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Tips & Tricks

So, you can be more productive at work

There are events in your work day that do not contribute to you, in which you spend valuable time or in which you only get distracted. In those cases, everyone loses, the company and you. With just making small changes you can gain greater control and happiness with your work.

So you can be more productive at work

“A person who is happy at work always looks for solutions, and finds opportunities in each of the circumstances they face. Being in a good mood, transmitting good energy and reaching agreements along with experience and skills, can make this worker a very productive person, capable of achieving all his goals and taking on new challenges, both personally and at work,” explained Jairo Pinilla., director of Performia Colombia.

As Travis Bradberry, co-author of the book Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and president of the Talent Smart company, explained in Forbes magazine, if you manage to eliminate eight habits, you can become more productive at work.

The first thing you should avoid is using your cell phone, computer, or tablet at night, while you’re in bed, because the blue light emitted by these devices causes the body to stop producing melatonin, a hormone that causes sleep and also affects its quality. A bad night will affect your work the next day.

When the alarm goes off, get up immediately, don’t hit the snooze button, because when you sleep your brain moves through a series of cycles, the last of which prepares you to be alert when it’s time to wake up. If you go back to sleep those ‘five more minutes’ you lose alertness and wake up later, tired and sleepy.

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Another piece of advice given by Bradberry is: avoid opening more than five tabs on the internet while browsing, because it takes you 15 consecutive minutes to focus on a task and do it, if you click away from the work, you are on or get distracted by social networks you will lose track focus at work.

It’s okay to be a perfectionist, but don’t be too much, you can lose the opportunity to carry out an idea or task by wanting it to be perfect.

Meetings can be a problem over time, many times they are not organized properly. The important thing is to keep the scheduled schedule so that they do not extend and be focused on the points to be resolved, so they will be more efficient.

Email should not be an interruption to work, do not reply to all messages as soon as they arrive, have an order, prioritize urgent messages or those that require your response, and have the alerts you need configured.

Another tip is to do one task at a time. Do not multitask, because according to Stanford University a multitasking person is less productive than one who does only one thing at a time.

Start with the most difficult or the task that costs you the most, so you will do it with more energy and with a fresh mind; if you postpone it until the end of the day you will be at your worst production moment and you will also be tired.

The above is not a straitjacket. Establish a routine that best suits you, also dedicate moments to rest and to your personal life, only with planning can you do your tasks without problem.

In the same way, companies must offer the best conditions to their employees so that they are more effective in their jobs.

“ Labor productivity in companies requires investment in human capital, creating adequate ecosystems that materialize integral human management: a work environment based on dignity and respect, carefully thought out and executed career plans based on meritocracy, training continues in hard and soft skills including exposure to challenging work experiences and conditions in new environments, research and knowledge management, agreement and strict adherence to codes of ethics, wellness programs, the balance between work and other aspects of the worker’s life, constant dialogue and feedback, emotional wages and the good example of those who lead the organizations”, said Javier Echeverri, Country Manager of Manpower Group Colombia.

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Tips & Tricks

Put your employer on probation

In general, it is the company and the employer who put the worker on probation. However, the employee should also test the person who hired him.

Put your employer on probation

Rafael Minauro, director of University Development Colombia & Peru at the Antonio de Nebrija University – Madrid, Spain, says that it is important to test the employer because it is a commitment that requires a company that values ​​knowledge and effort, “and that offers the conditions for the worker to efficiently deploy his potential. If the employer does not meet the requirements, the employee will be exposed to burnout that can lead to failure and professional development problems”.

According to Minauro, this trial period can be an analogy of the process carried out by companies. It is about identifying indicators of the success of the labor project. In other words, analyze and detail whether the employer demonstrates respect for the worker in daily activities, compliance with the conditions agreed upon in the contract, and whether it provides the necessary support to meet the goals.

