How to Ask for flexible working hours

How to Ask for flexible working hours by Amber Rolfe If you’re struggling to maintain your work/life balance, it might be time to mix it up…One solution could be flexible working hours. But before you start asking your employer what options are available, it’s absolutely vital that you cover the essentials, stay positive, and share the right information.To make sure your request isn’t overlooked, here’s how to ask for flexible working hours in the right way:Find out what options are already availableFlexible working might already be available within your company, although you might not currently be aware of it.To find out more about what’s on offer, always speak to your manager or a member of the HR department, before making a more formal request.And, if you’re looking for a new role, make ‘flexible working hours‘ a key search phrase to include when job hunting. As many companies offer a flexible work schedule from the outset, you’ll be able to avoid filling out any forms when you start the ne w position.Address the formalitiesMake sure you’re asking in the right way.It’s a legal requirement that you write a letter or an email addressed to your employer, labelled as a ‘statutory request’, with the date clearly stated. You’ll also need to include an explanation of any other flexible working applications you’ve made and when you made them, as you’re only eligible to make one request per year.Although you’ll be able to discuss it further with your boss after and before making the formal request, the written application must be submitted for it to be officially considered.Once submitted, your employer must respond within three months with a yes or no answer. If they refuse your request and you think it wasn’t considered fairly, you’ll be eligible to appeal against their decision.Right to flexible working application form  Explain your new scheduleTo make sure your request is seriously considered, it’s important to show a clear understanding of how your a ltered role will work. This shows that you’ve put some real thought into the change, and can actually demonstrate why it’s a good idea.When writing your request, include details of when you’d like to start, and what kind of adapted working timescales you’d like to switch to.Then, talk about exactly what the new arrangement will involve. This includes describing your daily duties, and explaining how you plan to keep in touch if you’ll be working remotely.Showing your boss that you have a succinct plan will prove that your change in hours won’t affect your quality of work.Consider how working flexibly will affect the businessEmployers aren’t likely to approve your request if you haven’t taken into account their needs as well as your own.Although the request to work flexibly will be based on your own personal reasons, it’s important to avoid focusing solely on that. If your change in schedule or decrease in hours could affect the business negatively, then your employe r could have a justifiable reason to say no.To ensure this doesn’t happen, address the possible hindrances, and suggest viable ways to overcome them.Not only does this increase the possibility of your appeal being approved, it also shows your employer that you care about your job, your team, and the overall success of the business.  Don’t be overly negativeThe last thing you want is for your boss to think you’re asking for fewer hours because you can’t cope with your current workload.Not only could this negative attitude affect your career in the long-run, it could also mean you’re less likely to be put forward for new opportunities or projects that might involve a bigger workload.Instead, explain how you could make better use of your time in a different setup, and focus on expressing how this change would give you the opportunity to maximise your potential and overall productivity.Focus on the positives, and make it clear that although you can cope with your current arran gement, it could be done even better with a personalised work schedule.  Be ambitiousA request for flexible hours could be misinterpreted as a lack of ambition or drive in an employee’s working life.Obviously, this isn’t necessarily true. In fact, it can often mean the exact opposite. So if you want to keep the opportunity to move up in your career open â€" make it clear to your boss that you’re still ambitious and motivated to succeed.Outline your career goals, and explain how a shift in your working hours could make them easier to reach and ultimately, how it can benefit them. If your boss knows that you’re going to remain loyal to them, despite working less hours, they’re likely to have fewer concerns about your request.Be realisticWorking flexible hours may seem easier than dragging yourself into work every day â€" but is it the best choice for you?Fully assess the situation, and ask yourself whether working fewer hours, at different times, or from home, will really re sult in a better work-life balance and higher productivity, or more distractions, and zero self-motivation.Don’t see it as a way to slack off without anyone noticing, because you’ll still have to work equally as hard.In fact, you might have to work even harder to prove that you’re a dedicated worker. So expect to be available when needed (especially if you’re in a senior role), and understand that flexibility can work both ways.  Need a more flexible position? Have a look at all of our current vacancies now.Find a job What Where Search JobsSign up for more Career AdviceSign up for moreCareer Advice Please enter a valid email addressmessage hereBy clicking Submit you agree to the terms and conditions applicable to our service and acknowledge that your personal data will be used in accordance with our privacy policy and you will receive emails and communications about jobs and career related topics. Flexible working Work-life balance

