Its bedrngnislage just about learning in a classroom. So you may be wondering who is this organization CAEL? For those of you who dont know it, just a few quick points about what we do.The focus of much of our work is increasing access to learning. That is learning that occurs in all environments, at work, in the community, as well as in the classroom, and we try to connect that learning to business needs and challenges.A characteristic of all of our projects and our work is that we work collaboratively across sectors. We might begin our work with a college, or in the public sector, or with an individual business. But as the project develops, we bring in the other partne rs and our knowledge of the issues and challenges in each area help to inform the project and the collaboration.So we want to learn a little bit about you and how you approach supervising your training right now. Were going to ask you to just answer very quickly two questions. So the first one is right here, Your new supervisors in your organization have access to training as soon as they are promoted? So you have a simple choice there, either Yes, No, or if you dont know, then you answer Dont Know. So choose your answer and then please submit it. Since it is leidlage a difficult question, we hope you can answer this very quickly, and then well be able to see what the picture is across all the participants.Looks like we have results, Phyllis.Actually, here we go. I didnt see them right yet. And interestingly, what we see is that its pretty evenly divided. Some of you have managed to make that happen, which is admirable, but some of you are struggling with the fact that when supervis ors are promoted, there are lots of other things that are on their plate. So thank you. Thanks for sharing that.We have one more question that wed like to ask you to answer right now, and that question is, Does the training focus on the specific challenges for your workplace? So in other words, the training that you give to behauptung newly promoted supervisors, does it focus on the specific challenges in your workplace? Again, the choice of Yes, No, or I dont know. All right, so many of you have recognized the importance of doing that. A slight probably more than half of you have done that and the rest of you are they realize that its important, but havent yet been able to do this. So thank you very much, that really helps us as we go forward and talk to you about our approach.So let me begin. Laura is going to plek this up in a minute, but I want to begin by explaining to you how we have approached this issue of training newly promoted supervisors who often come in to this new rol e without any background. So you heard me say that we have links to higher education but we are also very committed to the notion that learning happens in many different places, in many different environments and that the classroom is not the only locale where you can learn something. One of the things that we do a lot in our focus on experiential learning is to find ways to recognize and to help people process learning that they obtain from their work. Because we all know that as we are doing things what is the phrase thats often used just in time learning we know that we are learning lots of things as we undertake the tasks that we are faced with on a daily basis, but we often dont have the opportunity to stock and to process and to extract the learning from what weve been doing. So one of the fruchtwein important principals and which our Supervisors Tool Kit is grounded, is on this notion that I just talked about, that we take the learning that people have obtained from the wor k that theyre doing, the rich body of experience that all of us gain through our work, and we help people. We give people a framework which allows them to extract the learning from that experience and what really helps, is that they do that in the company of their colleagues, their peers. So that theyre not doing it on their own. Theyre doing it in the company of others who are facing similar challenges and who can help them to reinforce those lessons. So, Im going to turn this over to Laura, whos going to take us a little further in this approach.The reason that we asked you those particular poll questions is that and why we are focusing on the supervisor position, is because its a position thats most frequently promoted from within and what practices changed a lot over the past decade or so. The person selected for promotion is often the most technically proficient. Whether or not they have really exhibited strong leadership skills, and its often the case that new supervisors are sent to formal training immediately after promotion. Sometimes thats too soon. Especially, when it comes to soft skills like communication and coaching employees to support their development. Alternatively, its most of the technically specific training around compliance, discipline, and scheduling. If thats postponed because of the training delivery schedule, that can be too little too late.A great deal of supervisor training, whether its delivered internally or externally, is not very workplace specific, even if its very participatory. The participatory exercises within the training are too generic and dont seem so relevant to trainees. This really sometimes can limit the transfer of the learning to the work place. The Supervisor Toolkit is rooted in CAELs approach to learning. And a core concept underlying the Toolkit approach comes from experiential learning theory. This research that is experiential learning is more than just experience, rather its the process of making meaning from direct experience or learning through reflection and doing. Experiential learning focuses on the learning process for the individual. Unlike continuous improvement, experiential learning is an iterative process. The experience is the basis for the learning it is not the learning. The Toolkit approach provides a way to focus and direct a supervisors ability to be mindful of their supervisory experiences, reflect upon them, consider alternatives and practice of alternative behaviors in order to achieve better results.Here what you can see is a simple diagram that demonstrates the experiential learning theory. Now we have a few more questions about your training practices and your approach to supervisor training. First, Are most of your supervisors sent off-site for training? And what were getting at here is not only are they physically not in their workplace, are they then likely not to be participating in training with their peer group within your organization?Organizations ofte n send supervisors off-site for leadership for soft skill training. In many ways, this can make a lot of sense especially for smaller organizations. Many of the core concepts and skills in the organization to help the individual develop, are coming to all organizations. And developing this kind of training in-house is either impractical or seems too much like youre reinventing the wheel. It looks like that most of you dont send people off-site. So that probably means that theyre mostly participating in training if not with their peers then with other supervisors within your organization depending upon the size of your organization.The next question we have, Is every new supervisor assigned to a mentor? We asked this because coaches or mentors have proven to be an effective way to build skills, and most organizations seek to have all leaders be responsible for coaching and mentoring their employees. Mentoring is often most effective when provided by peers or someone outside the indiv idual employees department unit or chain of command. Okay? We should, yes, it looks like in most cases, and the majority of you dont have supervisors assigned to a mentor. Certainly, when theres a new supervisor anyway.The last question we have is, Do you provide opportunities for new supervisors to share their experience with their peers? Again, we ask this because peer learning is a powerful tool, but its often hard for organizations to facilitate and harness the power of this learning. Part of the reason for the difficulty has to do with just the organization of that practice, as well as being able to take so many people at the saatkorn level off the job at the same time. Looks like that a third of you do provide that opportunity, but the majority of your organizations dont. Phyllis is now going to take you through a mini example of Toolkit training. Drawing on an example that we developed for a client in a Healthcare industry.Thanks, Laura, and so what Im going to do in one seco nd is put up on the screen a story, and the reason we chose to do that is that the tools are organized around stories taken from the work place. We have a mini story for you. What were going to ask you to do is to read it. Well give you a few moments to do that, and then were going to ask you three questions about that story. I hope you can make a few notes in front of you to answer those questions. Well give you some sample answers afterwards, but since there are so many of you, we couldnt have you volunteer your answers as much as we would like to. First of all, youre going to read the story, then were going to put up three questions, and we ask you to make some notes on the answers to those questions, and then well discuss them.So, first comes the story. Please take a few minutes to read this toolkit story. Well give you another few seconds, because I know Im a htte nicht viel gefehlt reader, but let the rest of you finish and then Im going to put the first question up in just a moment. Okay, so here comes question number one, What do you think are the outcomes of this meeting? So, just make yourself a few notes and well come back and discuss it in a minute. What do you think are the outcomes of this meeting? Or actually, you know what, maybe we should discuss it now. I think that would work better. So, write down what you think the answers are and let me tell you what some of our other participants have told us in the past. They see this as unproductive, that nothing was going to change as a result of this meeting, that it was just going to foster a low morale, that blame was placed on the wrong person, that the whole meeting was a waste of time. So Im assuming that you also saw it in a similar way.Second question, Will they help the team to improve what they are doing and change the scores? So theyre being measured. Is this meeting going to contribute to improving their situation, so that they get a better score the next time? So again, please make a few notes. So what weve heard in the past is that this meeting is not necessarily going to change anything if the issues arent addressed. And one of the most significant answers was, if the team isnt allowed to give input, they wont feel any sense of ownership and nothings going to change. And in fact, theyll only become more defensive. So those are the kinds of things that weve heard from others. Im hoping your answers were along similar lines.And the third question, Please suggest three changes that Carlos can make in trying a new approach. So three things that he could do to make this situation better, be very specific here. Some changes that you would suggest that could be made. So here, some of the things, some of the suggestions that people madepresent the problem as an opportunity that allows the group to develop a solution,build on whats happening in that environment as positive rather than emphasizing the negative,send out material in advance so that team members come in and th eyre prepared for the topic thats going to be discussed,focus on one issue at a time rather than throwing the kitchen sink at them at once,allow input which is similar to what we said already,and not have Carlos do so much of the talking.This gives you really just a tiny taste of what the Toolkit experience is like, but just for you to know, what would happen after a group has a story that is a negative, just like the story you read. It would be followed by a story that is positive. Showing how that situation could be addressed in a way that is constructive rather than destructive, and what Lauras going to talk to you about now, a little bit about how we approach the Toolkit training. How we embed it into preparing supervisors.Thank you Phyllis. Phyllis is going to talk a little bit more later about how you select tools and develop them or customize them to meet the needs of your own client organization, but Id like to share a bit more about how the training process itself works. Tr aining is conducted in small groups or cohorts, since learning from peers is one of the key benefits of this training approach. The training is facilitated when CAEL is involved, either by a CAEL facilitator or company facilitator, who has been oriented to the proto materials by CAEL in the trainers session. The number of training sessions depends upon the number of tools that are incorporated into a specific organizations Toolkits. Usually, organizations choose 5 to 10 topics of behavioral clusters to focus