A new year brings with it new professional challenges, both for the employed and the unemployed. The portal spoke with experts in job coaching about how to renew themselves in 2020.
Initially, workers should know that “thanks to the increasingly competitive market, employees have become central to corporate strategies,” says Maribel Cano, marketing manager for Latin America at Meta4.
If you are already employed, in addition to thanking for that opportunity, you must be clear about where youwant to direct your career path and how you expect to develop professionallyin the company where you work or elsewhere.
“At the beginning of the year it is important to identify what your strengths are and what makes you stand out in your work. Then, you must evaluate opportunities to improve andestablish a work plan, objectives and actions, set goals and dates, as well as you can propose new projects in your workplace, because bosses are always open to new ideas, “saysClaudia Rojas, expert in labor transition.
And although looking for work is a task that requires time and patience, those who are in this task, must assume it asa challengethat allows them to identify what they deserve and can achieve as workers, what opportunities there are in the Colombian market and be aware of the tranquility that means being employed.
If you have the challenge of employing yourself in 2020, the best way to stay motivated is to have a clear objective, ask yourself what position you see yourself in and what you would be happy with, so you approach the job search.
“Basically, emotional balance, motivation and attitude are70% of success in those who are looking for a job,” advises Rojas.
“Take advantage of the time to prepare yourself very well, know your profile and you should know what you are good at and what you can offer professionally. Reactivate the search, expand your network of contacts and apply to active offers, “concludes Manuel Barrios, executive manager of Genes Outplacement.
You must distribute your income, schedule your purchases, do not borrow for no reason, invest in training, save if you can invest in a plan B and not buy what you do not need.
“It’s better to get paid every fortnight, so you never feel ‘peeled,'” says one worker in an office hallway. “I do prefer monthly and so I do not spend the rent ahead of time,” analyzes and responds another employee when asked if he prefers to be paid month by month or biweekly.
Luis Humberto Solano, manager of Ceisas, business consulting, says that the biweekly salary has a better perception for the worker, because he receives the money at two times of the month. He adds that monthly payments are well managed by the most qualified employees because they plan their income better.
Solano says that it is better for the company to pay monthly because this allows it to save on biweekly operating load. In a single payment all discounts and benefits are applied.
The best way to manage your salary if you get paid monthly, according to Solano, is to “group payments for the beginning of the month, such as rent, apartment fees, bank fees and, in general, household maintenance expenses, so that you leave the money for daily transportation and food to be done weekly.”
In the same way, if you are paid fortnightly, the income is planned and with the first fortnight, for example, the rent is left. And for the second fortnight the payment of services is planned.
If a worker is organized, the fact that he is paid monthly can be beneficial for him because he receives more money in a single payment. “Intuitively many Colombians do their finances mentally without having the dedication to do the exercise consciously analyzing income, expenses, expenses, cash and debts,” says Alexander Ruíz, Human Resources consultant at OIL & Gas Industry.
For Ruíz, financial intelligence is vital because it forces the worker to perform a methodical exercise of analysis of inputs and outputs of resources, in order to have the opportunity to find new opportunities of what to do with their money. Some people take on debts that they can’t meet because of daily needs, for example.
Regardless of whether you receive the monthly or biweekly payment, what you should do is keep in mind the frequency with which the money enters you and, depending on the due date of the obligations, divide them with the payments either month by month or every fifteen days.
“Your priorities when it comes to receiving your salary are housing, social security, transportation and food. Spending on branded or unnecessary products takes a back seat. They should be set aside,” advises Solano.
It is important that you prioritize your expenses. In the first place must be the fundamentals, such as the payment of housing, transportation, food and health. Make a regular balance and identify where you can save some money.
Also, some workers make ends meet without money because they do not have adequate financial planning and make expenses that are not scheduled. It is wrong to act instinctively with the perception that credit cards or bank debt can solve the problems of lack of money.
More tips
Distribute income by allocating 50% or 60% for basic needs. 10% for long-term savings, or 10 thousand pesos biweekly and increases them whenever you can. You must leave 10% for recreation. “Take advantage of sports spaces that have low cost or are free. Leave 10% for education and 10% for investment. Buy the things that allow you to improve your current situation. This is achieved in the medium term, but we must start immediately, “says Luis Humberto Solano, manager of Ceisas, business consulting.
