Category: Tips & Tricks

Blog articles giving you insider tips and tricks to make your first job and lifelong career mistake free.

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Tips & Tricks

Benefits of high school and college debate skills at remote internship interview

office with two colleagues debating
office with two colleagues debating

When you are still in college or high school, it’s a good idea to learn debating skills. Even competitors seeking the highest levels of society must show that they are skilled in presenting and exchanging views.  Further, expertise in presenting your viewpoint (the reasons why you should hire me for a remote internship, for instance) can be the difference between employment and unemployment.

On a national scale, voters are pretty excited about upcoming political debates. Often pundits review debate performance 24/7 long after the debate session as aired on national television, cable channels and broadcast on social media.

But has our interest in public discourse ebbed with the changing times? The 3NR, a blog chronicling the activities of high school debate clubs found, “participation in policy debate has declined significantly from 2020 to 2021.” Even more pronounced the organization reports that the data show, a decline “even more significant from 2019 to 2021.”

Equally troubling is that the data is backed by on-the-ground observations of participants noticing, “tournament fields have been noticeably smaller and fewer schools have been actively competing.”

Are debate skills essential skills in the job marketplace of today? Graduates of the California Polytechnic State University (CalPoly) seem to think so. Alumni regarded job skills (research, analysis and disputation competencies) gained when participating in intercollegiate debate activities “helped them prepare for life after college.”

But does the research demonstrate? The Stanford National Forensic Institute (SNFI) operated by the Stanford Debate Society at Stanford University cited initiatives by the College Board (creators of the SAT) to incorporate “the sorts of skills debate teaches.”

 Specifically,

  • Preparing and presenting a critical response to a specific argument,”
  • Presenting valid viewpoints based upon analysis and not mere opinion,
  • Responding quickly (in real time),
  • Stating one’s viewpoint, calmly and free of emotion,
  • Advocating in support of one’s viewpoint while refraining from making personal attacking at the opposing presenter, and
  • Applying critical thinking skills at a moment’s notice.

 Getting back to college entrance exams, research has shown participants in debate clubs attain ACT scores higher than non-participating students.

About 10 years ago, near the height of debate club popularity an article appearing in Forbes suggested that employers should emphasize the hiring of those skilled in debate to lead the company. And putting them on the fast track to success. Why? Because of their communication, debate and presentation skills.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in more recent times identified the critical need for workers to possess the skills used to excel in public discourse.

Here are the reasons why:

To discern fact presented from fact checkers as well as those sources generally known to present fiction (fake news),

  • To discern fact presented from fact checkers as well as those sources generally known to present fiction (fake news),
  • To use critical information to make major life and career decisions,
  • To present a credible stance, it is important to base one’s viewpoint on research beyond “Google” searches,
  •  To withstand public criticism of one’s viewpoint with aplomb.
  •  To seek out credible sources of information.

You may say that former debate club members, alumni, teachers and professors of debate activities will hold just one view. That debating is an important skills to have. To participate in debate activities are essential to success.

An up-to-date 2023 Forbes article emphasizes the ways in which debate skills are associated with improved critical thinking skills. Even among students who were previously “low achieving” underperformers.

Further, research presented in Science Direct, does support many of notions held by proponents of debate clubs and others.

Practicing one’s debating skills does indeed enhance:

  • Critical thinking skills,
  • Communication abilities,
  • Teamwork competencies,
  • Self-directed learning.

So, as you watch the verbal exchange of information, policy viewpoints and stances, think of how you might use debate skills to start your career, further your personal and professional goals and to make your voice heard.

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Tips & Tricks

The danger of relationships at work

couple holding hands
couple holding hands

One would think that remote work, completing a solitary remote internship in your own home would reduce the chance of starting an improper personal relationship while working.

But that is not the case. There may be fewer chance meetings at the water cooler, or stolen minutes in the staff cafeteria or supply room. But improper relationships can still happen in a remote working environment.

