5 Soft skills you should always bring up in an interview

With a few short weeks until the Christmas holiday season starts, a lot of candidates start brushing up their CV’s in preparation for the expected New Year uplift in the jobs market. Whilst that’s an obvious strategy, along with preparing yourself for the interview, we thought that we’d look at a few of the other oft overlooked issues that the majority of candidates overlook.

Even if you are extremely qualified, have terrific application materials, a targeted CV and you're interviewing for jobs, but always coming up with a silver medal, it's possible that you're bumping up against an elusive almost impossible trait to pin down: likability.

Also known in the industry as "cultural fit," likability is a reason many candidates don't make the final cut—the interviewers either didn't like them or didn't believe they would mesh well with current employees.

Emotional intelligence, otherwise known as soft skills, is the category of skills most likely involved when evaluating likability or fit. Wikipedia defines them as "Personal attributes that enhance an individual's interactions, job performance and career prospects. Unlike hard skills, which are about a person's skill set and ability to perform a certain type of task or activity, soft skills relate to a person's ability to interact effectively with co-workers and customers and are broadly applicable both in and outside the workplace.

Soft skills include: attitude, communication skills, time management, critical thinking and a slew of other categories that do not relate to intelligence.

It’s undeniable that soft skills play a role in most, if not all, recruitment decisions. So how can you demonstrate these skills during an interview? Unfortunately there is no hard and fast answer to that, however we believe that the following tips help highlight five soft skills that are key during an interview.

1. Work ethic. Make sure to weave your thoughts about how important the company's mission and vision are to you and explain why you're willing to go the extra mile to help the organisation succeed. One tenet of evaluating candidates is that past performance is a predictor of future results. Make sure you prove that you have a strong work ethic by giving examples from the past about how you went above and beyond the call of duty to get a job done. Describe how you always complete projects efficiently and on-time, why you're punctual and persistent and how you balance your drive to succeed with the company's goals.

2. Positive attitude. Give examples of how you improved employee morale in a past position, or how your positive attitude helped motivate your colleagues or those you managed. I know from all the interviews that I’ve conducted over the years that some people are naturally bubbly and always upbeat whilst others have a more restrained and low-energy demeanour. If you tend to be more low-key, smile when you shake the interviewer's hand and make an extra effort to add some intonation and expression to your responses.

Make sure you aren't boring or dry, or you could lose your chance to be recruited.

3. Communication skills. Your interview is a great opportunity to demonstrate how well you communicate, so be sure you prepare and practice responses to showcase your best skills. Be concrete with these examples, and bring proof to the interview. Provide examples of materials you’ve created or written campaigns you developed in past roles.

4. Time management. This is a crucial skill many employers seek in their hires. It's especially important for candidates who want to work in a start-up to know how to manage their time, tasks and responsibilities effectively. Be prepared to explain how you prioritise the most important items first, delegate the items that others can do and figure out a way to get things done in the confines of your resources on the job.

5. Self-confidence. Very few employers want a wall flower. You can demonstrate self-confidence at the interview by the way you present yourself, including how you dress for the interview, the way you approach to shake hands and how you speak about your experiences during the interview.

If you're not particularly confident, practice acting as though you were. Make direct eye contact when speaking with strangers. Listen to your own voice, is it forceful or timid? Rehearse speaking in a more confident-sounding voice. Don't forget about your body language, which is one of the first ways employers will gauge your confidence levels. If you tend to hunch over, make sure you think about sitting up during your interview.

Don't forget to think about these soft skills when you prepare for an interview, be sure you demonstrate everything you have to offer the employer.


As ever we’re keen to hear from you, let us know your thoughts at blog@chestertongray.com or tweet us at @chestertongray

Why your emails are too long -- and how to improve them

Every day my colleagues and I receive hundreds of emails; as I’m sure that you do. Some are vital, others less so and many are simply irritating. Frustratingly they come in all shapes and sizes, there is no one size fits all template. Rumour has it that email is the source of, and solution to, all of life's problems.




Certainly, the modern business world could not exist without the ability to exchange messages instantly, but email also causes all sorts of communication problems. For starters, there's way too much of it. Second, much of the email we get is too long. Long email creates bottlenecks in our in-boxes and more often than not goes unread because it seems too complex.



As with all things, ask a hundred people a question and you will get a hundred answers, however, here are some of the top reasons why your mail is too long, and what you should do to change it:



You don't know exactly what you're trying to say. It’s a truism that writing more isn't going to cover up the fact that you are lacking knowledge. We also find that candidates write too much at the start of an email because they don't know how to phrase what's on their mind. I suppose that it's a form of clearing one's throat. The solution? Re-read you’re your opening paragraph and if it doesn't get to the point right away, delete it.



You're sending spam. Who's on your "To" and CC lines? Do all those people need to be there? If not, prune the list. Resist the temptation to send email for its own sake, especially in a corporate environment.



You're forwarding the whole thread. Scan the forwarded bit below your new message. Do you need to include the entire thread, dating all the way back to the invention of computers? Some context might be essential, but cut as much as possible. Otherwise, it'll feel like the recipient needs to read a novel to understand the issue.



It should be more than one email. If your email is really long, take a look and see if there are multiple action items, projects or requests included within. If so, you'll probably get a better response by sending several shorter, to the point emails.



You're not self-editing. Don't just write and click "send." Yes, you're busy, and yes, you need to send a lot of mail. But reading, thinking about and editing your email before you send it can help you trim down your messages and make them more understandable. It might also mean that those you receive back take the same attitude and make your life easier!



