Saturday, May 30, 2020
Google for Jobs Use This Search Engine Tool to Find Your Next Career
Google for Jobs Use This Search Engine Tool to Find Your Next Career We're about to talk about the latest online job board, Google for Jobs, but first:Youre looking for a recipe. Or you want to read up on a future travel destination. Or you just want an answer to a question thats bugging you.What do you do in these cases?Thats rightyou Google it.Well, now the search giant is testing the waters of a new tool aimed at making your search for employment as easy as any other: Google for Jobs.In this article, well cover:What is Google for Jobs and how to use it to search for employment.How Google is trying to become one of the leading job search engines.How to search for jobs online in your locality or elsewhere using Google.Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. Its fast and easy to use. Plus, youll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.Sample resume made with our builderSee more templates and create your resume here.One of our users, Nikos, had this to say:[I used] a nice template I found on Zety. My resume is now one page long, not three. With the same stuff.Create your resume now1What is Google for Jobs?Announced at the Google I/O conference in mid-2017, Google for Jobs is a new job search engine tool.Now, its not a Google job board, so dont get confused.Rather, Google for Jobs is a whole lot like the basic Google Search productit simply aggregates job openings that are already out there and displays them to users in one place.Websites like Glassdoor, Indeed, LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, or Monster, store their own job ads. Google Jobs search engine shows you all relevant career listings from any supported outlets all in one go.Originally rolled out just in the United States (google.com), it appears to be available now in the UK (google.co.uk) and India (google.co.in), with more countries to be supported in the near future.Disappointed that Google for Jobs is not yet available in your country? Dont worryIll show you how to hack you r way in and get it to work for you, too (later in this article).2How to Search for Work Using Google for JobsThe first thing to understand with the Google for Jobs search tool is that there is no dedicated URL. If you are in the US or UK, you simply initiate a regular Google search. Heres an example as we search for jobs in New York City:Then, you should have a nice embedded application before all the standard Google results:Doesnt look like much, does it? However, this little snippet is the gateway into the full Google for Jobs app.See that little arrow followed by 100+ more jobs? Yup, click on that and you are taken into your new job-seeking center of operations:This is the full dashboard youre taken into, and it is jam-packed with features. Lets break this down into more detail:Just beneath the search bar, you have three main tabs:Jobs is the initial page with all the results.Saved is any particular listing which you bookmark for later.Alerts is where youll find any saved search alerts (which will also be sent to your Gmail inbox).Below that is a submenu which is chock-full of filtering options:As you hover your mouse above it, the submenu drops down a bit, allowing you to see all available sort options.You begin in category, which lets you narrow down your query to more specific industries, but there are several other tabs.Title - Searches for titles, or positions, within your chosen industry.Location - Lets you increase search area by mileage and to include nearby cities.Date Posted - Choose only the latest posted results or go back as far as a month.Type - Choose from full-time, part-time, contractor, or internship.Company Type - Similar to the category, but relates to the company rather than your position.Employer - Search for jobs with a specific employer (Uber, NYC Dept. of Education, etc.).And now, underneath those menu bars, you get to the results:On the left, you have a scrollable list of the job listings (search results), and on the right, you ha ve the contents of a chosen listing.Its minimal design makes it that much more appealing. Take a look at a result on the left: youve got the position at the top, bolded, the company, the city, and then where Google aggregated that result from. Below that, you see how much time has elapsed since it was posted and the type of work. Also, note that bookmark icon to put this result into your Saved tab.On the right side is the specific job listing, with a nice, big, blue button to apply.Pro Tip: Is there a contact persons email address listed? Hold on to it! The next best thing after applying, is to follow up in a week or two: How to Follow up on a Job Application in 6 Easy Steps [+Email Template]After that, you have a brief job description, and then, unseen in my screenshot, you have reviews of the company from both Glassdoor and Indeed, followed by a link to the company website and to find other jobs available at this particular company.Finally, theres a blue tab at the bottom-left cor ner for you to enable email alerts for the particular search. So, after youve narrowed down what you want using all the different filtering options, you wont have to come back and tinker with it again. Instead, additional results matching your search will be emailed to you and also placed