O*net Tips and Tricks – How to Research Training Programs

Team Work

There are many questions and concerns when it comes to using O*net www.onetonline.org. This is a super helpful platform that provides some specific information for job seekers and those looking to gain additional career information. O*net has a plethora of information and ways of obtaining job search information for any job seeker.

One of the fantastic tools that O*net has to offer is the ability to research training programs for the particular position you are looking for. In the below video, I discuss research tactics for researching training programs to gain knowledge, skills, and abilities for your next career move. Please let me know if you have any questions, comments or concerns.

Happy job hunting,

Dr. Jaye

Why Teleworking is an Organizational Keeper

Teleworking

Advancements in telecommunications, computerization, and transportation have had significant effects on how organizations are developing. In particular, these advancements have given rise to the “knowledge worker.” Imagine you are an organizational development professional who has been retained by a major corporation that employs knowledge workers. Changes in the economy have brought the need for organizational development and knowledge workers to the forefront of the business world.

The knowledge worker is defined as a person who uses their mind with the process of thinking and knowledge development to complete tasks in an unconventional way. The knowledge worker has been apart of organizational advancements by being coined as having the ability to work and solve problems by thinking creatively about a given solution for organizational development (Mládková, 2011). The knowledge worker formulates business strategies, plans processes, develops strategic competencies for business and human resources professionals, and organizes management implementation (Andrew Patrick, 2011).
Teleworking is a new method of working in business organizations. With teleworking, an organization can assign work, have meetings, and even check the status of the employee’s work process. This advancement in technology is one of the most effective changes in the federal government and civilians companies alike.

The advancements in organizational developments within telecommunications, technology, and transportation have had significant effects on business management with the ever-changing economy crisis and the influx of a new workforce. Business management telecommunications has gained a competitive edge for how organizational developments function, telecommunications such “Face Time, Skyping and Web Real-Time Videos” which allow for technology to increase strategy formulation (Patrick, 2011). Not all organizations utilize teleworking schedules, but for those who do the advantages are endless with “getting the job done at any cost,” without exhausting overhead expediters.

Dr. Jenice Armstead

References:
Andrew Patrick, H. (2011). Knowledge Workers Demography and Workplace Diversity. Journal
Of Marketing & Management, 2(2), 38-73.

Mládková, L. (2011). Knowledge Management for Knowledge Workers. Proceedings Of The
European Conference On Intellectual Capital, 260-267.

How to Write a Business Plan

Two Woman in Black Sits on Chair Near Table

Hey hey hey … it’s Dr. Jaye,

Are you in need of a business plan, yet don’t know where to start? Are you a business owner (large or small), and never needed a business plan and now find yourself having to gather all of your business information and put it in one place (i.e., a business plan)? Do you need a business plan to submit to the Small Business Administration for a loan? What to do? Well, I got you. Let’s jump into this super simple method for getting your business organized and set up for success!

Creating a business plan can be frustrating and confusing. Why do you need a business plan? What do you need to have in a business plan? What are some business plan options?  What can a business plan be used for? Well, I have answered all of these questions and more in my quick video “How to Write a Business Plan,” and I have also provided the template reviewed in the video. The best part about this transparent business plan template is it provides prompts and questions to better allow for successful completion of a clear and concise developed business plan.

Remember, writing a business plan does not have to be an overwhelming task. Take it one section at a time and do your research. There are tons of free resources to help you develop an amazing business plan. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions you may have. As always, I am here for you and your success!

Dr. Jaye

YouTube Video:  How to Write a Business Plan by Dr. Jaye

Reference: Writing a Business Plan. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2020, from https://www.va.gov/osdbu/docs/vepBusinessPlanOutline.pdf

New Train of Thought: Holistic Learning, Working and Being

Greetings and salutations readers,

There has been a lot that has conspired since the last time I have written to you. I’ve gone through a career change, I’ve changed my eating habits, I have decided to face financial items head on that should’ve been addressed a long time ago, and I have a completely different view on life. Being a holistic teacher has taught me a lot about myself and about those that I educate. I realize it is not only my responsibility to enlighten you with knowledge of business and human resources, but with actual, practical, tactical life skills to help you get to where you need to be in life.