One can be tempted by a colleague, supervisor or subordinate. So, it pays greatly to be careful. It costs dearly to throw caution to the wind.

Improper chats, forum comments, videos can still happen. It is importance to know that in the office, regardless of your mood, you must also demonstrate maturity and professionalism.

On the Day of Love and Friendship there are many actions and messages of affection, however, throughout the year companies usually prevent their employees from having romantic relationships to avoid conflicts of interest and that your productivity is affected.

“Labor productivity can be affected by the interpersonal relationships of two employees, since they lead to involving emotions and feelings that cannot always be well managed by the collaborators of a company,” Daniel Parra explained to elempleo.com, Adecco’s Permanent Placement manager.

And he added: “Not only can they be affected by conflicts of interest between the areas or roles they perform, a high degree of maturity and professionalism is also needed to keep the impact of personal and job performance separate.”

It is necessary that each employee or worker understands the reality of each context and the possibilities of each company, in order to determine if these spaces can be given in that work environment, without losing sight of productivity and professionalism.

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“One of the reasons that have the most weight for companies to prohibit this type of relationship in work environments is because at some point it can impact the management of employees and influence the fulfillment of their duties and, above all, when they work in the same area”, indicated Laura Alba, business partner of Human Resources of Page Group Colombia.

As for external relationships, if the companies to which those involved belong are competitors or may have something in common in a business setting, relationships are prohibited because sensitive information can be leaked. In addition, the position of those who exchange this sensitive data can be put at risk. In fact, there are many companies that include this item in their work clauses to protect themselves, preventing the employee at a specific moment from weighing more heavily on his emotions than his professional role. In such cases, dismissals can be given with just cause.

There are those who say that for a personal relationship to be healthy, each one must have their own times and work spaces. However, if love comes at the office, the most important thing is to be clear about your working conditions, fulfill your responsibilities and avoid acts or situations that make your colleagues uncomfortable at all costs.

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Tips & Tricks

7 reasons to apply for an internship and succeed

thumbs up male graduate
thumbs up male graduate

Academic research in the field of early career development demonstrates several benefits to interning during college and shortly after university graduation. Here are the reasons to apply for and obtain an internship according to the latest research.

Internships:

help students make good career choices (Brooks et al, 1995),

  • help students make good career choices (Brooks et al, 1995),
  • provide opportunities to learn and apply specific job related skills under close supervision that were not taught in formalized educational programs, (Garavan and Murphy, 2001),
  • makes it easier to obtain permanent full-time work (Callanan and Benzing, 2004;  Knous et al, 1999).
  • ease the transition from college student to full-time working professional (Paulson and Baker, 1999).

In addition to these positive features of internships, students and recent college graduates who experienced the benefits of internship programs, report the following:

greater job satisfaction than their peers (Gault et al, 2000),

  • greater job satisfaction than their peers (Gault et al, 2000),
  • greater job stability in the early years of their careers (Richards, 1984),
  • higher freedoms to express traits of ambition, a key success variable (Pedro, 1984).

Now that we have discussed the practical reasons why securing an internship is important, we’ll review the theoretical reasons why internships are vital to your success:

  • hiring professionals value the diploma students receive upon graduation, but it has been argued that a university diploma alone may not provide students the skills necessary to solve real world problems encountered in the working world (Candy and Crebert, 1991).
  •  the challenges in business and at work are more pragmatic than the topics covered in a more abstract and theoretical scenarios taught in school, causing a disconnect (Angelidis et al, 2004).

As such, it is believed that the internship experience is the one mode of learning and applying where students and recent graduates can both apply the theories they have learned in a real world setting. This real world setting of an internship serves as a laboratory where interning students and recent graduates can receive positive, negative and neutral feedback in real time and modify their approach.


Reduced hope of showing collegial camaraderie, decreased opportunities to build a long lasting social network, fewer chances to interact one-on-one with college professors, and decreased prospects for participating in college extracurricular activities represented just a few of the downsides of experiencing Covid-19 as a college student.