on. Training sessions are scheduled anywhere from four to eight weeks apart sometimes a little longer than that depending upon the needs of the organization and the challenges of scheduling things.During the first session, the tool kit training process is introduced. Participants read an anfangsbuchstabe situation like the one that Phyllis went through with you that embeds an issue addressed by that tool. Then a discussion of the key behaviors and their impact is facilitated. Participants then read a second story or a second version of the story in which alternative behaviors are employed. This is followed by a discussion that moves into a comparison of behaviors and outcomes between the two stories. Then the tool itself is introduced. It summarizes the key principals and behaviors to imply in practice. The session ends with the brainstorm of the possible setbacks and solutions and the identification by each participant of one or two behaviors to focus on in applying this to life and work situations before the next section.At the next section, they begin focusing on sharing and discussing participants experiences and practicing the strategies and behaviors introduced in the first tool. They also, at this point, start discussing how changing their behaviors and modeling behaviors help their own employees incorporate and learn how to change their own behaviors and improve their own performance and engagement. After this discussion, the next tool is introd uced, and its gone through in the similar way that the first tool was. And in those lag times between the second session and the third session, participants are practicing the key behaviors that are introduced in the second tool. Usually at the end of the session, individuals identify one or two things that they are going to work on, and thats what they focus on working on. Sometimes in a tool, there are many behaviors that are introduced that are a cluster around a specific issue like communication, and there are many, many different things that people can choose to practice. Usually participants are pretty good at identifying those areas where they are challenged. And those are the ones that they usually choose to work on. Generally, the training process itself follows this general format or as a modification of this process.Now wed like to talk about an organization we work with thats currently implementing this training. Northeast Utilities is an energy utility with electric and gas operations in Connecticut and Massachusetts. When we began to work with them on this approach, they already had a robust supervisor training program.And now well turn this session over to Steven Frenkel, who we introduced earlier as a Senior Leadership Development Consultant at Northeast Utilities. He has a background in both organizational development in training, and hes going to share some of the companys reasons for using the Toolkit with field operations supervisors, and some of their experience so far in implementing the training. Steven?Thanks, Laura. Yeah, let me start with why we decided to roll this out. As you said, we do have a pretty robust supervisory training program, but we operate over a fairly large territory. Its all of Connecticut for CLNP, but we also have companies in New Hampshire and Massachusetts as well. The courses take up a lot of time, anywhere from one to five days of classroom time plus travel, because people have to come from all over the state. Because we bring them in from all over the state, we try to give them a lot of information, and theyve been likened to drinking water from a fire hose. The amount that they can retain is limited, and we know that. We combine both field supervisors and professional service supervisors in these classes, because theyre sort of open enrollment. Obviously, each group of participants has their own challenges and focal issues.So, with these new Toolkits, we go out to them. We do the travel. Theres two of us going out to six to ten rather than make them all come to us. Its a very respectful approach because we dont monopolize their whole day. We use two-hour chunks of time and they really are that, because they are not the ones traveling. Some folks from the Southern part of the state were coming to us, the two-hour class would cost them six hours of their day. We also like it because it gives the information bite size chunks that they can actually absorb and focus on implementing, and they get information thats specific to their needs in the field. We actually did focus groups before we launched the Toolkits session to find out what do they need help with? And then we build the Toolkits around the issues that they asked for help on.That all covered the large territory issue. The second issue is that our supervisors often feel isolated. They report to a centralized model. So they dont connect with the other supervisors in their region. When they connect with their supervisors in their hierarchy, they come back to headquarters and report here. Many of them come from the union. So, theyve come from a bonded brotherhood and then come into operate as the supervisor without the interaction and friendship that they had in their previous positions. So these Toolkits connect them to their peers. They give them an opportunity to address both relationships but also regional issues not just functional issues, because each of our service centers has different micro-cultures and i ssues between customer base and staffing levels and resources and whatnot. The Toolkits enable them to talk together about shared struggles and challenges and also offer their solutions. In these regional locations, they often come up with their own solutions. Its not something thats taught. Theyve just found a way to make it work, but they havent been sharing that with each other. And in this (coerce), they really can share those best practices as much as possible. And it really enforces the value of reconnecting with each other for helping advice, and were seeing a lot of that increase as a result of these sessions. In fact, thats something that we ask about in our evaluations. We check in with them. Are you utilizing each other more as the resources that you are? And were hearing the answer is yes, and thats increasing.The third issue to cover is that our supervisors are strong technically. So they need a little bit more help with the supervisory and the leadership skills. Softer skills that you might say they need, and thats what weve decided to target in these sessions. We respect their technical expertise, and then we offer them a little bit more leadership skills in these sessions. So they can use them and see if they work and coach each other.Another issue there were a bunch of them that went into the decision to move in this direction. We have supervisors, Northeast Utilities, and utilities in general have long term employees. We have life-time employees here at the company. Theyve been on the job for 20, 30 even 40 years. And when they leave, they take their institutional knowledge with them and because of staffing limitations and regulations, were not allowed to overlap people in their roles. So, we cant bring on a new supervisor to overlap and shadow and learn from a supervisor whos leaving after 30 years. Obviously, a headcount is a headcount but theres no replacing a 40 year supervisor with a newbie. Its just not the same. So, even if they cant o verlap and work with their predecessors, they can get together with the other supervisors in their region and get the help that they need. So they might not be able to benefit from the supervisor that they replace, but they can benefit from all the other experience and institutional knowledge that the other supervisors in their region have that they can learn from.So that was the why that we rolled this out. There were a lot of issues we were trying to address, and we were looking for a new creative way to approach these challenges and the Toolkit really fit what we were trying to do. We rolled it out by identifying the most likely need for leadership skills over technical skills. Again, we conducted focus groups with supervisors and their managers to hone in on these specific needs that they had, and then we narrowed it down to teams and we selected the top five. With those top five, were conducting effective meetings, communicating up and down, making the most of teachable moments , making the most of change, and making data talk. All of those were repeated themes that came from the multiple focus groups that we held. They kind of were standing out at us as something that supervisors were asking help on.As I said, we go out to them in two-hour chunks and deliver these sessions, and we selected experienced facilitators to deliver this kind of content not traditional classroom trainers. Were not standing in front of the room. Were not working with PowerPoints. We have these very simple, wonderful Toolkits that CAEL helped us developed or CAEL developed for us. And we sit down with them and have a session around the table and were working on a facilitated discussion. Theyre doing most of the talking. Were asking pointed questions using the Toolkits, using the stories and the scenarios to prompt their thinking, and then theyre talking. Were just capturing their list of best practices and successes and feeding it back to them, and encouraging those who arent usin g some of those approaches or skills to try it and see if it works. It helps because theyre hearing from their own peers and colleagues that this stuff works.Weve seen benefits so far. Weve been doing this all through 2012. We know these are benefits from both the evaluation forms and also conversations with supervisors and managers. Weve seen strong participation. Theyre eager for these sessions. They come back. Weve just had good participation, and they show up when they could have lots of other things to do. They really appreciate the new approach. Its more beneficial for them and its less intrusive. So theres a double win there, and they really do feel respected because for the first time in a long time, they have people coming to them to offer assistance instead of making them come up to headquarters. One of the best byproducts that we hear is the tremendous appreciation for conversation with their peers. Really, they didnt often get together with their counterparts like they d o now for these kinds of discussions. And just creating a space for them has been tremendously beneficial and valuable and seeing what they want to talk about in addition to what we raised is enlightening.And the last thing that this has really done for us, this helped us break down silos, because they were functional reporting. There are functional reporting relationships. One supervisor may work with another supervisor in this same area work center and never get together. Never talk. Never cross those silos. Their always reporting up their own chain and not interacting with their peers, and with these sessions weve broken down silos between not only departments, but also companies. We had both our gas division and our electric division supervisors from the same region in the same room, and they were learning a lot from each other, and they had never met and never gotten together even though they were working out of the same area work centers. So were getting a lot more cross-funct ional collaboration and a much better sense of team. All as a bi-product in addition to building skills and supervisory capabilities.So I think that about covers what we talked about Phyllis and Laura, but thats really what weve seen, thats how weve approached it, why weve approached it that way and what were getting out of it.Well, Steven you are as always a wonderful presenter and youve highlighted, I think some of the key elements that wed like to conclude, by emphasizing youve done just a great job of setting that up for us.And I was taking notes as you were talking, because you highlighted so effectively the points that I wanted to make in this final slide. I think what is so important, and what Steven did is to emphasis how much the tools are developed from this specific environment, where were working. So its the issues that take place there that people are facing. The stories are drawn from focus groups that we conduct at the beginning from meetings that we have with manag ers to let them know what were trying to do to understand where they see supervisors struggling. We approached it with a lot of respect. Steven really emphasized that. We listen to the employees and we allow them to do a lot of the talking rather than talking, just trying to fill that for knowledge into their heads is sometimes starting these sessions, we really give them the opportunity to talk, to respond, to share with one another and then to reflect on what is the learning that theyve gained in doing it. Steven referred to the specific tools, and you saw it on your screen, the tools that they use because the issues that Northeast Utilities was focused on with the communication, the meetings, change, teachable