The Forbes Spain list lists nine aspects that can compromise your permanence in a selection process.
According to Forbes Spain magazine, “there are decisive aspects that will determine whether or not the person responsible for hiring you grants you a personal interview”, including the curriculum you present, either for a new job or a scholarship.
Good impressions are always decisive when you are looking for a job. Your resume is the cover letter that, depending on its content and style, will be the key to capturing interest in front of a potential
Here are the mistakes that, according to Forbes, “will send your CV to the trash”:
Typos and grammatical errors: Watch out for your wording! The way you write about yourself and your experience will provide positive or negative clues to the recruiter. If your resume has typographical or spelling errors, it could be seen “as a lack of interest that can be shared by the person responsible for reading your resume and arranging a job interview,” says the magazine.
Inappropriate links: ” There are jobs that may require an account in a social network, it is preferable to omit it if your profile is not suitable for the position, “is recommended in the publication. Social media is a double-edged sword. These can play a bad game if you publish content that is not related to your work portfolio or that is not liked by the employer.
‘White’ lies: Recruiters are cautious in their work; their task is to find the profile that firmly fits the vacancy. For this reason, do not exaggerate or deceive with skills and knowledge that you do not develop to the required level; You must “be honest and show a willingness to learn and expand your experience.”
Salary Information: The publication advises that this aspect should preferably be addressed during the interview, since “information about the salary of the jobs you perform or have performed is totally unnecessary and may discourage our potential hires.”
Ridiculous typography: Don’t try to ‘aesthetically’ impress the recruiter with your resume unnecessarily. If the position you’re applying for doesn’t require a high level of design, you can “use the simple fonts that come by default in Word,” using a font type that’s not readable or exaggerated can rule you out as an option, Forbes says.
Do not mention our skills or experiences: Use dots or bullets that locate important dates and facts about your experience in previous positions and projects. Forbes recommends that this “information does not go in a single block where the person in charge of interviewing you has to search to get useful data from an alphabet soup.”
Include what we don’t know how to do: Today, companies value the willingness to learn, but they do not seek to find an applicant who ‘sells’ in a negative way and highlights knowledge that he lacks. “Let’s not confuse being honest and, where appropriate, acknowledging lack of experience with mentioning everything we don’t know how to do,” the publication suggests.
Nonsensical format: In general, most sectors require a resume that has an attractive but readable and simple presentation. Using a more ‘creative’ design is especially used “for designer or publicist positions, it can be a point in our favor”.
Include totally irrelevant experiences: Keep specific points in your career that relate to the position you’re applying for. ” Adding experiences that do not contribute anything to your candidacy subtracts, and can mean the landing of your resume in the pile of no, “concludes the Forbes note.
Looking for work is ‘a job’ that requires organization, coherence and discipline. Not only is it enough to have an updated resume, you also need to focus your job search and use some ‘rules’ to start calling you.
The compose with Marcela Rojas, race coach and Headhunter, who also works at Mar Coaching Atelier and Empodera Talento Humano. She shared the mistakes people often make when trying to employ themselves.
Mistakes you should not make when looking for a job
1. Looking for a job when you don’t have a job:
“Many immerse themselves in their working lives, disconnecting from friends, former colleagues and bosses. Then, when for some reason they are out of work, they start from scratch to look for a job and did not take advantage of the time being employed to create relationships, to do Networking, investigate what you are asking for and how the market in which you operate is moving to cultivate your next work steps,” Rojas warned.
Remember that in you can register for free, update your resume and start exploring thousands of vacancies throughout the country. In addition, the platform allows you to visualize what companies are requesting the most today.
2. Communicate that you are looking for a job:
According to the expert, many people, out of “shame to feel in a position of vulnerability and maintain a strong image”, do not share with their contacts that they are open to new job options or that they are unemployed.
On some occasions, that next job opportunity may be known to a friend or family member. Of course, people should approach it from “openness to change and not as a complaint.”
3. Apply to everything you see:
Sometimes, despair and need can lead people to apply indiscriminately to different types of job offers, positions and sectors outside their knowledge.