While these experiences lessened the overall enjoyment of college life, what was particularly detrimental to the traditional college experience was the lack of internship opportunities and subsequent job placement. Why was the negative impact so profound?


Because of the negative implications on current and future earnings possibilities.


Forbes suggested that widespread campus closures led to the dismantling of the traditional college internship during those years which we believe constitutes a basic failure to provide a rite of youth and young adult passage worthy of celebration and lifelong remembrance. 

But where to we go from here? What should colleges and institutions of higher learning do now? 


It can be argued that they should offer more remote internship  opportunities or increase the occasions in which students can apply, demonstrate and perform work tasks related to an eventual job virtually. Why? Because remote work and working from home may be the wave of the future.


College students soon to graduate and embark on a career journey of full time work need to have exposure to remote work to demonstrate their employability. Presently there is a lack of clarity as to whether universities offer remote internships on massive scales to address real world job market conditions.


Just recently the Times Higher Education (THE) published an article begging universities and colleges  to invest in virtual office and remote internship programs. THE argued that university systems have much to gain in doing do so. When promoting the availability of remote internships on their college campuses, they can make their college more attractive to top tier high school graduate applicants.


Zippia estimates that roughly 66% of workers based in the US work remotely, at least part of the time. Globally, 44% of employers still do not offer remote work at all. Still, given this figure, recent college graduates as soon to graduate college students would be remiss if they failed to obtain work from home, virtual, hybrid and remote work job experience.


Why? Because remote job experience is particularly important now as roughly 25% to 40% of all jobs can be performed remotely.  It increases the likelihood that a job applicant will be hired by an employer when they also have experience working remotely.  When remote job internships are provided these recent college graduates and college students can have the prior experience to  demonstrate that they possess the soft skills (interpersonal communication, emotional intelligence, diplomacy) to collaborate with their work colleagues remotely.  Equipped with remote work experience, they can show that they have met performance standards when using and accessing digital technology. These skills are helpful to have and are proof that the student is employable and has added value.

What do students themselves think about remote internships?


Inside Higher Education provided the results of a  2,000 student survey showing:

  • 38% of the student were at least somewhat interested in a virtual or remote internship while completing course requirements,
  • 18% of the student were extremely interested,
  • 34% would be somewhat interested in obtaining a fully remote job after graduation, while
  • 15% would be extremely interested in securing a remote job after graduation.

Why is it important to give college students experience working remotely? They will be given the opportunity in a learning and non-financially punitive environment, the chance to develop these necessary skills:

  • time management,
  • self- determination and internal motivation, and
  • digital literacy.
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Tips & Tricks

6 Tips for Getting a Remote Internship

office cubicles
office cubicles

We’ve been hearing a lot of bad news lately about layoffs, slowed hiring for new positions and hesitancy for filling positions due to attrition. What gives, you might say to yourself?

Well all is not lost. First, during this slow period, jobs usually not filled by college graduates are feeling the most pain. Workers holding jobs within low-wage occupations, have experienced the highest job losses. What jobs are we talking about?  Restaurant servers like waiters and waitresses, cashiers, chefs and cooks. Also experiencing the highest financial discomfort are workers employed in retail sales, maids and cleaners of households.

The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) reported upon some bad news. Studies have shown that students graduating during an economic recession or drastic slowdown of the economy have a difficult time catching up to their peers who graduated with the economy was booming. Economists estimate that they can lose up to 9% of potential earnings each yea until they finally catch up to their peers in about five to ten years.

So, if we can stress the importance of getting a remote internship, we probably can’t do it enough.

There are a number of success stories of college students and recent college graduates getting remote internships. Some of the tips you can use for getting a remote internship is to:

Network

Network. Start within your circle of family and friends. Branch out to the university clubs, associations, professors. And, don’t forget the alumni. You might even check with your long lost high school friends and neighborhood buddies. You never know where your next opportunity for a remote internship will turn up.

