Author: Naomi Marshall

How to avoid sitting alone at the lunch table…

Posted on by Naomi Marshall

You can drown your career ambitions simply by the actions you take and the behaviours you display while you are at work. It doesn’t matter if you are the owner of a company or the receptionist, if you went to university or not, or how many years’ experience you have under your belt, if you can’t mix well with others you will never fulfill that career dream!

So why build effective work relationships? Relationships are your pillars for success, job satisfaction and future career plans. They form the basis for your promotion, pay increases and self-goal attainment. At the end of the day, work takes up a good portion of our lives therefore this is important for your overall sanity. I’m not saying that you have to be BFF’s with your co-workers but to make the day go by smoothly, it’s wise to be on good terms with them.

So how do you make sure you play well with others? Here are a few tips to help you gel well with fellow employees to create a positive, empowering and motivational environment for others.

  • Don’t ever play the blame game. It’s very easy to blame others for mistakes and to alienate and “pass the buck” on to a co-worker. Honestly, you might think you are looking good in your manager’s eyes but you are certainly creating enemies for yourself. These enemies will in turn help you to fail – you need allies not enemies.
  • Take a look at your style of communication – are you too direct? Talking down to an employee or always answering with sarcasm doesn’t project positivity. Speak with empathy and warmth, and instil trust in others.
  • Solve problems. Rather than always being that guy/girl that identifies problems – be that person that comes up with the solutions and remain positive about achieving them. The team will love you for it!
  • Don’t hesitate to be friendly. This may sound obvious but a little smile and a hello to your co-workers goes a long way. Remember certain things about each individual and show an interest in their life outside of their role, things like “How are the two kids?” or “Did you win your match at the weekend?” Even if you have nothing to talk to them about, reaching out even a little bit will let them know that you’re not being aloof because you feel “above” them.
  • Share the credit with others for accomplishments, ideas and contributions. How often you have met a tight deadline without the help of anyone else???  I can tell you now that the answer is never. Take the time to thank members of your team for their input even if all they did was organised the catering for a late night meeting. This is a no-fail approach to building work relationships, everyone remembers when they are praised and/or appreciated.
  • Don’t gossip. Even if you hear that the CEO is having an affair with is PA…. as hard as it is to keep it to yourself – do just that! “Treat others as you would like to be treated” has been instilled in everyone from a young age – why lose this trait now? Why risk losing your job as a result of slander?
  • Keep your word. If you have committed to a project or to a deadline then ensure that you deliver what you promised. The other party is relying on you to assist them with their work. There is nothing worse than being let down constantly by the same person and it will affect the work of others. Be open and honest, if you can’t adhere, propose a new timeframe and make every possible effort to honour the new deadline.
  • Attend social and team events. Of course there are occasions that you will have other commitments but always being the one that has an excuse not to go gets tiring. You may not love karaoke or bowling but your absence will be noted (by management and other staff) and may give off the impression that you are not a team player.

While some of these tasks may sound trivial, I guarantee that if you make that little bit of an extra effort, it will not be forgotten. You will mesh well with others, develop true work relationships and will exhibit the right attitude to your bosses. It shows you play on the right team and are committed to the company’s goals. Who knows you may even start to enjoy work and have a little fun!

Be Wary of the Counter Offer!

Posted on by Naomi Marshall

We’re all really busy. More so than ever. Everything is at our fingertips providing instant results. It’s the age of technology and it’s amazing.

 

However, there are some things that haven’t caught up to this go-go-go revelation. And probably should. Common courtesy and politeness are two things that come to mind.  It is only too often these general manners have been lost or forgotten in our fast paced ever-ready indulgence.

 

The one thing that I find completely disheartening is the lack of response in returning phone calls, both as a prospective candidate and on the job. I’m sure this fits into the common courtesy category.

 

As an experienced Executive Assistant currently looking for new opportunities, I’ve had to swiftly adapt to the changing market and methods to a get a look in. The job market moves very quickly, blink and you’ve missed an opening.

 

Occasionally the standard thank you email comes through. Occasionally the phone rings for a great chat about a position, which may lead to interview. Sadly a large proportion simply don’t respond. I’ve experienced positive conversations ending with “you’ll receive a phone call by the end of the week either way”, yet that phone call doesn’t come. I’ve experienced being the final candidate with referees lined up to never hear about the role again. But these types of behaviour happen in the every day workplace too. I’ve experienced people not responding to me on the job simply because I am the EA and not the boss.