moments, and they can gain a talk. Those are common across many work places, but we have other tools as well, and it depends really where each work place sees the need.The Toolkit has a distinctive approach, which Laura talked about as kind of an armature, but the specific content really is driven by what are the urgent needs and challenges in the work place where were working. We do this collaboratively and Steven explained to you, CAEL can come in. We always develop the tools, and we do the initial focus groups, and we listen and meet. But we can deliver, or in a case like Northeast Utilities, where theres a skilled body of facilitators who have a background to be able to listen and to work with employees. We can work with them to prepare them to do the delivery themselves and really to make it their own. So, it can be either way, the trainer approach or a CAEL-driven approach, but what we are sure to do in the beginning is to make sure that the stories that we develop are the focus that reflects the culture and the challenges of the particular environment where the tools are being used. And they have been used in public sector as well as private sector environments. Everyone struggles with as you know, the same kinds of issues. Im going to stop tal king at you, which is what we say we dont do in the Toolkit and allow you to ask some questions. Probably this is a new and different approach, and as youve been listening hopefully youve been thinking of some questions, and wed really love to hear from you and try the best we can to answer them.Thank you ladies and gentlemen. If youd like to register for a question, please press the one followed by the four on your telephone. You will hear a three-tone prompt to acknowledge your request. Your line will then be accessed from the conference to obtain information. If your question has been answered and youd like to withdraw your registration, please press the one followed by the three. If youre using a speakerphone, please lift your handset before I turn in your request. One moment please for the first question.And if I could interrupt, I do have a question here standing by from our end. Ill just jump right into it. Do we need to work with CAEL in order to implement the approach youve discussed this afternoon?Laura, do you want to take that or do you want me to take that?No, we dont think that you have to work with CAEL to implement the approach. We think the concepts that we employ are general. We certainly would love to have opportunities to work with organizations, and we presented this material as kind of how we approach this, and how weve approached it with in a particular case study. But we think that weve that the concepts are general, and that we do offer some ideas around how to embed more truly grounded experiential learning in the kind of training that you do. Take it out to the people, give them opportunities to work with peers. Embed the learning in situations that are very real and resonate and then build in a practice session and a feedback session so that people practice those skills. Phyllis, I dont know if you want to answer that in a different way or add to that?I think you covered it.Or add at all?No, thank you. Were taking this inaudible to the next question. Thanks, Laura.Ladies and gentlemen thanks very much for that.As a reminder to register for a question, press the one, then four. And we do have a question from the line of Alex Ross. Please proceed with your question.Yeah, hi. Thank you so much for the presentation. I was just curious if a PDF version of the slides that were shown would be made available to us?Hi. This is Monster. Yes. A PDF version will be sent directly to you if you registered. It will also be available on our site within two to three business days on hiring.monster.com.Okay, excellent. Thank you all very much.Gentlemen, I have an additional question here on hiring from Monster. Question number two, much of todays webinar was focused on changing supervisor behavior. Can you relate this to strategies supervisors can use to help their employees learn?Phyllis, you want to take that one?Yeah. Ill start and you can fill in. Great. No. Its a great question. Let me just summarize the question, which wa s about this focus on changing behavior, and then how do we link that and translate into helping them learn? And I think that what I would say in response is that there is a readiness factor here. If theres resistance, if the supervisor is not able to work with his or her team in a way that they are listening, that theyre interacting, that theyre open to discussion, then there wont be any learning that can take place. So, weve put a lot of emphasis on the behavior because the behavior allows that team to come together to communicate openly and get ready for the learning that needs to take place. So, I would say that this is the first step in the learning process, that it creates the climate, the receptivity, which allows the learning to happen. And Laura, you feel free or Steven, to add anything you want to that response.Well, I guess the only thing I would add is there are some pieces that we build into the actual tool itself with each tool that gives some guidance for supervisors on fostering, as their behavior changes to foster the development of these skills and the people who report to them as well. In some of these sessions, where a couple of the tools for example that Northeast Utilities used, where one is focused on making data talk and the other one is on helping people cope with change. Both of those also specifically have some very clear cut guidelines around how a supervisor can help his or her direct reports, checking reflect on their own behavior and a cope with the kind of changes that seem to be more and more rapid and frequent within organizations in the 21st Century. As well as, for example, the making David talk gives helps the supervisor breakdown information that they are receiving in a data form and really help not so much. It isnt focused on the hard scale in and of itself of what does a particular data mean, but it really focuses on understanding why different kinds of data are important in order to measure organizational effectiveness and team performance.Thanks very much, and operator do we have any additional questions on your end.Ladies and gentlemen, as a reminder to register for a question, press the one, then four.And if we do not, Ill proceed with the questions we have here on our side.We do not have any questions at this time.Okay. All right, one additional from us. When discussing this topic with colleagues, what is the best way to communicate the benefits of your approach?You know, I would love to have Steven answer that. Steven if you dont mind, because youve been in this situation of having to do that in your work environment. So if you wouldnt mind giving an answer to that? And we can always follow up if needed.Would you repeat the question one more time for me.Sure. How do you youll correct me. I think its, how do you if youre talking to your colleagues, how can you communicate the benefits of the Supervisor Toolkit approach?I believe what were getting at, I think, is the kind of a teach meeting in ternally to proceed with this type of a program.Right.Sure. It was not a hard sell. Our managers really understand the you know, I dont want to put it this way, but limitations of their supervisors. They understand their opportunities for growth and whats possible in terms of relationships with their workforce if we can successfully skill up our supervisor team. What we did was a mini road show for all of our managers and all of our supporting directors to explain to them what were trying to do. Why were trying to do it. What the possible benefits could be and what support we need from them. And they were actually saying to us, Can you copy us on the summary e-mails, so we see what theyre learning? Can you give us a heads up when theyre coming in so we know what theyre working on? And so what weve done is establish the process where a couple days before each Toolkit session, we send out an e-mail to the supervisors copying their managers saying, Were coming. And then a separate emai l to their managers giving them access to the tools, and saying, This is what your supervisors going to learn about. Please have a conversation with him or her before they walk in the door about why this is an important skill and if theres any type of feedback, or anything you want them to focus on to build, please do that. Please read through the Toolkit, model the behavior that youre asking them to exhibit, ask them about it after the session, and see what kind of coaching they need to reinforce what theyre learning. And theyve been extremely supportive the whole way through.Thank you, Steven.Thats great. And I do have one final question on my end. Can you discuss how this approach may be more effective than some of the other types of the employee training are currently available in the marketplace?Sure, Ill start and I know my colleagues will be happy to supplement. So I think weve tried as weve been going through this to make the distinction between the Toolkit approach and some of the more traditional supervisor training models. So couple of things that I want to highlight are the fact that this is not generic in any way. Its very much grounded in the specific issues, challenges, culture of the company and the organization with whom were working. So thats number one.Number two, it is highly participatory. The sessions are not taught. They are facilitated. There is essentially a discussion leader but most of the talking, most of the engagement, comes from the supervisors, the participants, and they are doing it in consent with their peer. So theyre learning from each other. Theyre sharing with each other. Steven mentioned how often they share innovations that they have developed themselves. And they also have their peers to go back to reinforce the learning that they may have gained.Third, what were teaching, we use specific situations, and weve definitely developed a tool around the challenges that a company will talk to us about, and that we hear about i n the focus groups that we conduct initially. But really, what were teaching, what were helping to develop is a new way of approaching their work and their challenges with the supervisor to be able to step back, to be thoughtful, to reflect, to involve their team in the conversations in coming up with solutions. So it is as you pointed to in one of the earlier questions, were developing a change in how the supervisor behaves. How he or she is prepared to address new challenges that will come up and that will help them to engage the team, to help them do their best, rather than to be critical and to even when theres a problem, you heard one of the tools thats been most popular has taking advantage of teachable moments and when a teachable moment is a problem something that went awry and how does a supervisor take that situation where something didnt go as it should have and use it to help the team think about how they would behave the next time it happened? What could be done diffe rently? So, it is about what were helping people to develop is a new way of approaching their work that can be applied to a diverse array of situations. And Laura and Steven, I dont know if you have anything else you want to add?The only thing that I would add is that I dont think that the way to think about it is as necessarily more effective to all other kinds of supervisor training. I think that its more effective particularly in developing behaviors and interpersonal skills and some organizational skills and communication skills. I think that its really worked very well as a complement to more standardized training, or if you only have so many resources to spend on building the soft kind of leadership skills or soft skills, even in non-supervisory positions, that this is an effective way to do so in a way that will immediately be grounded in the workplace and in day-to-day situations, and immediately have a behavioral component.Excellent. Thanks very much for clarifying that. We do have time for one additional question. I have one on my side here. So, Ill go right ahead. How often do you suggest holding the individual Toolkit sessions?That really depends on the organization. The typical gap between sessions is four to six weeks, but it could be shorter. It could be a little longer, probably not too much longer. Probably up to two months, but nothing longer than that. But typically its four to six weeks.Excellent, thank you. Well, this time Id like to thank Phyllis, Laura as well as Steve, for sharing their insight and knowledge with us today. This concludes our webinar. A recording of this event will, as well as the presentation materials, will be available shortly on our hiring site, hiring.monster.com. Just look under the Resource Center tab. And thanks again for joining us, please join us again in 2013 for additional webinars from Monster. Thank you and have a great day.