How to Write a Perfect Resume

How to Write a Perfect ResumeHow to write a perfect resume should be a straightforward task but unfortunately, many people find it hard to figure out how to do it. Finding the right resume is difficult because most resume formats look completely different from one another.A job search is not complete without having a resume that is well written and impressive. It is important that you consider how to write a perfect resume if you want to make sure that it will be of help to you in your job hunt.The first thing that you need to do is to decide on a format that suits your resume the best. You have three different forms of resumes: chronological, functional and traditional. For your resume to be of great benefit, you need to know which form best suits your profile.Chronological resumes are the most popular because they show off your accomplishments and skills clearly. With a chronological resume, you can show examples of your job performance and achievements by listing them in a chronol ogical order. This means that your resume will show a clear history of the most recent work that you have done for your current employer.A functional resume is designed to highlight your skill and interests. People who choose functional resumes always put their best foot forward when looking for a new job. Functional resumes often focus on the skills that you possess, especially when it comes to your organizational skills and communication skills. This format is not only less formal, but it also makes the applicant seem more professional.A traditional resume is easy to write because it gives the reader a chance to read all the information in a single page. It also has a touch of professionalism about it because it always highlights the candidate's most well-known skills and experiences. However, a traditional resume only looks great if it is well crafted.When you are writing a resume, it is important that you get ideas from others. There are many places where you can get resume samp les. You can also do an online search for resume examples and design a resume based on what you find. Remember to include the employer's name in the format so that they know who you are targeting.How to write a perfect resume is very easy once you know the different styles that you can use. If you are not quite sure about what form of resume is best for you, try sending out several resumes so that you can find the right fit for you. To help you with this, take some time to go through your resume and analyze how you can improve it.

8 Tips to Evaluate Cultural Fit - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

8 Tips to Evaluate Cultural Fit - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Many articles point to the fact that the job interview is really all about the so-called cultural fit of the candidate, provided the skill and experience requirements are met as well of course. The thing is that in addition to the hiring manager, several other company members, too, are interviewing candidates to add their own assessments. For practical purposes, what’s called company culture can be separated into two distinct areas. One is influenced by the top leader of the organization, and the other is influenced by the departmental leader or the hired employee’s immediate supervisor. Years ago, I worked at a Fortune 100 company that had a history of buying many other companies whose individual and distinct cultures had been kept intact and independent of each other all along. At one point, though, a new CEO took over and decided to instill one single culture throughout the hundreds of subsidiaries and affiliated companies under his jurisdiction. That action caused an amazing transformation. I compared the new CEO’s influence to a magnet approaching a bunch of nails: all of a sudden, all of the nails aligned and connected to the magnet. Certainly, a departmental boss has an impact on departmental culture. Often, when you ask someone a question like, What’s it like to work at that company? the reply reflects the person’s pleasure or displeasure with his boss and, at times, his colleagues. So, howâ€"during the interviewâ€"can a candidate seem to fit into the company’s culture? Similar to the cliché that says, “A leopard cant change its spots,” a person cant radically change personality. But because the outcome of the interview is highly influenced by a candidate’s cultural fit, the candidate can at least attempt to make the right impression, which amounts to simply the same thing as adjusting the words in the résumé to match the job requirements stipulated in the job ad. People may have different understandings of what lies behind the proverbial cultural fit. The most accepted notion suggests that cultural fit includes the display of characteristics related to organizational cultures, such as values, language, and outlook. Culture is the behavior that results when the members of a group arrive at a set of rules for working together. The rules may include elements of decision making, daily work practices, and even such things as the office setup. For instance, some organizations are hierarchicalâ€"with office spaces and sizes linearly matching employees’ functions in the organization. At the other end of that spectrum are organizations that are very egalitarianâ€"with open-architecture office space, in which all employees having equally open and equally sized spaces. Before the interview, the candidate should explore with as many people as possible inside the company certain issues, such as: * Whether the work environment is highly stressful or rather relaxed * Whether promotion is from within or fresh experts are hired from outside * Frequency of meetings * Volume and tone of internal e-mails (formal or informal, friendly or abrasive?) * Whether teamwork or individual effort is the typical means of problem resolution * Whether employees’ opinions are solicited or not * How well poor behavior and underperformance are tolerated * Whether successes are celebrated and in what ways The list is endless, but those are a few examples of issues pertinent to company culture.

