Children are loud and uninhibited. It’s in their nature — they’re supposed to be active and noisy (to a point). A child can be sitting two feet from you and she will speak at the same volume she uses when she’s playing on the soccer field with their freinds. That’s when you politely say, “Use your indoor voice.”

Of course, even when using their indoor voice, most children don’t think to filter their thoughts before they speak. How many parents lie about something (“It’s a pleasure to meet your husband”) only to have their children ruin everything (“You’re right, Mom, he does look like a fat pig!”)? Immediately after this occurrence, parents teach their children that some information should stay private.

If you’ve held any job for more than a few days, you’ve probably realized that some parents didn’t do a good enough job with their children. Some professionals can have fancy job titles and drive cars worth more than your university education, but they don’t know how to use their indoor voices or when to keep some information to themselves.

We asked people to tell us some of the most outrageous things they’ve heard at work (but not necessarily at their current places of employment). Here are four responses and the lessons we can all learn from them:

1. “James just called in. He says he can’t come to work because God called him on the phone last night. I asked him how he knew it was God (besides Him saying so, of course), and he said because his phone had been disconnected awhile back, and only God could have called on a disconnected phone.” —

overheard by Sarah…An IT consultant.

Lesson: Your excuses should be relevant to the job.
Why: Technically, the person Sarah heard speaking wasn’t the one who needs the lesson — James is. Jame’s deduction that he spoke with God is a personal matter, but his decision to use it as a reason to skip work affects everyone. He doesn’t explain why he’s going to inconvenience other people who rely on him. At one time or another, everyone wants to skip work, but you don’t do it unless you can justify it to the boss. When you skip work, people have to either pick up the slack or rearrange their schedules, and they expect you to provide a good reason. In short, give a sensible reason.

2. “I only lie to girls I’m dating.” — overheard by  Juliet

Lesson: At least try to act like a decent person
Why: Unless there is some context that radically changes this overheard statement, the speaker sounds like the kind of guy you don’t want your daughter, sister, mother or friend dating or even knowing — and you probably don’t want to know him either. Simply put, he’s gross and if you heard him say this at work, you now have a low opinion of him.

Offensive or potentially offensive statements, especially when heard out of context, can really color people’s perceptions of you. If you’re going to say something of this nature, keep it between friends and away from the office. Everyone’s job will be smoother if they can at least be civil to each other.

3. “At a communication firm I worked at, an editor who sat in an open area regularly got into lengthy, difficult and loud discussions with her estranged husband. She was going through the divorce process, and I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but it made everyone extremely uncomfortable. The discussions could be heard clear across the room. They argued about everything — money, kids, his work. It was really unprofessional on her part, and very awkward for her employees, who had no one to complain to since she was their boss.” — Charles, A professional Journalist and media consultant

Lesson: Don’t let your personal mess spill into your professional life.
Why: Every single worker has a personal life that is sometimes unpleasant. Money woes, marriage problems, troublesome children or a million other issues can complicate your life. On some level, everyone is sympathetic when you’re stressed. But when your personal issues get mixed with your job, people question your professionalism — they assume you’re spending more time cleaning up your personal problems than doing your job. And if you’re in a position of authority, they won’t feel confident in your ability to lead, and that can have long-term effects on your career.

4. “I was a HR  intern with a company in Mombasa. I had arrived before my supervisor and was sitting in the hallway waiting for her to open the office when I overheard the most unusual conversation. A man in senior management position in the office near where I was sitting was having an argument with a woman. The gist of the conversation was that he had been having an affair with someone in the office and she now was upset with him. She went on defining the affair and, in bold terms, described how she felt about it and him. There was plenty of screaming and swearing involved in the conversation and it continued until he realized that there were other people arriving for work.

I just sat there and kept quiet. I never said a word to anyone. Rumors had been circulating about this guy for some time. I was the one who now had firsthand knowledge about what was going on and was not about to share what I knew — especially being an intern.”  Susan. HR Manager.

Lesson: If you are mixing business with pleasure, keep quiet. (And close your door.)
Why: Conventional wisdom advises against starting an office romance, especially if one or both of you are married. Nevertheless, that’s between you and the other person — and that’s where it should stay. Workplaces are not unlike tabloid magazines: Once a private scandal goes public, people are more concerned with those details than with your work. People might never find out the whole truth, so they will fill in the details themselves and make assumptions about you.

Suddenly your reputation has been hit hard and you’ve highhandedly turned the office into an episode of “The Young and the Restless.” or those funny Mexican soap operas.

In short…privacy matters in the office?

More career articles here  www.careerpointkenya.com

No related posts.

To Receive daily jobs In Kenya in your inbox,please subscribe here below.

