Business Etiquette: How to sign off on an email

An interesting look at how to sign off (business) emails -- from an article on Forbes.  LOL: the article lists almost 100 ways people sign off for emails.

*********

Before I dive into the list, here are my four general rules for signing off on emails:

1.  Don’t include quotes. They bog down emails and take up readers’ precious time.

2. Avoid oversized corporate logos. Sometimes we have no choice about this, because our companies insist we include these things, but if they are too big, they draw the eye away from the message.

3. Include your title and contact info, but keep it short. In most business emails, you’re doing the person a favor by sharing your vital information. But make it minimal. Mine just says, “Susan Adams, Senior Editor, Forbes  212-206-5571.” A short link to your website is fine but avoid a laundry list of links promoting your projects and publications.

4. Do include some kind of sign-off in the first email in a chain (once you’ve started a thread, you don’t need to keep signing off).

***

Favorite sign-offs:

Best

All Best – Harmless.

All the best – This works too.

Best Regards – More formal than the ubiquitous “Best.” I use this occasionally.

Regards – Fine, anodyne, helpfully brief. I use this too.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2014/10/08/89-ways-to-sign-off-on-an-email/

Career: How to answer, "What did you earn in your last job?"

Some good advice on this tough question:

Interviewers aren't trying to be rude. They've just drunk a lot of toxic lemonade themselves. They'll say "We need your past salary information."

Really? You need it? I understand that people in Hell need ice water, my darling.
They don't need to know your past salaries. They just want it. As we tell our kids, Want and Need are two different things.

Tell them your salary requirement, instead. That's all they need to make a Yes or No decision about whether your salary requirements and their salary range are in the same ballpark.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20140924132829-52594--what-did-you-earn-at-your-last-job?trk=tod-home-art-list-large_0

Career: How to Spot a Bad Boss

Monster.com had a good article on how to spot a bad boss BEFORE accepting a job offer.  Because working with people is such an important part of job satisfaction, check this article out:

I’ve worked for some pretty bad bosses during my career. Some were managers who became my boss after I was already working in the job, but others were toxic bosses that I should have spotted before I even accepted the job offer.

Here are 10 ways to spot a bad boss – before you take the job:

1. They’re late for the job interview. I once sat outside a hiring manager’s office, waiting for my job interview. I waited. And waited. And waited. 45 minutes after the interview should have started, the hiring manager walked past and then stared at me. “Who are you?” he demanded. I told him I was his 10am interview candidate. He rolled his eyes. “Oh great. Another interview. Like I don’t already have enough to do,” he grumbled. “Fine. You might as well come into my office so I can get this over.” This hiring manager had not only forgotten about my interview, he also hated his job. A dangerous combination to avoid.

2. Their office is unusually disorganized. Earlier in my career, I accepted a job working for a manager whose office was a mess. Well, that’s an understatement. Her office looked like a tornado had swept through it. I should have spotted the telltale signs during my job interview: She didn’t have a copy of my resume or even the job posting, there were sticky notes all over her computer screen and desk, stacks of paperwork were all over her office, even her clothing and hair were messy. Unfortunately, her disorganization spilled over into how she managed people and managed her department.

3. They ask illegal questions during your interview. Does the hiring manager ask questions about how many children you have or if you plan on having any? Do he/she ask about your religion or your age? Hiring managers should always avoid asking any questions based on race, religion, gender, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, veteran or military status, and physical, mental, or sensory disabilities. That’s because these are all “protected classes” under most state law. If you’re asked any of these types of questions, it means the hiring manager either isn’t trained and experienced or may be unethical.

4. Other employees avoid the hiring manager. As you walk down the hallway to the hiring manager’s office or conference room for your interview, be aware of how other employees react to the manager. Are they friendly and positive toward him/her? Or, do they quickly turn around and walk away or dive behind cubicles to avoid being seen? Look for signs that other employees are afraid of the hiring manager or trying to avoid the person.

You get the idea, but read more here: 

http://news.monster.com/a/other/how-to-spot-a-bad-boss-before-you-accept-the-job-offer-e05cf6?WT.mc_n=CRM_US_B2C_LC_TWOM_Full_140919

What Career Were You Supposed to Have?

Here is a fun quiz (and short, too!) -- that tells what career you were really meant for...  The quiz has yielded sensible results for various people we know.  

http://bitecharge.com/play/career/h3

Career: Traits of Top Talent

Here is a good article about top talent at a job.  Some of this is common sense -- but it is worth repeating...!!

****

• Try to improve process by rapidly acquiring and integrating new information
• Foster an environment of process improvement rather than blame
• Remain calm and composed under stress
• Can manage completing assignments with competing deadlines

Collaborative

“Top talent” recognizes when he is the best person for the task and when it’s critical to join others and work as a part of a team.