in that third tab up top, the Alerts.3How to Hack Google for Jobs for Other CountriesNot in the US, UK, or India but want to use all the handy features that Google for Jobs offers?I dont blame you!First, you have to search for jobs in a US or UK city using google.com (or google.co.uk). For example, use this link to search for jobs in NYC using google.com.Then, when you get that embedded jobs box in the search results (as we showed you above), you click the bottom link again to be taken into the entire application (as before).Thats all nothing new, but now that youre in the Google for Jobs full application, you simply go to the search bar and edit your search:Voila!How do you like that? I found jobs in Warsaw, Poland with this method, and Im sure that it works in many larger cities around the world, as well.Im not quite sure why this is not available yet, seeing as it looks like it works just fine, but perhaps it has to do with launching it in the local language.No success? Not enough job offers for your locale (US or internationally)?Weve got the guide for you: Job Sites: 15 Best Job Search Engines and How to Use Them PerfectlyKey TakeawaySo, what did you think? Remember:Google for Jobs is one of the newest job boards online, so functions are still being tested.Google for Jobs is an aggregator, not a full-fledged online job posting site.As one of the best job boards online, it is competing directly with heavyweights such as Indeed.Hopefully now you have a good, working understanding of how to use Google for Jobs finder to land your next career or employment opportunity.Do you have any questions on how to use Google for Jobs? Do you still feel more comfortable using the tradit ional career and job search websites (or recruiting sites)? Get at us in the comments below, and, as always, thanks for reading!
Tuesday, May 26, 2020
10 Amazing Ways To Treat Yourself For Under $10 - Classy Career Girl
10 Amazing Ways To Treat Yourself For Under $10 We all have those long days where we need a pick-me-up, something small to lift our spirits. Sometimes the balancing act of juggling work and having a personal life may tire you out; thatâs why its important to take some time out of every week to give yourself that much-deserved TLC (time, love and care). Spoiling yourself a little doesnât mean you have to break the bank either, as there are a few ways to pamper yourself for less than $10. 10 Amazing Ways To Treat Yourself For Under $10 1. Indulge In A Morning Movie It may come as a surprise, but many cinemas are cheaper to visit in the morning. Buying a weekend or evening ticket can be more expensive, so if you have some time off in the week why not pop to the movies. Double-check your local cinemas, as many have a discount day during a week too. 2. Get Your Nails Done Getting a manicure can be a nice little break from the rest of your busy schedule. If you check your local beautician, youâll be surprised to find many manicures start at $10. If you are more of a DIY person, it can be a perfect opportunity to get creative. 3. Take A Drawing Class You donât have to be an artist to go to a drawing class. There are many fun (and free) art classes you can attend in the evenings, which include music and even wine. Itâs a great way to relax, meet others and try something new. Who knows, you might find out that you have a hidden talent. 4. Go Salsa Dancing Dancing is great for the soul; itâs an amazing way to let go of any stress youre carrying for a few hours. Head to your local Latin or Cuban bar, many of them have free salsa nights so all you have to do is buy a drink, take your friends and enjoy. 5. Sunbathe If youâre lucky enough to live near a beach then treat yourself to a little sun. If youâre a city dweller then locate your closest pool or park and go and catch those rays. [RELATED: 6 Easy Ways to Pamper Yourself After a Long Week] 6. Have A Picnic In the summer, nothing beats a picnic in the park. So on your weekend spoil yourself a little with some strawberries, chocolate, and wine whilst sprawled out on the grass. 7. Visit A Gallery Museums and galleries are favorite spots for culture vultures. If you havenât been in a while, spend the day gallery hopping. Many galleries are free and new exhibitions can be under $10. Most museums and galleries also have designated days of the month for free or discounted admission, so watch out for those too! 8. Invite Your Friends Over For Dinner Inviting your friends over can be a treat after a long week at work. Being around your close friends is sure to put you in a good mood. Enjoy endless laughter over a tasty meal and an indulgent dessert. The best part: no expensive bill! 9. Charity/Vintage Shopping If you want to do a little shopping without splurging, then browse around vintage stores and charity shops. Many items of clothing and accessories can be found for under $10, which is a real bargain and beats window-shopping. 10. Go On A City Tour Itâs always a treat to take long walks in the sunshine. Embark on a walking tour of your city and rediscover places you havenât seen in a while and uncover some hidden gems. Take your camera and see your home from a whole new perspective. The best things in life are free, or at least under $10. So take it upon yourself to try something new that doesnât break the bank. Youâll be amazed at how you can make your money stretch.