Easy to Imagine, Hard to Achieve - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Easy to Imagine, Hard to Achieve - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I saw a picture of someone  â€œHanging 10”  on a surfboard today and it got me thinking. Thinking about how fun that would be to do. Also realizing how hard it is to actually do it. Ive been surfing since I was a kid and I know how hard it is to hang 5, let alone hang 10. To Hang 10 the conditions need to be just right. A few magical things need to happen AND a lot of practice and skills go into ART of hanging ten too. Yes…  Hanging 10 is an art. Which got me thinking about how many times we envision ourselves doing something and then having to face the reality of the challenges related to achieving that vision? Which is really the challenge and opportunity of exposing our art in order to achieve a goal. Isnt that what life is all about? Isnt that why we set goals? Isnt that what a lot of us live for? To dream a dream, to imagine what it would feel like to achieve it Then setting out to do everything necessary to make it happen. Dream it, communicate it, do it Sometimes there are easy goals and sometimes there are much harder goals. I submit that the goals that are harder to achieve are the ones that give us the greatest joy in the end. Even though they may have caused the most challenges, heartaches and problems along the way. These are the goals that I call: Easy to Imagine, Hard to Achieve. They may be your Bucket List or they may be your Hang Ten Dreams. Whats your Hang Ten dream? Whether it’s to learn how to use the Trapeze Or to lead a big project at work or make that  big sale Or to envision and earn that  promotion As we start off the new school year  and as a lot of companies are just spinning up from the Summer Holidays I urge you to: Dream big and act big  â€" seek those hard to achieve goals. Perhaps by keeping this saying in mind: Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, youll land among the stars. Author: Jeff   is a veteran in the Enterprise Content Management industry. Over the past 20 years he has worked with customers and partners to design, develop and deploy solutions around the world. Jeff is currently the Director of Strategic Alliances at Winshuttle. He has worked for Microsoft, FileNet (IBM), K2, Captaris, Open Text, Kofax and Kodak. He speaks and blogs about ECM and the Intersection between Social, Mobile and Cloud Computing.

Resume and Cover Letter For Domestic Working Couple

Resume and Cover Letter For Domestic Working CoupleYour dream job is waiting for you but first you need to start writing a resume and cover letter for domestic working couple. It is recommended that you focus on your skills as a high-value employee.The first thing that you need to do when writing a resume and cover letter for domestic working couple is to prepare your statement of employment. Remember that you will have to write your own cover letter so you need to write it carefully. You can take advantage of various resources available online that will help you in writing your cover letter for domestic working couple.There are several formats that you can use but the one that is suggested for this specific skill is the chronological resume. In this format, you should write down your previous positions and the dates of those positions on each of the pages. It would be useful if you create a list of your previous jobs in your hand and use these to guide you in creating your own chron ological resume. After having completed your employment history you can now work on the present position.This is the part where you describe the position you have now and list the company where you are working. This helps you in building a relationship with the company. It is important that you include the contact details of the company in your resume. Moreover, you need to mention the reason for leaving the company in your cover letter.The most important aspect of writing a resume and cover letter for domestic working couple is that you should state your skills first. You can describe the skills that you possess in detail, why these skills are so valuable and how they could benefit the company. In addition, you also need to give a description of the best project that you are ready to offer the company.You can also give details about the projects you have undertaken in the past that have lasted for one year's worth of work. While describing the projects that you have completed, make sure that you mention any details that you may have added to the job description of the company.While describing your past job, you can also give a brief outline of the job. In this way, you are not required to describe the whole job in detail. It is also important that you mention the main objectives of the job in your resume and cover letter for domestic working couple.Finally, your resume and cover letter for domestic working couple should highlight the experience and skills that you possess. You need to give your references so that the employer can verify the details that you have mentioned in your resume. When everything is finished, the next thing that you need to do is to submit your resume and cover letter for domestic working couple to the employer.

Determination, Education, and Presentation Gets the Job After 60+ [Podcast] - Career Pivot