I have been doing a lot of research on the need for understanding the basics. Without the basics of anything, we have a foundation for nothing. The basics provide us with the understanding of why we are doing what we’re doing and where we need to go with what we’re doing. If you’ve been following me or reading my articles for a while, you know that my life mantra is “more being, less doing.” By that I mean we need to decide to be more and stop thinking that just because we say we’re “busy” means that we’re doing something of meaning. In actuality, we are doing nothing if we are not deciding to be more in every moment for the purpose for our own lives.

It is time to think more, challenge more, understand more, realize more, interact more, empathize more and be more. I know firsthand that many of you are going through many different struggles, we all have things and situations that we’re currently dealing with on top of finding our purpose in life. What you must ask yourself in every moment is “Who am I being and what are my doing?” Einstein said something that resonates with me since I have been researching and studying holistic thinking. He said “If you can’t explain something in the simplest terms, in the lowest common denominator then you don’t have a true understanding of it.”

These are the times that we are currently in. We must understand and acknowledge things from the lowest common denominator to get to solutions for the big problems. These are my thoughts, and this is how I will continue to research, think, grow and learn. I thank you for your support, and I hope that you would provide your feedback and input on different topics that you would like me to research, discover and share with you.

Peace and blessings to you and all of your endeavors,

Dr. Armstead

How to Answer Key Interview Questions: Future Plans

When you are interviewing you will be asked about your future and what your plans are.  This is a tool that selecting officials use to see where you plan on “being” in a determined amount of time.

You will be asked:  What are your long-term goals?  What are your long-term career objectives?  This is not an opportunity for you to “spill your guts” keep it professional and stay focused.  Think about this question before you interview, you shouldn’t take more than 5 – 7 minutes.  Talk about your professional goals and what educational aspirations you have.  DON’T talk about your personal life or what personal projects you are working on.

Selecting officials want to know: How do you plan to achieve your career goals?  They don’t want details, this is a rhetorical question that is meant for them to see if you know how to lay out goals and patterns on how to achieve goals.  This is actually a tactic to see how you focus on objects and how you plan to achieve objects.  Again, keep it professional not personal – stay focused.

The final future plan questions the selecting official will ask:  What do you see yourself doing in five years from now?  and What plans do you have for continuing your education?  These questions help selecting officials to determine what kind of professional “drive” and motivation you actually have.  It is my personal advice to answer all interview questions, keep in mind you can “respectfully” decline to answer any interview questions that you don’t feel comfortable asking.   If you don’t plan on continuing your education or haven’t thought about what your goals are for the next five years, it’s okay – use your imagination and stay focused on the professional conversation.

Dr. Jaye

How to Know If You Are Eligible for Special Government Hiring Programs

Government agencies are able to hire in all career categories and using Special Hiring Authority (SHA), and many agencies are taking full advantage of this hiring ability.
Government agencies have the ability to use Special Hiring Authority for recruiting people – outright. The key is to research the agency’s SHA options.
Individuals who have special priority selection rights under the Agency Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) must be well qualified for the position to received consideration for special priority selection.

Federal employees seeking CTAP/ICTAP eligibility must submit proof that they meet the requirement of 5 CFR330.605 (a) for CTAP and 5 CFR330.704 for ICTAP. This includes a copy of the agency notice, a copy of their most recent Performance Rating and a copy of their most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location. Please annotate your application to reflect that you are applying as a CTAP or ICTAP eligible.
To see if you feel you meet the requirements of one of these programs on Office of Personnel Management: click Here for information on – Employee Guides

Individuals who have Veteran’s preference, and submit a DD214 Member 4 copy (VEOA Employment Opportunity Act, Veteran’s Recruitment Appointment) To be eligible for a VEOA appointment, a veteran must be honorably separated and either a preference eligible or have substantially completed three or more years of continuous active service. Under the Veteran’s Guide, vets that have a disability of 30% or more can be hired – out right for the position they would qualify for if they were to submit their resumes. For example, if a 30% vet qualified as an information technician – a hiring official could hire them straight into the position.