• Follow through on commitments
• Strong communication skills
• Don’t take negative feedback personally
• Don’t take credit for good results
• Get along well with others
• Not fearful of incorporating team members with superior expertise for a superior outcome

Adept problem solver

“Top talent” doesn’t hesitate to fix a problem.

• First to offer to help
• Come through fast and over deliver
• Offer creative, innovative solutions
• Inspire others to take action
• Consistent
• Provide a new approach to solving problems

Humility

“Top talent” knows her talents and doesn’t need to broadcast them to fellow employees or to their superior. This personality exudes confidence but not in a way that intimidates others. Their calm tone and mild manner draws people to them and makes it easy for others to come to them for help and to open up to them about challenges they face.

• Embrace others’ better ideas
• Learn from failure
• Step back to see if someone has a better point

Leadership

When faced with a problem as a team member, “top talent” intuitively knows the appropriate time to step in or step back; s/he focuses on the project’s success, not on a rigid leadership structure.

Great leaders tend to be inclusive, humble, self-directed and mission focused and inspire others to action. An employee who exhibits leadership ability is generally well respected by co-workers. They have demonstrated competence and are often known to seek feedback (both positive and negative). Top talent shows genuine concern for the well being of the group.

“Top talent” NEVER Says:

“It’s not my job”!

Read more: http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/get-known-as-top-talent-using-these-five-traits/#ixzz2vYectd7W





http://www.businessinsider.com/company-top-talent-2014-3

Words and Phrases that Ruin a Resume

Here are some good examples of words and phrases to avoid.  In today's action-oriented world, people want "action" words...


1. “Salary negotiable”

Yes, they know. If you’re wasting a precious line of your resume on this term, it looks as though you’re padding -- that you’ve run out of things to talk about. If your salary is not negotiable, that would be somewhat unusual. (Still, don’t put that on your resume either.)

2. “References available by request”

See the preceding comment about unnecessary terms.

3. “Responsible for ______”

Reading this term, the recruiter can almost picture the C-average, uninspired employee mechanically fulfilling his job requirements -- no more, no less. Having been responsible for something isn’t something you did -- it’s something that happened to you. Turn phrases like “responsible for” into “managed,” “led” or other decisive, strong verbs.

4. “Experience working in ______”

Again, experience is something that happens to you -- not something you achieve. Describe your background in terms of achievements.

5. “Problem-solving skills”
You know who else has problem-solving skills? Monkeys. Dogs. On your resume, stick to skills that require a human.

6. “Detail-oriented”

So, you pay attention to details. Well, so does everyone else. Don’t you have something unique to tell the hiring manager? Plus, putting this on your resume will make that accidental typo in your cover letter or resume all the more comical.

7. “Hardworking” 

Have you ever heard the term “show -- don’t tell”? This is where that might apply. Anyone can call himself a hard worker. It’s a lot more convincing if you describe situations in concrete detail in which your hard work benefited an employer.



For the rest of the article, please click here:
http://career-advice.monster.com/resumes-cover-letters/resume-writing-tips/10-words-ruin-resume/article.aspx?WT.mc_n=CRMUS001853

One Thing to do at every Interview

Here's a very good article by Dave Kerpen on LinkedIN.  Click here for the entire article.

I recently interviewed an excellent candidate for a position at our growing startup, Likeable Local. The woman had an incredible resume, an infectious personality, and, seemingly, a good work ethic. She was dressed for success, with a style fitting our culture. She answered my questions well, and seemed like a potential fit for our company. Yet, despite all of this, she didn’t receive another interview, and I we chose to not consider hiring her. What went wrong?

When I asked her what questions she had for me, twice, the job candidate replied, “None, really. I’ve been following you guys online for awhile and feel like I know everything already.”

That was a fatal error, of course. By not asking questions, she told me she wasn’t truly interested in learning more, in creating value, and in our company. She wasn't interested enough in learning more to find out if we were a fit for her. I couldn’t hire an otherwise well-qualified candidate because, in her lack of questions, she displayed a lack of passion for, interest in, and curiosity about our company, the position, and the fit.

The most important thing you must do in every interview is to ask great questions.

The key is to ask great questions- not to ask questions that you should know the answers to already (“What does the position entail?) or questions that make it all about you (“What is your vacation policy?”)

Don't ask questions to check a box. Ask questions out of authentic, genuine curiosity.

Here are 9 great questions you can use or make your own on your next job interview. Of course, don't ask all nine, but choose a couple and tailor them based on your unique circumstances:

1) Who would make the ideal candidate for this position?

2) How will the work I’ll be doing contribute to the organization’s mission?

3) What were the best things about the last person who held this position?

4) What are three ways I can contribute to the company beyond the job description?

5) How can I best contribute to the department’s goals?

6) How do you see me best contributing to the corporate culture and morale?

7) What do you see as the biggest challenges of working here and how can I overcome those challenges?

8) What is your vision for where the company or department will be in one year? In 3-5 years?

