Tag Archives: planning

Job Interview Preparation Tips

17 Oct

The job interview may be the KEY step in the job search process. (First, you write a great resume to secure interviews!) With that in mind, this post tackles job interview preparation tips.

These are a few prior posts on the job interview.   Being Real on a Job Interview!   Be on Your BEST Behavior When Interviewing.   A Graduating B School Student Talks About Her Job Search.

 

Background

According to Hannah Morgan, writing for Savvy Intern:

“The interview is scheduled! You are ecstatic, as you should be. But now what? Begin preparing and practicing! How will you perfectly prepare for the interview? Perhaps you need an interview preparation guide. You’ve already done some preliminary research on the company. But now it’s time to dig deep. The more you know about the firm, its competitors and the overall market, the smarter you’ll appear. Too often people fail to thoroughly prepare the job interview for this specific job at this company. In other words, they tend to treat each interview as generic in nature.”

 

Job Interview Preparation Tips: 10 Steps to Success

Morgan offers a new 10-step guide with job interview preparation tips. To access her full guide, click the image below the tips.

  1. “Get a Copy of the Most Current Job Description — What they’ve posted online may not be the full description or most recent version of job requirements. It isn’t unusual for a firm to have a different version of the job description for internal use. It may be more descriptive.”
  2. “Prepare a Story for Each of the Job Requirements  — Go through each requirement listed in the job posting and develop an answer for how you meet the requirements.”
  3. “Prepare Answers to the Most Common Interview Questions — You shouldn’t sound rehearsed. You should sound natural! Practice!
  4. “Craft Your Opening Statement — You can pretty much count on this question. Prepare the best 1-minute response. Answer as if you were asked, why should we hire you.
  5. “Research the Company — Look at the company Web site and career page. But don’t stop here. Google the firm and see what news is mentioned.”
  6. “Know Something About the Interviewers — Thank goodness for LinkedIn. Go ahead and see where they used to work, what organizations and groups they belong to, and recommendations others have written.”
  7. “Prepare Smart Questions — To understand the job and firm, ask questions! So, ask questions to learn expectations, how the team functions, and more.”
  8. “Know the Format of the Interview — Will you be meet one-on-one, as a panel, via phone, Skype, or online video, and how long will the scheduled to last?”
  9. “Bring Copies of Your Resume for Everyone — Don’t assume everyone will have a copy.”
  10. “Know Exact Dates –If you haven’t completed an application, don’t say “see attached resume.” Fully and accurately complete the job application. It is a legal document. Do not lie, exaggerate or embellish.”

 

Job interview preparation tips. Click here to access the 10-step guide with job interview preparation tips.

 

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Women Career Options. Best Workplaces.

4 Oct

Each year, Great Place to Work ranks the top firms for women. With this in mind, we review Women Career Options. Best Workplaces.

As examples, these posts show our coverage of gender.    Resources for Women and Minorities.   Women-Owned Businesses.   Earnings by Age, Gender, Race.    Woman Leading JWT.    Gender: A Level Playing Field?

 

Women Career Options. Best Workplaces.

In brief, Great Place to Work used this process for its 2017 rankings.

“[Above all, we] surveyed 400,000+ U.S. employees. And we ranked firms based on four factors.

First — Key Work Metrics. We analyzed how women rated their firms. We examined 50 metrics. They included ethics, respect, benefits, and support.

Second — Comparison to Colleagues.  We compared women and male colleagues. In addition, we looked at data which show women lag their peers. These include access to leaders and recognition.

Third — Consistent Experience in a Diverse Group.  we checked whether firms were great for all women. This was regardless of who they are or what they do.

Fourth — Balance. we considered how many women were in each firm. We looked at the workforce. And we reviewed executive positions.”

 

And according to Great Place to Work, these are best workplaces. Indeed, they all rank in the top 16.

 

At this point, click to access the full 2017 report. It cites 100 U.S. firms.

Women Career Options. Best Workplaces. Great Place to Work produces a ranking of the top 100 U.S. firms for women. Click the link in the post to access the full list.
 

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Next-Day Delivery and Same-Day Delivery

2 Oct

Next-day delivery and same-day delivery are hot shipping topics. And they impact shopping. Their use will grow for the foreseeable future.

First, these are a few of our posts related to delivery (shipping).   Transforming Logistics.   What’s Ahead for the Subscription Box Service?    Is Uber Eat(s) Setting Itself for Defeat?

 

Background

For a long time, buyers knew mail and deliveries would take days or weeks. In fact, the U.S. Postal Service dates to 1775! Ben Franklin was the first Postmaster General. Due to limited shipping options, mail and package delivery were slow.

In the past 110 years, the USPS has gained a lot of competition. Two of the best-known private delivery firms are UPS and Fed Ex. UPS started in 1907, Fed Ex in 1971.

In 1964, Xerox introduced LDX (Long Distance Xerography). This was the first “commercial” fax machine. It worked over phones. Fax use soared with the development of faster-speed modems. Today, faxes are largely replaced by E-mail, texts, and other online formats.

In terms of package delivery, three trends dominate. (1) Higher-speed shipping modes exist. (2)Other firms emulate the Fed Ex hub-and-spoke regional network system. (3) Resellers such as Amazon have their own regional warehouses.