Saturday, May 23, 2020
Guest Post How to Deal With a Depressed Coworker
Guest Post How to Deal With a Depressed Coworker Depression is a difficult illness for everyone involved. Obviously the person living through depression has it the worst, trying to reconcile persistent negative thoughts or to express feelings to other people. But depression also has a massive impact on people who interact with those afflicted by it. Friends, family, and coworkers of depressed individuals often struggle to create healthy paths of communication. Here are a few tips for team members who know or may suspect that a coworker is depressed. Its not an easy situation to address, but if have a relationship with a depressed coworker there are ways that you can let him or her know that you are supportive. Strike up a conversation One of the hardest things to cope with in depression is the isolation you feel. Invite a depressed coworker out to get some coffee or to grab lunch. Keep the conversation light and upbeat, and try to get him or her to open up without prying too deeply. Let your coworker do the talking (if she wants to talk at all), and try to get her to talk about something positive. And if he declines your request to go out and have a chat, dont pressure him into saying yes. He might feel uncomfortable opening up about his personal life in a work setting, so honor his privacy by not pushing the matter too hard. What matters is that you show him that youre willing to talk. Hear them out In the event that your coworker opens up about her depression, give her the courtesy of hearing her out. Dont interrupt her or try to sympathize with what sheâs feeling. Chances are that she just wants to share her feelings with someone. The best you can do is just to listen and be attentive. So many people with depression donât share their feelings because theyre afraid that people donât want to hear about their problems or wouldnât understand their plight. Dont try to fix them This is probably the hardest rule to follow, especially among people who think they get depression without ever having experienced it themselves. Depression is one of the hardest illnesses to live with simply because its become so generalized in our culture: anyone can say theyre depressed when they might just be a temporarily sad or distressed over an isolated incident. When someone genuinely afflicted with depression tries to make his feelings known, he is often met with sympathy from people who really dont understand how it feels. Whats worse, these same people might try to offer unfounded advice on how to combat depression. To be clear: you should NOT offer potential solutions or personal tips to your depressed coworker no matter how you might want to. You may mean well, but he has probably received similar unwarranted advice before. The best you can do is to be there for him when he wants to talk, and leave the therapeutic work to professionals who know how to handle this serious illness. About the author: Casey Wheeler is a freelance blogger and a career counselor helping readers understand and process realities of everyday living. He writes about psychology and counseling among other subjects at onlinepsychologydegree.net. Feel free to send any comments and questions his way.
Tuesday, May 19, 2020
Client Therapy Increases Sales - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career
Client Therapy Increases Sales - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Professional salespeople are highly driven by goal achievement. Recognizing what needs to be accomplished by year-end, they then work backwards to figure out milestones to be achieved during the year for getting to those goals. What sets the successful apart is their recognizing that in the end, whether or not the sale is to be made, is dependent upon how they and their offerings are perceived. Less experienced business professionals are astonished when they hear the sale is not about them or how much they know, but instead it is about their intended client. Even more surprising is when they hear the salesperson should do the least amount of talking when in the room with their client. Why would this be? The goal for the consummate sales professional is threefold: 1. First and foremost be a detective in discovery mode Having done your company research upfront prior to meeting, you will be well positioned to ask pertinent questions of your prospective client. Learn why you were invited in as it relates to current problems. The downfall of most is that they rush the conversation to the point of almost immediately revealing their solutions. Instead, ask more questions about the problems and additional problems the company may be experiencing. Ask the history of how the difficulty began and the affect of the downward spiral the original problem had on everything in its path. By focusing first on the problems, there is an increased likelihood the intended prospect will want to hear your ideas for possible fixes. 2. Transform into a business consultant and problem solver Once you have exhausted the questions that come to mind and the answers appear complete, it is time to ask your intended client what they believe will be a viable solution. Have them explain the reasoning behind their ideas to understand their perspective on a deeper level. The more insight your client-to-be shares with you, and the more open the dialogue becomes, the more likely you will be to secure the sale. Help your potential client understand a better approach to solving the problems shared. Instead of selling your offerings, position them as ideas and ask if they would be open for consideration. Upon hearing any rejection of an idea, ask for your prospectâs perspective of why that might be. The greater the sharing of insights and ideas, the greater the likelihood you will have for securing a sale. This period may be likened to a subtle negotiation. The give and take of possibility, likes and dislikes will lead you to exactly what the prospect wants and expects to see from you. 3. Leave as the dedicated sales professional By the time your meeting winds down, you should have enough information to write a proposal as well as feel as if you performed business therapy. Your prospective client may even have confided confidential information due to your high level of professionalism and apparent dedication to being a problem solver. Adapting these three personas to your presentation style will serve to increase your credibility and trust factor, leading you to a very Smooth Sale!