Just Make Up Your Resume

Just Make Up Your Resume Just Make Up Your Resume Thats Lee Stranahans advice but dont worry. Hes not suggesting you lieBut you are going to make up your resume. I mean its what you do anyway, isnt it? Every time you decide to take a job, project or gig of any kind, youre adding to that list of things youve done. So start making some conscious choices about your goals and then create jobs and projects for yourself that give you the experience you need?This is such great advice. Not long ago, I received a question from someone who had been asked to take on extra work without a guarantee of a salary raise or title change. She asked should I accept the extra work, or hold out for the raise before I agree to do it?To me, this is a no-brainer. There is no way you should be turning down work that will help you advance down the road. Years ago, I worked as an HR Manager for a company that didnt have any HR execs. This meant I wound up working with the executive management team, even atten ding their strategy meetings and basically acting as the HR VP. My salary still stayed at the manager level and sometimes that bugged me, but I knew a promotion to the exec level welches out of the question as the company wasnt in the best shape financially plus frankly, I was too young and inexperienced, so I just did the work.I learned so much in those few years, and when I finally did move on, I instantly got a huge jump in pay and in seniority. And within just 18 months, I was a Vice President making almost 3 times my former salary. That wouldnt have happened if I hadnt had the opportunity to work at a level far above my actual qualifications.Taking on new assignments to broaden your experience is even more important in a down economy. First, you will make yourself more valuable to your current employer and second, youll be more competitive if you do look for another job. So dont wait around for someone to give you more responsibility or the experience you need go get it now

For Better or for Worse - How to Help Your Partner Through Job Hunts

For Better or for Worse - How to Help Your Partner Through Job HuntsFor Better or for Worse - How to Help Your Partner Through Job HuntsWhen one half of a couple is out of work, it requires extra effort from both to keep the household on the move.The for better or worse vow has been put to the test during the past few years as millions of couples relationships have been affected by long periods of joblessness.While the burden of unemployment is certainly stressful for the person who has lost a job, it also represents huge new responsibilities for a spouse who still has a job. One of the biggest is bringing home a paycheck while supporting your mann an ihrer seite in the search for a new job. This role requires patience, a positive attitude and flexibility - as well as generosity with your network.Monica Wright and her husband, Tim, have experienced this firsthand. Tim lost his job as a morning radio host in August. Monica, a search marketing executive, lost her job two months later but was fortunate to land another full-time position shortly thereafter.Tim has not been so lucky, and the couples lives have changed substantially as a result. While searching for a job, Tim stays home and takes care of the couples two children, ages 4 and 10. Monica works her full-time job and freelances to help make up for Tims lost salary. She estimates that she works an average of 60 hours a week.Monica said the situation has not been easy, but she realizes that both she and Tim are doing what needs to be done to keep the family and each other afloat. Its been tough. We sort of fell into assumed roles, she said. Ive got to work, so I cant necessarily spend time doing things such as calling the tax guy or following up on personal things or taking the kids to the dentist. Its a little stressful on my end, where I dont spend as much down time, and Im afraid of burnout. But it is what it is right now.Acknowledgment and acceptance, as well as compromise and collaboration, are key t o keeping a relationship healthy, said Dr. John Duffy, a clinical psychologist, certified life coach and author of The Available Parent Radical Optimism for Raising Tweens and Teens . Couples need to work together through the challenge, and often crisis, of job change, to ensure they are allied with one another, Duffy said. They also need to tend to their relationship by spending some time talking about something other than the job search, and enjoying one another.The longer a person is away from the routine of the workforce (and the more rejections one receives), the more difficult it can be to maintain motivation. This is where the employed spouse also comes in, say experts - providing advice, perspective and, when needed, cheerleading.Keep Your Spouse ConnectedEncourage the spouse as much as possible to stay out there, keep networking and remain connected with the professional community, said Deb Brown, a business coach and licensed psychologist. People who are depressed are of ten tempted to withdraw, which is one of the worst things a job seeker can do.That connection to a professional community should apply not only to the job seekers network but to the employed spouses network, as well, said career experts who spoke with Ladders. Even if you are not in the same industry as your partner, you never know which one of your contacts knows someone who knows someone who is. The trick, experts add, is to be able to clearly articulate your partners skills and experience in a professional manner - something that can be difficult to do, to be sure, when there is so much emotional baggage attached to the situation.Serve as an advocate for your spouse by actively networking among friends and family, said Roy Cohen, career coach and author of The Wall Street Professionals Survival Guide . But dont do so out of fear or desperation. Be clear on what your spouse does professionally and how to best explain it. Your messaging will make a difference if its clear, concis e, and not fear-based.Monica Wright opened up her professional network to her husband and said it resulted in a few follow-ups. She admits, though, that the opportunities seem to be scarce given the nature of her husbands work.Indeed, in the radio industry, a new job often means a new market - a move the Wrights are not sure they want to make at this time. Tim has been exploring new professional options for the next phase of his professional life, a process Monica is supporting.Its been about giving him space and being supportive in terms of providing ideas and access to a network, she said. I dont get resentful. I like what I do for work. Its not like Im digging trenches. He just needs to figure out what he wants to do for the next phase, and I just give him the tools. Were just trying to make it all work out.