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If you want to know if your employer passes the test or not, you should consider as a first item the level of communication and openness that you have in the organization. In other words, determine if as an employee you directly receive the relevant information for decision-making. “At this stage, the worker must identify if they have the necessary confidence in him and if he is respected as a member of the company. The understanding of the organizational culture will be important for the final determination”, assures Minauro.

The worker will also evaluate at this stage if he has the necessary tools to meet the expected goals. In addition to the opinion of other members of the organization, the new worker will draw up his work plan considering the available resources.

Normally the trial period that the company sets as a condition for the worker is for a period of two months. Applying that time, but from the employee to the employer, it would be 60 days of intense learning, but also of recognition of working conditions. “It would be a period in which the worker sets his goals and evaluates the internal and external conditions, understands and integrates into the organizational culture, expresses his doubts and suggestions for improvement and, finally, decides if the employer offers him fair conditions. of professional development. After that period, he will make the decision to commit himself and stay, or leave in search of other opportunities,” says Minauro.

For his part, Jorge Alberto Hernández, a specialist in Human Management from the Universidad Pilot de Colombia, affirms that you can test your employer by evaluating, mainly, the post-hiring processes: specific induction of the position, general induction about the company, presentation with the work area personnel, budgeted time for the learning curve, and willingness of the employer to resolve doubts and concerns on the part of the employee.

Finally, it is important to identify how organized and effective the employer is in the process. In the same way, you should evaluate what the new company you work for brings you emotionally.

Despite the fact that the situation in Colombia does not give the majority of workers the luxury of testing their employers, since many people need their work to survive, it would be very good to take risks and not bow their heads and demand, above all, compliance with what was agreed in the selection process prior to hiring. 

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How To

Learn how to make a personal introduction video

Sometimes the presentation in the resume is not enough and some companies prefer to know the candidates in a format that allows more details of the person to be detected.

Learn how to make a personal introduction video

Virtual or digital interviews have become an ally for selection processes, they serve companies to streamline and optimize recruitment processes and candidates to be effective through technological tools.

Talent recruiters currently use two types of video interviews. In the first, the interviewer sends the candidate a series of questions to be recorded and later sends the video with the answers so that it can be analyzed. The second is the best known and implemented by companies and is done through a virtual platform such as Skype, Google Hangouts, Facebook Messenger or Viber; In these cases, the candidate is spoken to in real time and not only his knowledge but also aspects of his personality are measured.

“Video interviews allow us to speed up the selection of candidates during the early stages of the process. In divisions such as technology, about 40% of the interviews, in the first instance, are carried out using this methodology, since it is a tool that makes it possible to efficiently refine the list of candidates without implying greater efforts in travel and identifying key skills for the position that needs to be covered”, explained Daniel Camacho, IT executive manager at Michael Page Colombia.

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Faced with these situations typical of a selection process, ask what type of video interview you are going to do, check the conditions that the video must have, the duration, the operating system, the place where you are going to record, the camera, the computer and other details that could present inconveniences.

“The interview process allows the candidate to make the reasons that have been put in the resume to access a position much clearer. For this reason, it is necessary to think about it strategically and concentrate efforts on demonstrating the specialization of the profile. Some selection processes may require the support of audiovisual media, either as an input for companies in the first phase or as a means for the interview when the distance does not allow a face-to-face meeting,” said Carolina Forero, Marketing and Communications Manager. in Colombia and leader in Latin America for Hays.

“Whether the medium is, you have to think about the information that is going to be provided in that first instance. Knowing the profile of the company and, if possible, the interviewer, this will help to set the tone: formal or informal conversation, emphasis on certain skills of the profile, adjustment in one’s own speech and even a position issue. The key message that must be delivered is that of a specialized profile that meets the skills expected by the company, this demonstrated in specialized knowledge and experience”, added Forero.

Choose a good place to make the video, find one where you won’t have distractions. Apart from this, the videoconference or video must have the same relevance as a traditional interview. Personal presentation is essential, regardless of whether you are in a workplace, a public place or at home. So, it’s important to rise to the occasion and meet the expectations that companies have of an applicant for one of their positions.

