How to Turn Job Duties Into Accomplishments

How to Turn Job Duties Into AccomplishmentsHow to Turn Job Duties Into AccomplishmentsHave you ever been in a job interview that you think is going well until suddenly the hiring manager asks this disarming question?I landsee your resume tells me what youve done. But...what have you accomplished?The hiring manager has a point. Your accomplishments reflect whether you can reach goals for your employer, as a result of your job duties.This question comes up so much becauseResumes often look like job descriptions.Explaining accomplishments is notlage as easy as it sounds.Most online job applications usually ask to see your duties or responsibilities.This post will explain exactly how to show hiring managers what you accomplished.1. Understand the need for evidenceImagine you are a Corporate Director for a global company and you list on your resumeManaged a global team of people. (job duty)But it really says nothing about what you accomplished. So instead, try showing numbers and results. This is your evidence of successAchieved $50M in sales while managing a global team of 300 employees.Hiring managers already know what the positions duties are. They just need to see how the skills you claim to have on your resume and your job duties led to numbers that offer evidence of success.2. Compile a list of questions to interrogate yourself for evidenceBe a bit tough and ask yourself the questions all interviewers are really thinking about. You know you have to show evidence. So, take out your resume and ask yourself these questions for each job position on your resumeWhat problems did I solve?Why welches I really great at my job?How did I stand out in my last job?How much money did I save the company?Do I have any awards or accolades I am proud of?Did I ever consistently meet or exceed goals or quotas?What did I do to go above and beyond the call of a job duty?What new processes did I implement that lead to improvement?When and why was I recognized by a supervisor for a j ob well done?3. Illustrate your evidence with those numbersTake the answers to your questions. Add in as many numbers and facts as you canHow many people were impacted by your work?What percentage did you exceed your goals by?Do not just say, I effectively managed a budget. Show the numbers to explain how much money you saved. You are quantifying your accomplishments, making them easier to understand, and illustrating for the hiring manager the level of work or responsibility required to achieve accomplishments.4. Show some evidence of the added benefit of YouShow this new company how much of a benefit you were to your last company and boss. Communicate to the employer exactly what he/she will receive by hiring you. After all, they need to know what you can do for themLet them know your approach to work by stating how you communicated at your last job. Try something like thisPrepared detailed weekly presentations of team status reports in a timely manner to ensure client satisfactio n.This communicates to the hiring manager that, if you are hired, you will work to provide great service to both staff and clients. You are offering tangible evidence of your work to let others know why you are an asset to this company.Why this mattersA resume full of accomplishments shows you know how to execute, not just do something for money. Its the best way to show an employer you mean business, how you will be of value to others, and why working together will be mutually beneficial

How bottoming out at work can be a good thing

How bottoming out at work can be a good thingHow bottoming out at work can be a good thingIts everyones worst nightmare a catastrophic job loss that perhaps even takes down your social standing, friends, and your home. Hitting bottom means you lose your job and cant find another one again at least not in your field and see no way to make things improve.A study titledHitting Rock Bottom After Job Loss Bouncing Back to Create a New Positive Work Identity, published in the Academy of Management Review, discusses how this situation can eventually turn out for the better, and how youll likely find a way to recover if you let go of your old identity and forge a new one.On the way down, we frantically do all sorts of things to try and repair the situation, and suffer as we fail,explains the studys lead author Dean Shepherd,the Siegfried Professor of Entrepreneurship in Notre DamesMendoza College of Business, in arelease.Bottoming out frees us from the misconception that the problems can b e fixed, and in the process, frees us from other constraints and negative emotions and provides the conditions necessary to find a viable solution.Those who have hit rock bottom with unemployment and loss of their work identity can go one of two waysOne is into a negative, deconstructed numb state where they remain fixed on the present and may self-medicate with drugs and booze.But a healthier way to claw yourself up from the bottom is by using your imagination to fantasize about what work you might take on next and then experimenting a bit, by taking classes, volunteering, or exploring going back to school, for example. These low-risk activities, called identity play, are essentially harmless, but help the unemployed get back in the game and see what they might actually enjoy doing with their skills.Using identity play provides a safe environment to escape the situation and try new things, discarding badeanstalt ideas or finding and refining a new identity and returning stronger t han before, Sheperd says.For example, a failed corporate exec might try being on the board of a nonprofit that needs his guidance, running for office, or working with a startup before choosing a path. A failed entrepreneur might envision how his or her skills could transfer to a corporate job, or take the LSAT.A musician who can no longer play might explore teaching, writing about music, or working at a music store. Or she might try working at a nonprofit or volunteering somewhere non-music related the broader the range of experiences, the better, according to the study.With further refinement maybe the musician wants to teach adult students, not beginners and social validation from her network, also key to the process eventually, shell narrow her focus and find a path. And most importantly, a new work identity to replace the old.In these cases, hitting rock bottom opens up myriad new opportunities, says Sheperd.

