Heres how to survive your first day at work at your new job

Heres how to survive your first day at work at your new jobBeing the new guy in the arbeitszimmer is rough especially on your first day. You never know what to expect coming into a new environment. But being new in the office and surrounding is an exciting time. Its time to meet new people and get into the new swing of things.With this survival guide being prepared for dayone of your new job will be easy breezy. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) Remember be yourself and things will go greatSource ChairOffice

Ask a Recruiter What Did The Best Cover Letter Youve Ever Seen Look Like

Ask a Recruiter What Did The Best Cover Letter Youve Ever Seen Look Like Want to know whatrecruiters are really thinking? In our Ask a Recruiter series, we invite you to take an exclusive look inside the mind of a real recruiter Allie Hofer to see how she approaches the hiring process.Twice a month, Allie will answer a question from one of our readers. If you have a question about finding the right job posting, emailing the right person, or landing yourself on a recruiters desk, drop it in the comments.Q What did the best deckblatt letter youve ever seen look like?If youre staying up to date with the Ask a Recruiter series, you read last week about one of the instances its important to bring back the cover letter. As I mentioned in that article, for most jobs, I am not focused on whether or not the candidate includes a cover letter. But in instances where their resume needs some explaining, a cover letter becomes both important and helpful. Generally speaking, there are 5 times I w ould recommend including a cover letter in your next job application1. Your resume demonstrates some decent job hopping.At times, there are good reasons for why a person may have had some job hopping in their resume. But without explanation, I often automatically rule them out as a flight-risk.2. Your resume demonstrates a significant career break.Like number one above, there are a slew of good reasons why one might have left the workforce for a period of time, like having a baby (if thats you, dont forget to check out what options you have for flexible work arrangements). However, without explanation, this can play to your disadvantage.3. Your resume suggests you might be overqualified for the role.Ill let you in on a little secret recruiting is my least favorite pillar of the HR function. But I do it because it offers the flexibility I need while raising my young girls. In some ways, I think I am overqualified for the recruiting I am currently doing because I have a significant am ount of employee relations, performance management, and other HR experience, but I simply do not mind because of the work-life compatibility I can achieve while doing recruiting. Id need to explain this if I were applying for my job today.4. You have been personally referred by someone for the job.In case the employee who referred you didnt think to send the hiring manager or recruiter an email to give them a heads up, its important that you highlight that youve been referred by someone for this role. Remember, candidates who are referred are 15 times mora likely to be interviewed than candidates who have not been referred. Dont miss this opportunity to tell them.5. The role you are applying for is executive-level.While still not required, its probably not a bad idea to include a cover letter if the role you are applying for is a very senior-level one.Apart from these circumstances, though, I think the cover letter is generally becoming obsolete, and thats because the majority of th em are either recapping a resume or are completely generic. But should the job you are applying for fall within any of those 5 categories, I recommend it reading something like thisDear AllieI am writing in response to the opening for the Project Manager role. I can offer you three years of experience as a project coordinator and 2 years of experience in a project management role while also bringing experience from both the consulting and hospitality industries. I understand insert company name is focused on insert company objective, and my work experience in areas of insert a minimum of three areas you have added value will be of great value to driving insert company names objective forward.insert additional explanation if you fall under items 1-4.I have attached my resume for your review and look forward to hearing from you soon.Kind regards,This cover letter is effective because instead of it summarizing the job description or resume, it offers the candidates opinion on why, base d on that job description and resume, the candidate is a solid choice. This cover letter also demonstrates an understanding of what the company at which you are applying is in business to achieve, but it also demonstrates an understanding of how this stelle is integral to helping drive that forward.At this point, whether or not to include an cover letter and exactly what that cover letter should say, should be pretty clear. Its a small time commitment that if executed appropriately could be the difference between landing that job and not--Hi, there Im Allie Hofer,an HR professional and work-life balance enthusiast. More officially, Im a Professional in Human Resources (PHR) and Society of Human Resource Management Certified Professional (SHRM-CP). After having my first child, I opted out of the traditional office schauplatz to work from home. Since then, I have been consulting with organizations in the public and private sectors to support the Human Resources function in recruiting , compensation, training and development, and performance management.I started Office Hours to offer a boutique HR solution for small and medium-sized businesses and to help candidates navigate and completely own their career pathsWhats your most burning job search question? Drop it in the comments below and our expert recruiter may answer it in a future post