Productive Strategies for Cover Letter Maker Free That You Can Begin to Use Immediately

Productive Strategies for Cover Letter Maker Free That You Can Begin to Use Immediately You can watch the complete titelblatt letter at the next link. In your cover letter, you should explain what makes you a well-qualified applicant for a particular position with a single company. In a generic cover letter the very first part of your cover letter should include all of the information on the way in which the employer can contact you. Its essential that you include all the important segments and data in a cover letter. If youve got an employee contact at the company who is ready to refer you, be certain to mention them once possible in the cover letter. Writing a cover letter for work in the education and teaching field is about the specifics. You must compose a cover letter to explain to the recruiter what theyre taking a look at. The letter ought to be concluded with a call for action where the contact particulars of the applicant needs to be included. Choosing Cover Letter Maker Free Is Simple If youve got the plan in your thoughts, adding it to the readymade template is extremely handy. 3 A fantastic monogram isnt to be scoffed at. The subtle triangular graphic elements at the very top and bottom make it seem inconspicuously original. You shouldnt need to pay for a cover letter template. For instance, a cover letter is a great place to speak about a career shift or explain a lengthy gap in employment. You are able to use an overall cover letter when you visit a job fair and youre giving your resume and cover letter to quite a few possible employers for various jobs. As a consequence, your cover letter needs to demonstrate that you take patient care seriously. A wonderful cover letter is your opportunity to prove that you know the reach of the role and the businesss mission. There are several differences in expectations for each job seeker because of these reasons including but not restricted to. The only exception when you shouldnt incorpor ate the formal salutation is when you know the corporations culture, and its well known theyre more casual. So however much experience youve got, our examples will allow you to get started. Get the Scoop on Cover Letter Maker Free Before Youre Too Late Cover letters may be one of the most difficult components of your job application approach. In the second paragraph a concise account of the applicant needs to be included like his job information, reason for seeking an area on rent etc.. Plug in your info and youre all platzset to send off your application. The topic of the cover letter is normally the title of the work position to which youre applying. Whichever service you select, I cant overstate the worth of employing an expert job resume template. Construction and labor jobs need hands-on experience utilizing specific instruments and techniques to acquire the job finished. Explain how you came to know more about the position and why you are thinking about applying. Ident ify the work position youre applying for. Cover Letter Maker Free - Dead or Alive? Your pals at Resume Companion are here in order to aid you with your transition. There are many free, reliable templates readily available online. Use practical examples to emphasise what you can do to help the organization. Google includes lots of completely free templates as a piece of Docs. Review the alternatives and pick the design you like best. Refer to research youve done on the organization and the way that it relates to your interests and experiences. Much like companies have brands, its possible to also develop your own private brand. Careers in the health care industry need a wide variety of expertise and education. If youre asking for work in marketing or sales, you will need to highlight key wertmiger zuwachs metrics. The cover letter was made to showcase your interest in the organization and your very best attributes for the position. Changing disciplines or beginning to work expects a letter that details your skills that would cause you to be a very good fit for work irrespective of experience. One is for authors within the exact same institution and the other one is for authors with various affiliations. Demonstrate, if at all possible, some understanding of the organization to which youre applying.

Who is Talking About Forbes Resume Writing Services and Why You Should Be Worried

Who is Talking About Forbes Resume Writing Services and Why You Should Be Worried Choosing a professional resume writer is a worthwhile investment and might even prove to be among the best decisions in your career. Its safe to say you are receiving an executive resume writer with a history of receiving their clients results. She is quite an experienced resume writer who has won a slew of rewards. However polished your writing skills are, at times its far better to employ a professional who can frame your experiences in a manner that permits you to command the eye of the greatest companies in your industry. Other important areas in your work experience will likewise be explored to highlight your credentials and make a stand-out resume. Simply enumerating your abilities and experiences isnt enough. The service employs an individual approach for writing all sorts of personalized documents, including cover letters and other kinds of employment-related correspondence. With our c ustom made essay offer, you can be guaranteed to find any sort of essay help youre looking for. Some job seekers just require reassurance they can afford a resume writing service till they place a call. Landing your fantasy job is dependent on much more than the resumeensure youre hiring a thriving job search strategist who understands the total recruiting process, of which the resume is one parteicular part of that procedure. To force you to get confusion-free, theres a service readily available in the work market and thats the service of job consultancies. If you are searching for a higher-end company, please see the top 10 list mentioned previously. Clients can be sure that their private information wont ever be shared with third parties. Its also important to review what sorts of services are provided by the corporation. Dont just think about the very first couple of businesses you encounter. The business utilizes an individual approach to each customer and customizes every resume. The Hidden Truth About Forbes Resume Writing Services Whether youre unemployed and searching for work, or youve had it with your existing job and wish to earn a change, acquiring a persuasive and professional looking resume is vitally important. Recruiters spend just a few seconds looking at resumes, meaning that making it as appealing as possible is the only means to pull their attention and make them consider you for the work position. Put Bread on the Table You do not need to necessarily enjoy the job and theres no compulsion to stay longer than required. At times, you find it simple to become comfortable in your work and stick to what you only know. Such organizations are great job suggestions for stay at home young mums. Opportunities Thanks to the internet there is currently a good chance for job suggestions for stay at home young mums. Although there are lots of people out there still searching for a new job. They dont like their current job or career. Maybe youre one of them. Scannable resumes need specific page designs because computer scanners cannot read certain products.

The Number One Article on Customer Service Resume Objective or Summary

The Number One Article on Customer Service Resume Objective or Summary You want a resume targeting the specific position youre applying for. You ought to have five objective statements. Go through the many available resume template examples and elect for the one which matches your profile. There are several different formats and kinds of resumes to use, and which you select can depend on lots of factors. The Basics of Customer Service Resume Objective or Summary Your distinctive situation differs from everybody, therefore your resume will be customized to fulfill YOUR individual needs. The manner in which you handle the situation tells a whole lot about your organization. A summary statement is among the simplest strategies to custom tailor your resume to fit the requirements of a specific role, without needing to rewrite all the content. Possessing a brief statement or overview at the start of your resume is a good way to demonstrate your abilities and experience and show the hiring manager the value you will bring to the position. For the reason, its important to have a top quality cv or resume that stand out from the others. A defective product might be the consequence of a manufacturing issue outside your control, but if the problem is something you can improve within your company, then spend the criticism to heart and work to create the matter better. Allow the customer know what steps youre taking to remedy the circumstance. A creative problem-solver whos energized by managing a customer of challenges in a fast-paced atmosphere. Thus, to possess the knowledge of the way to craft an effective resume is as essential as having the essential qualification and experience needed for the job. An objective is a brief statement that clarifies your goals about the form of employment desired and the way in which your skills make you a nice fit. The absolute most efficient objective is one which is tailored to the job youre applying for. Include the name of the organization youre applying for to demonstrate the employer youre genuinely interested in becoming part of their team. Writing a winning college student career objective is a rather simple approach to bolster your application for this internship or job youve got in sight. How did your job duties help or increase the organizations capacity to operate. As stated previously have to choose skills that have some relevance to the job which youre applying for. A Secret Weapon for Customer Service Resume Objective or Summary Emphasize your present skill set, abilities and anyspecial machinery and equipment certifications you need to convince employers to go through the remainder of your resume. In a lot of ways, applying for employment is similar to participating in a speed dating event. Your examples service resume objective or summary needs to be relevant and targeted to every different job prospect. A top quality sample customer service resume will incorporate severa l suitable key terms and phrases that could contain phrases like customer satisfaction, customer retention, processes or efficiency, based on the particular job. What You Should Do About Customer Service Resume Objective or Summary Starting in the Next 20 Minutes You might not have LinkedIn testimonials. Resume objectives can be a little controversial. Keep it rather easy, be specific. Hence, its essential to create a resume thats unique and potent. If your Objective says youre searching for a full-time job and youre asking for a part-time internship, you will probably be disqualified immediately. A resume objective might also incorporate where youre, and where you would like to go in your career. If youve ever worked in customer support, you are aware that it is a job which might not be glamorous, but is totally required. Customer service takes in many of unique jobs. An energetic and quick learner whos committed to excellent customer support. Superior customer service leads to customers that are delighted with the service they received, but who may not go on to offer feedback or reviews for you as well as the firm. Customer Service Officers provide guidance and support to the customers of an organization in order to make the most of loyalty and satisfaction. It is an important part of every business. It is used in many jobs at every level. Employees Excellent customer service begins with the business proprietor, but involves every one of the employees in an organization. There are a lot of soft skills you should cultivate if you intend on working in customer services. When you have a great deal of experience in customer assistance, you can want to use a combination format to highlight both your years of expertise and accolades. If this is the case, you are going to want to emphasize a number of the soft skills commonly necessary for customer service employees, such as being a superior communicator and having strong interpersonal skills. Ou r customer service representative-specific resume examples will allow you to focus your resume on the abilities and experience employers are searching for.