If you feel you meet the requirements on veteran’s preference see Vet Guide Website:
https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/veterans-employment-initiative/vet-guide/
Then there are the student programs. These programs include but are not limited to the Student Career Employment Program (SCEP) and the Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP).

The government is being “forced” to hire more students; this is an easy way to gain federal experience and utilized great benefits. This is a great way to get your “foot into the door” and the programs have great benefits to include but not limited to retirement, leave, flexi-work schedules, and more. In some hiring cases, they will even pay for your relocation to the hiring area that you are selected for. The government needs to “replace” the workforce that is currently retiring and these programs work to provide YOU stability. See the websites for requirements and more information.

Click here for Information on: Student Educational Employment Program

Dr. Jaye

How to Know How Long It Takes to Get a Government Job

The government has a set process – for the most part. Most applicants apply for either Merit (Status) announcements or DEU (Delegating Unit) announcements. I have said it over and over in previous articles I have written before MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHICH ANNOUCEMENT YOU ARE ELIGIBLE FOR. Don’t waste your time or energy if you know that you are not eligible for a job announcement. You will only become frustrated when you get an email letter or letter in the mail that says “You were found ineligible because you do not meet the minimum eligibility factors or qualifications for the job announcement which you applied.”

REMEMBER – Merit is for Status applicants, this means former, current, displaced, eligible veterans or other special hiring authority applicants.

DEU is for public to apply for – anyone.

Now that we have covered that, once an announcement closes (the close date on the announcement) go back to www.USAJOBS.GOV and check to see if the announcement was Extended, Cancelled or has any Cut Off Dates (Cut Off Dates that are used to create job applicant listings and sometimes a job announcement can be filled from a Cut Off Date – so ensure your resume is updated and you get your application in before any Cut Off Date).

The closing of an job announcement, starts your “count- down clock – until hire ticking”, once it closes it takes the Human Resources Departments about 30 – 45 days to review and process all applicants and make a determination on whom is actually qualified and whom isn’t.

After the qualification process is completed, a list of Competitive or Non-Competitive applicants is sent to the selecting official. Competitive applicants are applicants whom have status, and Non-Competitive applicants are those who don’t have status. The selecting official normally has a 30 day time period to review all the applicants whom are found qualified by HR Dept. If the selecting official needs to conduct interviews, they will do so at this time period. Sometimes selecting officials request a 30 day extension to ensure they are hiring the right person for the position.

Once the hiring official has selected a person(s) for the position(s) the announcement point of contact will make a job offer to the selected applicant and the selected will be given a time period to “think” about accepting the job offer. If the job is rejected, the process of “going down the list” of second and third choices will follow, per the selecting official decision.

When a job offer is accepted, all other applicants are notified either by email or mail of the selection and why they were not selected. You are entitled to know why you were not selected, I suggest phoning the point of contact for more clarification on how you could improve your hiring changes in the future.

The total process can take up to 90 days from the closing of the announcement, all things being constant and going within the time periods accordingly. Any change can increase or decrease the time of selection by a fluctuation of 30 – 60 day, plus or minus the 90 days.

Dr. Jaye

How to Know What Documents to Use When Applying to Government Jobs

Merit Promotion (See How to Know the Difference between Which Government Job to Apply for article)

There are many documents that are required by government agencies for applications. It is important you understand the difference in required documents for a Merit announcement you are applying to, and a DEU announcement.

