Would you believe that an effective way to keep your people happy is by firing away the unhappy ones?

Sounds like a joke? Jay Goltz really hoped it was.

Goltz, who owns five small businesses in Chicago, shared his secret in keeping happy employees in the company in the report from Yahoo! Finance.

Admitting that he doesn’t have a Ph. D., an M.B.A. or any economics degree, Goltz said that he had learned through times that you cannot make everyone happy.

He said, you can try – listen, solve problems, listen some more, solve more problems… but there will come a time that you will realize that you are robbing the company precious time and energy by trying to keep some people happy.

Goltz said that he doesn’t really get hyped up every time he fires people. He is one to admit, “There’s no joy in the act of firing someone.”

He continued his article sharing “bad management can make a good employee dysfunctional, but a good management may not always make a dysfunctional employee good.”

And then there’s the case of “being a square peg in a round whole” where an employee who used to exceptional elsewhere may not really perform at par in your company… it could the type of business or the culture in the organization.

Goltz was right on the dot when he said that it only takes one. A single unhappy employee can make a big difference.

He summarized by saying that, it is his style… his opinion. “Everyone has right to his or her opinion. When you own a company, you also have the right to surround yourself with the people you choose.”

“When you have the right people, business is much easier. I know because I have tried it both ways.”

Unorthodox it may seem, but Goltz maintains a happy organization.

Read his full text here.

Here are some interesting job interview no-nos which I have found CNN news and would just like to share them to you.

You may find some of them to be completely absurd, but as the article says, they were actually from actually experiences of the job interviewers.

Here they are, the job interview no-nos:

1. Bad Manners
The article was somewhat ‘nice’ describing them as bad manners, but I believe that they are more appropriately described as ‘irritating’ manners. Things like answering your phone or texting during job interviews, asking for something to eat, or even eating during interviews (remember, these came from actual experiences of interviewers).

2. Being Weird
This is interesting, being separated from ‘Bad Manners’ category, because they could also be classified as such, except that, well… they are weird. One interviewer found out the interviewee was recording the proceedings of the interview. For what reason, they don’t know but they didn’t hire the guy.

3. Bad reason for leaving a job
There are a lot of bad reasons given. One interviewer was left speechless with the answer ‘Well, I’ve been twiddling my thumbs for six months.’ Which means he wasn’t doing anything in his previous job.

4. Nervous tics controlling you
You may not be aware of it, but you may be bouncing your legs to fast and often that it’s shaking the office already. And try not to repeat every sentence or phrase you are saying, so much so that it starting to look like it’s your favorite expression.

5. Giving too much information
If you think that saying how bad your previous employer was would get you sympathy, think again. If you know too much on your employer’s bad habits, skeletons in the closet, and what-have-yous, and disclosed all of these during the interview, you’re in really big trouble!

6. Poor representation
This is given. When you go to an interview, put your best foot forward. That includes not coming in in slippers or sneakers. Your physical appearance would always give the first impression to the interviewer, and most often, it has a great impact on how the interview – and your career, would progress.

7. Coming unprepared
With all the information almost always in the Internet, it is already a mortal to say that you know nothing about the company. Try to research about the company, which most probably would have a website, or ask around if you have to. Get a little background about the company and the position you’re applying for.

A lot can still be added to this bad interview habits, which really happen unfortunately.

Bottom line – do your assignment. Get ready and get prepared, if you want to get hired.

Are you looking for a job? Do you care about the wildlife and the environment?

Here’s an employment opportunity for you where you can work with the Philippine Eagle Foundation, an NGO who helps protect the endangered Philippine Eagle.

They are in need of an Education Officer. I just received this in my e-mail from the BROOD Online Forums. For all inquiries, please check the thread below.

Details as follows:
Phi

Hi All,

We are urgently in need of an Education Officer in the Philippine Eagle Foundation.

The Philippine Eagle Foundation, a private and non-government  organization dedicated to saving the endangered Philippine Eagle and its forest habitat is in need of an Education Officer.