“Minimize possible interruptions: it is important to put the cell phone on silent, and in the case of being at home, also the landline. Think of anything else that might distract you during your interview and schedule everything so that doesn’t happen. Close all web pages that might catch your eye and turn off email alerts. If you live with other people, let them know you’re having an interview so they won’t interrupt you. If you have a pet that makes a lot of noise, try to move it from the room,” Camacho recommended.

Apart from the traditional questions, about formation, strengths and weaknesses, think about the possible questions that you will be asked. Take care of your image and the way in which you will make the video. Your creativity and formality can be the way to get the job you want.

“Make visible your skills that are required for this new position, the achievements in previous experiences, and how you have managed to build your experience. It is also essential, depending on the industry, to have the latest requirements in the advancement of existing programs or regulations that are essential for the business. Demonstrating the strength of the profile is the key, and the questions can be many. Seek to make it evident, as it will help you provide a more solid image,” Forero pointed out.

Keep in mind 

If the username or email you’ll use to submit the video isn’t professional, your interview may get off to a bad start. There are many video editing applications that you can use. Everything you say and do in an interview will be used to create an image. Lastly, make sure your profile photo features only and exclusively you, and hopefully it’s a sober photo.

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Tips & Tricks

If you are independent, you can join occupational hazards

Colombians without a contract or employment relationship have the opportunity to join the General System of Occupational Risks (SGRL), that is, the so-called independent can also have the coverage of an Occupational Risk Administrator (ARL) thinking about the prevention and care of your health at work.

If you are independent, you can join occupational hazards

This is established by decree 1563 of 2016. And to do so, there are certain conditions: the first is that independent workers earn one or more current legal monthly minimum wages and that the payment of contributions to the system is through the ARL and through the use of the integrated contribution settlement form (PILA). In other words, the person must be previously affiliated to the general social security health system in the contributory regime and to the general pension system.

Another basic condition for this voluntary affiliation to become effective is that the minimum affiliation period is one month.

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To establish the contribution base income (IBC), the worker must use the same amount that he contributes to the general health and pension systems, which cannot be calculated below a minimum wage, nor can it exceed 25 minimum wages. In addition, it is important to remember that a specified contribution percentage is included that varies according to the activity carried out.

The contribution is made in complete monthly periods, it is paid month in arrears, it is processed through the PILA and the coverage of the General System of Occupational Risks begins the calendar day following the date of affiliation.

For registration, it is necessary for the worker to add their data and specify the situations of time, manner and place in which they will carry out all the occupations or trades exercised independently. Also, the risk class of each of the activities or trades according to the most representative occupations or trades classification table that was annexed to Decree 1563 of 2016.

The form must be attached to the identification of hazards established by the Ministry of Labor, completed in accordance with the occupations or trades to be carried out by the independent and the certificate of the results of a pre-occupational examination that is performed on the worker and it must be issued by a doctor licensed in Occupational Health and Safety, with a maximum validity of 30 days.

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Tips & Tricks

How should work experience be entered on the resume?

Work experience is one of the most important parts of the resume. However, some people do not know how it should be located in the curriculum and, above all, what should be put.

How often should you update your resume

Adriana Gutiérrez Faccini, a Human Resources consultant, assures that it is important that work experience highlights the tasks performed that are more in line with the position to which you aspire. But that does not mean that you should leave everything aside, it is important to write down the roles in which you have worked and that may be relevant to the information that is needed.
 

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In the work experience, several points stand out: the full name of the company in which you worked; the dates corresponding to the period worked (entry and retirement) and if you are still working in the company, the word “Current” is put -instead of the retirement date-. In the same way, the name of the immediate boss is presented, with the contact number if possible and, if the case arises, you did not have a good relationship with your superior, write the name and telephone number of the person in charge of Human Resources. The explanations of the bad relations with the previous bosses are left for the interview, if it is the case. 