How to Choose Your Companys Disability Insurance

How to Choose Your Companys Disability InsuranceHow to Choose Your Companys Disability InsurancePeople dont typically think about falling ill or getting hurt on the job. But when an employee suffers a disability, theyre hoping that at least a portion of their salary will be covered. This is where disability insurance comes in. Whether you offer a comprehensive benefits package or a smaller one, it is an important thing to consider. When a company provides short-term disability benefits, the employee gets six months of coverage. Long-term disability benefits cover the employee for the duration of their disability or until they hit retirement age. Options for Who Pays for Disability Benefits As an employer, you can choose from the following Pay for short-term disability and long-term disability coveragePut the burden of paying disability on the employeeShare the cost of coverage More and mora employers are choosing to share the cost of coverage or have employees pay the cost of dis ability insurance due, in part, to recent IRS regulations that make it easier to do so. No perfect choice exists for any company. Below are some options in more detail. Offer both an employer-paid plan and an employee-paid disability plan. Companies often refer to this as tax choice. Other companies do not give employees the choice and end up choosing the plan they hope will best fit their employees. Choose to pay the premiums. This helps employees avoid the costs of disability premiums. But, should any employee go out on disability, they become responsible for taxes on any income they receive. When employees pay the cost of their own disability premiums through payroll deductions, the disability benefits they receive are not taxed if they subsequently become disabled. How Your Employees Taxes Will Be Affected Choosing the right insurance for your employees is one thing, but each of your options has different effects on your taxes you should also take into consideration. If yo u choose to pay the premium, your employees wont be taxed. They wont be taxed under IRS Code Section 106. However, under IRS Code Section 125, if you choose to shift the cost to employees, they pay the premium on a pre-tax basis through payroll deductions. In turn, employees would be able to collect disability tax-free if they qualified for disability. Provide employees with the opportunity to make after-tax contributions. This way, they can receive their disability benefits on a tax-free basis, but they would need to amend their Section 125 cafeteria plan and inform employees. Taxes on Disability Income vs. Premium Costs While most employees would prefer to have their employer pay the premium costs that may not be the case should they go out on disability. Premium costs are minimal but when you compare that to the costs of taxes on disability income, its something any employee would likely be glad to pay, as illustrated by the example below. An Employer Paid vs. Employee Paid E xample Lets take this situation assuming an employee makes $50,000 a year. They fall in a 30 percent tax bracket and have disability coverage paying 60 percent of their salary with a premium equal to 28 cents for every $100 of employee income. Pre-Disability Income $50,000Taxes on Income $15,000 (Federal, State, FICA 30 percent in taxes)Net Pay $35,000 per year (70 percent net pay) Employer-Paid Disability Benefit (60 percent) $30,000 per yearTaxes $9,000Net Benefit if Taxed $21,000 (60 percent of former take-home pay) Employee-Paid Disability Benefit (60 percent) $30,000 per year After-TaxPremium at $50,000 $140 per year ($50,000 x 0.28/$100)Net Benefit if Not Taxed $21,000 (60 percent of former take-home pay) In this example, you can see the savings an individual who goes out on disability would have if they pay their premium costs and all taxes on it. Of course, for those who dont go on disability, they would shell out $140 extra a year in this particular example, if they did no t go on disability. This is why many companies give employees the choice of how they would like to pay premiums.