I have listed the required documents:
– If you are applying for consideration as a Veteran under the Veterans’ Employment Opportunity Act (VEOA) or Veterans’ Recruitment Appointment (VRA), you MUST submit evidence of eligibility, such as: DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or Standard Form 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and the proof requested on the form.
– If you are applying for consideration under a special hiring authority such as a person with a disability, Peace Corp or Vista volunteer, you MUST submit the appropriate supporting documentation to be considered by the closing date of this vacancy announcement; e.g. “certification” statement (contact your Vocational Rehabilitation Office) that identifies you as a person with a disability and that describes your ability to perform the essential duties of this position, Standard Form-50, etc.
– If you applying for consideration as a Career Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) or the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP) eligible, you MUST submit the appropriate supporting documentation as proof of program eligibility.
– If you are applying and are a current or former federal employee with Career or Career-Conditional status, submit your most recent SF-50, “Notification of Personnel Action”, (NOT an award SF-50) which shows your status.
– If you are qualifying with education, you must submit a copy of your college transcripts.
– If the position you are applying for requires specific NWCG red card qualifications or training, you must provide a copy of your IQCS report.

Delegating Examining Unit: (See How to Know the Difference between Which Government Job to Apply for article)
– If you are applying for Veteran Preference, you MUST submit evidence of eligibility, such as; DD-214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, or Standard Form 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and the proof requested on the form. You must clearly identify your claim for veterans preference on your application. For more information on Veteran Preference, please go to OPMs website at: http://www.opm.gov/veterans/index.asp
– If you are qualifying with education, you must submit your college transcripts.

KEEP IN MIND: ANSWERS TO YOUR JOB QUESTIONS MUST BE SUPPORTED IN YOUR RESUME. If your answer(s) are not supported in your resume, or you fail to follow the instructions for the question(s), agencies will lower your answer(s) to reflect what was provided, for failure to follow instructions. Stay motivated and GO GET YOUR GOVERNMENT JOB.
Dr. Jaye

What to Expect from Start to Finish – Government Applications

There are standard practices that you will need to complete once you finally get your government position.  Most of the requirements are standard and some are agency specific.  Make sure to review your career contract and job announcement and contact your human resources representative for further questions.

When you are selected for the position, you WILL be subject to complete a favorable background investigation.  You may be able to start working once your finger prints clear and may continue continue to work once your entire background is cleared.  In some agencies, you may or may not be allowed to start working with the agency until your investigation paperwork has been initiated and your FBI fingerprint check cleared.  You need to read the agency requirements to ensure your hiring procedures.  In most cases, it takes a minimum of 2 weeks to clear a background, but can take longer in some cases.  The key is to be honest and fully answer all background questions.  Most agencies use an online electronic background system called eQuip to complete this process.

With most if not all government announcement applicants, you MUST be a United States citizen.  Under Executive Order 11935, only United States citizens and nationals (residents of American Samoa and Swains Island) may compete for civil service jobs.  Agencies are permitted to hire non-citizens only in very limited circumstances where there are no qualified citizens available for the position.  Again, review and research the agency you are completing an application for.

In some, if not all government agencies before being hired you will be required to sign and certify the accuracy of the information in your resume.  You will receive a Position Description of what job duties you will be required to perform and If you make a false statement in any part of your resume you may not be hired or in some cases fired.  The key is to ensure that your resume directly reflects your actual job skills, knowledge and abilities.

This whole process from selection, tentative job offer and completion of the background investigation normally takes 4 – 6 weeks.  But, depending on the position you are hired on for you may start working as soon as two weeks.  Meaning, a selectee may start working once their finger prints clear.  Over all, if you have your professional and personal history for the past 10 years articulated in some form it will be easier to complete this process than if you have to do research on this information.  Be patience and this process will fly by.  Keep in constant contact with your point of contact, and you will be working in no time at all.

Jenice

Million Women Mentors Guest Speaker

I would like to thank Vivian Clinton, Department of Veteran Affair for inviting me to speak at the Million Women Mentors Program. I spoke to the group about “Human Capital Worth and Scientific Management,” the session focused on understanding management of business management.

Million Women Mentors is a national movement that supports women and girls to pursue and succeed in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and health care careers through mentoring. Million Women Mentors is working to provide a million STEM mentors by 2019 to girls and women across the nation.

Million Women Mentors aims to increase the number of girls and women planning to pursue an education in STEM. MWM also aims to increase the number of girls and women to obtain bachelor’s degrees in STEM, as well as increase retention of women within STEM fields post-graduation.

