Work SmartrWe work hard so you can work smart.

Joel Spolsky writes about the “exploding offer,” which is essentially an offer from a recruiting manager that comes with a time limit. This is usually intended to pressure job seekers who are not experienced at negotiating to sign up.

Here’s what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, well, that’s a good company, not my first choice, but still a good offer, and I’d hate to lose this opportunity. And you don’t know for sure if your number one choice would even hire you. So you accept the offer at your second-choice company and never go to any other interviews.

And now, you lost out. You’re going to spend several years of your life in some cold dark cubicle with a crazy boss who couldn’t program a twenty out of an ATM, while some recruiter somewhere gets a $1000 bonus because she was better at negotiating than you were.

Sometimes, though, you might find yourself in a tight spot–you might be considered for that first-rate job you really, really want, but not sure if you will get. So you might have to agree to the “exploding” offer. Joel gives a few tips. First, try to schedule interviews as close together as possible, so you can have an easier time deciding. If you do get an offer with a time limit, negotiate for more time. And in the event that you do sign up, do so at the last minute. And be sure you don’t sign anything yet, until you are sure you are committed to doing this.

Campus recruiters count on student’s high ethical standards. Almost all students think, “gosh, I promised I’ll go work for them, and I’m going to keep my promise.” And that’s great, that’s a commendable attitude. Definitely. But unethical recruiters that don’t care about your future and don’t want you to compare different companies are going to take advantage of your ethics so they can get their bonus. And that’s just not fair.

In tough times like these, I think it pays to be practical and street smart when handling interviews.

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Normally you would hear people sounding off that working from home is better than the office setting. Perhaps there is some sense to it but one thing that should be observed here is that of discipline. At home, you can choose to work and not to. You don’t have to worry about bosses roaming around and checking on you or finding the right position to relax. In short, you get the best of both worlds when you work from home.

But while that may be a dream to most, do remember that it can also affect you as a person. Not all people see the reason as to why it is harder to work from home. It is indeed something desirable but would you be productive when you choose to work from home?

The real answer lies on the person wanting to work from home. Ordinarily people fail to look beyond what it means to work at home and the consequences that arise from it. It is something new, especially for the people who have been working in an office setting. There will be some adjustment phases and on whether you would succeed or go down with it is something that may need thorough consideration.

Two thirds of workers would prefer to work from home, feeling they would be happier and more productive if they did, a new study has revealed.

Despite this, the survey by Plantronics found that three quarters of employees are offered no flexibility on where they work from by their job, reports the Press Association.

Source

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When you are at work, the usual 8 hour shift is normally not used up to the max. Actually, there are people in office who claim that 8 hours are not enough but if you observe them during the working hours, you may find them slacking off or taking their own sweet time to finish a day’s work.

One reason for this is that the mentality that one should work only on a limited basis depending on the ones stated in their job description and contract may be to blame. Not all people are enthusiastic to work more than what is expected of them. There are people who can work more than what is expected from them but choose not to since they will not be compensated for it anyway.

A logical choice perhaps but if you look at it, it is a wrong approach towards a business perspective. That is perhaps why most employees choose not to do more or impress management although there are some people who do it regardless of being rewarded or not. These are career-oriented people who want to prove something to themselves and of course gain that much longed for promotion.

So as a whole, there is a wide area of slack time in most jobs. It may not be generalized but certainly, not all people make use of the complete 8 hour shift. As long as they can be able finish their job, management cannot blame them for anything. Is that justifiable?

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Time is something that is not always on the side of any employee or worker. While it depends on the nature of your job, chances are you will be having problems with deadlines once paper work starts piling up. And once you fail to meet these deadlines which are pertinent for departmental efficiency, chances are you will be bear the brunt of the blame for its incompetence.

But while this may be an issue that many would blame on being overworked, there are some people who always believe in “you can always continue tomorrow” or perhaps “the deadline is far off”. Rarely would you see people today finishing ahead of time when it comes to deadlines. They believe they have all the time in the world to kill.

Normally you would be given a week or two to compile and finish a report on something like sales reports or revenues for a certain period. Sounds easy to do but it is really getting the data that will bear the brunt of the job as well as formatting it in a way that will make your superior understand the current performance of your company for evaluation. Even the seasoned employees who are used to making reports should not take this task lightly. This is because they also have to review and make sure that everything reported is accurate since one wrong figure will be critical for the entire report.

Hence deadlines are given for workers to adjust. The last day is not the only thing important. It is how you manage your time. Do not be afraid to finish the report early since you need to review it before presenting it.

That is the whole essence of measuring efficiency. It is not about how fast you accomplish your work. It is about accuracy and making sure that you produce what the boss is asking from you.

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We all want to prove a point as far as being successful in our careers but apparently most people these days forget one important thing, health. A person cannot go to work, be productive and last long in a profession if health is not taken care off. Apparently we all see that in most companies, annual physical exams are given not only as a privilege but to also make sure that a company’s labor force is healthy and free from potential health risks.

Overtime work or extending beyond the usual working hours is a common sight. But while your superior may acknowledge and praise you for your dedication to your work, you just have to consider as well by balancing diligence with work output. Of the two, efforts put into trying to achieve success in one aspect of work-related issues is commendable. But it can also mean incompetence since it may mean failure to meet deadlines as set beforehand. So in the end, you get a double black-eye, incompetence and poor health.

There are a lot of factors to consider if an employee is indeed suitable for a job. But there are also some thing to consider on an individual’s end such as:

1. Full understanding of the Job Scope
2. Ability to meet Deadlines
3. Output Capacity
4. Self-Discipline

Without a doubt the last one, self-discipline would depend on a person’s purpose in life. We can easily spot how dedicated and serious a person is through his lifestyle. A silent worker does not mean that he will not have a social life. Further, you also have to consider personal issues which may also affect performance.

In all, it boils down to being able to manage yourself as a worker and meeting the employer requirements. In the middle of it all, you have to stay healthy to survive it all. If not, you may just find yourself being among the people who are lacking to achieve anything both in personal and corporate drives.

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