Present your past charges chronologically, starting with the most recent.

“Likewise, it is also essential to make a brief summary of the functions performed and, in some cases, companies request the reason for the withdrawal. Also, it is vital to present the achievements achieved in each of the tasks carried out”, advises Gutiérrez.

The most appropriate way to present work experience is to start with the last job you have had, in such a way that the person who is reviewing the resume is clear about your last jobs.

“Sometimes there are very long resumes. It is recommended to put three to five jobs: the last ones done, and those that are relevant to the position. You can comment on the rest of the work you have done at the interview stage”, says Gutiérrez.

Normally when applying for a vacancy, you have access to information on the functions to be performed and the expected requirements. Based on that and on work experience, you can define what to put on the resume.

Finally, María Clara Delgadillo, CNG Energy’s Human Resources manager, says that it is vital to put the functions performed in a short, precise and specific manner. “Although work experience is essential in the resume, it should not be very extensive.”

Work experience should not be avoided or omitted, because it is what allows the employer to analyze competencies and abilities to perform the functions that are going to be assigned to you in the position to which you aspire.

Keep this advice in mind

“Currently, the usual thing is that people present their experience before academic studies. In the experience, in addition to specifying the functions, it is ideal to present the achievements that you achieved or the processes that you could advance in a company. The resume should be an invitation that interests the recruiter to know more about your profile”, complements Viviana Barragan, a specialist in Human Resources.

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Tips & Tricks

How often should you update your resume?

Keep your resume up to date, by doing it only when you want a new job you are losing new opportunities.

How often should you update your resume

If you want to get a new job, the resume is the basic and necessary input for that mission. Before applying to the offers, make sure that your data is up to date, for companies it is easier to locate active candidates in search of new possibilities than those whose data is out of date.

“The labor market demands that one always be ready to react quickly to any change, to think about what will happen in the event of a possible layoff or to generate new professional opportunities. For this reason, you must always keep your resume up to date,” explained Juan David Toups Ramirez, ManpowerGroup Communications and Marketing Manager.

To keep your resume up to date, the advice is that as a new challenge, promotion or change arises, include it in your resume. Make this a habit to be able to apply to the job offers that are published every day.

Carolina Forero, leader of Hays’ Marketing team for Latin America and Colombia, adds the following:

“It is important to have all the relevant information in the different formats in which the resume exists (physical, digital, platforms, social networks, etc.), with the growth and specialization of the profile clearly written. It is very important to have at hand the exact dates on which you have changed jobs, completed a new study or achieved a promotion, for example”.

Another piece of advice is to update what is necessary so that the information that the recruiter reads is striking and in accordance with the requirements of the vacancy that you want to fill.

“The academic and work trajectory of the candidate must be communicated in a summarized way, highlighting the skills or competencies that he or she possesses. The ideal in this sense is to ensure that the profile is a review in accordance with the vacancy to which you are applying, under criteria of honesty and transparency, with the possibility that the information transmitted is verifiable,” said Noel González, head of Experience of Adecco candidates and temps.

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If you do not update your resume, you may lose job opportunities. For example, at, companies usually look for candidates with up-to-date CVs and that is why they use the filters available on the platform to only count on people whose information is up-to-date.

Be proactive, if you do not change position, include your annual achievements, or every time you acquire additional responsibilities that imply changes in the structure and that represent a significant transformation in the workflow.

“The trend is that regardless of whether the person is actively looking for work or not, they keep their data up to date. The management of social networks and the information that the market is receiving means that people are constantly renewing their professional information, the current interactivity and the new forms of recruitment make today more open and subject to having this information. updated since the exhibition is permanent”, pointed out Laura Alba, business partner of Human Resources of Page Group Colombia.

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Tips & Tricks

How good is it to be ‘multitask’?

Having these skills allows the worker to develop in an integral way and make transversal movements in an organization.