Saturday, May 16, 2020
Finding a Good Phoenix Resume Writing Service
Finding a Good Phoenix Resume Writing ServiceWhen you are looking for Phoenix resume writing services, you will have to be careful as there are a lot of scams out there. The best thing to do is to find a reputable company that specializes in this area of the industry. The person that you hire should have a good resume writing education and should be able to create a well-written resume. Once you have hired someone, they will be responsible for doing all the marketing for you so that you can be picked up in the local job market.You want to make sure that your writing process is smooth. It can be a daunting task to go through the information that comes with a resume. When you hire someone to do this for you, you need to have someone who can help you. Most of the companies are using a computer system that helps them to identify people in their own research. This is one of the reasons why you should take the time to choose the right Phoenix resume writing services.This kind of software h elps to ensure that the company has the correct number of qualified candidates for each and every job they have available. This helps them to eliminate people that may be unnecessary from the process. You should not have to worry about how qualified you are for any position.There is a common misconception about resume writing. This is that it is an entirely different process than writing a resume to get a job. It is very important to remember that a resume is your first introduction to the company you are applying for. It is also one of the first things a company reads when making a decision.Most people just accept the fact that they have to have a resume. If you do not think you are ready for one, then you should consider hiring a Phoenix resume writing service. They will make sure that you get what you need for your first application tobe read. They will not take it from that point forward.There are several Phoenix resume writing services that specialize in this area of the indust ry. It is important to find one that is experienced and qualified to work with you. It is essential that you know that these people have a great deal of experience and that they have been trained to write a great resume.It is very important that you try to put yourself in the position of a candidate on a job search. This is the first step you should take to understand the process. These services are beneficial to job seekers because they provide a good place to start. The fact that they are trained to write a resume is beneficial.If you need a resume for a short period of time, then there are some companies that can provide templates. Make sure that you use the same template that you will use to write your actual resume. If you need help with a resume, you will find that there are plenty of Phoenix resume writing services that will be able to help you. As long as you find a good company, you should be able to get the results you are looking for.
Wednesday, May 13, 2020
How To Engage with People On Social Media
How To Engage with People On Social Media Have you ever wondered how you can meet new people and build relationships? Social media opens the door to new relationships and all it takes is being human. Engagement, in social media terms, means getting someone to comment, like or interact with something shared on social media. Its the equivalent of small talk. This is how relationships start. Lets say you want to have a conversation with someone you dont know. If you were to send an invitation to connect through LinkedIn, they may not accept it. However, if you engage with the person on social media, it makes it much easier to ask them to have a conversation. But keep in mind, you cant just ask someone for a meeting or conversation during your first interaction on social media. To earn the right to ask someone for a favor (or conversation), you need to build a connection with the person. Find a common professional interest. Leave a thoughtful comment. Show interest in what they are doing or sharing. The ultimate goal, one you cant ask for, is to develop a relationship online that can be converted into IRL (in real life). It happens every day! 5 Ways to Engage with People On Social Media One of the best and easiest ways to engage with someone you dont know is to interact with something theyve posted on social media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram). These are five ways to interact (or engage) with people on social media: Mention/tag people Re-share or re-tweet (always give credit to the sources) Start a discussion on recent industry news Ask a question Share your educated opinion LINKEDIN First, identify the person you want to engage with. Go to their activity section on LinkedIn and review their posts and see what comments they have made. One option is to reshare something theyve posted on LinkedIn and tag the person who posted it to give credit as the source. (Type the @ and then start typing their name until you see profile pop up. Be sure you select the correct person). You dont need to be connected to the person to tag them. Your status update shows up in their LinkedIn notifications. They may feel flattered that you referenced what they shared. They will absolutely be appreciative of the fact that you gave them credit for initially sharing the content. This is just one way to start a new relationship. Have you ever had 187 people comment on something youve shared on LinkedIn? Maybe you havent tried it. Heres an example: Job Search Tip: Look for people inside your target companies that you would like to meet. You could look for people with similar job titles, company recruiters or people who are second-degree connections with people you know well. Or use all three options. The more