As ever your thoughts on what makes a bad/good email are more than welcome.



If you would like to talk with a consultant then please go to www.chestertongray.com

1913 v 2013

If 2013 were to yield as many talented individuals as 1913 then it will be a magnificent year.


Richard Nixon.

Was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974 when the Watergate scandal forced him to resign in the face of almost certain impeachment before being controversially pardoned by Gerald Ford who was also born in 1913. Although Nixon initially escalated America's involvement in the Vietnam War, he subsequently ended U.S. involvement in 1973. Nixon's visit to the People's Republic of China in 1972 opened diplomatic relations between the two nations, and he initiated détente and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty with the Soviet Union the same year.

Eiji Toyoda

A prominent Japanese industrialist, who was largely responsible for bringing Toyota Motor Corporation to profitability and worldwide prominence during his tenure as president and later Chairman. He was born into a family of textile manufacturers but after completing his degree he joined his cousin who had established a fledgling car manufacturing plant and in 1938 he was asked to oversee construction of a newer factory near Nagoya, later renamed Toyota City.

Having visited Fords main production site, Toyoda decided to adopt US automobile mass production methods but recognised the need to develop core concepts of what later became known as Kanban and Kaizen, two of the key manufacturing concepts that are now globally adopted.

Michael Foot

British Labour Party politician and man of letters. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1945 to 1955 and from 1960 until 1992. He was deputy leader of the Labour Party from 1976 to 1980, and later became the Leader of the Opposition from 1980 to 1983.

Associated with the Labour left for most of his career, Foot was a supporter of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament and British withdrawal from the European Economic Community. His first Cabinet appointment was as Employment secretary under in 1974 and later served as Leader of the House of Commons. A passionate orator, he was elected Labour leader in 1980 presenting himself as a compromise candidate capable of uniting the party, which at the time was riven by the grassroots left-wing insurgency and resigned after the 1983 general election when the party obtained its lowest share of the vote since 1918.


Foot had a parallel career as a journalist which included appointments as editor of Tribune and the Evening Standard newspaper. Among the books he authored are Guilty Men (an attack on Neville Chamberlain and others for the policy of appeasement), a biography of Jonathan Swift (The Pen and the Sword, 1957) and a biography of Aneurin Bevan.


Richard (Baron) Beeching

More commonly known as Dr Beeching, he was chairman of British Railways and a physicist and engineer. He became a household name in Britain in the early 1960s for his report "The Reshaping of British Railways", commonly referred to as "The Beeching Report", which led to far-reaching changes in the railway network, popularly known as the Beeching Axe resulting in the loss of 4,000 miles of railway line.

His early career pre and post war was at ICI to where he returned after his work on the railways and was appointed Deputy Chairman in 1966.

Benjamin Britten

Was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was one of the central figures of twentieth-century British classical music, and wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera. His best known works include Peter Grimes and The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, over the next nine years, he wrote six more operas, thus establishing himself as one of the leading twentieth-century composers in this genre. As a pacifist one of Britten’s greatest achievements in the 1960s was his War Requiem, written for the 1962 consecration of the newly reconstructed Coventry Cathedral

Jesse Owens

American track and field athlete who competed in the Nazi propaganda driven 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the long jump, and as part of the 4x100 meter relay team, becoming the most successful athlete at the 1936 Summer Olympics. As a consequence of this the Jesse Owens Award, USA Track and Field's highest accolade for the year's best athlete, is named after him.

Mary Martin

American actress, singer and Broadway star. A muse of Rodgers and Hammerstein she originated many leading roles over her career including Nellie Forbush in South Pacific in 1949 and Maria von Trapp in The Sound of Music on Broadway in 1959. In many respects she has become better known more latterly as the mother of actor Larry Hagman. She received the Kennedy Center Honors, an annual honor for career achievements, in 1989.

Sid James

Was an English-based actor and comedian who made his name as Tony Hancock's co-star in Hancock's Half Hour and also starred in the popular Carry On films. He was known for his trademark "dirty laugh" and lascivious persona. His first major comedy role was in The Lavender Hill Mob in which he made up the bullion robbery gang headed by Alec Guinness. The characters he portrayed in the films were usually very similar to the wise-cracking, sly, lecherous Cockney he was famed for playing on television and normally called Sid or a derivative of Sid. His best now TV show was probably ‘Bless this house’.

The Annual Appraisal.

It is one of those times that no matter how hard you’ve worked and how good you think that you are at your job; the butterflies kick in and rational sentiment can go out the window.


Your annual appraisal might seem like the at-work equivalent of a school report but in reality it's a progress report for both you and your boss.

"A review is an opportunity for the manager to motivate an employee, by recognising their good work and redirecting their efforts and energy if necessary," says Brian Poggi, author of "I Am Not Average: How to Succeed in your Performance Review." He has conducted hundreds of performance reviews during his time in corporate America, which includes stints at GE and Polaroid.


Here are six things Poggi says you should never say during your appraisal. They can damage not only your review, but also your career:


Nothing at all

If you fail to prepare for your review (by not giving yourself a self-review and anticipating questions or concerns), you should be prepared to fail, as the saying goes. "It communicates that you don't see this as an important event, and that signals that you may not be a competent employee," says Poggi. If you have some talking points ready (perhaps things that would help you do your job better), there will be a natural give and take of ideas -- particularly important if you are anticipating criticism.