About the HCPS Mentoring Program
Hillsborough County Public Schools has registered 100 schools that need a minimum of one mentor per site who is willing to meet regularly with up to five selected female students in grades 5-12 throughout the 2015-2016 school year. The program requires 20 hours of mentorship for each student and/or group. This equates to approximately two hours per month.

You can learn more about MWM at MillionWomenMentors.org

Vivian Clinton Dr. Jenice Armstead Million Women Mentor Event

Vivian Clinton & Dr. Jenice Armstead
         Million Women Mentor Event

 

All the Best,
Dr. Jenice Armstead
United States Navy Veteran

Barnes and Noble Book Signing Event: May 21st at Wiregrass the Shoppes

Location: Barnes and Noble, at Wiregrass the Shoppes
Date: May 21st
Time: 2pm – 4pm

Jenice Armstead will be having a “Book Signing” event at Barnes and Noble for their annual “Local Author Event” on May 21st, from 2pm – 4pm at the Barnes and Noble Wiregrass the Shoppes. The Complete “Pep Talks Book Series” consists of 5 practical books which display a new way of interviewing and obtaining a job in today’s competitive market. The Pep Talks Book Series is all about giving the reader an advantage over their competitors when working toward the goal of gaining more knowledge and understanding in this new job market.

This new job market is all out unconventional ways of obtaining knowledge while gaining employment. The Pep Talks Book Series explains how the new Job market knowledge and understanding how to better improve the chances of being “individually recognized” as a professional are vital.

Mark your calendars for May 21st, from 2pm – 4pm to come out and meet and ask Jenice Armstead your employment questions and get your copy of “Pep Talks” the series.

Pep Talks Vol 5

Pep Talks Vol 5

Pep Talks Vol 4

Pep Talks Vol 4

Pep Talks Vol 3

Pep Talks Vol 3

Pep Talks Vol 2

Pep Talks Vol 2

Pep Talks Vol 1

Pep Talks Vol 1

How to Get Updates on Your Application after Applying for a Government Job

Once you have submitted your government application on www.usajob.gov there are specific ways to keep up with your application status. Many applicants don’t realize the tools they can utilize on www.usajobs.gov. There are a few ways to get the status of your government application and you should check the status at least weekly.

After you have submitted your government application wait until the job announcement closes to check the status of your application. Log into your www.usajobs.gov profile and click on the title “Application Status” on the left hand side. Then find the announcement you wish to check on. Go to the “application status” which is a blue underlined word and click this hyperlink. Some government agencies don’t link the application status to this hyperlink and some agencies do. If the agency does use this hyperlink, you will be redirected to the agency website where you submitted your original application. You will be able to view the status of your application here.

If the agency does not use this hyperlink, it will say “no application status available” this is okay. Don’t be discouraged. Click on the job announcement title and a second window will open up. Scroll down to the bottom of the job announcement and find the point of contact. You will see contact phone number or an email address. Contact this person and request the “Applicant Status.” Sometimes, you may get a HR Specialist whom doesn’t want to talk or gives you a vague answer.

If this happens, ask a more specific question like “Has the selecting official received the list of applicant’s resumes that have been referred and qualified for the position?” This will ensure you get a more detailed answer. I recommend always contacting the point of contact via email; this will ensure you have written documentation in case you have any issues with this job announcement in the future.

 

All the best to you, and if you have any questions – you know where to find me.

Dr. Jaye

Dr Jaye

How to Write Government KSAs for USA JOBS Applications

Your government application will be evaluated by a Human Resources Specialist and they will be reviewing your on-line or mailed in resume and your responses to the User Information, Core Questions, and Vacancy Questions. The Job Specific questions will relate to the following knowledge, skills and abilities required to do the work of this position. Many people don’t realize that many applications are “thrown out” because of a lack of KSAs being addressed by the applicant.