connections you have inside a company you are interested in, the better information you will acquire about working there. FACEBOOK I always make sure I mention the authors of the articles I include in my Summary Sunday when I share it on social media. When these authors monitor their Facebook account, they will see Ive tagged them via Facebook notifications. Some will repost my update, others will like it, and some may say Thank You. In short, my post gets on their radar. If they share it, that puts my name and article in front of everyone in their network! Thats great exposure! But you dont have to publish your own content. You can share someones article and mention their name in your Tweet. Just make sure you are using the correct Twitter handle. You can usually find it in the article theyve written or go to the authors website and poke around a bit. Youll find it if they are on Facebook. Job Search Tip Find good stories or news about a company you are interested in and then tag the company or people who work inside the company. You should be following your target companies on Facebook and if they have a Facebook careers page, follow that too! This gives you more opportunities to comment and engage. TWITTER Theres a whole-lot of mentioning going on in this Retweet by Phyllis Mufson. Its getting like and even a couple of shares. FYI: everyone mentioned in this retweet sees it listed in their Twitter mentions tab. Job Search Tip Find and follow company accounts or company career accounts and retweet their content. Be sure to mention them. More and more, recruiters want to know that you have an interest in working for their company so your interaction with company recruiters on social media is a good way to engage too. INSTAGRAM Resharing Instagram does not allow you to reshare posts or stories to your timeline. But you can use 3rd party tools to Regram (reshare on Instagram). You can reshare someones Instagram post to other sites like Facebook, Twitter or in Instagram Instant Messenger. Instagrams Terms of Service state you must get permission before sharing someone elses post. If you really want to Regram, you have two options: Take a screenshot from your phone and post it to your Instagram. (Always give credit in your post to the original poster) Use Repost for Instagram (a 3rd party app free) Job Search Tips Follow all your target companies on Instagram so you can see what they share! Like their updates and leave a comment when appropriate. Always ask for permission before you Regram. Also look for hashtags#[company name + careers] A Word of Caution Before you do any of these, make sure your LinkedIn profile or personal website is up to date. Also, make sure youve reviewed your status updates to make sure they are clean and rated PG. Here are articles to help you pimp your social media profiles: Is Your LinkedIn Profile Awesome? 11 Beginner Twitter Tips Prepare Your Facebook Profile For Job Search How To Use Instagram for Job Search
Friday, May 8, 2020
Jobs, careers and callings - the surprising truth about happiness and motivation at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog
Jobs, careers and callings - the surprising truth about happiness and motivation at work - The Chief Happiness Officer Blog Amy Wrzesniewski is a professor of organizational behavior at Yale School of Management. Her main interest is how people find meaning at work which is a fascinating topic and her work has been a huge inspiration to our work here at Woohoo inc. We recently had a chance to talk to her about it and heres the transcript that reveals some real surprises about what makes us happy and motivated at work. Read the interview below and learn: Why people who find meaning in their work are happier at work and in life Why monetary rewards can make us less effective at work How external motivators like raises and bonuses kill our internal motivation over time How to help employees find meaning at work One of the main distinctions that youve found in your work is, that there are three ways people find meaning in their work. They can see it as a ?job?, as a ?career? or a ?calling?. Thats a brilliant concept. Could you please explain each of those. Sure. This is together with many collaborators and co-authors of mine. We?ve for a long time been interested in understanding the nature of the relationship between people and the work they do, with the idea that it isnt necessarily a property of the job itself, how people think about or connect with their work. So weve developed a measure and have studied people in lots of different kinds of occupations and have found that people, regardless of occupation, can see the work that they do as a ?job? where the focus is primarily financial, where you get a paycheck out and the work is primarily about the economic exchange with the organization more than about the work itself. Or people can see the work that they do more as a ?career? where the focus is on advancement within that occupation or within that field, within the same organization or across different organizations over time. For people who have a stronger career orientation, their focus is on advancement and moving forward, with the accompanying increases in prestige and power and so on that come with that. The last orientation we study is the ?calling? orientation, where people are working not for career advancement or for financial gain, but instead for the fulfilment or the meaning that the work itself brings to the individual. People who see their work more as a calling see the work as an end in itself that is deeply fulfilling and regardless of the kind of work theyre doing, they tend to see the work as having a societal benefit. That is absolutely fascinating. How common is each of these orientations. How many people fall into each of