“This is like throwing bottles with messages of help to the sea; They create a short-lived sense of hope as you submit the resume, but over time it creates too much frustration, as you may not be called for a job, you’re not ready for.”
Rojas added that in these situations people can feel much worse and “professional self-esteem goes to the floor, when in reality it is the strategy that is failing.”
Other things you shouldn’t do:
Lying on a resume or in the job interview.
Do not leverage your social networks to expand your job search.
Keys to making looking for a job a success
We do not want to discourage you, on the contrary, we want you to find a better job. The portal also received, from the Head hunter and career coach, the necessary points to make your job search more effective.
Get to know yourself professionally and you will transmit your value offer accurately.
Prepare an ‘impeccable’ resume, organized and that reflects why it would serve for the position to which you are applying.
Explore the job market and focus on the industry or sector of your interest.
In post-pandemic times and even at a time when the global economy underwent a change that marked a before and after, the inventiveness and initiative of thousands of people seeking extra income, based on sustainable and profitable projects, was the solution for families that were affected by the lack of employment.
This is the case of Todos Comemos, a venture that contributes to the food industry, in which the business model is based on the distribution of pre-listed homemade food, 100% natural and without preservatives, and an application that learns from the tastes of the users. Individuals receive a personalized meal plan based on their preferences and needs. In this way, customers can be in complete control of their diet, their time and their money with a plan that delivers ready-to-serve food to their doorstep.
Santiago Espinosa, one of the founders of Todos Comemos, affirms that they have been working in the food industry for almost 10 years and saw a great opportunity to improve people’s lives.
“We spend a lot of time cooking or deciding what to order, the food that comes to our homes is usually very expensive and unhealthy and we are not running out of time. We want to improve people’s lives by helping them eat well, without spending time or a lot of money”.
This venture was part of the Shark Tank Colombia program, in which it was an adventure in which they decided to seek mentoring and support from the most important investors in Colombia.
In the future, the company is expected to be the largest in the food industry in Latin America. It is expected that the leap will be made to countries such as Mexico and Peru. Likewise, the goal of this undertaking is to serve 10 million users a day before the end of 2025.
Surely you have come across a psychometric test as you have advanced in a selection process.
Are there good and bad answers? Is it possible that they do not give you the work for your results in this ‘test’?
Daniela Rodríguez, psychologist and consultant of e-hunters.com, specialized area. For recruitment of high-level profiles, told the users of the portal about how these tests work and the importance of answering honestly.
What is psychometric testing?
In a selection process, different filters are passed through and one of them can be the psychometric test. With this, the recruiter measures the qualities or psychological aspects of the individual and allows to know their emotional and intellectual state.
With this data, the company can “choose, among several candidates, the most suitable to occupy positions and vacancies in the company, always trying to maintain or increase efficiency,” Daniela Rodríguez, psychologist and consultant of e-hunters.
What are psychometric tests for?
By finding different values, attitudes, skills, competencies and traits, psychometric tests allow establishing a pattern of behavior in the candidate, defining their potential in professional practice.
Some of the skills of the individual that are most expected to be found areleadership, ability to work in a team, personal and professional motivations and degree of affective stability.
According to Rodríguez, it is also possible to find the “limitations of each applicant regarding the job they will perform, their growth options within the company and their potential for integration with the team and the business philosophy.”
The most used tests are usually those ofreasoning, visualization exercises, competency, skills and personality tests.
There are others that measure specific skills, including verbal, mechanical and written instruction comprehension; verbal, numerical, mechanical, and logical or abstract reasoning; problem solving; analysis and creativity; administrative or business skills; Memory and spatial coordination.
Are all psychometric tests the same?
On the other hand, Rodríguez indicated that “the techniques applied may vary from one company to another, from one sector to another and depending definitively on the position, since they depend on the skills or conditions that are sought to be evaluated.”
An exampleof a situation that can be presented to you in psychometric tests is the following: ‘You are the leader of a high-performance team, they are camping and they are ready to sleep, but the tent has not yet risen, it rains and nobody from the team wants to set it up because of fatigue, what do you do in that case?’