Qualifications

1.Graduate of Education/Communica tion or any related course
2.Hardworking
3.Computer literate
4.Excellent in oral or written communication
5.Excellent in public relations and works well with kids and adults
6.Physically fit
7.Outgoing, with excellent interpersonal skills
8.Willing to be assigned at the Philippine Eagle Center, Malagos Baguio District
9.Committed to work for wildlife conservation

Submit application letter, comprehensive resume’ with 2 x 2 picture
and transcript of records to:

Mr. Dennis I. Salvador
Executive Director
Philippine Eagle Foundation
Philippine Eagle Center
Malagos, Baguio District
Davao City
Tel #: 271-2337
Fax: 301-1033

Or email ASAP to :
sunbird2371@yahoo.com or email me at gracynhaven@gmail.com

KINDLY TELL YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT IT TOO.

Thank you,

Grace

You can view the full announcement by following this link:
http://www.broodonline.com/forum/index.php?topic=2155.0

Regards,
The BROOD Online Forums Team

For more information, please contact the numbers and email given above directly. This was just forwarded to my email and I’m sharing it here for those who might be interested.

Thank you.

You think you got it right. You have the most impressive resume that will catch the attention of any discriminating HR manager. Immediately, you printed a number of copies and sent them to every multi-national companies you can send to, confident that soon enough your phone will be ringing like crazy.

Days passed, no calls were received. No big deal, you said. A week passed and still no calls… and another week… and another week. You started to get worried.

It’s definitely not the result you were expecting.

You know for sure that you’re much qualified, and you’re sure that your resume is impressive. You start to wonder why you are not receiving any calls from all the companies you have applied to. You looked at your resume again… yet found nothing wrong with the way you presented yourself and your qualifications.

Having great credentials is one thing, but presenting them in your resume is another. And creating multiple copies and distributing them to companies like you were distributing flyer or brochures may not work at all times. Having a resume tailor-fit for the company and the position you’re applying might work wonders for you.

But how do you tailor-fit your resume?

Your resume is the key that can get you through the door, so make sure that it is something that the company would like to see. Study the job postings carefully and its requirements, learn about the company. From there, you can study how to present your credentials to that particular company.

An example would be that the job requires someone with driving skills, yet you didn’t put it in your resume thinking it’s too trivial. Another applicant submitted his resume with driving specifically stated in his skills, given everything being equal, who do you think might get the first shot at the interview? I hope you are getting the picture here.

If you think that you’ll be having a different resume for every company you applied to – yes you will be. Like I said, you are not distributing flyers or brochures but you are selling yourself, along with your credentials and how the company can benefit for them. So a single standard format presentation, no matter how promising it appears to be, might not always produce the desired result.

You need not alter your resume altogether everytime. You just might need a little updating in the presentations of qualifications, in such a way that the ones that the company requires the most will be highlighted.

Different companies have different needs and culture. Approach them individually by tailor-fitting your resume. You’ll be rewarded for your efforts.

Ideas abound, sometimes even from the most unlikely source in the corporation. That is why some foreign companies are even holding ideas blitz on a regular basis, if not annually. So they can encourage their employees to voice out their two-cent worth of ideas. And surprisingly, from this blitz of ideas out comes a jewel that can help the organization increased their earnings from great innovations, or even help them save from their expenses.

Sadly though, this is not always the case on our local organizations. With Filipinos who are known to be sensitive people, any new idea is often treated as a rejection of their current tried and tested system. Believe me, I have personally experienced this.

Any newcomer who comes in wanting to try his own system, will always be met with resistance. And oftentimes, this is even interpreted that he is just trying to make an impression.

It has always been an unwritten rule, new members of the organizations should learn how to blend in. He should know how to embrace the culture that has been embedded within. And most especially, he must follow every rules, policies and dogma that are in place.

Of course, that is correct.

But with every new blood, fresh ideas should always be expected. Otherwise, an organization will not evolve. It will become stagnant, while other organizations that are more receptive, will leave them behind.

New ideas should not only be encouraged, it should be reported. Who knows, from a seed of an idea will come innovations, evolutions and dynamic changes that can spell the difference between a company’s success and failure.