these three buckets? We looked across wide swaths of different occupations and what we find is about a third, a third, and a third of people, one of these is strongest for them. Interestingly, if someone strongly identifies with one, they won?t strongly endorse the others. We know this both from a sort of vignette kind of paragraph measure that we use but also lots of single item measures that we use to study this. If you look in, say, caring professions where you would imagine that there are more people who see the work as a calling, you do find that. The propensity to have a calling is stronger there, but interestingly, it isnt necessarily universal. People who are engaging very much in work that we might idealize in our culture to be callings, may very well see that work as just a job or as a way to advance to become, say, head of the department or something like this. Is there a difference between low wage and high wage jobs or low education/high education? There might be a perception that you might find more people with a calling orientation among doctors or engineers and maybe less so among fast food employees serving burgers. Its a great question. What we find generally is that people who have stronger calling orientation tend to have higher incomes and tend to be more educated. However, if you think about the kind of work that people go into, if you are coming from a level of income or a level of the education and educational opportunities that would allow you to pursue something that you find to be more meaningful, you would expect generally that people in that group would be more likely to have found something that they feel is a calling. Whats interesting to me, very interesting in my opinion, is that even when you look at jobs that are at the lower end of the educational, income or status hierarchy, you also find people who see their work as a calling, just as you find people at the top of the education and income hierarchy who see their work as just a job. And they look more similar to each other on the basis of their approach to the work they do, because that predicts how happy they are in their work, how satisfied they are with their work, and how satisfied they are with their lives. So even across the income and education spectrum, identification with these orientations and the pattern of relationships between the orientation and peoples well-being is the same regardless. So you dont need a university degree or a CEO title to find this calling orientation. No. In fact, people weve studied who are doing groundskeeping work, laborers, people doing janitorial work -? again work that in society we tend to view as being perhaps not necessarily as meaningful can be experienced in incredibly meaningful ways and seen as a calling by people who are doing that work. Just as you also see people who do that work who see it as just a job or who see it as a career where they want to move up and say manage people who do this kind of work. Its not the province of the work itself it really is a function of the relationship between the person and the work that theyre doing. Interesting. That means that it is accessible to most people. Do you have any great examples? Have you met any people in, which on the face of it are low status jobs, but who had this calling orientation? Yes. You know, people who work as trash collectors, who collect the garbage in the town in which they work, who experience their work as being critically important to society, who feel that every day they are beautifying the world by removing the things that we dont need and taking them away and who feel that this again this work is something that the entire region couldn?t function without it, which is true. And its work that gets them outside, theyre in touch with people who live in the town, theyre in touch with nature, and see the work in very positive terms. And certainly much more positive terms than people who study work from the perspective of the design of the job would have expected. Same thing in a study that I did with colleagues of mine, looking at people who clean hospital rooms for their job. That involves a lot of dealing with cleaning products and seeing pain and suffering since youre in a medical environment. Again, there were people who saw the work very much as a job. Its a way to get benefits, make a paycheck, and so on. But there were also people who saw that work as a way to fulfil a calling, where they could play a role in the lives of the people who were in the hospital. Theyre doing the same kinds of duties, they have the same kinds of job descriptions, but they redefine it in terms of how they think about what the work is, why it is there, and what it is theyre doing, in very different ways, that again is reflected in a much deeper enjoyment of the work and sense of importance of the work to other people. Is it fair to say that people with the calling orientation generally are happier in their jobs? Yes. People who have a calling orientation, regardless of the kind of work theyre doing, have a significantly higher job satisfaction and also significantly higher life satisfaction. Its not, again, a province of what the work is or what the job is, its how the person is relating to that work, how they think about what it is theyre doing there. And what about the other two groups? Who is the least happy? You know its an interesting question. When we had originally begun to study this question, we had thought that the job orientation would perhaps be the least happy, because theres less of their identity invested in the work, because its simply more of a financial exchange than anything else.What we find, to my surprise, is that people who see the work as a job or a career are equally less satisfied with the work and are equally less satisfied with