Determination, Education, and Presentation Gets the Job After 60+ [Podcast] - Career Pivot Episode 45 â€" Marc Miller interviews Stan Siranovich on his long search for full-time employment. Description: In this episode, Marc interviews Stan Siranovich. Stan is closer to 70 than 60. Stan has reinvented himself twice in the last 15 years, this time it was as a big data guy. Stan recently landed full-time employment for the first time in about 15 years. He is just two to three months into the new job, so anything could happen, but his story may be inspiring to all of you who thought you might never go back to work again. He has landed as a Senior Data Analyst, where he typically had to compete against 20-somethings to get the job. Stan is working hard at the new job with a small startup. It’s a new environment for him, but he is learning and adapting. Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Listen in to learn how to educate yourself online for the position you desire. Key Takeaways: [3:44] Marc introduces Stan Siranovich, closer to 70 than to 60. Stan is a scientist who has been doing data science since long before “Al Gore invented the internet.” Stan studied data science in undergraduate and graduate work. [4:13] In the first half of life Stan did polymer research and development and technical marketing for large chemical corporations. Most of his career was with Bayer Corporation, but he also worked for some years at Mobil Oil, and also at Cargill, and AkzoNobel. Download Link |iTunes|Stitcher Radio|Google Podcast|Podbean|TuneIn|Overcast [4:41] Stan started in analytical chemistry, moved into product development, then into polymer synthesis. He began at Mobil, was recruited by Cargill, and then was recruited by Bayer. Soon after arriving at Bayer, they had a massive structural change. [5:27] Stan was given two options: research or technical marketing. He chose technical marketing, from his customer-facing days at Cargill, and he liked it. He also did applications development, and product development for a while. Then he hit the speaking circuit when the company entered the wood coatings market as a supplier. [6:02] There was another downsize. The Pittsburgh campus went from about 2,200 employees to about 800. Stan went off on his own and bought a franchise. He liked running a business but missed the research and development. In 2000 he sold it, after about a year. [6:56] After selling the franchise, Stan worked contract jobs, and was recruited by AkzoNobel. He moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where he was the technical marketing manager for Coatings/Resins in North America. It was a $60 million product line with 170 products in 20 categories. In 2001, profits lagged, and they sold the business. [7:34] Stan worked some temp and contract jobs, then went to Sullivan University to become a Certified Microsoft Network Engineer. While in school he was hired in the IT Security department of Yum! Brands until 2008 when 600 were laid off in Louisville. [8:45] Stan worked some more contract jobs until late 2012, then he formed Crucial Connections, LLC, and did consulting and contract work through the business. Stan says it was a tough business without having a multinational name behind him. [9:44] Stan had to draw down on savings to survive. He decided to look into big data. He had been working with computers since running ‘PV = nRT’ equations as an undergraduate. At Bayer, he had done statistical experimental design using JMP statistical software from SAS. [10:56] To get himself up-to-date, Stan did a lot of self-education. He already had a BS in Chemistry and an MBA with concentrations in Finance and Management Information Systems. Besides his Microsoft Engineer certification from Sullivan, he took a series of certification tests from Microsoft. and several certification tests from CompTIA. [11:54] Stan took courses from Coursera, Lynda.com, Springboard, Sharp Sight Labs, and Udemy for his online education. Stan spent small amounts on the training. Some courses are $10.00, some are $100 to a few hundred dollars. He prefers shorter skills courses, as he already had studied theory. Stan works now in JMP, Tableau, and R. [13:52] Stan started working with Marc over a year ago. Stan was struggling with recruiters. Marc told him to be more proactive. Stan did presentations anywhere that would have him, and a lot of networking. One of his presentations is on YouTube. These presentations gave Stan exposure to the data science community in a three-state area. [15:10] Stan showed that he knew his stuff. It was the only way to get by recruiters. If the gatekeepers can’t check off enough boxes on their list, you don’t make the first cut. [15:39] Stan was hired in July. A recruiter from V-Soft emailed him. Stan had worked with V-Soft for seven years, but nothing had come of it. From the email to the first day of work at the client was eight days. [17:44] Marc wants everyone to understand this: When you are going through this kind of job search, you have no control over the timing. [18:02] The last time Stan was a full-time employee was years earlier. He has been contracting since that time, until this job. It feels good to have a regular paycheck. [19:09] Stan is one of Marc’s poster children. The big challenge was to keep Stan positive and moving forward. Stan got frustrated dealing with recruiters. It took a long time. If Stan could talk to himself two years ago, he would say, keep putting one foot in front of the other. Do what you need to do. Educate yourself. Get out. Meet people. [21:36] Marc’s final thoughts: Are you inspired by Stan’s story? I hope it would inspire you to be resilient and stick with it. Stan does not give up. Mentioned in This Episode: CareerPivot.com/blog Marc@CareerPivot.com Contact Marc, and ask questions at Careerpivot.com/contact-me. Marc is accepting new clients, so reach out to him. He will supply a link to his calendar to set up a call. Please pick up a copy of Repurpose Your Career: A Practical Guide for the 2nd Half of Life, by Marc Miller and Susan Lahey. When you complete reading the book, please leave an honest review on Amazon. CareerPivot.com/ryc-resources (Repurpose Your Career Resources) CareerPivot.com/episode-45 Please take a moment â€" go to iTunes, Stitcher, or Google Play. Give this podcast a review and subscribe! If you’re not sure how to leave a review, please go to CareerPivot.com/review, and read the detailed instructions there. Watch for news of the membership community of the CareerPivot.com website. Marc has an initial cohort of members helping him develop the content. Email: PittsburghStan@gmail.com Email: Stan@CrucialConnection.com Bayer Corporation Mobil Oil Cargill AkzoNobel Certified Microsoft Network Engineer Sullivan University Yum! Brands SAS CompTIA Certifications Coursera Lynda.com Springboard Sharp Sight Labs Udemy JMP Tableau R V-Soft Dice Marc Miller Like what you just read? Share it with your friends using the buttons above. Like What You Read? Get Career Pivot Insights! Check out the Repurpose Your Career Podcast Do You Need Help With ...