How did I do?

"By asking this question you're inviting a critique, and while you may get some positive [input], you're leading them down a less-than-optimum view of your performance," Poggi says. Your boss will share his or her concerns -- you don't have to draw their attention straight there.


What can I do better?

Again, a relatively vague statement like this not only invites criticism, but also shows that you haven't really prepared or aren't self-aware. "Instead, say, 'These are some things I'd like to work on,'" says Poggi. He adds: "Rather than ask [about your faults], present how you can make your job more productive and the company a better place."


Can I have a pay rise?

Poggi says simply asking for a rise because you have been at the company for X number of years will get you nowhere. On the other hand, the review is a prime time to prove your worth -- which lays the groundwork for that salary conversation. "Your boss probably has several direct reports and there is no way he will remember all the great things you've done," says Poggi. "Many employees think if they keep their heads down they'll be rewarded. It's great in theory, but it doesn't work."


I'll do better

If you do get criticism, ask for further explanation or an example of what you can do to improve. "If they say, for example, you need to work better on a team with others, say 'Can you give me an example of how I can do that better?'" Poggi says. This shows you're interested, and gives you a clearer idea of what success in this area looks like to your supervisor.


I'm bored

If you're bored with your current position, outline your successes -- and then point out other areas where you could add value in a specific, new way. But don't mention giving up other responsibilities to focus on more challenging or interesting stuff just yet. "You want to come across as wanting more, not wanting to wash your hands of something," says Poggi.


So there you have it. A few simple thoughts on how to manage what might be a difficult and stressful situation and ways to turn it to your advantage.


If you have thoughts from either side of the annual appraisal table then we would be pleased to hear from you. www.chestertongray.com

Voicemail; love it or loathe it, we’ve all used it.

One of the foremost places that technology has transformed the basics of business etiquette is in the realms of communication. But there are few things that wind people up more than voicemail. Are there rules around the proper use of it? In fact, is voicemail acceptable at all anymore?


Considering I spend a sizeable portion of my life talking to people on the ‘phone you would have thought that by now I’d be a dab hand at leaving concise factual messages. But far from it. I know that occasionally I ramble and worse still I know that on certain occasions I am going to ramble when I have to leave a message!


The whole disaster that is voicemail hit home recently when I was interviewing and had switched the ‘phone to silent. After the interview I listened to the message from a candidate which went on and on and on, singularly failing to tell me who he was right until the end of the message, or even the gist of why he was calling me.


When I finally returned to my desk, I couldn't bear the thought of wasting another five minutes wading through the long, rambling message to find the candidate's name, email, and phone. So, after a short mental debate, I just deleted the message.


He could have left a short message with the pertinent details right up front. Even better, he could have simply emailed me, or at the very least followed up the call with a mail that contained the details I cared about. As a result he’s missed out and will probably do so again in the future unless he learns to present himself better.


I think my reaction was reasonable; in today's fast paced business world, I no longer have time to waste listening to voicemail, teasing out valuable details, and transcribing it onto paper myself. But what do you think? Is there a place for voicemail in the office anymore? If so, what are the rules of the phone that one should follow?

Here are my top five rules:

• Don't leave voicemail. It's fine to call and try to reach someone when they’re in the office, but if they're not available, skip the voicemail and leave an email, which is easier to scan for important details.

• Don't even call. If they’re not in the office, first try instant messaging. It's less intrusive, as it can be ignored if the person is busy.

• If you've decided to ignore my first two rules, keep it short. Voicemail is not the place for long narratives. If your message is more than a minute long, you're doing it wrong.

• The first words out of your mouth after the beep should be who you are, how you can be reached, and what you need. Once you're done with that, feel free to leave a little more context.

• Don't leave voicemail.

I’m quite prepared to be told that in fact I’ve got it all wrong and that voicemail is the singular most important office tool. If that’s the case drop me an email, not a voicemail, and tell me why I’m wrong!

If you would like to talk with one of the Directors or Consultants then please feel free to contact us as www.chestertongray.com

Loving your employees.

Whilst it’s hard to escape the news that Europe, or at least several parts of it, are in a downturn/recession/double-dip recession/in stagnation (please delete which option you feel isn’t applicable), the fact remains that there are successful businesses across the continent that are trading profitably, show growth signs and have cash in the bank. Invariably they don’t have a monopoly and as a consequence they have competitors which would like to steal (a) some of their market share and (b) quite possibly a number of their key employees.


That means that you run the risk of one of your staff handing you an envelope on a Monday or Friday with their resignation in it; so how are companies making sure that that doesn’t happen?

I'm talking about the things that the best companies do to engender the dedication, loyalty and, yes, even the love of the people who work for them.

Everyone knows that the days of the one-company career are long gone. Depending on what data you choose to believe, the average person will change jobs between five and seven times in a lifetime. So if you run a business, it is virtually certain you will lose every employee you have (hopefully not all at once).

It's a reality that hurts, because enlightened companies know that employees are every bit as important as customers and other stakeholders, and great employees are hard to find and painful to lose. Whilst you may have to accept that your employees won't stay forever, you should never stop working at making your company the kind of place that's hard to leave.

Companies with the happiest and most productive employees, and the lowest turnover, tend to have key people-priorities in common.


Trust. In both directions. Your employees need to trust you, know where they stand with you, and feel safe with you. And you must show that you trust them, whether it's with projects, decisions, time or money. The miserable and destructive phenomenon of "office politics," as clichéd as it may be, really boils down to nothing more than issues of trust.