their lives. In the research I have done, one of the things that I wonder about is, in the job orientation, theres a focus on the instrumental; its a means to an instrumental end. In a career orientation, there?s also an instrumental end. Its just what that end is, its different. Its about advancing, its about increasing your status and so on. My sense is that they?re more similar than we might think. When its focused on instrumental ends, or things that are about the self, it seems to carry less meaning for people. Theres a more recent paper done by Jochen Menges and his colleagues, Grant and others are on this paper as well, that look at people who see the work more as a job, but theyre engaging in this job as a way to give income or pay to their family members. This makes the work much more meaningful to them, again because its not so much about the self. Thats been the surprise of this, that job and career are more similar than we might think. Thats absolutely fascinating. So what are some ways to cultivate his calling orientation? What are some things I can do for myself as an employee somewhere to achieve it? And what can the organization or the manager do for the employees to have that calling to feel that sense of meaning and calling orientation? Its a great question and I think its a complicated question. This may be somewhat of a surprising thing for me to say, but there are many people for whom work is not a domain where they are seeking this kind of experience. They have put a lot of their identity, of where they see themselves fulfilling their purpose, outside of the domain of work. So the place to start off with, is to understand, is the employee seeking this kind of meaning in their work? Many of them are, and are not finding it. I think for them, the best thing for these employees, would be to think about how they might act upon the design of their jobs. In other work Ive done with with Jane Dutton and Justin Berg and other colleagues, weve looked at the practice of ?job crafting.? How is it that people in the job theyre in, change elements of the tasks or of the relationships or interactions in a way that brings more of the kinds of things that they find to be useful, that they care about, passions that they feel into the work. I think this can transform the meaning of the work. And its very agentic, its done by the employee. That?s probably the best path for this within the job you have if its not possible to, say, move into a job that feels more like a calling. For managers, this is somewhat tricky. Job crafting is a bottom-up activity, its an employee based activity. So rather than, say, advising managers of organizations to try to design jobs so that theyll feel like callings, I think the best thing that they can do is create environments where people feel empowered to make changes to the kinds of work theyre doing, while obviously fulfilling their responsibilities to the organization right? You have to keep doing what it is that the organization has hired you to do. But can you approach that in a different way? Can you spend some more time in particular aspects of the tasks that are engaging to you? Can you build relationships in directions that, again, sort of will infuse the work with more meaning? I think giving people permission to do this, and encouraging them to do this while fulfilling their duties to the organization, can be a very powerful and supportive move that managers and organizations can make. This reminds me of the huge trend right now in self-managed organizations where you give employees more freedom. In a lot of these organizations, youre not hired to do a job, youre hired because youre a great person with great skills, and then you have to create your own job. That would basically open the door for more of what youre describing. Yes, absolutely. I think even in organizations that weve studied, where people have a lot of latitude over how it is theyre spending their time and energy, whats interesting is that over time even when youve defined it yourself, as time passes you move into this sort of more crystallized definition of the job. So even though its a job design you created, people can end up treating that job design as very static where its a set of things they must do and so on. So even for people who have had the opportunity to design it themselves, we would encourage them to revisit this and think about ?okay well how and where could you revisit this, to make it a more optimal way of expressing what it is you care most about, what it is that you find most meaningful, in a way that brings a lot of value to you in terms of the meaning that youre finding in the work but also a lot of value to the organization. And make it an ongoing process not just a one-off design. Fascinating. The reality is that even if we do see our work as a calling, we still do it for the money, okay? Unless youre born to filthy rich parents, you have to work and youre dependent on the paycheck. So these motivations, to some degree, have to coexist for most of us. You did a study recently on how they affect each other. Could you talk a little about the West Point study? Yes, absolutely. So together with a number of colleagues, Barry Schwartz, Tom Colditz and others who supported this study, we studied about 10,000 West Point cadets. We followed them for a period of up to 14 years and the first thing we were interested in studying at West Point was what was the nature of their motivation for attending. Its a huge undertaking to make this commitment. Youre in a very intensive and rigorous academic environment and also military environment for four years, and following that time you are a commissioned officer for five years. So its a nine year commitment that people who are 18 or 19 years old are making. You might