Children are loud and uninhibited. It’s in their nature — they’re supposed to be active and noisy (to a point). A child can be sitting two feet from you and she will speak at the same volume she uses when she’s playing on the soccer field with their freinds. That’s when you politely say, “Use your indoor voice.”

Of course, even when using their indoor voice, most children don’t think to filter their thoughts before they speak. How many parents lie about something (“It’s a pleasure to meet your husband”) only to have their children ruin everything (“You’re right, Mom, he does look like a fat pig!”)? Immediately after this occurrence, parents teach their children that some information should stay private.

If you’ve held any job for more than a few days, you’ve probably realized that some parents didn’t do a good enough job with their children. Some professionals can have fancy job titles and drive cars worth more than your university education, but they don’t know how to use their indoor voices or when to keep some information to themselves.

We asked people to tell us some of the most outrageous things they’ve heard at work (but not necessarily at their current places of employment). Here are four responses and the lessons we can all learn from them:

1. “James just called in. He says he can’t come to work because God called him on the phone last night. I asked him how he knew it was God (besides Him saying so, of course), and he said because his phone had been disconnected awhile back, and only God could have called on a disconnected phone.” —

overheard by Sarah…An IT consultant.

Lesson: Your excuses should be relevant to the job.
Why: Technically, the person Sarah heard speaking wasn’t the one who needs the lesson — James is. Jame’s deduction that he spoke with God is a personal matter, but his decision to use it as a reason to skip work affects everyone. He doesn’t explain why he’s going to inconvenience other people who rely on him. At one time or another, everyone wants to skip work, but you don’t do it unless you can justify it to the boss. When you skip work, people have to either pick up the slack or rearrange their schedules, and they expect you to provide a good reason. In short, give a sensible reason.

2. “I only lie to girls I’m dating.” — overheard by  Juliet

Lesson: At least try to act like a decent person
Why: Unless there is some context that radically changes this overheard statement, the speaker sounds like the kind of guy you don’t want your daughter, sister, mother or friend dating or even knowing — and you probably don’t want to know him either. Simply put, he’s gross and if you heard him say this at work, you now have a low opinion of him.

Offensive or potentially offensive statements, especially when heard out of context, can really color people’s perceptions of you. If you’re going to say something of this nature, keep it between friends and away from the office. Everyone’s job will be smoother if they can at least be civil to each other.

3. “At a communication firm I worked at, an editor who sat in an open area regularly got into lengthy, difficult and loud discussions with her estranged husband. She was going through the divorce process, and I’m sure it wasn’t easy, but it made everyone extremely uncomfortable. The discussions could be heard clear across the room. They argued about everything — money, kids, his work. It was really unprofessional on her part, and very awkward for her employees, who had no one to complain to since she was their boss.” — Charles, A professional Journalist and media consultant

Lesson: Don’t let your personal mess spill into your professional life.
Why: Every single worker has a personal life that is sometimes unpleasant. Money woes, marriage problems, troublesome children or a million other issues can complicate your life. On some level, everyone is sympathetic when you’re stressed. But when your personal issues get mixed with your job, people question your professionalism — they assume you’re spending more time cleaning up your personal problems than doing your job. And if you’re in a position of authority, they won’t feel confident in your ability to lead, and that can have long-term effects on your career.

4. “I was a HR  intern with a company in Mombasa. I had arrived before my supervisor and was sitting in the hallway waiting for her to open the office when I overheard the most unusual conversation. A man in senior management position in the office near where I was sitting was having an argument with a woman. The gist of the conversation was that he had been having an affair with someone in the office and she now was upset with him. She went on defining the affair and, in bold terms, described how she felt about it and him. There was plenty of screaming and swearing involved in the conversation and it continued until he realized that there were other people arriving for work.

I just sat there and kept quiet. I never said a word to anyone. Rumors had been circulating about this guy for some time. I was the one who now had firsthand knowledge about what was going on and was not about to share what I knew — especially being an intern.”  Susan. HR Manager.

Lesson: If you are mixing business with pleasure, keep quiet. (And close your door.)
Why: Conventional wisdom advises against starting an office romance, especially if one or both of you are married. Nevertheless, that’s between you and the other person — and that’s where it should stay. Workplaces are not unlike tabloid magazines: Once a private scandal goes public, people are more concerned with those details than with your work. People might never find out the whole truth, so they will fill in the details themselves and make assumptions about you.

Suddenly your reputation has been hit hard and you’ve highhandedly turned the office into an episode of “The Young and the Restless.” or those funny Mexican soap operas.

In short…privacy matters in the office?

More career articles here  www.careerpointkenya.com

No related posts.

To Receive daily jobs In Kenya in your inbox,please subscribe here below.