Apply

Apply and Apply. Probably next below networking would be the methodological submissions of applications. Yes, it is painstaking, time consuming and boring. But, the only way to increase your chances of landing a great remote job internship is to increase exponentially the number of applications you submit. Keeping a time table, visual chart or task app found on Google or Apple are no brainers. You don’t obtain a goal if you aren’t tracking it.

Promote

Promote. Promote yourself. You heard that right! After graduation, go out with a bang. Use your social media networks to author blog articles, start a podcast, comment on others’ articles. One way to show your value is to add value. In this day and age of influencer marketing and microwave dinners, you gotta make an impression in less than 5 seconds. At the same time, you need to show that you deserve more than your share of 15 minutes of fame. How do you do this? You can routinely visit the websites of professional associations, clubs, think tanks and comment on articles or ask to guest post your own. What better way to get a job than to position yourself as an expert. Soon, everyone will want to get in on your piece of the action.

Freelance

Freelance. Try freelancing and doing gig work. You never know where it might lead. 

Volunteer

Volunteer. Many non-profits that are religious  and children-serving, elderly and impoverished focused need people who are energetic, full of vitality and eager to take on the social ills of the world. Further, with your enthusiasm, you are sure to revitalize the harried workers who are experiencing burnout. Further, it helps to build your karma score with the universe. You really get out of the world the amount of love you put in.

So, perhaps you should stop thinking about your predicament and view the world from another viewpoint. Even though you may think you have it bad, others may have it worse. With this new change in perspective, as well as an expansion of your social network you are sure to get a remote internship. Plus, think about all of the positive references that you will have added to your toolbox. It’s hard to give a bad reference to a potential employer for someone who as volunteered with your organization. So, hop to it!

Re-charge

Charge your mental and physical batteries. Take the downtime and put it to good use. Invest in your physical, emotional and mental health. Who wants to be drained and downtrodden when a chance to interview comes along? Don’t take that chance. Set a regular schedule and/or set aside time just for you to relax and rejuvenate. You will be glad you did.

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    Tips & Tricks

    Work on what you did not study, a difficult decision

    The ideal is to study to acquire knowledge and apply it at work. However, in Colombia, some professionals are forced to be employed in tasks unrelated to their academic preparation.

    study-books
    study-books
    Win the negotiation with your recruiter.

    For Eduardo Paredes Berrelleza, Panduit’s Human Resources manager, a person decides to change their job to work in something other than their profession, because there are no opportunities in the market in the area of ​​study, or if there are, the remuneration is not is the right one.

    Paredes adds that a person makes this decision when the career they studied was not the correct one or they did not obtain sufficient information or favorable vocational guidance.

    “Our work, regardless of our profession, must provide us with meaning, a purpose and a reason for it. If you don’t find your purpose in your profession, then maybe you will find it in another job. Look for different opportunities if in your career you don’t have the chance to develop and grow personally and professionally,” she says.

     For her part, Yamile Pardo Morales, director of Human Talent at BDO in Colombia, assures that many people are forced to work in what was not studied out of necessity and because of the market offer.

    Pardo adds that the change also occurs when the person sees a higher income and better quality of life in a business, or because they actually got a job in line with their life purpose or much more inspiring.

    The expert offers some keys to be clear about when you should make the decision to work in something other than what you studied: for example, when you have a hard time getting up to go to work. When you don’t feel satisfied with what you do at work and you see that there is no contribution to the company. Also, when you are not learning something new and you feel little identified with the organizational culture and values. And when the purpose of your professional life is not aligned with the vision of the company.

    Out of necessity, many people have to work on what they don’t like.

    There is no specific time for you to decide to give up your profession and employ yourself in another labor sector. This is a careful decision, which must be made after analyzing personal, economic and professional factors and taking into account your goals and life project. Evaluate if you want to fight until you are completely fulfilled in your profession, if you can function in other fields while you find your ideal job or if you definitely dedicate your efforts to new challenges. 