 

Adding Delivery Options

Throughout the latter part of the 20th century, delivery options rose.

In particular, consumers could choose from three options. Regular delivery. 3-5 business day delivery. And 1-2 business day delivery. USPS, UPS, and Fed Ex — respectively — were the leaders for each of these options.

But in 2005, Amazon disrupted consumer delivery expectations. It introduced Amazon Prime. J.P. Mangalindan reports for Fortune. “Amazon Prime aimed to get customers to increase spending. For $79 a year, members got free two-day delivery on unlimited items.”

And wow, Amazon Prime has grown. For instance, see the chart from Statista and Business Insider. Note: Today’s annual cost is $99. It includes streaming video and other services. U.S. Amazon Prime members total 85 million in 2017.

 

Next-Day Delivery. Same-Day Delivery. Emerging. Launched in 2005, Amazon Prime aimed to get customers to spend more. For $79 a year, members got free two-day delivery on an unlimited number of items. Amazon sweetened the pot from there.

 

Next-Day Delivery and Same-Day Delivery

In recent years, delivery options have further evolved. Next-day delivery and same-day delivery are key choices.

USPS, UPS, and Fed Ex pioneered next-day delivery. Today, express mail service (EMS) exists in 190 countries. EMS promises delivery in as little as 1 day. In the U.S., EMS takes 1-2 days. EMS has earned a strong following. Remember, Amazon Prime promotes 1-2 day delivery. It relies on USPS, UPS, and Fed Ex. But, Amazon keeps adding its own delivery services.

Years ago, same-day delivery started at the local level. Think food delivery and prescription delivery. It took time for large firms to see the advantages. In addition, big firms found same-day delivery costs to be too high.

20 years ago, Webvan (an online grocer) began same-day delivery. It started in 1996 and went bankrupt in 2001. At its peak, Webvan served 10 U.S. cities. Most were in California. Due to high expenses, Webvan had lost $800+ million. On the other hand, we have Peapod (founded in 1989). It works with its chain supermarkets to deliver locally. It is successful.

To  summarize, same-day delivery is HOT! For example, these illustrate same-day delivery services.

 

Delivery and the On-Demand Economy

In short, delivery options transform shopping. At the same time, consumer expectations soar. At any rate, we are in the on-demand economy.  To this end: See it. Want it. Buy it. Then, get it immediately. All in all, no matter where we shop.

 

According to Robert Memery of 2flow, an Irish logistics firm:

“I have produced an infographic analyzing the on-demand economy. It offers advice to firm about short delivery times. This is important if they want to keep happy. 43% of shoppers report post-delivery satisfaction is influenced by whether purchases were delivered on-time? Same-day or next-day delivery might not be possible for some firm. But, it’s vital that all firm try to reduce delivery times. Long delivery times are a killer.”

 

Look at the infographic for a number of insights.

Next-Day Delivery. Same-Day Delivery. In short, delivery options are transforming. At the same time, consumer expectations soar. At any rate, we are in the on-demand economy. To this end: See it. Want it. Buy it. Then, get it immediately. All in all, no matter where we shop.
 

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Understanding Chinese Millennial Workers

22 Sep

There has been a lot of media coverage about American millennials and their behavior. For example, click here: 1, 2, 3. There has not been as much attention on other millennials. Hence, today’s post, “Understanding Chinese Millennial Workers,” explores that generation in the world’s biggest country.

 

Understanding Chinese Millennial Workers

 

Maya Hu-Chan reports the following for Inc.:

 

“China has gone through huge economic and cultural change. Overall, one of the biggest value shifts is between older and younger generations. Chinese millennials, age 18 to 35, represent 385 million people — 28 percent of the population. By 2025, 75 percent of the workforce in China will be millennials.”

“For over 20 years, I have coached Chinese leaders and employees across generations. As a result, I have seen several trends that distinguish the younger Chinese population. Younger, urban Chinese tend to be more influenced by global trends than older, more rural Chinese. Also, they tend to be more individualistic, direct, and open. They are entrepreneurial, mobile-dependent, and tech savvy. And, they are most likely an only child.”

“Thus, if you’re a foreign manager with Chinese employees across generations, how do you earn respect? What do they expect from managers? The tips that follow can help foreign managers bridge the generational and international divide with Chinese millennials.”

 

 

Tips

Before looking at Hu-Chan’s tips, consider this: The number of Chinese millennials far exceeds the total U.S. population! Finally, here are her tips (explained in detail by clicking here) for foreign bosse:

 

  • Be sure to show caring and warmth.
  • As a boss, know your business well.
  • Ask for input from employees.
  • Understand “face” — “‘Face’ (mianzi) plays an important role in business and society. And it is much more subtle than the American understanding of ‘face.’ It is about dignity, status, prestige, respect, and honor.
  • Lead by example through your behavior.
  • Demonstrate a strong interest in employee development.

 

Understanding Chinese Millennial workers is essential. If you're a foreign manager working with Chinese "knowledge workers" across generations, how do you earn their respect? What do they expect from their managers? The following tips can help foreign managers bridge the generational -- and international -- divide with millennial Chinese workers. Show caring and warmth. These observations are from executive coach Maya Hu-Chan.

                             Credit: Getty Images

 

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