There are some conditions: you can tell them that the first volunteers will have free noon; make the squad sleep without tents; tell them that they will all work together and set up the tent; You could explain that you understand their fatigue, you are empathetic, but either way they should pitch the tent before sleeping. So, which of these would be your answer?
Are there wrong answers?
Don’t know what to answer? Do it with honesty and certainty. First, because there are no wrong answers and, second, because these tests “are not passed, nor lost like an exam; they are tools that are reviewed according to the position and the company to which it is being applied, “says Rodríguez.
Although psychometric tests are complementary but not decisive when hiring, “some companies, which have very defined standards, see them as a key element for continuity in a process,” warned the specialist.
Tips for taking a psychometric test
Therefore, the expert in ‘headhunting’ advises to read the instructions and each case very well; do good time management; not responding randomly; be honest with the answers and avoid a false image of yourself; Have confidence in yourself and prepare if it is the case.
Don’t try to cheat the test and the recruiter either. In tests that are “scientifically and statistically verified” it is difficult to manipulate the results, because the test verifies that there is logic and consistency with the answers.
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In fact, the time spent by the individual – on certain questions – is also evaluated in relation to the degree of analysis or self-evaluation. In other cases, the same question is asked several times in different ways to see how consistent the applicant is in answering.
Finally, Rodriguez also calls on the recruiter to “do an excellent job of identification and analysis. In the same way, you must understand the situation of the candidate, since there are variables that directly influence the behavior and therefore the answers. “
If you want to know better your behavioral profile and know how suitable you are for a job offer, take the free PDA test. It will only be enough to be registered in the portal and you will receive the results.
Selecting the right manager for a particular area in a company is a task of great responsibility. Those who decide to apply for this type of position must be clear about their specialty and line of work, because a commercial manager is very different from a financier or a production manager.
Planning, critical and strategic thinking are skills that should also be highlighted in the resume.
“The points that are most taken into account in the resume of the applicant who is applying for a managerial or managerial position have changed, this due to the arrival of technology and the different forms of work that have emerged in the market,” Ana María Briceño, an expert in Talent at Executive SAS,
1. The skills that define a good manager
However, regardless of the management to be occupied, there are essential factors that the recruiter will examine in the document and that should not be neglected. This type of curriculum seeks “the impact on the strategy of the companies where they have worked, budget control, cultural adaptability, orientation to sustainable practices, understanding of labor rights and duties, as well as the corresponding technical skills,” said Briceño.
2. Detail and support previous work experiences
Work experience is undoubtedly the first and most relevant factor that recruiters take a look at in these cases, since this will depend on the similarity, effectiveness and level of rapport with the vacancy. Each step through a company or project should include the duration, achievements, results and a brief work reference. Here a broad achievement of academic degrees without having put them into practice may be insufficient.
3. Employment references that serve as evidence
According to Andrés Díaz Granados, executive manager of DNA Human Capital, “it is important to include in the references to the previous bosses or companies that can serve as support to the recruiters, who are responsible for validating all the information, results and work experience embodied in the resume”.
4. How well do you perform as a leader?
Being in charge of large work groups is a common task for this type of position, therefore, the number of employees you have had under your command is an aspect to highlight. At the same time, before the management of teams, these managerial positions require very specific soft skills such as leadership, communication, management and timely response to a crisis.
How are these types of candidates selected?
These types of candidates face more extensive and strict selection processes. For this reason, many times those in charge of capturing managerial profiles are “expert recruiters and ‘headhunters’ who are specifically dedicated to this task, because they are people who know in depth the challenges that these professionals go through; in general, they are evaluated much more thoroughly and as much information as possible is obtained to help minimize the risk of hiring,” Diaz said.
Although the spirits are lowered and the atmosphere in your office feels ‘tense’, when your boss calls your attention, you must be assertive and learn from each correction, of course, without letting them disrespect you. This way you guarantee that you can perform better in the future.
Feedback should always be assimilated from a constructiveand “positive” point of view, because despite receiving criticism that they will not like, there are things to improve and the most important thing is to try to understand that there was a mistake,” says Andrés Díaz Granados, executive manager of DNA Human Capital.