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    Win the negotiation with your recruiter

    If there is something that worries a person facing a selection process, it is the time of the interview, because it is there -mainly- where the candidate can be discarded. However, there are some tips that can help you have good results with the recruiter.

    Win the negotiation with your recruiter.

    Job candidate participating in a panel interview

    María Paula Murcia, director of e-hunters, affirms that neuronegotiation is the ability to negotiate while understanding the interlocutor. Be clear about how he behaves, how he captures information and how he makes decisions. Actions, attitudes and non-verbal language are key inputs to understand such behavior. 

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    Beatriz Elena Ríos, senior consultant for e-hunters, assures that neuronegotiation helps make our negotiations much more effective. “For example, if the recruiter touches their hair or nose, the idea is that you copy that movement.” 

    Ríos explains that out of eight movements that your interviewer makes, choose three and copy them. Of course, do it during the interview, but give a time frame of about 11 seconds after he does the action, so he doesn’t notice. With this exercise you can generate empathy and make the interview or the selection process much more enjoyable and effective.

    The expert exemplifies a kind of negotiation. “If the interviewer tells you that they need a person who is knowledgeable in digital innovation, goal-oriented and has the ability to work in a team, reply: ‘I fully understand that you need someone who knows about digital innovation and who can get along well with other people. at work’”.

    What Ríos refers to with the previous example is that it is advisable -when responding- to repeat some phrases expressed in the question by the interviewer. That is one way to persuade when negotiating. Obviously, it must be very subtle to be effective, otherwise it can have adverse results. 

    Other tips for negotiating in a selection process are, for example, controlling anxiety, listening, being clear that what they offer is what you like and are passionate about. In addition, having the salary aspiration identified, since that speaks of the safety of the person and how they value their work. 

    It is essential that you present your ideas, that you show negotiation paths, but you should always remember that the one who has the power and makes the decision is the recruiter. He gives ideas, but don’t impose them. 

    For his part, Murcia, expresses that in order to be able to project what one wants in an interview, it is key to know oneself. Know what your strengths and weaknesses are and be able to highlight them without exceeding yourself. In addition, it is vital to know the company and the person who is going to interview you. 

    “If we take the time to understand and understand the people/interlocutors with whom we interact on a daily basis, it will be easier to make what we seek and want happen, both at a professional and personal level,” concludes Murcia. 

    It is important to keep in mind that applying all of the above can give you a plus in the selection process, and make you stand out from the other candidates. 

    What is seen besides the resume

    “Apart from the resume, in a selection process the attitude of the person is validated and non-verbal language influences. In addition, the tone of voice with which you answer the questions is taken into account. It is also detailed that the person knows the place where he wants to go. In a selection process, not only experience and study matter. In the same way, it is important that the candidate is aligned with the DNA of the organization”, assures Beatriz Elena Ríos, senior consultant for e-hunters, a company specialized in talent search and selection. 

    Sign up for the workshop: How to achieve an effective interview?

    One course will take place on September 17 from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., and the other on September 27 from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. 

    Value: 490,000 COP + VAT. The workshop is paid once to attend a 4-hour session. 

    Workshop content:

    In this workshop attendees will be able to:

    – Build a good professional profile

    – Highlight your skills and interests on your resume

    – Understand what a recruiter evaluates

    – Resolve doubts and myths around selection processes

    – Obtain tools to enter the labor market stronger than ever

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    Tips & Tricks

    What medical exams can’t they ask you to enter a company?

    There are many doubts about the medical examinations that are done to a candidate before being hired. Both the employer and the applicant are unaware of some laws in this regard and, therefore, enter to request and have tests that should not be carried out. Here at elempleo.com we tell you what are those exams that should not be required of you and that companies should not ask for. 

    What medical exams can’t they ask you to enter a company.

    Doctor preparing for a medical exam

    According to article 4 of resolution 2346 of 2007 of the Ministry of Social Protection, pre-occupational or admission medical evaluations are those that are carried out to determine the physical, mental and social health conditions of the worker before being hired. They are done to -among other things- identify the health conditions that, being already present, can worsen in the development of work.