Glassdoor Announces Awards Criteria for the Top CEOs in 2018

Glassdoor Announces Awards Criteria for the Top CEOs in 2018Glassdoor Announces Awards Criteria for the Top CEOs in 2018 Is your Chief Executive Officer (CEO) an extraordinary leader that employees love working for? If so, you can help your company and CEO win a 2018 Glassdoor Employees Choice Award for the Top CEOs (Note, rebranded for 2018 to Top CEOs formerly known as Highest Rated CEOs).Today, Glassdoor is excited to share the 2018 awards criteria to help employees and employers better understand what it takes to be considered.Unlike other workplace awards, there is no self-nomination process and no costs involved. To win a Glassdoor Employees Choice Award, winners are determined based on feedback provided by those who really know a CEO best - his or her employees. If employees dont share reviews on Glassdoor during the year-long eligibility timeframe, a CEO cannot be considered. Thats why we encourage all employees to share a review today.When providing a company review, employees are asked to share their opinion on some of the best reasons to work for their employer (pros), any downsides (cons), and are encouraged to provide advice to management. Employees are also asked to rate several factors tied to their employment experience, including sentiment around their CEOs job performance, in addition to rating workplace attributes like senior management among others. Specifically, when rating their CEO on Glassdoor, employees are able to choose from one of three options approve, disapprove or no opinion of the CEO.For the 2018 Employees Choice Awards recognizing the Top CEOs, Glassdoor will feature six distinct categories in multiple countries. For each category, company reviews and ratings from current and former employees will be considered between May 2, 2017 and May 1, 2018. Reviews submitted after May 1, 2018 will not be considered for the 2018 awards.While Glassdoor accepts reviews from former employees within five years of leav ing a company, for the Employees Choice Awards, only reviews from former employees who have left the company in 2018 or 2017 will be considered.In addition, each list of winners is based on local-employee feedback shared on Glassdoor. For example, reviews from U.S.-based employees will be used to determine if a CEO is eligible for a U.S. list , while reviews from UK-based employees will be used to determine if a CEO is eligible for the UK list . A CEO can win a Top CEO award in multiple countries.To determine the 2018 winners, quantity, quality and consistency of reviews and ratings will be taken into account during the eligibility timeframe. The following information sheds more light on these three areas 1. For quantity of reviews , a minimum number of ratings are required across two leadership attributes that employees can rate when submitting a company review . They include CEO job performance and senior management. If there are not enough ratings across both or either of th e two leadership attributes, a CEO will not be considered. As part of the algorithm led by Glassdoors data science team, a CEOs job performance is mostly taken into account, along with other factors including an employers senior management rating.To be considered for a specific category, a CEO and employer must meet the following requirements during the eligibility timeframe100 Top CEOs U.S. large companies At least 100 ratings across the two leadership attributes from U.S.-based employees At least 1,000 employees at the end of the eligibility timeframe.50 Top CEOs U.S. small & medium companies At least 35 ratings across the two leadership attributes from U.S.-based employees Less than 1,000 employees at the end of the eligibility timeframe.50 Top CEOs UK At least 35 ratings across the two leadership attributes from UK-based employees At least 1,000 employees at the end of the eligibility timeframe.25 Top CEOs Canada At least 25 ratings across the two leadership attributes f rom Canada-based employees At least 1,000 employees at the end of the eligibility timeframe.10 Top CEOs France At least 20 ratings across the two leadership attributes from France-based employees At least 1,000 employees at the end of the eligibility timeframe.10 Top CEOs Germany At least 20 ratings across the two leadership attributes from Germany-based employees At least 1,000 employees at the end of the eligibility timeframe.For all categories, a CEO and employer must also have at least a 3.0 overall company rating, and at least a 3.0 senior management rating during the eligibility period. Plus, a CEO must be currently in the role and featured on their employers profile on Glassdoor as of May 1, 2018. In cases in which there are multiple CEOs for one company, Glassdoor recognizes the CEO(s) on the employers Glassdoor profile as of May 1, 2018. The Glassdoor review panel also relies on the employers global employee count displayed on their Overview page on Glassdoor as of May 1, 2018 to help assess eligibility. Employers have until May 1, 2018 to update their current CEO and/or global employee count (employee size) on their Glassdoor profile with a Free Employer Account . The awards also take into account various types of employment status including full-time, part-time, contract and freelance, however, intern company reviews are not considered.2. For quality of reviews , Glassdoors proprietary awards algorithm also takes into account what employees have to say that shows winning CEOs truly outshine the rest in the eyes of their employees. Quality reviews are those that help job seekers by offering insights and feedback into what its really like to work under the CEO and his/her leadership team, as well as at the company itself, including whats working well, what needs improvement, and advice to senior management, which employees are asked to share when completing a company review. 3. For consistency of reviews, Glassdoors proprietary awards algorithm also looks at trends over time as it relates to both the quantitative and qualitative insights shared by employees. In some cases, if a CEO and/or employer lacks quality and/or consistency of reviews, it can impact results and/or eligibility. Tip We encourage employers to check out free resources into what Top CEOs have in common to learn more.Commitment to integrity for all employers As part of determining award winners, Glassdoor is committed to the highest level of data integrity and reviews quality, including treating all CEOs and employers equal regardless of whether they are a customer of Glassdoor. If the Glassdoor eligibility panel suspects and/or determines official company representatives have attempted to influence employee reviews or have tampered with the process of collecting authentic, unbiased reviews, including intentional or unintentional acts that violate the Glassdoor Community Guidelines and/or Terms of Use , a CEO and/or employer may be excluded from awards consideration. Exclusion from eligibility can be triggered by such acts as, but not limited to, management attempting to leave false reviews, management coercion of employees to submit positive reviews, or other activities and/or events which could ultimately damage employees faith in the CEO, the employer, its senior leadership, and/or adversely affect its overall rating on Glassdoor. A best practice is to ask employees to leave an unbiased review every 12 months. 2018 winners will be announced in June 2018. Want more information? Check out last years winners , free employer resources and award FAQs .