This is just to announce to all jobseekers that on May 22 to 23, 2009, the Department of Tourism (DOT) will be holding a job fair at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City. The jobs fair dubbed as “Trabaho sa Turismo” will be having at least 270 employers participating in the said event.

Some of the companies participating in this year’s jobs fair are coming from the airlines, shipping and cruise companies, hotels, resorts and restaurants businesses, travel agencies and tour operators, spa and wellness industry, recruitment firms, convention and exhibition centers, golf clubs, malls and department stores, banks, schools, government agencies, entertainment outfits, call centers and business process outsourcing companies.

The two-day jobs fair will start at 9 AM and ends at 5 PM, so be sure to come early as the DOT is expecting thousands of applicants to flock to the said event. You can also pre-register online at JobsDB.com.

This early better polished up and prepare your resume to get a better chance getting hired on the said event.

Good luck!

When is reading books not good? When it’s all that you do… there’s nothing wrong in reading self-help, self-improvements, management and business books. But they are all useless if the learnings that these books are teaching are not applied.

Next to attending seminars and actual classes, reading books is a great way to gain knowledge in anything, whether it be in business, arts, personal development and so on. Books on business and entrepreneurship, as well as management and leadership, are not lacking in titles. From Robert Kiyosaki, Donald Trump, Zig Ziglar, John Maxwell to our very own Francisco Colayco, Francis Kong, Larry Gamboa and even Bo Sanchez! These guys have written books that would help anybody – from the business novice to the seasoned entrepreneur.

However, having the right weapons and the knowledge of properly using them is an entirely different thing. Reading all the books in the world will not make anyone successful… that is if he does not know when to put down the book. These authors would love to have their books read, no doubt about that, but they would be much happier I guess if their book would be applied in real life.

Theories, when applied, gives a much more meaning to what was learned. Only when we take the courage to apply what we have read, can we pay back all the great authors who have unselfishly shared their insights and experiences. Anything learned without being applied is useless – for the best way to learn to do anything is by actually doing it!

So put down that book!

Stop reading and start doing!

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo attended the Middle East Conference this Sunday, a conference that proved to be fruitful as she was assured of 200,000 jobs by Middle East employers for the rest of 2009.

The 200,000 jobs waiting for Filipinos was commited to the President through a manifesto that was given to her during the conference in Dubai. The manifesto which is also containing the output of the forum including job orders for Philippine workers.

The jobs in the Middle East which totals 222,131 waiting for Filipinos are: 107,525 in Saudi Arabia, 39,128 in the United Arab Emirates, 39,159 in Kuwait, 21,517 in Libya and Algeria, 11,356 in Oman, and 3,446 in Bahrain.

This is definitely a good news, as many OFWs have been going home since last year because of terminated contracts due to the global economic recession.

The availability of employments in the Middle East would definitely cushion the effect of the economic problem in the country, as well ease up the growin unemployment rate.

The manifesto given to her, the president said, contains the specific skills neeeded for employement. This will help the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) to respond accordingly.

In a few weeks’ time, our college seniors will finally graduate (again, congratulations Sir Mon!)… and then, the inevitable will follow – you need to find a job!

With already a hundred of Filipinos nowadays being jobless, what are the chances of the new graduates landing a job in the first few months of their job hunting?

Aside from the ‘experience’ factor, they actually have as much chance of passing (or failing) as the ’seasoned’ job hunters.

But where do you really start looking for a job?

Here are some suggestions:

REFERRALS – these could be your professors, your teachers, your parents’ friends, your godparents, the company you worked for as a student trainee… anybody whom you know has some ‘inside’ connection on some companies and can help you land a job.

JOB FAIRS – fortunately for college students these days, job fairs abound. And companies even go to different schools and universities announcing schedules of their job fairs. Sometimes, job fairs are even conducted inside campuses.

You can also check the malls for the schedules of job fairs.

NEWSPAPERS - yes, that good ‘ol newspaper still has the list of job vacancies in them. I strictly refer here newspapers… the broadsheets and not just the tabloids. No offense, but if you’re serious in landing a job, check out the broadsheet newspapers.