Responsibility. Give your people as much as they can handle, maybe even a little more. It tells them that they and their jobs are valuable and gives them a chance to shine (or fail). It helps you identify star performers, it discourages logjams and gets more done, and it's good for your business.

Culture. Your company culture is its heart and soul, the glue that holds it together. Great employees don't stick around in companies with lousy cultures, and all other things being equal, employees perform better within a great culture. And this is usually an area where smaller businesses can almost always have an edge.

Opportunity. People naturally want to keep moving, preferably upward. And they will naturally stay with an employer longer if they know they can earn the chance to do more or different things, climb the proverbial ladder, and earn more money. This can be challenging for small companies, as with only a handful of jobs there just might not be a ladder to climb. You should seek and create opportunities for people wherever and however you can.

Recognition. Some people love getting awards, plaques and employee-of-the-month certificates. But what really matters over the long term is ongoing, straightforward, day-to-day appreciation and recognition. Give genuine praise, both publicly and privately, for work well done. Never take even tacit credit for someone else's work (and in general give much more credit than you take). Say thank you, often. There are few things that will get an employee to start polishing up their CV faster than feeling unappreciated.

Salary. Of everything on this list it's the one over which most small businesses have the least control. Clearly a good employer must do its best to pay good people what they're worth, but small companies often can't compete with big ones when it comes to compensation or "packages." So while pay is obviously a critical issue, the limited resources of a small business make the other five elements all the more important.

Trust, responsibility, culture, opportunity and recognition are entirely within the means and resources of any company, and it has been proven time and time again that employees will, within reason, make salary compromises for the most appealing overall opportunity.

The employer/employee relationship is much the same as any other relationship: what you get largely reflects what you give.

For more on Chesterton Gray then please visit our web site www.chestertongray.com

Interview preparation & how to be on the ball

As we approach the traditional summer break I thought that I would put a few thoughts together for the post holiday’s blues return to work. Over the last twenty plus years that I’ve been recruiting it has almost always signalled an upsurge in candidates hitting the market and clients finally recruiting after months of inertia. There are 1001 subjects that I could write on but few are more important than that face to face meeting; the interview

Before you walk into a job interview, you want to give yourself every opportunity to show yourself at your very best. Here are six things to do in the hours and minutes before your meeting:

Eat brain food

Put down the doughnut, the Danish pastry, anything sweet -- it'll just leave you susceptible to an energy crash during your big moment. Instead, fill up on meals and snacks that will sustain you and won't leave your stomach growling mid-question. Just as in everyday life you should eat meals that are low on the glycemic index and combine carbohydrates, fats and proteins. There is a huge quantity of research that has showed that proven brain food includes fish, blueberries, spinach, nuts and vegetable.

Warm up your mind

You want to be firing on all cylinders by the time your interview begins. If your meeting is first thing in the morning, consider doing the crossword or Sudoku while you're already stoking your brain cells with coffee. It's a great way to get into the problem-solving mode.

Get handy with deodorant

Sweaty palms leave a soggy first impression and just feeling yourself melting down can cause you to lose focus. Over the years I’ve met many a candidate who occasionally gets sweaty palms under stress, and the best tip that I was given was to rub a dab of unscented deodorant on your palms.

Call a positive pal

Please don't spend time with someone who always thinks that the glass is half empty, who tends to discourage you or makes you nervous, instead, call Mr/Mrs Positive - a friend, partner, mentor or even a relative -- who can give you a last-minute boost. It will work wonders for your attitude when you walk into meet your interviewer.

Put away your notes an hour before

Many candidates have a tendency to rehearse talking points in the car or taxi ride on the way to an interview. But preparing up until the very last second can backfire. Don't over-practice, you don't want to memorise your answers. You have to be genuine and spontaneous.

Take a quiet moment

Before you enter the office where your meeting will take place, try to briefly clear your head. Find a quiet place near your interview - a church, a library or a far corner of a hotel lobby - take a deep breath and try to calm yourself. By doing so you'll enter your interview prepared and on the ball.

If you have an interview, then good luck and let us know if you tried any of these tips and if they worked. If not, what tips have you used that work?

As ever, the team welcome your thoughts at www.chestertongray.com

Simple steps to achieve your objectives

If there was a shortcut to success, would you want it? A strategy to follow that would help you get what you want in the most efficient and effective way possible?

Most normal people have a limited number of hours in the day and a limited amount of energy to get what you need to get accomplished, while at the same time going after your bigger goals.

Reading the autobiographies of successful business people and politicians, it becomes clear that they have all adopted broadly similar strategies, of which these tend to be the key four:

1. Know your desired outcome. When you use your car's sat nav, do you type in all of the addresses you don't want to go to or just the one where you do want to go? Clearly, it is critical to know your desired outcome. What do you want to achieve? What are you going after? Now is not the time to be casual, vague. Imagine you've rubbed the magic lamp and you get one shot at requesting what you want. Be clear and be specific.

2. Take action. Get started. Simply do something -- anything, really. Don't fall into the trap of having to know the best action to take to get started because this will cause delay. In fact, it's the excuse far too many use so they don't have to get started.

3. Focus on feedback. Remember the games that you played as a child? What if you only played them and never moved on? You'd never know if you were getting closer or farther away from the prize. If you try to analyse every conceivable next step, you'll never know if your path is leading you closer or farther away. Taking action is how you get feedback. Take the step, because even if you are wrong, that will give you valuable feedback so you can adjust your approach in the future.