Emotional resilience How to boost it with 10 research-backed secrets

Emotional resilience How to boost it with 10 research-backed secretsEmotional resilience How to boost it with 10 research-backed secretsEver dealt with a really difficult situation? Weve all had ouremotional resilience tested. Sometimes it feels like you just want to give up.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreHow do the toughest people summon the will to keep going?Steven Southwick and Dennis Charney have studied resilient people for over 20 years. They spoke withVietnam prisoners of war, Special Forces instructors and civilians who dealt with terrible experiences like medical problems,abuse and trauma.In their bookResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest Challengesthey assembled the 10 things resilient people have in common so you and Ican learn how to be more gritty and tough when life gets hard.Heres what they learned1) Be OptimisticYes, looking on the bright side keep s you going. But whats more interesting is that theyre leid talking about delusional, pollyanna-style, rose-colored glasses here.Truly resilient people who need to survive the harshest situations and mucksmuschenstill accomplish goals (like POWs and Special Forces units) balance a positive outlook with a realistic view of the world.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesLike pessimists, realistic optimists pay close attention to negative ingestaltation that is relevant to the problems they face. However, unlike pessimists, they do notlage remain focused on the negative. They tend to disengage rapidly from problems that appear to be unsolvable. That is, they know when to cut their losses and turn their attention to problems that they believe they can solve.And theyre not the only ones to realize this. WhenLaurence Gonzalesstudied survivors of life-threatening scenarios he found the saatkorn thing they balance positivity with realism.But that leads to an obvi ous questionhow the heck do you do that?Gonzales realized the distinction is in being realistic about the world but confident in your abilitiessee the world accurately - but believe you are a rockstar.(To learn how to be more optimistic, clickhere.)So youre thinking positive. But what about when your optimism gets tested and things get scary?2) Face Your FearsNeuroscience says theres only one real way to deal with fear you need to face it, head on. This is what the most resilient people do.When we avoid scary things we become more scared. When you face your fears they become less frightening.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesTo extinguish a fear-conditioned memory, one must be exposed to the fear-inducing stimulus in a safe environment, and this expokoranvers needs to last long enough for the brain to form a new memory which conveys that the fear-conditioned stimulus is no longer dangerous in the present environment. Brain imaging findings suggest tha t extinction may involve a strengthening of the capacity of the PFC to inhibitamygdala-based fear responses (Phelps et al., 2004). Several approaches to treating anxiety disorders such as PTSD and phobias have been shown to be effective in promoting extinction. In essence, these therapies encourage the patient to confront the fear and anxiety head-on.What do Special Forces soldiers think when facing the most terrifying situations?Im scared, but I can learn from this, or This is a test thats going to make me stronger.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesIn addition to viewing fear as a helpful warning and guide, medic and SF instructor fruchtmark Hickey believes that fear is good because it keeps him on his toes and serves as a platform for developing courage, self-esteem, and a sense of mastery. When Hickey experiences fear, he often thinks, Im scared, but I can learn from this, or This is a test thats going to make me stronger.(To learn how you can have more grit - from a Navy SEAL platoon commander, clickhere.)Think positive. Face your fears. Good advice but what do we need to develop deep down to overcome lifes biggest obstacles?3) Have A Moral CompassThe emotionally resilient people that Southwick and Charney studied all had a strong sense of right and wrong. Despite being in situations that could threaten their lives, they always thought about others, not just themselves.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesIn our interviews, we found that many resilient individuals possessed a keen sense of right and wrong that strengthened them during periods of extreme stress and afterward, as they adjusted to life following trauma. Also altruism selflessness, concern for the welfare of others, and giving to others with no expectation of benefit to the self often stood as a pillar of their value system, of their moral compass.They mention a program called The Giraffe Project that helps kids develop good values. What does the system teach?Stick your neck out and do the right thing.(To learn a Stanford professors tips on how to make sure your kids have grit, clickhere.)So morals strengthen our resolve in tough times. But where do they often come from?4) Practice SpiritualityThis was the 1 thing that one researcher found when studying people who overcame tragedy.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesDr. Amad found religious belief among survivors to be the single most powerful force in explaining the tragedy and in explaining survival.But what if youre not religious? No problem.Much of the strength from religious activity comes from being a part of a community. So you dont have to do anything you dont believe in, but you want to be a part of a group that strengthens your resolve.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesFor example, the relationship between resilience and religion may partly be explained by the social quality of religious att endance. The word religion comes from the Latin religare meaning to bind. People who regularly attend religious services may have access to a deeper and broader form of social support than is often available in a secular setting.(To learn what the survivors of deadly situations all have in common, clickhere.)So being part of a group with beliefs is important.But what if youre not?5) Get Social SupportEven if youre not part of a religion or community, friends and loved ones are key when life gets hard.When Admiral Robert Shumaker was a POW in Vietnam, he was isolated from the other captives. How did he maintain his resolve?By tapping on the wall of his cell. His fellow prisoners could hear it, and they would tap back. Its ridiculously simple but their tap code let them know they were not alone in their suffering.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesDuring his eight years in North Vietnamese prisons, Shumaker used his wits and creativity to help develop an ingenious method of communication, known as the Tap Code, which provided a critical lifeline that allowed scores of prisoners to connect with one another.Our brains need social support to function optimally. Connection with others releases oxytocin which calms your mind and reduces stress.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesOxytocins actions in reducing amygdala activation and arousal may help to explain why positive support from others can reduce stress (Heinrichs et al., 2009 Lee et al., 2009).And the solution isnt just receiving help from others - itsgiving help.AsDale Carnegiesaid, You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.(To learn how Special Forces soldiers overcome adversity, clickhere.)But we cant always be surrounded by others. How can people we love and respect help us thrive even when were alone?6) Have Resilient Role ModelsWhen you study kids who grow up in impoverished circumstances but go on to live productive, healthy lives, what do you find?They had great role models who provided a positive example and supported them.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesOne of the first psychologists to study resilience, Emmy Werner, followed the lives of children who were raised in impoverished homes with an alcoholic, abusive, or mentally ill parent. Werner observed that resilient children the ones who grew up to be productive, emotionally healthy adults had at least one person in their lives who truly supported them and served as an admired role model (Werner, 1993 Werner Smith, 1992). Our research has found a similar pattern all of the resilient individuals we interviewed have role models whose beliefs, attitudes and behaviors inspire them.But sometimes its hard to find people we know we want to be like. Thats okay. Southwick and Charney found that its often enough to havebadrole models - people who provide an example of whatyoudontwant to be.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesAlthough we generally think of role models as providing positive examples to admire and emulate, in some cases a particular person may stand out in the opposite way embodying traits we emphatically do not want to have. We can think of such a person as a negative role model.(To learn a Yale professors lazy secret to an awesome life, clickhere.)Psychologys great but resilience isnt all in the mind. Where else can we find strength? Inactualstrength7) Maintain PhysicalFitnessAgain and again, Southwick and Charney saw that the most resilient people had good exercise habits that kept their bodies (as well as their minds) strong.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesMany of the resilient individuals we interviewed have a regular habit of exercise and believe that staying fit has helped them, both during their traumatic ordeals and during the ir recovery. In fact, some of them credit physical exercise with saving their lives.And, interestingly, this seems to be more important if youre someone whos a bit more emotionally fragile. Why?The stress of exercise helps us adapt to the stress we will feel when life challenges us.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesResearchers believe that during vigorous aerobic exercise, the anxiety-sensitive person is forced to tolerate many of the same symptoms (that is, rapid heart rate, sweating, and rapid breathing) that frighten him or her during periods of anxiety. Over time, the anxiety-sensitive individual who continues to exercise vigorously can learn that these symptoms of arousal are typically not dangerous, and the fear that these symptoms trigger gradually decreases in intensity (Salmon, 2001).(To learn what makes Olympic athletes and Navy SEALs so mentally tough, clickhere.)But getting your body in shape isnt everything8) Keep Your Brain StrongNo,that little brain game on your phone isnt what were talking about. Resilient people are very often lifelong learners. They keep growing their mind, learning to learn, and adapting to new information about the world.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesIn our experience, resilient people tend to be lifelong learners, continually seeking opportunities to become more mentally fit.This not only keeps you sharp but has a whole host of positive health benefits.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesIndeed, a 2004 study by Cathie Hammond at the University of London concluded that lifelong learning was associated with a range of health outcomes well-being, protection and recovery from mental health difficulties, and the capacity to cope with potentially stress-inducing circumstances self-esteem, self-efficacy, a sense of purpose and hope, competences, and social integration. Learning developed these psychosocialqualities through extending bo undaries, a process which is quintessential to learning. (Hammond, 2004)(To learn the four rituals neuroscience says will make you happy, clickhere.)Smart and fit is good but, by definition, hard times mean things were not used to. How do you prepare for what youre not prepared for?9) Be Cognitively FlexibleAll of us have one way we typically cope with difficulty, but what sets extremely resilient people apart is they use anumberof ways to deal with stressful situations.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesPeople who are resilient tend to be flexible flexible in the way they think about challenges and flexible in the way they react emotionally to stress. They are not wedded to a specific style of coping. Instead, they shift from one coping strategy to another depending on the circumstances.Whats a good coping stylethat definitely works? Ive spoken to a number ofelite military operatorsand Ive heard the same thing over and over Be tough? Nope. Ignore it? Nope.They all mentionedhumor.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesSubstantialevidence exists for the effectiveness of humor as a coping mechanism. Studies involving combat veterans (Hendin Haas, 1984), cancer patients (Carver, 1993), and surgical patients (Culver et al., 2002) have found that when humor is used to reduce the threatening nature of stressful situations, it is associated with resilience and the capacity to tolerate stress (Martin, 2003).(To learn how to be funny, clickhere.)Okay, last one. Whats critical when you are dealing with the toughest situationslife has to offer?10)Find Meaning In What You DoResilient people dont have jobs - they have callings. They have a mission and purpose in life that gives meaning to the things they do.So when timesare hard, they feel agreater purpose is behind them, pushing them forward.FromResilience The Science of Mastering Lifes Greatest ChallengesIn keeping with Frankls conception of service as a pillar o f meaning, the ability to see ones work as a calling may enhance resilience. This holds true even for people performing dirty work jobs (e.g. hospital cleaners) and for people who have been prevented from pursuing their chosen career.(To learn how to find meaning in your life, clickhere.)Alright, lets round up what weve learned - and find out about the upsides of the downsides of lifeSum UpHeres how to increase your emotional resilienceFoster optimism Dont be in denial. See the world clearly but believe in your abilities.Face your fears Hiding from fear makes it worse. Face it and you overcome it.Have amoral compass A strong feeling of right and wrong tells us we must when we feel we cant.Practice spirituality Be a part of a group that has strong beliefs.Give and receivesocial support Tapping on the wall of your cell can keep you going.Imitate resilient role models Or have people you know you donotwant to be.Physicalfitness Exercise adapts your body to stress.Be a lifelong learner Keep your brain sharp and it will give you solutions when you need them most.Have a number of ways to cope Be like Navy SEALs and Special Forces operators - and laugh.Have meaning in your life Dont just do a job have a calling and a purpose.(Ill be sending out a PDF summary from the research in mynext weekly email. To make sure you dont miss it, joinhere.)And how can the downsides of life lead to a greater upside?We hear a lot about PTSD post-traumatic stress disorder. But we hear a lot less about the reversepost-traumatic growth.And it is real. Many people who experience hardships in life and get through them dont come out weaker, they come outbetter.FromFlourish A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-beingIn a month, 1,700 people reported at least one of these awful events, and they took our well-being tests as well. To our surprise, individuals whod experienced one awful event had more intense strengths (and therefore higher well-being) than individuals who had none . Individuals whod been through two awful events were stronger than individuals who had one, and individuals who had three- raped, tortured, and held captive for example- were stronger than those who had two.So it sounds likeNietzschewas right what does not kill you reallycanmake you stronger.As one of the resilient peopleSouthwick and Charneyspoke to saidI am more vulnerable than I thought, but much stronger than I ever imagined.Join over 255,000 readers.Get a free weekly update via emailhere.This article first appeared on Barking up the Wrong Tree.