IMPORTANT NOTE: ALL federal positions are advertised on www.usajobs.gov. Many people don’t realize this, DON’T be fooled by “other” websites that promise to advertise federal jobs. Many of these “other” websites charge applicants to view federal positions and re-route their job links, but rest assure that these “other” websites are “pulling” information from www.usajobs.gov to get their information about advertised federal positions.
No matter what agency you are applying to, the advertised job will have KSAs or Knowledge, Skills and Abilities. You need to read the entire job announcement because some federal agencies require applicants to submit addition information on a separate piece of paper about how they feel they meet those exact KSAs and some agencies don’t require KSAs to be answered at all. (You can press the PRINT PREVIEW button to see the entire announcement located at the bottom of the announcement.)

Overall, KSAs are important because this is how you WILL be evaluated on the position you have applied for. If your resume or applicant doesn’t contain the listed KSAs your application will not be found “NOT qualified” and your application will be put in the NOT Qualified stack of applications. The Key to writing government KSAs in your resume is to put the EXACT KSAs which are found in the job announcement in your resume or application WORD-FOR-WORD.

So if these KSAs are in a job announcement:
Ability to evaluate and process realty applications and proposals and conduct compliance examinations on authorized actions.
Knowledge of the laws and regulations governing the realty program and the ability to use sound professional judgment to resolve conflicts with other resources.
– Ability to communicate with the public, the applicant, and other agencies regarding realty related matters.
Copy and paste, or type these exact KSAs into you online resume/application or type them into your resume/application. After you do this make sure you give examples of how you meet the KSAs. Ensure your resume and applicant look exactly alike.

Keep in mind this statement is ALWAYS in ALL Federal job announcement:
ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS MUST BE SUPPORTED IN YOUR RESUME. If your answer(s) are not supported in your resume, or you fail to follow the instructions for the question(s), you will have your answer(s) adjusted to reflect what is provided, for failure to follow instructions.
This means that if your resume doesn’t match the supplemental questions or application you answered in the online application or written application, the agency can change your application score. You need to remember: SCORES are from 100 points to 70 points. The applicant résumés with the highest scores are reviewed first. Your goal is to receive as many points as possible.

You have been empowered, now go and get your federal job.

Dr. Jenice Armstead aka Dr. Jaye

Dr Jaye

Simple Academic Overview: Scientific Management

As a professional, scientific management is vital for the development of managerial practices. I wrote “Simple Academic Overview: Scientific Management” to provide a historical overview of the development of management principles during the Scientific Management Era.  Including key scholars, principles, and insights, as well as notable critiques of scientific management.  Human resources managers today, explain principles of scientific management as the topics are related to organizational policy, organizational development and also promote organizational growth.
For more information click here: Simple Academic Overview: Scientific Management

Here for your success,
Dr. Jaye

PRESS RELEASE: SIMPLE ACADEMIC OVERVIEWS VOL. 1, 2 & 3

Dr. Jenice Armstead published “Simple Academic Overviews: Vol. 1, 2 & 3” on Dec 21, 2015. Dr. Jenice Armstead provides an historical overview of the development of management principles during the Scientific Management Era, the understanding of the concepts of performance management as they are related to organizational development theory and organizational leadership theories that exist with the implication of creating better leaders within an organization.

For more information click or go to: Simple Academic Overviews: Vol. 1, 2 & 3

Vol 1 2 and 3 Cover

Hillsborough County Public Library: Adult Program

Excited to announce my program has been officially added to the Hillsborough County Public Library:

Title: Smarter Not Harder HR: Resume and Interview Tips

Description: Local human resources expert, Jenice Armistead, will provide necessary and innovative tips and tricks for individuals looking for resume help, government job application assistance, and interview preparation.

Length of Program: 45-60 minutes

For more information and request to speak contact your local Hillsborough County Public Library: http://www.hcplc.org/hcplc/locations/

All the Best,
Jenice Armstead

Prof. Jenice Armstead

2nd Annual Homegrown in Hillsborough Festival

Tampa-Hillsborough-County-Public-Libraries-Presents-the-Homegrown-in-Hillsborough-Festival-Saturday-October-26-2013_medium

Thank you to everyone who came out to the 2nd Annual Homegrown in Hillsborough Event on Saturday, Oct 18th. It was a pleasure meeting and chatting with all of you. I thoroughly enjoyed discussing my business series “Pep Talks” with you. I want to extend a special thank you to the Seminole Heights Library for hosting such a successful event. I look forward to next year’s festival.