4. Be flexible. If you notice your actions are not leading you to your desired outcome (or maybe not as quickly as you wish), then you have to be flexible in your approach. It's not enough to just notice what you are doing isn't working; you have to shift your strategy. Stop, turn, and take a step in a different direction until you get closer to your outcome even if you've invested a lot of time and energy in your previous moves.

It really doesn’t matter what you’re doing, whether it’s in your business or personal life, if you keep to these four steps then they will help you achieve your goals faster and more efficiently.

Please feel free to let us know your thoughts or whether you feel that there are other traits that should supersede these four. www.chestertongray.com

How NOT to fire someone: 5 common mistakes

Unless you're a natural bully, firing someone is never fun. It is, of course, a necessary part of being a manager, and it's a skill that can be honed. The worst mistake, according to experts? Going through the motions like a robot. Act like a human being. There is a very good chance that one day it may be you on the other side of the desk and you'd appreciate being handled like one.

Here are 5 common firing mistakes. Avoid them, and you'll become as proficient as possible in the skill of laying someone off with respect:

Not looking your soon-to-be ex-employee in the eye One of the best ways to show respect is to make eye contact. This is incredibly important - there's another human being across the table from you and being human at this difficult time will make a huge difference to them after they've left and recall how this was handled, especially if it’s their first time. It can scar people for years to come.

Being cagey about your reasons Explaining your reasoning -- briefly -- is the fastest way to give this difficult situation a silver lining. Done the right way you can help catapult someone's career instead of paralyse it. By being open, you can help them excel in a different environment if they don't fit yours.

Being too friendly about it It is entirely possible to sack someone and to be so nice about it that they don't realise they have actually been fired. Getting fired is emotionally very tough, but you can soften the blow by making your message clear and as concise as possible. This means starting right away with your unfortunate message, and then adding any "thank you for your contributions". Of course, this latter comment will depend upon the situation.

Not involving HR Whether your human resources team is ever-present or stays behind the scenes, this is one of those key times that it can often help to use your HR team. If you can have an HR Manager in the meeting with you or waiting elsewhere, it allows the person being terminated to talk afterward with the HR person who can explain issues such as final pay and any ongoing benefits, that will become very important to the individual.

Not shutting up After giving someone this difficult news, give them 30 seconds to digest the blow. Continuing talking while the message is being processed doesn't help them and can certainly hinder the person's ability to get through this moment. Finally, avoid getting into a very detailed discussion of the situation (beyond a brief explanation). By doing so there is a very good chance that you could unintentionally say something that may come back and bite you at a later occasion. Having an HR person present who understands the legal niceties can prevent you from saying too much, or too little.

In my experience almost everyone has either been through this situation or knows someone who has, so as ever, the team at Chesterton Gray would like to hear your thought. www.chestertongray.com

Ironically, being a slacker leads to burn-out

If you were one of the many chronic procrastinators at university who swore you'd turn over a new leaf when you hit the workforce, psychologists have some bad news for you: studies suggest that the tendency to be a slacker actually bodes pretty badly for your career after graduation, and not in the ways you'd suspect.

How was this ominous titbit gleaned by researchers? The British Psychological Society Research Digest blog reports that a pair of psychologists completed standard tests of procrastination and expectations for success for nearly 300 college students. Then they tracked how these same students (now grown up and part of the workforce) were doing in their jobs.

The conclusion:Students who found reason to avoid work-related tasks at university, and who were pessimistic about their chances of success, were more likely, 10, 14 and 17 years later, to report feeling disengaged from their job, and were more likely to report experiencing work-related burnout.

What's the final thought on this? Primarily, that psychologists discover the strangest things, but the findings are also a stern warning that taking it easy and putting off tasks is not a recommended way to keep work easy-going. Ironically, a tendency to slack off seems to actually lead to burn out and boredom.

Criticism and how to gain something positive from it.

We all want to feel like we're "good" at our jobs. More than ever, our identities are tied up in our professions. The first time that we meet someone new, the initial question is usually, "What do you do?" not, "What are your favourite hobbies?" or, "What kind of parent are you?" Nowadays work defines us in such a substantial way, even constructive criticism can feel like a blow.

Yet being able to accept and process criticism is crucial to success in the workplace. "You are not paid to be a diva, and if you act like one, you won't get promoted," said Roy Cohen, author of The Wall Street Professional's Survival Guide. Eventually, resistance to criticism may even get you fired as Lord Sugar has pointed out on numerous occasions. If you get defensive and shut down when criticised, you won't be able to turn those negative remarks around so that they can now have a positive affect on your career.

We have compiled 5 tips to help you use criticism to your advantage:

Listen and ask questions
It's very important to listen carefully and to ask questions -- not only will it help you understand the issue, but it'll show that you want to solve it. Showing a degree of empathy for the person giving the criticism will also work in your favour. A positive response such as: 'I wasn't aware of that -- where do we go from here?' will help you move forward.

Think about the source
Some criticism needs to be taken with a grain of salt. For instance, is this critique coming from someone who you need to impress and/or respect (such as your boss or mentor) or someone who might want you to second-guess yourself (such as a competitive colleague)? If the person is an expert who understands you and your skills and background, the criticism may well be valid and useful. If the person is not an expert or doesn't know you then the information may be less helpful. By the same token, it's probably best to ignore unhelpful career advice from your hairdresser or mother-in-law.