Need I to mention that years ago, the Sunday edition of Manila Bulletin has always been a favorite source job hunters? I believe that in these times, companies still advertise their openings in the said newspaper.

ONLINE JOB SITES – of course, it’s the age of the Internet! Definitely you can find job opportunities online. There are in fact quite a number of websites that job hunters can register in for free and look for the list of job opportunities from the companies who have advertised with them.

JobsDB and JobStreet are two of the most popular online job sites in the country. You can register there, create your online resume and do your job hunting online from their vast database of companies.

ONLINE BUSINESS FORUMS – the Entrepreneur Forum and the PinoyBusiness.org are just two of the business forums I am active in, and they do have threads (and sections) wherein some job openings are posted.

BUSINESS BLOGS – of course, just like this one you’re reading right now. Job openings are often posted in business blogs, just like my previous post on job opportunities in e-Telecare in Clark.

So be sure to visit here more often so as not to miss any announcements. Better yet, why not subscribe through your e-mail so you’ll be sure to get updates everytime there’s an announcement.

DOOR-TO-DOOR – in absence of a better term. I’m referring here to ‘walking in‘ in companies you might be interested to work in, inquiring for any possibilities of an opening and leaving your resume for their perusal.

Don’t think that it may not look good on your image, as you’re looking like you really need a job (reality check: yes, you do, really need a job). Some companies may not always see it like that, in fact some may even appreciate it and hire you on the spot.

What I mean here is, there is really no single effective approach that is sure to find a job for everybody everytime. Every one has different qualifications, capabilities and personalities. Just like companies have different sets of standards and requirements.

So, you might as well try all those mentioned here, one should land you a job.

Of course, when everything else fail. Maybe finding a job may not be for you, maybe you are cut to be an entrepreneur!

How can you be an entrepreneur? Well, that would be a different post. In the meantime…

Happy job hunting and good luck!

P.S. Before you go submitting your resume, make sure you Tailor-Fit them to position and company you’re applying for

Indeed, summer is already here… and so is summer heat! And this brings business opportunities to homebased people… and your neighbors will even thank you for it!

I’m talking about businesses that will help them tolerate, and enjoy summer. These businesses are as follows:

Halo-halo

Yes! That good old concoctions of sweetened fruits and colorful flavors, topped with crushed ice is always a welcome treat during summer. And if you do good, you can even continue this business all-year round!

And to add a twist, you can even offer Halo-halo delivery. Your neighbors would only need to text you, so they won’t even need to go under the sun’s heat.

Nothing like an extra service to keep your customers happy!

Shakes

Fruits, chocolate drinks, coffee and milk, add some cookies, chocolate bits… anything that would make your shakes more delicous and appealing. This requires less preparation than Halo-halo, but is also a welcome summer treat.

And yes of course, you can also offer them for delivery.

Pearl Shakes

I personally refer to it as a “shake with class.” Just be sure to find reliable suppliers of quality ingredients and you’re on the go.

Haven’t heard of neighboorhood Pearl Shakes? Well, you can always start one. Just because there aren’t any, doesn’t mean that you can’t do it.

Ice Candy

Yes, that lowly Ice Candy. You must think that it only involves small amount at P2 a piece. But it’s basically the same reason why it’s such a hit – its affordability.

A litro-pack juice sachet from your neighborhood sari-sari store costs less than P10. From this you can make 12 to 15 pieces of ice candy (20 even to some). At P2 per piece, that’s 200% profit for you!

Ice

Of course, it’s summer! People would always want to add ice to their drinks to beat the summer heat. I don’t know about you, but I have experienced walking more thank 3 blocks at 12 high noon and not finding an available ice to buy.

That alone is good enough a reason to sell ice to your neighbors.

These two, ice and ice candy, can subsidize your monthly electric bill, and if you can strategically schedule your production… your sales may even pay your full electric bill for the month!

Obviously, the ideas presented here are applicable in the Philippine settings, especially the Halo-halo.

I really don’t know about other countries, but if your country is as hot as my country during summer, you may consider the suggestions too… or their substitutes or counterpart in your country.