Executive Rules for Job Search

Executive Rules for Job Search I just finished reading  Thad Greers book, Executive Rules.  The book is an excellent resource that can help job seekers effectively navigate their searches and negotiate potential land mines. Here are a few of Thads key takeaways:  Have a professional resume writer craft your document.  As an executive recruiter, Thad sees a lot of searches come to a grinding halt because candidates dont have resumes that create a compelling value proposition.Forget the video resume.  HR departments are required to pay strict attention to EEO (Equal Opportunity Employment) laws. A corporate recruiter legally cannot make a decision to interview a candidate based solely on a video resume unless the information presented in that video is relevant to a specific job.Blogs are great marketing tools. While Thad doesnt anticipate that blogs will replace the resume anytime soon, he does remind us that adding a link to your blog on a resume can elevate your candidacy and improve your chances for making strong er inroads with a hiring company. Blogs can pick up where the resume ends and since they are a fluid medium they give your reader an opportunity to visit frequently and learn more about you.You cant hide from Google.  Thad again validates what many recruiter surveys reportrecruiters and hiring authorities are performing Internet searches on candidates before calling them in for interviews. Candidates need to make sure that their online identity is relevant and squeaky clean.Recruiters dont work for you. They work for the companies that pay their fees. They are not your agents and they do not guarantee you interviews until you land a job. Forge relationships with them but understand what they can and cannot do for you.Small companies offer more flexibility.  You have a greater chance of negotiating a flexible compensation package with a small company. They are frequently more likely to listen to requests for salary, vacation time, and benefits/perks.

My, how tastes (and resumes) have changed! -

My, how tastes (and resumes) have changed! - Ive been sharing career related epiphanies resulting from my recent sojourn in New York City. Specifically,   from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Todays focus: My, how our tastes and trends have changed! Opinions about what is beautiful and what are useful ways to spend our time certainly have changed over the centuries! (When was the last time you donned a suit of armor to challenge a foe? Or slept in a Versailles-era inspired bed?) The same is true of resume conventions. My friend and colleague Erin Kennedy recently pointed out a modern resume writing trend adding color to resumes! As she notes, this is not an idea most professional resume writers would have entertained several years ago, but is something job seekers can consider today. Similarly, I find myself explaining to clients that I dont write your fathers resume. Yes there are many things about resumes that are similar to those 20 years ago, but a lot has changed! Who would have thought that resumes would actually include online profiles, social resumes and blogs? Just as women dont walk around corseted with big bustles, you want to be sure that your resume doesnt look like something that belongs in a musuem because it is out of date! I recently worked with a client whose resume I totally redesigned using a very modern style. Her reply, I thought it was going to look more like the one I sentWill this appeal to recruiters? I explained that the best resume professionals are not writing your mothers resume anymore. Times have changed, and we need to change with them. My client showed her new resume to an (older) recruiter who admitted it wasnt what she expected to see, but that she liked the format and how it outlined the candidates skills and made her stand out! I couldnt have been more pleased! One of my twitter friends, Vicki, suggested I update this post to provide some visual examples of dated and modern resumes. So follow this link to review my resume transformations for some examples of the way resumes look today compared to old-fashioned versions. Thanks, Vicki! What job search trends confuse or interest you? There is no one size fits all career advice. Dont you deserve the best, personalized information and help? Learn how I can help you with your search. Frustrated that your search isnt resulting in a job? In Atlanta? Join me and Stephanie A. Lloyd, CEO of Radiant Veracity for our series of in-person job search interventions. Read more about how to propel your search and sign up here.