“If for some reason the person who feeds back does not know how to do it, the worker can use his objectivity and emotional intelligence, then extract what he knows he must improve and with humility recognize it, improve it and put it at his service and that of others,” advises Yamile Pardo, director of Human Talent of BDO in Colombia.
Feedback should always serve as a method to analyze different perspectives and situations, this in order to reach different agreements. Bosses should encourage “a conversation focused on thriving, where the employee can give their point of view and arguments, since sometimes superiors also have different biases and perceptions,” says Díaz.
At work there is no shortage of mistakes and carelessness on the part of bosses and employees
If the employee is the one who receives a counterclaim and has to ‘bow his head’, Pardo affirms that these observations must be “digested and rethought, because if it is a professional and height evaluation, there is some truth in that feedback.” In case there is a “latent failure in the worker and this is reported by several of his colleagues, it is something that definitely exists and it is the responsibility of the worker to recognize and improve it.”
If the employee feels that he is being the victim of humiliation or inappropriate words, he has every “right to get up from the feedback session and inform through the channels established in the company for complaints, such as the coexistence committee, the human resources team or some other boss who is an example of leadership”, concludes Pardo.
The important thing is not to take a ‘scolding’ personally, as industrial relations should be just that, links at work. As long as observations are made about tasks, results, or functions, you should know that your boss does it because he expects the best performance from his team.
“You work much more from home”, that is one of the phrases that are most heard regarding ‘teleworking’ or ‘home office’, two modalities that have allowed companies to continue operating with their employees working from home and in the middle of the pandemic. The ‘pandemic’ effect on the mental health of Colombian workers
This crisis is producing serious problems in people’s mental health. Among these, stress due to work overload, which can often occur due to fear of losing one’s job or insecurity regarding the future of labor relations,” Claudia Patricia Ospina, coordinator of Occupational Safety and Health at Unico.
Symptoms of work-related stress
To identify if you suffer from work stress, you can pay attention to the alerts your body sends out.
Some of the symptoms of this phenomenon can be “muscle tension, chest pain, intestinal discomfort, sleep disturbances andsexual response,” explains Ospina.
Analyze how you feel on a daily basis
Now, if you feelirritated, insecure, have problems with attention, concentration and memory, you may also be suffering from work stress. In fact, with the increased workload employees may experience blockages and difficulties in expressing opinions, feelings and conflicts.
We invite you to read about: How to pay health and pension in a comprehensive salary
Other ailments that are related to work stress
Similarly, it is common to produce “headache, short temper, anguish, desire to cry and feeling of not doing the job well. In more severe cases and where stress is not treated, gastritis, irritable bowel, lack of appetite or, on the contrary, anxiety about eating can occur,” said Inery Franco, occupational safety and health advisor at Ludic S.A.S.
Rest is key to reducing work stress
Do you rest well? This is another important factor. Sleep disorders, such asinsomnia or excessive sleepiness, can mean you have work-related stress.
Get ready to give the best job interview with these tips.
Why do we seem to work and get more stressed working at home?
The sources who attended the consultations. Comagreed that work stress may be a consequence of the hasty and immediate adaptation of companies to continue working during the health, social and economic emergency.
With this decision, the workday, communications, relationships between bosses and employees may have impacted you initially, generating work overload, invasion and, in certain cases, the abuse of communication tools such as cell phones or WhatsApp.
Companies should consider adapting andconditioning jobs at home, as the situation still does not give truce for some companies to consider returning to face-to-face.
According to Liliana Machado, a specialist in occupational health, “work stress has to do with many conditions, such as the amount of work, the comfort of the space where you work or the physical and environmental possibilities that guarantee the concentration of people in their trade.”
For this reason, if you are stressed it is common to feelexcessive worry, your work can slow you down and exhaustion caninvade you.
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Learn to cope with and identify work stress
However, “the symptoms depend on how the situation is handled, so they can vary. For example, if the person is impatient, inflexible to change, has difficulty listening to others or is imposing, they may perceive greater irritability or anxiety,” Machado added.
You can also examine whether your interpersonal relationships or personal activities have been diminished or damaged. “Each person can identify if within their daily lives there are new emotions of sadness, abandonment or loneliness that have appeared,” Franco said.
It is important to analyze if the level of attention you pay to your work is excessive, if you have neglected other personal aspects such asintimacyor if family or work discussions have increased.