At present there is much talk about ‘multitask’ or multitasking employees as a necessity that the labor market demands. However, there are different positions, and there are those who prefer a worker who performs a single function and does it well.

How good is it to be 'multitask'

Mónica Yamile Pardo Morales, director of Human Talent at BDO in Colombia, says that the good thing about being a multitasking employee is that when someone with certain requirements is required in another area or process, this worker can be the first on the list of any change.

However, Pardo expresses that it is bad to be a ‘multitask’ when the company for which he works confuses an integral person with one who can do everything. So, in these environments the employee can be overloaded with work and have difficulties.

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“Being multitasking is attending functions of various types within the same position. That is, knowing the specialty of your profession and the area to which you belong within an organization, but having basic knowledge of other areas to be able to understand the points of view and create common languages. For example: an Audit Senior has accounting as his training base and is an expert in it. However, he must be a good leader, have his skills developed, and carry out other activities not necessarily associated with accounting, such as administrative, personnel management, quality, and commercial activities,” says Pardo.

Similarly, key positions in an organization should be filled by employees who are capable of multitasking. “By this I mean not only management positions, but also all those who are key to sustaining the business.”

Pardo ensures that a manager must be ‘multitask’ because he is the integrator of processes, people, areas and organizational dynamics. Therefore, he has to immerse himself in different levels of depth of what his colleagues do, in order to be the support of any of them in critical moments, and to be able to make decisions both alone and as a team.

The problem is not that the worker is multitasking, the bad thing is that the company overloads tasks.

Amanda Bibiana Arias, deputy director of Human Talent at Parque Mundo Aventura, affirms that new labor trends make an increasing demand on their workers to achieve results, highlighting the need to develop their skills to attend to various things at the same time. time.

“It is favorable that a worker is multitasking and manages to respond to the various demands of a job”, points out Arias.

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Tips & Tricks

Do not despair while looking for work

Not having a job or a fixed income affects emotional and psychological stability. In fact, unemployment is associated with an increased risk of suicide because of its link to depression, according to the Center for Suicide Research and Prevention in the United States.

Do not despair while looking for work

According to the entity, unemployment (particularly among people of working age between 25 and 64), economic and financial pressures—such as job loss, prolonged periods of unemployment, reduced income, difficulty covering medical, food, and housing and even the anticipation of such pressures—can increase people’s risk of suicide.

To avoid these situations and not give up trying to find a job, it is important to dedicate time and effort, establish a strategic perspective to aim in the best way for a position in which skills, knowledge and expectations can really be developed.

Whatever the situation, you must be honest and seek support from family and friends so that the process is not a problem but a common goal.

“There can be two main scenarios: looking for a job when you want a change or looking for a job because you don’t have it. In both you have to think of a route that is clear and that points to reality. Many times, out of desperation, it can be applied to positions for which you are not really prepared or even to some that are less than expected. Do an effective search and get the job of your dreams”, recommended Carolina Forero, leader of the Marketing team for Latin America and Colombia at Hays.

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Having a clear and objective resume is the gateway to many selection processes, which is why you must provide all the necessary information in less than two pages. It is essential to write a profile that highlights education, specialized experience, skills, achievements and responsibilities, in addition to the use of specialized tools and languages.

Another key point to have confidence in the process and not fall into despair is to do a specialized search. “Once a resume is organized that makes the specialization of the profile evident, the search and application to different vacancies must respond to that order. Many times, it is believed that by complying with some of the characteristics of the job offers, the profile will adjust to the rest, but this does not usually happen. Identify the companies and vacancies to which you really apply”, added Forero.

Demonstrate your abilities in interviews, there you will have the opportunity to show that your skills, knowledge and experience will add value to the company in which you want to be located.

“Not all interviews or companies are the same, so knowing your history and how you perform in the market beforehand is a great tool for the candidate. In the questions you always have to seek to emphasize the differential of the profile, in the details and knowledge that can solve the needs that the company has. This will be a space to honestly recognize if you have what is necessary to carry out certain functions or if the vacancy is really appropriate for the candidate’s interests,” the expert pointed out.