Inspiring a Generation of Tech Champions How Gen. Z Can Become Future IT MVPs

Inspiring a Generation of Tech Champions How Gen. Z Can Become Future IT MVPs At the time of writing this, its late April and the NBA playoffs have commenced. We wont have a champion until mid-June. As a basketball fan, I find thistwo-month span feels agonizingly long. Lets just have Cleveland and Golden State departure the rubber match of their championship series, which is what fruchtwein fans expect and want to see.As the CEO of a philanthropic organization in the IT industry, I have a similar sinking feeling when I consider what business magazines and newspapers call the tech skills gemeinsame agrarpolitik.Per some sources, there may be as many as half a million unfilled IT jobs in the U.S. at any given time. Layered atop this challenge are predictions by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics that IT occupations may grow 12 percent by 2024. Then there are the looming retirements, which may mean the exit of hundreds of thousands of IT employees over the next several years. If so many tech-related positions go unfilled today and their numbers keep swelling can the tech employment gap ever be closed?Contemplating this vexing scenario inspires me to think about basketball again, as a pleasant distraction. One of the great joys of the NBA regular season was watching Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder play like a man possessed.Westbrook recently broke a 56-year-old record held by Hall of Famer Oscar Robertsonfor the most triple-doubles in a season. A triple-double double digits in points, rebounds, and assists in one game is a truly Herculean feat in basketball. Even to the games elite, the goal must seem unattainable when the season begins. While achieving this record, Westbrook averaged a triple-double across the regular-season schedule, which, again, only Robertson had done in the past.Yet the debate still rages over whether Westbrook deserves to be named the NBAs regular-season MVP. Hoops enthusiasts are making c ompelling arguments for other contenders, such as the Houston Rockets James Harden or the San Antonio Spurs Kawhi Leonard. Which star ultimately wins the designation will depend a lot on how we define the term most valuable player and what we expect from our MVPs.I suspect intangibles will carry mora weight than technique or metrics when it comes to naming this years MVP. After all, what I enjoy most about watching Westbrook play is the intensity and passion he brings to every contest and how he has his teammates backs at every turn. Yes, his basketball skills are impressive, but his impact wouldnt be as great without these other elements. What makes him a game-changer are his basketball soft skills. Surely, Hardens and Leonards fans feel the same way.But what does basketball have to do with closing the tech skills gap?Well, Westbrook, Harden, and Leonard have yet to hit age 30. In NBA circles, theyre not pups, but they are the rising generation. In the U.S. economy, we have a risin g generation, too. Generation Z, the large, culturally diverse group of kids born during the mid-90s and later, is ready to launch its careers. Gen. Z-ers already constitute a quarter of the U.S. population and will represent more than 20 percent of the workforce in the next five years.How do we inspire Gen. Z-ers to choose tech careers and help us close the skills gap? We teach them how to work like MVPs.What makes an MVP technologist? When I talk to business leaders about great team members, three intangible traits always rise to the top1. Problem-SolvingProblem-solving isthe equivalent of scoring points in basketball. The best problem-solvers are the stars of the tech game. Solving problems meansdeveloping solutions that customers want and need. Sounds simple, but it takes creativity and nimble, adaptive thinking. The best tech professionals can see a problem from different angles and create a solution with a full understanding of the technology and the customer.2. Collaboration and CommunicationThe assist in basketball is all about making your teammates better and enabling their success. In tech, collaboration and communication skills haveincreased in value as the field has moved out of dark rooms in office basements to front-and-center in nearly every enterprise. Winning solutions designed around the technology connect to the needs of people. MVP tech pros create those solutions by collaborating with teammates, listening to customers, and communicating throughout the process.3. Dynamic AnalysisRebounding is the dirty work of basketball. Rebounders dont get glory, but they get respect from teammates, coaches, and opponents. Great rebounding is about seeing a situation unfold and positioning yourself for success. Even at 64, Westbrook finished in the top 10 of all NBA players in rebounds this season because he knew how to be in the right place at the right moment. The same is true in tech, where the equivalent to rebounding is the dynamic analysis that make s a tech professional stand out. Dynamic analysis is a combination of persistent curiosity, predictive imagination, and relentless effort. MVP tech professionals are constantly learning and staying aware of the changing landscape.When viewed through the lens of my favorite sport, the tech skills gap looks less like a no-win situation and more like an opportunity to discover the next generation of champions.Charles Eaton leads three philanthropic endeavors for CompTIA, the worlds largest IT trade association. His first book,How to Launch Your Teens Career in Technology A Parents Guide to the T in STEM Education, is available atwww.tinstem.com.