Develop a Human Resources Department Business Plan

Develop a Human Resources Department Business Plan Develop a Human Resources Department Business Plan If you’re a department leader, your boss will likely one day ask this question: “What is your business plan for your department?” As the leader of the Human Resources function, you can use these steps to answer that question. A frequently asked question at this website, it’s a difficult question to answer in a generic fashion because the needs of every company for the contribution of the HR department can differ widely. You can, however, use these steps as a guide as you develop your own HR business plan. Your Human Resources department business plan depends on your needs analysis of your own workplace. Your Human Resources department business plan also depends on learning about and benchmarking industry standards outside of your organization. But, the fundamental question you need to answer, to reply to your boss’s question, is, “What does your workplace need from the HR function?” Here’s how you can find the answer. Steps to Develop a Human Resources Department Business Plan Start your Human Resources department business plan by clarifying exactly what your boss needs and wants from you and in how much detail. You don’t want to spend hours and hours developing information or a detailed plan that the boss doesn’t need or want.That said, for your own clear purpose and direction, your own strategic plan for your department, this approach will yield great value.Read through the detailed job descriptions that have been developed for the HR Director/VP, HR Generalist, and HR Assistant. Are there functions listed in these job descriptions that you are not performing that you could perform that would add value to your organization?Start a function list. You can also use a commercially developed Human Resources department audit book/program or an occasional free Human Resources department audit plan list. Take a look at this list, plus add to the list, the functions that your Human Resources department is already performing and functions that you know you want to add- or subtract. Minute detail is not required until you are ready to put together your Human Resources department business plan when you complete these steps.Meet with your fellow executives to obtain an assessment of their current satisfaction with your services, additional services they’d like you to add, and their ideas about how HR can best support your organization’s mission, vision, and goals.Supply the questions to your key colleagues in advance of your meeting. Inform them that you have distributed the questions in advance so that they can solicit feedback from their staff, too. If you have effectively gathered the above internal and external information, you may be able to present the choices in a rating and ranking format.This is the key step within your organization for assessing what the line management and the employees want from the HR function. Of course, there are administrative and counseling functions that they might never consider asking you to provide that you will continue to provide as part of a professional HR function. The purpose of asking is to find the offerings that your customers think they need most. You are developing a great deal of internal information about your company’s HR needs. You might also look at recent journals from professional associations such as the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). Talk with colleagues in any local associations you attend. Take a look at literature available such as HR Magazine. The articles from this section of TheBalance.com are particularly useful for planning the priorities and scope of the HR department business plan.Once you have gathered all of this information, or even, just enough- your executives’ priorities may give you extremely clear direction, for example- you can make a plan. You can see what you are missing in your HR department, what you might expand, what you need to focus on strategically to build your department’s contribution, and what you may currently offer that is not needed. From these  identified missions, prioritize and make a plan, based on resources and your preferred method of presentation or accomplishment, of what you can accomplish this year and next. Some solutions may be HRIS-based needs; others may have to do with HR office offerings; others may require a strategic change in direction or the addition of a major function. You won’t know until you study and ask. Now, at last, you can answer your boss’s question: What is your business plan for your HR department?

How to Start a Pet Bakery Business

How to Start a Pet Bakery Business How to Start a Pet Bakery Business With pet owners becoming increasingly concerned with the quality of their pet’s food and treats, the gourmet pet bakery industry is expanding rapidly. Business Considerations The first step is to form your business as a sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), or corporation. There are various tax and liability advantages to each type of business, so it is wise to consult with your accountant or attorney to determine which option will best suit your bakery operation. Next, you have to determine whether you will operate out of your home or a retail location. If you operate from home, you can sell products online via a website and use PayPal or a merchant account to accept credit card payments. This is a lower cost start up option than a retail store  if local regulations permit it. A retail store offers additional exposure and customer traffic, but will obviously involve added costs for rent. You may also  need to apply for licenses or permits, comply with health codes and inspections, and check for additional requirements with your county, city, and state regulatory agencies. An additional consideration for a pet bakery business is obtaining an insurance policy. Develop Your Products Dog bakery supplies can be purchased from a number of suppliers such as K9 Cakery. A wide variety of cookie cutters, cake pans, and containers are available. Once your business is established, you may wish to have customized packaging developed. The most attractive feature of a gourmet product is the fact that it is an all-natural and additive free option, as opposed to chemically preserved and mass produced products that are commonly stocked in pet stores. This advantage should be heavily emphasized in your marketing and printed on your packaging. It is important to note that in many states it is recommended (or even required) that you have your ingredients analyzed and listed on the packaging. Each product should have a catchy or descriptive name. Holiday-themed treats are always popular with pet owners. Themed treats can be designed to celebrate Christmas, Halloween, Easter, New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, Valentine’s Day, or any number of occasions including birthdays. Some dog bakeries offer a catering service for pet parties. Gift baskets are a great way to present products. The basket can be in the shape of a dog bone, or placed in a thematic container such as a Christmas stocking or Easter basket. Animal paw print cellophane bags and ribbons can complete the look. Marketing Once of the most important factors in making your business successful is to distinguish it from the competition. You need to develop a creative, unique name and logo that potential customers will remember. There are many great advertising options for a pet bakery business. You can send out flyers, catalogs, and postcards. You can leave these items, along with a business card, at various pet-related locations such as dog parks, pet stores, and veterinary clinics. You can place large magnets on your side and rear car doors. If you have a website, be sure to allow customers to subscribe to your mailing list for a weekly or monthly newsletter featuring special offers, events, and coupons. Gourmet pet products are often sold through trade shows, gift shops, dog shows, craft fairs, pet stores, and veterinary clinics. You can approach veterinarians, dog trainers, dog walkers, doggie daycare owners, and dog groomers about offering your products. You can donate gift baskets to fundraisers, featuring your business card and logo, to gain exposure while helping a good cause. You could also set up a product sampling event at a fair or pet store. Word of mouth will be a major factor as your business becomes more established. One happy customer can refer dozens of new clients. Price Your Product The best way to figure out your product pricing is to research similar products produced by other local or online pet gourmet businesses. Your prices should fall into a similar range. You should also factor in the costs of the ingredients necessary to produce a particular item. Gift items, such as gift baskets, usually carry a premium price. Orders and Delivery Be sure to carefully design an order form. The form should clearly outline your refund and deposit policy. Nearly all pet bakery businesses accept some sort of credit card payment system. You will need to ship for quick delivery via FedEx, UPS, or USPS Priority. It is best to mark the packages “perishable.” Package your items in shrink wrap and vacuum seal to ensure freshness and prevent mold. Industry Growth The U.S. pet industry commanded  $50.84 billion dollars in 2011, according to the American Pet Product Manufacturers Association. Pet food items command $19.53 billion of that amount. The APPMA estimates that there are 78.2 million dogs and 86.4 million cats kept as pets, and that number is expected to increase each year. Pet bakery businesses should expect to have positive momentum as the number of pets and pet expenditures continue to grow.