 

A good EA is integral because they are organised, savvy and well connected. We know as much about the goings on as our boss. We’re the movers and shakers behind the Executive, the glue that binds the pages of the book, if you like. We can be influential and we usually have good memories.

 

Take a moment out of your busy schedule. Call if you said you would. A short email is quite acceptable, even the standard response is ok, at least then we know exactly where we stand. Either way, have the common courtesy to respond. It is always appreciated.

 

Written by Sharon Herzog

The importance of building relationships

Posted on by Naomi Marshall

Stop and consider a person you know of who is really well connected, someone who just knows lots and lots of people. Someone who has plenty of friends, seems to be invited to all the great events and ‘luck’ seems to be always on their side. What personality traits do they display?

Chances are they are a born networker, great communicator and have outstanding relationship building skills. Sure they may have been graced with some of these skills at birth however, there is a good chance that they’ve also worked hard at developing and fine tuning these skills over the years. Don’t be deceived that this comes easy to them and don’t for one second think that you can’t develop these skills as well.

No matter what job you are in and what level of responsibility you hold in the company it’s my firm belief that the better your relationship building skills the more successful you will be.

Business relationships are just like any other relationship. They require some effort to maintain and must be mutually beneficial for both parties. As in any relationship, you must be willing to give, share and support, not just take and receive.

Here are a couple of great tips for anyone, no matter whether you are the business owner or director, the assistant to that person, the receptionist or even the office cleaner. The principles remain the same. Relationships need to be nurtured and fostered.

Collate and save information

Irrespective of whether or not you are in a sales role you need to create a personal database. With smartphones and the vast amount of electronic devices it’s never been easier. Start saving information about people such as their partners and childrens names, birthdays, places they have been on holidays or places they say they are visiting, hobbies or sporting interests, a wedding date or due date for a baby, where they live or any other quirky or unique things about that person. You may think you’ll remember all these things but until you really get to know them a lot of the small details can be forgotten.

Record it so that next time you are speaking to them you can mention their partners name, or talk about how their sporting team did on the weekend or ask about their childs first day at school. People love nothing more than when others show an interest in them so take the time to remember the little details.

Do this regularly and don’t wait. As soon as you’ve had the conversation, take a minute to enter a few notes. This will pay off as the years go on.

Listen more than you talk

In order to be able to collate all this valuable information you need to LISTEN. If you are the one doing all the talking how are you going to find out about the other person? Ask lots of questions not because you have to but because you want to. People can tell when you’re not being genuine.

Encourage Honest Feedback

An open, honest relationship demands clear communications of how each party is performing so don’t be afraid to encourage constructive criticism and be brave enough to suggest ways that the other person may be able to communicate with you more effectively.

Give More than You Receive

Be sure to contact people when you are NOT in need of something. Take the time to learn about them as individuals and show an interest in them as a person, not just a client or someone you can use to get something from.

A small gift, a card for their birthday or just a simple phone call or email when you know they are going through a tough time speaks volumes.

Be Proactive

Yes a relationship is a two way street, you must give and receive. However, sometimes you do need to be the one on the front foot. Don’t always wait for someone to contact you. How hard is it to send a simple text asking how they are? Or wishing them luck for a big presentation, or sending them a link to an article you thought they might find interesting? Keeping in touch with small ‘touch points’ such as these keep a relationship flowing and the lines of communication open.

Open up

Give up a bit of information about yourself as well. Allow people into your world and give them an insight into who you are, what goes on in your life, what you like, what makes you laugh, how you spend your weekends etc.

Be a real person. Being too professional all the time is a bore and no-one builds a relationship with a bore!

Make it Personal

Sometimes it’s great to send an actual physical letter or card of appreciation as opposed to just an e-mail. How often do you receive an actual card, in the mail, to say ‘Thank you?’

Many years ago an amazing entrepreneur from the recruitment industry (who will not go unnamed, Graham Whelan!) taught me the importance of sending hand written thank you cards. He felt that the world was becoming too impersonal with emails and a lack of contact so he instilled into me the importance of sending, what some may say, an old fashioned, handwritten card. Still to this day the number of people who comment on this amazes me. It’s a thoughtful touch and not done enough.

Meet Face-to-Face

Whenever possible get out and see people! Nothing beats the value of a personal catch up face to face. It’s the quickest way to build a relationship and the perfect way to listen and speak at the same time. Give and take. The basis of building a relationship.