The most incredible muddies during work meetings by video call. Don’t miss them here!
The importance of staying active and establishing spaces
However, in addition to the support you can receive from your ARL, you have in your hands the alternatives to reduce work stress and with it, the symptoms.
Ospina advised “moderate physical exercise and including meditation exercises in the daily routine. At least 30 minutes of regular activity can be dedicated, including cardiovascular activation, stretching, resistance and strength exercises.”
The difficult situation is not unique to you as a ‘telecommuter’ or home employee, the family is also involved. Therefore, you should try to establish agreements and collaborate with the people with whom you live. If there is disorganization at home, work tasks will be postponed or accumulated, causing the rest time to decrease.
With your boss you can establish the rules of work, comply with the workday and established goals. The important thing is to talk to your superiors and make your situation known, either as a person who lives alone or as someone who has children and must attend to the responsibilities of the home.
Every day we hear personal experiences of the ideals of an interview, a resume and how to emerge successful from a selection process. But is it really true that this process is such a protocol and delicate experience?
Getting started in the world of work means preparing for the selection processes carried out by recruiters or Human Resources departments of a company. This cycle commonly involves two or three filters, including resume review, psychotechnical testing, and interviewing. Other charges may require language-related testing or specific knowledge.
Although there is no absolute rule to advance a selection process, former applicants and current employees create myths, confusion and beliefs that derive from their own experience and that in the end predispose those who are about to face the labor market. Therefore, consulted the expert Claudia Rojas, psychologist and job transition coach, to deny some of the most common perceptions around this process.
“The curriculum has to be one page, otherwise they won’t even read it”. This is one of the first tips that are usually heard. Getting a recruiter’s attention through a resume doesn’t mean the applicant should “pile up” or omit information from their resume; Everything consists of taking advantage of the space with relevant and concrete information. “It is important that a resume is summarized and impactful, two sheets, maximum three. It is necessary that a person can express in a summarized curriculum what is their experience, their training and their achievements in their work career, “advises Rojas.
Now, in case you are called for an interview, is it true that the recruiter has completely read your resume and knows you perfectly? Rojas points out that, although the recruiter “does read the resume and according to it raises hypotheses where he will prefer to deepen or emphasize, it does not mean that he knows the candidate perfectly. That’s what the interview is for.”
Does a good ‘lever’ have more strength than a good resume?
Many people are convinced that the “thread” is decisive to get a job. It is true that “if the person has a contact in the company who can support him or can refer him, that is not enough. But if you do not meet the profile or do not pass the tests, it will not be taken into account. A good resume, experience and skills are what ultimately define the decision,” says Claudia Rojas, an expert in job transition and psychologist at the Pontificia Javeriana University in Cali.
“It is not necessary to leave a tie or formal dress for the interview. The important thing is to investigate the dress code, and based on that information dress according to the organizational context. If it is a company that is based in a plant, the person will not go in a suit and tie. If you don’t have information about the code it’s better than about it and not missing” -Claudia Ximena Rojas, expert in labor transition
On the other hand, what is said about thepsychotechnical test? This tool allows you to identify skills and competencies, personal and work, allowing you to find a profile that best suits the requirements of the vacancy. Is it possible to cheat this test, preparing the answers beforehand?” No, the recommendation is to be relaxed and answer genuinely, as these tests have indicators that identify when a person has tampered with the test. It is better to be honest and answer calmly, “denies Rojas, who has more than 14 years of experience in the subject.
And regarding the interview, you may hear that if you didnot last long you did badlyor that itis true that the same questions are asked to all candidates. How true are those claims? “The idea is that the candidate can engage that recruiter and that he can expose his entire career and his achievements. If the interview was short, it may mean that the recruiter has a more practical style and only wants to delve into certain points. And although there is a scheme of questions, where achievements and work experience are questioned, depending on the profile they will be different questions, taking into account the culture of the organization and the area to which the applicant would belong, “says Rojas.
Is it mandatory to dress formally or wear a tie for the interview?
Depends on. It is recommended to consult the dress code of the position to which you are applying, as well as the organizational context of the company. Although, “it is better than over missing,” concludes Rojas.
