Friday, May 29, 2020

How to Survive the Probationary Period at Your New Job

How to Survive the Probationary Period at Your New Job Job hunting can be one of the biggest challenges you’ll face in your career  especially if you’re new to the employment scene. If you’re unlucky, it can take  months of applications and interviews before you receive a job offer. However,  starting a new job isn’t always straightforward. Often, companies will include a  caveat in your offer you must survive an initial probationary period. A standard  procedure for many businesses, it serves as a trial period for new hires and offers  companies a degree of protection. There are several steps you can take to help secure your position with your new  company. Here are some tips to help you survive your probationary period: 1) Be polite: Your new employer will want to know if you fit in with the existing team, so it’s  important to build a good relationship with all of your co-workers. This means  being polite and friendly to everyone you meet, from the CEO to the cleaner. You  can guarantee that your employer has asked your colleagues to report back  about you if you’ve upset people in the office, you run the risk of failing your  probationary period. It’s also important to be positive during your probationary  period. Constant complaining can bring the mood of the office down, and is sure  to be noticed by your supervisors. RELATED:  Which Type of Office  Worker  are You? 2) Ask questions: Whenever you start a new job, you should always be eager to learn as much as  possible. There are plenty of things to learn in any new position, especially if  you’re relatively inexperienced. Asking your colleagues and supervisors for  advice is a good place to start not only will this help you to learn new skills, but  it is also an excellent way of building relationships. Showing an interest in your  new position proves to your employer that you’re actively engaging with your  new role. It’s also wise to ask your bosses for feedback on a regular basis this  shows that you’re seeking to improve yourself. 3)  Admit mistakes: Your employer is highly unlikely to fire you for making a mistake during your  probation period errors are an inevitable part of starting a new job. However,  it’s important to handle any mistakes correctly, as you could be fired if you don’t  handle the situation properly. If you know you’ve made a mistake, don’t bury  your head in the sand. Tell your supervisor or manager immediately, apologise incerely to them, and offer to help rectify the error. Don’t be afraid of telling  someone nobody’s perfect, and your bosses almost certainly made mistakes  when they first started out too! 4) Be punctual: Arriving late to work on a regular basis is a sure-fire way of getting laid off at the  end of your probation period. It gives your boss the impression that you’re not  taking your new job seriously. Similarly, don’t sprint for the door as soon as your  shift has finished. Instead, take your lead from the other people in the office, and  try to leave when they do. Finally, if you have an evening social event with your  colleagues, it’s absolutely vital to turn up on time the following day, no matter  how bad your hangover is! Your new employer will not be impressed with your  self-inflicted illness. READ MORE: 13  Time Management  Tips You Ought to Know 5) Be responsible: When you accept a job offer, you agree to carry out a series of responsibilities.  You also agree to abide by a list of rules, and may be awarded some level of  privilege.  However, it’s important to adhere to these instructions, without  abusing your privileges. Your bosses will be monitoring your efforts closely  during your probation period, so it’s important to show them that you’re a  responsible, hard-working employee. If you have access to a computer, don’t use  it to look at your social media accounts. If you’re required to go to corporate  social events, don’t get excessively drunk. Use your common sense, and try to  imitate the behaviour of your senior colleagues. 6) Don’t take time off: When accepting a job offer, it’s important to tell your new employer about any  holidays you’ve already booked. Aside from any pre-existing commitments, try  not to take any time off during your probation period. If you’re feeling ill, try your  best to go into work you can always leave early if you need to. If you’re  genuinely too sick to work, call in as soon as possible, apologise, and offer to  bring in a doctor’s note. If you absolutely must book holiday time off, be sure to  ask well in advance, and explain the necessity to your boss. Conclusion: Following these tips could help you to survive your probationary period.  However, it’s important to relax into your new role being constantly on edge  could also send negative signals to your employer. Instead, incorporate healthy  working practices, such as arriving on time and asking questions, into your  general routine. Being a good, trouble-free employee will impress your bosses,  and will give you job security. Author: Alexa Garthwaite is part of ExecutiveOffices.co.uk, who  provide virtual offices and meeting room hire in London.