    The same article says that the employer has the obligation to inform the doctor who performs the pre-occupational medical evaluations about the job profiles, briefly describing the tasks and the environment in which his work will be carried out.

    For his part, the doctor must respect the confidentiality of the occupational medical history and only has to send the employer the medical certificate, indicating the existing restrictions and the recommendations or conditions that need to be adapted so that the worker can carry out his work.

    Experts say that neither the employer nor the doctor can require the candidate to test for HIV, pregnancy, or tests to confirm if he has, for example, cancer or tuberculosis. To do so would be incurring a mistake, and the candidate could go -within the national territory- to any inspection of the Ministry of Labor and denounce the case.

    By requiring this type of examination, the employer would be committing an act of discrimination and exclusion, and would deprive the person of their right to work.

    So, to clarify the issue, it is important to know that the candidate -if he wishes- can tell the doctor all the diseases he has and those he has suffered, since he has the ability to guide him in the best way in health matters. In addition, the doctor must make use of professional secrecy. However, this evaluator, in particular, must give the applicant the general exams and that they are consistent with the position to which he aspires.  

    Marlen Peña, a specialist in Human Management, comments that the ideal is for the occupational physician to be aware of the complete medical history of the candidate, in order to guarantee that the performance and conditions of his position will not be affected.

    Likewise, the employer can only ask the doctor if the applicant is suitable or not for the position. The company or the person in charge of Human Resources must not know or have in their hands the medical results. Neither are the explanations of the person’s illnesses.  

    Why would they discard the person?

    After the candidate undergoes the medical exams, he could be ruled out of the selection process for reasons that prevent him from carrying out his job functions, for example, “if you aspire to a position as a pilot and have vision and hearing problems, well, don’t it can fly,” says María Mercedes Montiel, a Human Resources consultant at the Antonio José de Sucre Institute of Technology (ITAJS) in Venezuela. Montiel warns that in the pre-entry exams it happens as with the priest: when the person confesses, he can say whatever, and that should not come from there, that is not revealed. It is confidential. 

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    The most evaluated skills in a selection process

    Companies are migrating to new schemes in every way, from new forms of administration to innovative business model concepts. Traditional companies are fewer and fewer, and the new generations are looking for new-age companies. The most evaluated skills in a selection process.

    Man suited for business

    These changes are transversal to all organizational processes, including the important selection phase.

    Today, companies are more aware that it is necessary to have the best talent. However, the best talent is no longer the person with the most technical knowledge (as it used to be). Now, companies are looking for comprehensive professionals who, in addition to having a high level of development of technical skills associated with their profession, also demonstrate having developed soft or cardinal skills.

    In other words, a professional sought after in contemporary companies is one who proves to be a human being with human, relational and professional qualities. Likewise, the professional most likely to be hired is the one with the skills defined in the organization’s skills dictionary.

    Therefore, if you are going to start a selection process, or there is a desired company that you want to join, try to identify the soft skills that the company promotes among its collaborators.

    The total list of soft skills is infinite and very varied. This is the reason why companies define a small number that they want to target for positions, both in selection and development processes.

    The firm THUOPER, Tools for Human and Organizational Performance, carried out an exhaustive market study to identify the competencies that companies tend to evaluate more in company selection processes. This was the result:

    1. planning                               
    2. Initiative
    3. Teamwork                   
    4. Customer orientation
    5. Effective communication             
    6. Pressure tolerance
    7. Adaptation to change               
    8. Influence
    9. Orientation to results         
    10. Decision making
    11. Innovation                               
    12. execution ability

    Through this result of 12 competencies, the THUOPER firm consolidated the Thumper 3D Inventory measurement instrument, through which you can identify your level of development in each of them. Through the results it shows, you can identify the competencies where you show strength and the competencies where you have opportunities for improvement to start a development process. You can learn more about the test and the definition of competencies at this link: https://www.thuoper.com/3d-inventory

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    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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    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.