Consider sleeping on it
Particularly if you a highly defensive individual, you might consider listening to criticism, then asking for a follow-up conversation the next day. It is extremely helpful to revisit [the issues] with your boss the next morning, and that action will make you appear as a thoughtful employee. Not only will you be less likely to blow up or get defensive, but you may begin to solve the problem so you can make the criticism an opportunity for future success.

Give thanks for the critique
It's important to give genuine thanks for constructive criticism, especially if you consider it at all helpful. Expressing your gratitude conveys your belief that: 1) the person giving the feedback is someone you respect and trust and 2) you are open to constructive feedback. Showing that you are open to receiving criticism demonstrates that you are a team player, not a prima donna.

See the silver lining
The world is split into the optimists and the pessemists and even if you’re one of the latter, try to see the glass as half full. It may not feel like it in the heat of the moment - but criticism is actually a learning opportunity. If it is received in a positive light, it can be used to advance personal growth and development and may ultimately further your career. If the powers that be didn't think you brought value to your team, they wouldn't offer criticism -- they would just wait for an opportunity to either make you redundant or simply fire you.

Which situation would you actually rather go through?

The five reasons that we’ve come up with probably only scratch the surface, if you have others that are better or simply different then we’d love to hear them.

As ever the team can be contacted as www.chestertongray.com

Want to be a great communicator? Use plain English

For most professional people there comes a point in their lives when, sooner or later, their boss will take them aside and advise them that at the next meeting or business conference they’ll be making a presentation on....

After all, you can’t get very far in your career without learning to present. Well, the same is true of speaking and writing.

And if you work with and listen to enough successful executives and other business leaders, you’ll find that, with rare exception, they use plain English and cut to the chase. Think of Sir John Harvey-Jones as a classic example. That means no jargon, no beating around the bush, no padding and no flowery or big words.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, here’s the catch. For some odd reason, most people seem to have great difficulty being direct when they communicate.

When I first started working in sales I’d just come from working in a warehouse I couldn’t write or speak to save my own life. The first time I had to make a presentation, I was so terrified by my lack of experience that I nearly did a runner. The only thing that saved me was I was only given twenty minutes notice over lunch and my boss never left my side.

But, I worked for a big company and saw a number of very good practiced speakers who made it look easy and that’s where I learned two things:

1) Ditch all the flowery composition and big words they taught us in school, and
2) Get your message across as crisply, as clearly, and in as few words as possible.

Now I appreciate that that’s easy to say but harder to do. So here are 10 tips to help you succeed in business by learning to speak and write in plain English:
1. Be direct with your point or position. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Don’t over-think or over-complicate it.
2. People will remember the first and last thing you say or write. Long rambling laundry lists are worthless.
3. Communicate economically, as if you have to pay for every word. Your audience is actually paying with their precious time and share of mind.
4. Words come from your mouth and fingers, but wisdom and inspiration come from inside you. Dig deep.
5. People are more likely to remember things you tell with stories and humour.
6. When you fumble around, it usually means you’re trying to come up with some way to spin what you want to say.
7. People connect more with genuine feelings than intelligent logic. People may learn from ideas but by and large they follow people.
8. It’s a proven fact that people do business with those they feel comfortable with and trust. They judge that, in a large part, on how you speak and write.
9. Communication is bidirectional, not a one-sided data-dump. Remember, you give a little to get a little.
10. Don’t over-rehearse or over-edit. Where to draw the line comes with time and experience. Anyone who has ever had to be best man/woman can tell you all about that one!

So now hopefully you are a little more prepared for that next occasion when your boss taps you on the shoulder and asks you to be their key note speaker.

As ever, comments, thoughts and suggestions are welcomed by the team at www.chestertongray.com

5 Things you should never say in a job interview

Sometimes it feels as though I’m stuck in Groundhog Day where everyday, or an event, is a repeat of a previous one. Earlier this week I overheard a colleague having to explain a few basic interviews techniques to a candidate who has changed jobs several times before but who plainly felt the need for guidance and reassurance.

We all know that job interviews are never easy and they’re especially stressful when opportunities are so few and far between, as they are at the moment with the European economy going through its travails.

When you have at last secured an interview, the single most important thing you can do is prepare and practice, by doing both a run-through with a savvy friend, and then doing a self-review. This practice should help settle your nerves and help you work on weaknesses. So, on the back of some surreptitious eavesdropping here are 5 things never to say to the line or recruiting manager:

1. Something they’ve heard a million times before
Some people just love interviewing others and spurring them to be creative and compelling in their answers. Others ask the same dull questions they’ve been asking for years. Whether your interviewer is inspiring or barely conscious, you’ll need to come up with new answers to what are likely old questions. Never be cliché. For instance, don’t tell the interviewer you are a people person. Prepare and practice your talking points prior, and you’ll be less likely to rely on stock answers.

2. A request for any kind of concessions
You can’t do overtime because your children’s day care finishes at 5. You’d like to work from home part-time because you have a new puppy. You need an ergonomically-sound mouse and phone set-up. You’re not so into working on weekends, holidays, or your birthday. Especially in a first interview, you want them to want you — badly. Once they do, you can then ask for what you want, which includes specific questions about salary, benefits, or holiday time.