Job Search In Kenya.

The bottom line is, why are you still unemployed in spite of your serious efforts and strong desire to get the job of your choice? Many Kenyans expect a simple, short and precise answer. Unfortunately there is nothing like that. The reason for this is that the Kenyan employment process is complex, and usually in stages. The other reason is that the recruitment process is imprecise, varying from company to company, and from one individual responsible for recruitment to another.

For you, it may just be that you are not getting one particular stage or skill right; for others, it may be two or three or more!

So what can be wrong? Below is a summary of the main issues i have found common with Kenyan job seekers.

1. Poor understanding of self.
most of us do not know ourselves enough to make informed decision about our job/career direction.
What skills do we have to provide a possible clue on career direction
job and career goal depends on the skills you have
Skills are the foundation of job search. Employers want to know what it is you can do for them.
Now do you have personal goals in life? Without a vision, most young people today are just drifting in the sea of life.

2.poor understanding of the employers hiring process and attitude
In most situations, employment/hiring have been turned to a two- lane expressway – where there is little or no contact (hence no information) between on-coming and on-going vehicles
For example, when you desire to work for any organization what do you do? You approach the HR department for information and possible assistance.
Right? Wrong. The major role of personnel department in the recruitment process is to screen you out!

3.Poor management of change arising from joblessness.
Whether you are unemployed, under employed, employed by looking for a better job, or entering the work for the very first time, or entering after a long absence, you are facing change situation.
And change affects our emotions – relief, anticipation, or renewal, or you may fell anger, sadness, fear, depression or confusion. These feelings are natural. The key to successful management of change (and attendant transition) is attitude.
How much of you time, energy and money are you willing invest in yourself, or better still in your future? Do you realize that looking for a job is indeed a full time job if you are unemployed? Are you ready to work at it?

4. Ineffective job – hunt strategy.
If you are not going to anywhere in particular, any road will lead you there.
Where, in terms of which sector or industry or company or geographic location would you like to work?
If we assume that you have your job target, the question then, how to do you reach this objective? How do you get a shot at your dream job without which you stand no chance of getting it at all?
Job seekers who want to succeed will have to do the knocking, the digging, the searching.

5.Ineffective Resume / CV
The basics of a resume/CV are that it should be letter perfect, neat, easy to read and organized. Easy part.
The hard part is putting that resume or CV to work, making it do as mush as a CV can do i.e. making it a successful sales brochure. But no matter how well – organized, how neat, how smoothly written your resume is, if it does not have any “sell” in it, it is not doing its job.
Do you use your resume/CV effectively? Check www.staff-kenya.com for answers.

6.Inadequate skills for passing job aptitude tests.
It is to test the abilities of the applicants in the basic skills required to do the job effectively – comprehension, verbal and quantitative skills, quantitative ability, logical reasoning, speed and accuracy, specific job skills, etc.

At any rate, it is a barrier you must adequately prepare to cross. So except you master these tests and perform well in them, your dream of getting a top flight job might suffer sudden – death

7.Ineffective Application Letter
The application letter (also referred to as cover letter ) is suppose to customize your Resume/CV for particular job.It should state how your experience and qualification meet the requirements of the job. Again check www.staff-kenya.com who do CV and cover letter writing.

8.Inadequate preparation for job interview
For any interview, thorough preparation is the cornerstone for making positive impressions at job interviews..
For a start, you need to be unformed about the company/industry: key players, levels of salary, technology, success factors, etc.
And the small davids that can lead to the fall of Goliath: do you know the venue of the interview not to get lost, and get to the place late? Are you properly dressed? Practise with a freind on how to respond to interview questions.

9.Poor conduct and presentation.
Qualifications are important but the whole person is more important
How much does that person come across? How enthusiastic/positive is this individual?
It is not only about what you will say, but also about how you say it-non – verbal expressions
Findings indicated that within the first few minutes of any personal meeting with somebody who has the power to hire you or screen you out, the decision has pretty much been made
And now to your personality traits. For example, are you stable, honest,ambitious, courteous, etc? Employer has their way of discovering people with extreme behavior of any type.

10 . Poor interview skills
There are basically five questions you get at job interviews:
•Why are you here? (Why do you want to work for us?)
•What can you do for us?
•What kind of a person are you?
•What distinguish you from the other if people who have the same ability as you have? And finally
•Can we afford you?

So if a job seeker does not have answers to these questions before any interview, then he/she hasn’t started to look for work. Same for some specific/uncomfortable questions.

For me, these are the areas i have identified to be wanting with many Kenyan job-seekers be it first timers or experienced professionals. The message here is to work on those things you have control over and see your job/career change for the better in 2011.

All the best.

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