imagine that all of them go because they want to serve their country and its about more internal motives about service and so on. But theres a lot of variance as to why people are there. Some of them are there because its a free education that pays a small stipend. Some of them are there because they know that after theyre nine years of service they can leave and they will be likely to be employed and very attractive to organizations where they could have a rewarding career. If you think about it, people whove gone through West Point and have become officers and so on really truly know how to lead. Theyve got a great education. So some of the people who go are there primarily because they know there will be a big career payoff later. So that particular motive we characterize as more of an instrumental motive. We studied them upon their arrival to West Point. They rated all of these different reasons for why it was they undertook this course of action and we were interested in studying the question of whether one motivations was fine but maybe having two or three different motivations could be even better because then you have more legs to your stool. There are more reasons, perhaps, propping you up for why it is youre there. But what we found is something that has gotten also support in economics and psychology. Some people are motivated by internal reasons, things that are more akin to a calling. Im doing this because its an end in itself, in this case, Im here because I want to be an army officer, so that the aim of the institution and all of these activities is my aim. Im not doing it for some other outcome that will follow from this ? like being hired by fortune 500 companies or making more money later. So we looked at that internal motive and we also look at this instrumental motive of going to West Point because you hoped to be in a more high-powered career later on. And we found that in every case the stronger the internal motivation of the cadet, the more likely they were to have positive outcomes over time. Those positive outcomes were: Make it through West Point. Theres a fair amount of attrition, its a very difficult institution. That they would be flagged for early promotion because they were an excellent officer in those first five years of service after they had graduated. And also that they would stay on and remain in the military after their required service as military officers. And whats interesting is multiple motives. For those cadets who who held these internal motives but where that instrumental motive was also apparent, the stronger the instrumental motive was, the poorer the outcomes were for each of these different categories. And so it undermined in essence the positive effect of the internal motivation on whether they made it through West Point, how well they did as army officers, and then how long they stuck it out in the military. We feel this is really important because what it means is in anything we do, whether its being a student, whether its our jobs you know anything we do, we may have internal reasons for doing it, but if you do well in it, you will get instrumental rewards. Youll get pay raises, youll get accolades, you?ll get these other kinds of things. The distinction that we would make is between being pleased that youre getting these things, versus being motivated by them, so they become the reason why youre there. Like you said, most of us need to work unless we?re independently wealthy. It?s a given that we must work and we do need to pay attention to salary or the wage rate or whatever it might be. But make sure it doesn?t become your reason for being there. Keep it this secondary thing that you must sort of attend to, but its not a motive We feel the power of internal motivation or the power of a calling orientation can really carry people to a different level of job satisfaction. In the case of West Point it drives performance and excellence as well. I think theres a hugely important lesson there for companies, because they constantly try to tie performance to rewards. What your what your study underlines, is that whenever you do that, the instrumental goal will crowd out the internal goal over time and make you focus more on the external motivator the reward than on the internal motivation, the calling, on the purpose of what theyre doing, right? Yes. I think the best advice I could give to organizations would be to pay employees as well as you can. Then move the emphasis from that. The more that organizations narrate for people that the reason theyre there is to be making money, and what they want when things go well is more money, and that it all comes down to, you know, that theyre working there because they have these instrumental goals, the harder it is for someone to sustain in the face of that the feeling why it is theyre there, that has to do with the ethos of doing the work itself or the work as a focus of you know striving for excellence or wanting to accomplish the things that happen naturally as a result of the work, whether thats teaching students or cleaning a street or cleaning a patients room. If you are removing the focus from that and constantly reminding people that theyre really there because theyre getting money, I think both organizations but also individuals suffer. Related posts Why motivation by pizza doesnt work How goals and KPIs demotivate the best employees Why every workplace needs a culture of positive feedback Thanks for visiting my blog. If you're new here, you should check out this list of my 10 most popular articles. And if you want more great tips and ideas you should check out our newsletter about happiness at work. It's great and it's free :-)Share this:LinkedInFacebookTwitterRedditPinterest Related
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