3. Anything that shows you’re over or under ambitious
Inevitably you will be asked the question “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” A question which can make certain candidates answer too honestly (”I have no idea!”) or show their true colours (”Hopefully, in your job…haha…”). Helping you find your true passion isn’t really their problem, and the fact that you want to advance ASAP can also raise concerns that you’ll jump ship quickly.

4. Anything negative
You probably know better than to criticise your former boss. But you should be positive throughout the interview process. Don’t be negative about anything including your previous office, your old company’s personnel policies, traffic on the way to the interview, or the weather. That said, there are certain times to be constructively critical of your former corporation as well as the company with which you’re interviewing. The key is constructive input. What can you do to improve their situation with your skills and experience, instead of merely mocking it?

5. That you have no weaknesses
Yes, the question “What is your biggest weakness?” is incredibly annoying, boring, and irritating (see “Something they’ve heard a million times before,” above). But asserting that you are a perfect human being isn’t the answer either. That way you certainly won’t come across as credible if you say that you have no weaknesses. Ideally you should talk about a real weakness that is not central to the position that you are seeking and show how you have overcome that weakness. This will help the employer see you as a three-dimensional potential employee, instead of as a two-dimensional resume.

I truly don’t believe that any of the above is ground breaking news to the majority of job seekers, but equally it never does any harm to refresh one’s knowledge before you find yourself in the one interview situation that you didn’t want to be in.

As ever, thoughts and input more than welcome.
www.chestertongray.com

4 Reasons your CV will be replaced by your online profile in the future

The last few years has seen the rise and rise of social and business networking sites. Putting aside for one moment Facebook, there is a plethora of business sites that you might have been advised to look at. If I’ve lost you already and you weren’t aware of these sites (really?) then here is a very small list, in no particular order of preference, to start with: LinkedIn; Viadeo; Xing; Plaxo; BraveNewTalent. So, the real question is; how important is your online presence in your career these days? I would suggest that it is more important than you might think.

A number of “expert” surveys on both sides of the Atlantic are predicting that CV’s will fall by the wayside while your online presence takes over your career. Here are a few reasons taken from these surveys as to why they believe this will happen:

Today’s job hunting strategies are mostly online. Gone are the days of looking in the newspaper or applying in-person for job openings. Consider how reduced are the broad sheets Sunday appointment pages compared to a few years ago. Today’s job seekers are spending most of their time and effort networking online, searching company websites, and participating in web communities — and that will only increase in the next few years.

Everyone needs to be ready for a job transition at all times. Now that the days of landing a “traditional” job with stability, benefits, and tenure are gone, candidates need to be ready for a transition at any time. Maintaining an online profile on professional networking sites is more logical than creating a new CV every few months, because it allows for immediate changes and is visible to your entire network.

A recent article in Forbes commented: “By building your online presence, employers can find you and thus you have more opportunities. If you don’t have an online presence, you won’t appear to be relevant and you will be passed over for more savvy applicants that have visibility. You need to be creative in your job search by developing your own product, eBook, viral video, or personal advertisement. Finally, you need to treat your life as one giant networking event, and meet as many people in your field as you can.”

Entrepreneurship is becoming the choice profession for many job candidates. The state of a number of the European economies has seen a rise in redundancies and with little opportunity for some job seekers; many have resorted to setting up their own business or to freelancing opportunities to support themselves. In order to be successful in their new venture, they are realising the importance of a strong online presence and network in order to make their new business successful.

CV’s don’t convey passion or personality. With today’s technology, a job seeker can do a better job at selling themselves through a professional portfolio website or networking profile than a traditional CV. An employer has the opportunity to get to know that candidate in more depth through these online tools than a traditional recruitment process.

There is a natural proviso that goes along with any online presence that hasn’t changed from a traditional CV and that is how you present yourself, what you say about yourself and any images that you choose to post. Whilst I’m sure that you will all maintain the utmost professionalism on the business networking sites, my colleagues and I have seen far too many candidate profiles and pictures on sites such as Facebook that would embarrass their parents and should definitely never ever see the light of day.

If you would like to talk with any of us about creating an online presence and the networking sites then please don’t hesitate to do so at www.chestertongray.com

Write a Covering Letter that Gets Noticed

The subject of this blog isn’t new and it follows on from my last one about how to speed up your job search. And what I’m about to say has been said many times before, but as ever it all bears repeating. Most of our team who sift through covering letters all agree that far too many are just boring, vague or ineffective. Those go straight into the bin.

So what does a covering letter need to get noticed? Here are 8 tips from the team:

1. Sell yourself. A covering letter is a sales pitch. All of us who believe in something important are selling – be it a proposition, an idea, or maybe ourselves. This, by the way, doesn’t mean you steal credit–just that you emphasise your achievements.

2. Demonstrate interest in the job. Sounds obvious doesn’t it? But so many people don’t bother to do homework on either the company or the role for which they are applying. Reference something about what you have learned in your covering letter. This is where you can tailor the needs of the company/role to the expertise that you offer.

3. Address it to the right person! Every day we receive covering letters addressed to the wrong person and even to people who don’t work for our firm. The letter has been cut & pasted from one to someone else in a different firm. Sloppy and insulting.

4. Be declarative. A good covering letter is a page. Get to the point quickly, telling us what you’ve accomplished. “This is what I have accomplished…”

5. Omit the conditional. Avoid statements such as, “As conditions warranted..,” or “Given the circumstances…” Conditionals detract from the power of your message. Drop them.

6. Avoid the passive voice. Using the passive voice makes you sound like a bystander. Instead of “Our effort was led by me,” write, “I led our effort.” Remember, you are the initiator.