9) How can I best help you and the team succeed?

http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130606153931-15077789-the-1-thing-you-must-do-in-every-job-interview?trk=tod-home-art-large_0

College Expenses - and Teaching as a Profession

Some interesting thoughts from a VP of finance at a top college:

Why College Costs So Much

As high-school seniors around the country open their mailboxes looking for thick envelopes from colleges and universities, their parents are undoubtedly thinking, "Why does college cost so damn much?"—particularly if those children are headed to elite private institutions. Based on my experience as the vice president for finance and administration at a prominent college in the early 2000s, I suggest that the answer is simple: Top private institutions charge what they do because a substantial number of people will pay it.

Setting College Costs

... at the beginning of my tenure as an elite school's chief financial officer, I was surprised to learn from my colleagues that tuition and fees were not set by analyzing budget projections. Instead they were set by looking at a chart of the prior year's tuition charges at comparable schools and then trying to predict their increases for the next year. The goal was to maintain the college's position in the pecking order of total charges. I learned that the most prestigious and desirable institutions have a good deal of information about the shape of the demand curve for the families seeking to obtain elite higher education for their offspring. These schools have the capacity to estimate with some precision how many applicants will go elsewhere for each additional dollar they charge in tuition and fees. Each sets its tuition so as to produce a targeted "yield"—the percentage of accepted students who actually enroll there. If in any year we over- or under-estimated the price changes made by the other schools, and we had moved up or down in rank, we corrected the following year by raising or lowering tuition by more or less to compensate. We essentially followed the price leadership of the wealthiest, most prestigious institutions.

Teaching: A Good Idea?

The results of this market pricing power are straightforward. First, and most significantly—given that 60% to 75% of college costs go to salary and benefits—is handsome compensation for senior faculty and administrators. In the not-so-distant past, the stereotypical scholar was a tweedy professor in a worn sports coat who did underpaid but satisfying work. Today, most junior faculty continue to receive relatively low pay. But senior, tenured faculty at elite schools are firmly entrenched in the well-compensated professional class (top salaries at elite schools often exceed $150,000; and for scholars in economics, business and law schools, earnings can be substantially in excess of that) with superior benefits, such as university-subsided housing, lifetime heath care and seven-figure retirement accounts. Once tenure has been achieved, generally after less than ten years of work, top college teachers face no professional risk and, by and large, teach three or fewer courses a semester. Also, college faculty members usually receive free or highly subsidized higher education for their children—making them even less sensitive to the burden that college tuition and fees impose on other families.

The Wall Street Journal reports:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304017404575165730979629178.html

Presentations: Hook an Audience in First 30 Seconds

“When you advertise fire-extinguishers, open with the fire,” says advertising executive David Ogilvy. You have only 30 seconds in a TV commercial to grab attention. The same applies to a presentation. The first 30 seconds of your talk is crucial. This is the time your listeners form an impression of you, and of what’s to follow.

Like a fine thoroughbred, you need to hit the ground running by starting strong. Instead, many presenters are more like old, tired workhorses—they start weak by wasting those first precious seconds with platitudes and pleasantries. Brain research shows that we don’t pay attention to boring things. Surprise your listeners with a hook that immediately grabs their attention.

Read more here:
http://www.openforum.com/articles/hook-presentation-audience-30-seconds/?intlink=us-openf-nav-mostpopular

Oddball Interview Questions

Here are some interesting interview questions compiled by Glassdoor.com.

...Top 25 Oddball Interview Questions for 2012:

1. “If you were to get rid of one state in the U.S., which would it be and why?” — asked at Forrester Research, research associate candidate

2. “How many cows are in Canada?” — asked at Google, local data quality evaluator candidate

3. “How many quarters would you need to reach the height of the Empire State building?” — asked at JetBlue, pricing/revenue management analyst candidate

4. “A penguin walks through that door right now wearing a sombrero. What does he say and why is he here?” — asked at Clark Construction Group, office engineer candidate

5. “What songs best describes your work ethic?” — asked at Dell, consumer sales candidate

6. “Jeff Bezos walks into your office and says you can have a million dollars to launch your best entrepreneurial idea. What is it?” — asked at Amazon, product development

7. “What do you think about when you are alone in your car?” — asked at Gallup, associate analyst candidate

8. “How would you rate your memory?” — asked at Marriott, front desk associate candidate

9. “Name 3 previous Nobel Prize Winners.” — asked at BenefitsCONNECT, office manager candidate

Read more here:

http://www.bizjournals.com/baltimore/blog/2013/01/top-25-oddball-job-interview.html

"Bring Our Children to Work" Day

Today is "Bring Our Children to Work" Day (or "Bring Our Daughters & Sons to Work Day").  Here are a few links about this special day:

http://www.daughtersandsonstowork.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=936

http://www.ivillage.com/bring-your-child-work-day-2011/6-a-344272

If you have children and are bringing them to work -- enjoy the day.