Again, it doesn’t need to be a huge event nor does it need to involve alcohol. The days of boozy lunches and expensive dinners are rapidly being curbed as everyone pulls in their purse strings. A coffee or even a breakfast catch up can be just as valuable.

Or invite a contact to a fun event like a cooking class because you know they love cooking or see if they’d like to share tickets to a sporting event that you know they enjoy. It will help to naturally deepen the relationship and get to know each other better in a social setting.

Whatever you do, don’t do nothing! Nothing changes if nothing changes. That is my all-time favourite saying. If you want to build a wider network, if you want to strengthen relationships and if you want to build more satisfying partnerships both personally and professionally then YOU are the only one who can do so.

Naomi Marshall – Director
P: (02) 9271 0011
M: 0422 139 910
E: naomi@sprintpeople.com.au

Are you culture positive? Here’s why you need to be….

Posted on by Naomi Marshall

We’re all really busy. More so than ever. Everything is at our fingertips providing instant results. It’s the age of technology and it’s amazing.

 

However, there are some things that haven’t caught up to this go-go-go revelation. And probably should. Common courtesy and politeness are two things that come to mind.  It is only too often these general manners have been lost or forgotten in our fast paced ever-ready indulgence.

 

The one thing that I find completely disheartening is the lack of response in returning phone calls, both as a prospective candidate and on the job. I’m sure this fits into the common courtesy category.

 

As an experienced Executive Assistant currently looking for new opportunities, I’ve had to swiftly adapt to the changing market and methods to a get a look in. The job market moves very quickly, blink and you’ve missed an opening.

 

Occasionally the standard thank you email comes through. Occasionally the phone rings for a great chat about a position, which may lead to interview. Sadly a large proportion simply don’t respond. I’ve experienced positive conversations ending with “you’ll receive a phone call by the end of the week either way”, yet that phone call doesn’t come. I’ve experienced being the final candidate with referees lined up to never hear about the role again. But these types of behaviour happen in the every day workplace too. I’ve experienced people not responding to me on the job simply because I am the EA and not the boss.

 

A good EA is integral because they are organised, savvy and well connected. We know as much about the goings on as our boss. We’re the movers and shakers behind the Executive, the glue that binds the pages of the book, if you like. We can be influential and we usually have good memories.

 

Take a moment out of your busy schedule. Call if you said you would. A short email is quite acceptable, even the standard response is ok, at least then we know exactly where we stand. Either way, have the common courtesy to respond. It is always appreciated.

 

Written by Sharon Herzog

‘Have you any questions?’ How to answer when it’s your turn to ask the questions!

Posted on by Naomi Marshall

So you have been told to prepare two interview questions to ask at the end of an interview by every man and their dog?? Scratch that. Prepare a few wisely. What happens if the interviewer has already answered your questions during the interview? What if you forget these two well-rehearsed questions? What then…….?

As a job seeker, the key to a good interview is to find out as much about your potential employers as possible. However the questions you ask will be paid close attention to by your potential employer! Here are some do’s and don’ts when it comes to the dreaded “Have you any questions for me?”

The do’s….. Think about what your employer would like you to be interested about such as ‘What projects are you most excited about?’  or ‘What’s the best thing the person in this job could do to shine?’ Both of these questions reflect you wanting to understand the upcoming role and how you can be the best in that role.  Ask questions surrounding management’s expectations, why do employee’s love working at this particular company etc. Make your question interesting!

The don’ts…… Avoid the following questions for obvious reasons:  ‘Do you have any freelance positions available?’,  ‘Do you know anything about this other role that your company is hiring for?’ and ‘How soon are people promoted?’ (Though it is okay to ask where the person who left went). Listen carefully to the interviewer throughout to avoid asking a question they have already answered, believe me they will notice that they are repeating themselves.

What do you do if the interviewer has covered everything? Do not ask an unrelated question that has nothing to do with the role just for the sake of asking a question like ‘What type of health insurance does your company provide?’ or ‘Does this company monitor Internet usage?’ Simply, thank the interviewer and state that you did have quite a few questions but for now, he/she has covered everything you needed to know. Let the interviewer know that you will contact them should any questions pop in to your head after you walk out the door.

I can’t tell you how many times I have sat opposite a candidate asking me questions that I have already answered and let me tell you, it does not make a good impression. As an interviewer I can spot a well – rehearsed question a mile away! Often these questions are so out of context it completely stops the flow of the interview. It also makes me think “Has this candidate listened to a word I’ve said?” So, be prepared to listen proactively throughout the interview and ask questions that you feel are relevant.