7. Proof it. Take it from us: don’t click send until you have a trusted friend or your spouse read your letter several times to check for clarity – did you mean to say that? — and typos – Oops!

8. Be humble. This is a caveat to the first item on this list. You are pitching yourself but remember that as a leader you achieve good results through the efforts of others. It is always good to mention how you work well with and through others.

Good luck and good letter writing. Your next job may depend upon it… but of course you already know that. If you would like to discuss how to write a CV or covering letter, please feel free to contact one of the team at www.chestertongray.com

What to do if you are fired.

At some point in there lives, almost everyone faces career reversals, and some of the most famous and successful business leaders have been fired. I’m sure that there were good reasons why it happened from the company’s perspective, and whether you thought that it was the right decision wasn’t going to change their decision; life is not always fair. Your success after a career reversal depends on your resilience and what you do after losing your job. It’s happened to me and I was devastated when it did, but I learnt a few things from it.

Forget about Shame
It’s natural to feel embarrassed when you get fired, and to withdraw and not tell people what happened. Bad move. First of all, if you don’t tell your version of what happened, others probably will – and seldom to your benefit. Second, if you feel ashamed, you are unlikely to present yourself to others with much confidence, and this absence of confidence will make landing your next position more difficult. And third, it will affect your “social influence.” People look to others to figure out how to interpret and react to ambiguous social situations. If you’re embarrassed, that feeling will emanate from you either in your voice, your language or your behaviour. People will suspect that if you’re ashamed, maybe you have something to be ashamed about, in which case they might not offer you the support that you need.

Tell Your Story
On the other hand, openly telling others what happened conveys that it is not such a big deal and that rather than being ashamed, it is the boss and organisation that fired you that maybe ought to feel badly. By admitting what happened, you can ask for help and convey that you’re going to be successful again. Others will rally to your side because people love to associate with success and they particularly enjoy associating with successful people who have surmounted adversity.

Not everyone who is fired will land a good job instantaneously. But your chances of bouncing back quickly are greatly enhanced by conveying to others that the loss of your position was the company’s mistake, not yours, and emotionally relieving yourself of guilt and shame so you can strategically and confidently go about continuing to build your career.

I was given this advice when it happened to me many many years ago and it is difficult advice to follow, but in many instances, will lead to a much better result and more importantly a boost to your own self confidence.

Can problem leaders ever change?

Being a relatively sporty person I don’t watch very much TV, but one Saturday morning I found myself channel-surfing for about 15 minutes. I was amazed at how many of the ads were about getting in shape. Some of the “promises” they made were:

“Six-second abs.” “Easy shaper.” “Incredible — a miracle!”
“Quickly turn your flabby abs into that sexy six-pack!”

My favourite was one that claimed that “visible results” could be achieved in two three-minute sessions. Excuse the language, but a phrase from my childhood captures my feeling for these claims: “What a load of c**p!”

If you want to know why so many goal setters don’t become goal achievers, you can pore over a bunch of enlightening academic studies about goals, or you can watch webinars for hours on end. Where did we ever get the crazy idea that getting in shape is supposed to be quick and easy? Why do we think that there will be almost no cost and why are we surprised when working out turns out to be arduous?

In the search industry we see the impact of this kind of thinking all the time. We recently received a call from a HR Director who was dealing with the integration of people and systems after their company had made a large acquisition. They had concerns over one of the senior Directors and his management style and the CEO had suggested they get an executive coach to work with the Director. They hoped to see a dramatic change in him within a couple of months. Could we help us and when could we start?

Like anybody who buys miracle products to help them get in shape, they wanted a miracle coach to immediately change the Director.

It was pointed out that he was a 56-year-old executive and just as with diet and exercise, his behavioural habits took years to develop and wouldn’t go away overnight. We all set goals to get some aspect of our lives in shape. All too often, we fail to meet them. Why? There are five major challenges that we usually underestimate:

Time: “This is taking a lot longer than I thought it would. I don’t have time for this.”

Effort: “This is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I’m tired. It’s just not worth it.”

Distracting events: “I had no idea I would be so busy this year. I’ll just have to worry about this later.”

Maintenance: “After I got in shape, I celebrated by drinking beer and eating curry. Now, for some unexplained reason, I’m back to where I started. What am I supposed to do? Go on some kind of diet for the rest of my life?”

Rewards: “After I lost weight, I thought that everyone would fall in love with me. I still can’t seem to get a date, so why bother?”

We often confuse the words “simple” and “easy.” The changes we help people make are generally very simple. However, they are never easy. Just as with diet and exercise, changing behaviour involves hard work and takes time.

During the next year, he will be barraged with distracting events that will take him away from his efforts to change. He needs to realise that lasting leadership development is a lifelong process. A temporary change in behaviour to “look good” in the short term will only create cynicism if he doesn’t stick with it. We can help if he is willing to put in the time and effort. If not, hiring us would probably be a waste of everyone’s time.

Look in the mirror. Not just at how you look, but at who you are. If you want to be a better leader, a better professional, or just a better person, don’t kid yourself. To achieve meaningful goals, you’ll have to pay the price. There’s no product, no diet, no exercise program, and (I hate to admit it) no executive coach who can make you better. Only you can do it. If your source of motivation doesn’t come from inside, you won’t stick with it. This may not be good material for a Saturday morning infomercial, but its great advice for any real achievement.