Monday, May 25, 2020

What Nick Foles Can Teach Us about Character

What Nick Foles Can Teach Us about Character Embed from Getty Imageswindow.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'G-WbV7DuT0Z6QBeDFPhzLw',sig:'eE4USOG6ilTQ2EjWbXrj_cE7Is1qZ2fhlzCxDGH5kTs=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'914350252',caption: false ,tld:'com',is360: false })}); 2019 update: Welcome to Jacksonville, Nick Foles!   Were so proud to have you wear number 7 for the Jags. Heres a reprint of the post I wrote about you after your Super Bowl victory. Youre an inspiration.   Nick Foles is the man of the hour. A second string quarterback who took down the best quarterback and the best team of the decade in a Super Bowl shootout that was fun to watch. Plus, he’s an adoring father of an adorable baby girl. Who wouldn’t want to be him this week? But what I admire about him was who he was a couple of years ago. In many ways, he’s all of us. Like almost all NFL players, Foles was an early phenom. As a high school player in Austin Texas, Foles threw for 5,658 yards and 56 touchdowns, breaking most school records previously held by  Drew Brees. He also started on the school’s basketball team for three years, and winning MVP two of those years. He was recruited to play hoops for Georgetown, Baylor, and Texas. A Golden Boy. A winner. Drafted by the Eagles in the third round in 2012. But time and luck weren’t kind. An Atlantic article by Alex Putterman written in late January describes him as a very long shot to lead the Eagles to victory against the Patriots. “Nick Foles, the quarterback who in 2013 carried the Eagles to the playoffs, then collapsed the next year, lost his job, and bounced to two other teams before quietly returning to Philly this season, mainly to hold a clipboard on the sideline. The Eagles were entrusting a playoff-bound team to someone who had thrown almost as many interceptions (20) as touchdowns (23) over the past four years.” Foles had had a good year in Philly before the team decided to go in another direction and drafted their quarterback of the future, Carson Wentz. Being thrust unwillingly into free agency (in the real world, we call it ‘getting fired’) is a blow to your confidence, and Foles struggled in his next two seasons. He questioned himself, and it showed in his performance. Putterman writes about Foles’ low points ruthlessly: “…this is the guy representing the conference in the Super Bowl? The guy who was benched by the lowly Rams in 2015 and could barely escape the sideline with the Chiefs in 2016? The guy who  weighed retirement  only 18 months ago? The guy who played so poorly in a Christmas-night win over the Raiders that home fans  began to boo?” Ouch. Foles considered retirement. He took some time to think about what he really wanted and what would be best for his family. In an interview with ESPN, he said, I had to take a week off when I was a free agent just to think about it, and it was the best thing that ever happened because I think people are fearful of feeling that way because they feel like theyre the only ones that feel that way, but everyone, were professional athletes and we have moments where we step back and think and assess everything in our life. Foles prayed and talked it through with his wife before deciding that he would come back, serving as a backup to the man who had replaced him on the team that had let him go. It was surely a humbling experience, in a role that has always fascinated me. Backup quarterbacks have to keep all their skills sharp. They practice and study just as much as anyone on the team. All in the hope that they never take a snap. In fact, all 65,000 fans in the stadium are hoping and praying he remains firmly on the bench. What must that do to someone’s ego? During the Eagle’s great 2017 season and Nick Foles’ dark night of the soul, Carson Wentz tore his ACL , ending his season in week 10. Foles was thrust back into a starting role. He played; he wobbled; pundits predicted the Eagles had lost their chance at the playoffs. An old sports adage says that competition doesn’t build character; it reveals it. And this crucible was what forged Foles’ true character. The Eagles, embracing their underdog status, made it into the NFC championship, dispatched the Vikings, and found themselves headed to the Super Bowl, heavy underdogs to the Perennial Patriots. And Foles and the Eagles pulled it off â€" a win for the ages. After the game, Nick Foles said something that showed not only grace under fire, but also what all that humbling history had taught him. I think the big thing that helped me was knowing that I didnt have to be Superman. I have amazing teammates, amazing coaches around me. And all I had to do was just go play as hard as I could, and play for one another, and play for those guys. This is what humility sounds like. He understood that he was human; he’d failed. He’d been booed. He was able to give up the idea of being Super Man and could simply be a guy doing his best and working together with â€" and for â€" his team. Golden Boy shows us he’s grown into Golden Man. Lily is one lucky lady to have a dad like that. She didn’t look all that impressed with his Super Bowl Victory, but I bet she’ll learn a lot over her lifetime from her Dad’s grace and character.

Friday, May 22, 2020

Instructional Designer Job Description - Algrim.co

Instructional Designer Job Description - Algrim.co Instructional Designer Job Description Template Download our job description template in Word or PDF format. Instant download. No email required. Download Template Using Your Template Follow these instructions to use your new job description template Step one: Fill out all details in your job description template using the provided sample on this page. Step two: Customize your requirements or duties to anything special to your workplace. Be sure to speak with team members and managers to gauge what's required of the position. Step three: When the census of the team has agreed on the description of the work, add in a Equal Employment Opportunity statement to the bottom of your job description. Step four: Check with your legal department, management team, and other team members to ensure the job description looks correct before creating a job advertisement. Choose a job board that's specific to your needs.