Understand what your strength is to do a search that is not messy, your level must be evident in all aspects of the process and although there may be some flexibility, the chances of obtaining a position will be higher if a conscious and non-random process is carried out.

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Tips & Tricks

Can you retract the resignation letter?

If you quit your job and later regret it, will your employer receive you again as in the previous case?

Jorge Alberto Hernández, a specialist in Human Management from the Universidad Piloto de Colombia, says that it is necessary to be clear that the resignation is a voluntary process that the worker executes before the employer in view of the tasks that he is developing, so if it is a process for own decision, it is supposed to be something that should have been thought through before handing over the resignation letter.

Can you retract the resignation letter

For Hernández, repentance is not a viable action in these cases. He could do it before delivering the letter, but after he passes it on the person must bear the consequences of his actions.

“It would be difficult for the employer to give him another opportunity, because that generates a feeling of instability for the position, since the person could leave at any moment and leave the position vacant and generate subsequent delays in the processes that are being carried out in the company. company”, says Hernández, who adds that there may be effects not only at an administrative level, but also at a financial level.

the anecdote

A similar situation happened to Vivian Merchán, manager of Mistral Asociados SAS a few years ago: she handed in her letter of resignation from her current job because she had found a job at another company. She began to step down from her role gradually and work in her new role. However, that position did not turn out to be what she expected and she then asked her boss to whom she had given the resignation letter to receive it again.

Merchán had such good luck that the boss accepted her again, however, according to her, things never went back to the way they were before. The fact that she once showed that she wanted to leave caused some inconvenience in her superior and in her work team.

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the synthesis

Before giving up, think carefully about the decision you are going to make. The fact that you pass your resignation letter causes the company to start investing time and money in selection processes to replace your position.

Therefore, when you repent you can find a boss who accepts you again -although it is possible that the work environment changes-, or that you are already at a point of no return.

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Tips & Tricks

Bad ideas to look for work

Regardless of experience or position level, looking for a job is not easy, it requires time, patience and, above all, responding in a timely manner to the needs of companies.

In this process, bad advice must be avoided. For example, apply to all the vacancies you find, despite not meeting the required profile. It can also be to take the resume personally to the companies, without an appointment or a previous presentation, or to make personal invitations to the interviewers.

Bad ideas to look for work

You can believe that the job search is generic because the end result is the same, but no, the selection of personnel is specialized.

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According to Carolina Forero, leader of the Marketing team for Latin America and Colombia at Hays, another idea that you should leave out when looking for a job is to say that you are good at everything on your resume.

“This is perhaps the most important point, which must be analyzed even before readjusting the resume. According to the Hays 2018 Salary Guide for Colombia, 95% of companies want to hire personnel who have experience and specialized knowledge in an industry, who understand the strength of their own profile and the skills they have, but do not try to prove to be good at everything, as it will leave an image of a generalist profile that cannot contribute in depth to the business objectives, and therefore be discarded in the process”, he pointed out.

Don’t think that the same resume works for everything either, “this is the gateway to many processes, so you must get straight to the point and provide all the necessary information in less than two pages. It is essential to write a profile that highlights education, specialized experience, skills, achievements and responsibilities, in addition to the use of specialized tools and languages. Submitting the same resume to positions that have different emphases can lead to the rejection of a candidate who could work, but who does not demonstrate specialization in his profile at this early stage,” added the specialist.

Highlight your resume by buying the VIP job

Studying just thinking about getting a job, confusing a passion or hobby with the skills you have for a job, dismissing work networks (networking), writing direct messages to recruiters on your resume, thinking that soft skills are not important and even buying a suit without needing it before confirming interviews are other bad ideas in this process, as Business Insider recently reported.

In this process it is important to understand the big picture and advance a job search strategy. Get organized, maximize your time, save and avoid despair as much as possible. Although the situation is urgent, anxiety will also play against you.