 Jenice Armstead

Jenice Armstead

All the Best,
Saint Leo University Prof. & Author
Jenice Armstead

Interview Questions – How to Answer The Hard Ones with Ease

How do you work under pressure?

Interview questions are used to help the selecting official of a business or company to make a decision on whom would be the best pick for a job position. There are many varieties of questions that may be asked to include: General questions, yes or no questions, behavior questions, Open – ended questions, scenario questions, and general questions. The question of “How do you work under pressure?” is sure to come up during the duration of an interview.

This is a question that causes many people to feel intimidated because they are not exactly sure what to say or what not to say. Working under pressure is a skill, not everyone is able to work under pressure. It is important to state that. By stating this fact, you are showing the interview panel or manager that you have an understanding of what working under pressure consists of. You are showing them that you understand that not everyone is able to work under pressure; this is where you show off your skills and start to talk about what working under pressure means to you. You can give examples of times where you were required to work under pressure.

While you speak about your experience with working under pressure it is important to give specific time and job positions where you worked under pressure. This shows the interview panel that you took that situation seriously and that you are more than capable of working under pressure. Even if you are not asked to do so, be sure to give the situation of when you worked under pressure, the outcome of your working under pressure and what the result was of the event, which you were working under pressure.

This is a difficult interview question to answer, but if you come mentally prepared to answer this question you are sure to impress the interview panel or manager as well as give yourself a reminder of how competent you are and reaffirming your professional ability. Happy job hunting, you can do or be anything you want with persistence.

Understanding Strategic Management

Strategic management is a combination of external and internal environmental analysis, strategic direction, business and corporate strategy formulation, strategic control and strategic restructuring. Strategic management is the ability to analysis and organizations strengths and weakness. The resource an organization has is as important as the operating capital of the organization. It is important that the organization is aware of all business opportunities and conditions for which an opportunity can be taken. Just because a organization has analyzed and hypnotized over the possible threats does not necessarily mean the organization will not incur financial damages, this merely gives an “educated view point” to what could or could not happen in the organization.

Strategic management is vital and important to all organizations, without stratgtic management and organization would have no foundation to build upon. With the ability to analyze and learn from the business environment stratgtic management serves as a key element for organizations to establish goals, execute goals and satisfy key organizational stakeholders. Strategic management includes having a direction to the types of objectives the organization will peruse, long term goals are important for the overall mission of the organization. A well established strategic direction will give an organization the leverage needed to provide guidance to managers and employees who are in the positions to carry out and perform the duties for organizational growth.

There are many processes to stratgtic management starting with external and internal analysis. The external environment focuses on socio-cutural, economic, technological and political forces. With these of focus an organization is able to better understand the needs to their external environment as well as set logical goals to improve on services of their external enviornment. The external environment is broad and must be properly evaluated by the organization; competitive markets may include suppliers and existing organizations with similar mission statements.

Internal analysis consists of organizational resources and competitive advantages. Organization must have a healthy understanding of their sustainable competitive advantage as well as resource interconnectedness. The organizations human resources department is a fragment of top management involvement that must be included in all operational decisions. Employee recruitment, training and rewards are all facets of keeping an organization competitive.

Overall, the stratgic management process is all about the stratgic thinking focus of an organization. Although stratgic managment is a learned skill, most organizations figure it is a part of a creative professional business process needed to ensure an organization is successful. The focus is simple, to include long term growth, keeping external and internal points of communication flowing and keeping a competitive edge.

Reference: Harrison; St. John (2008) Foundations in Strategic Management. Publisher: South-Western Foundations in Strategic Management The External Environment

Jenice Armstead

How to Answer Personal Interview Questions

What Important Rewards Do You Expect from Your Career?

IInterview questions are vital to the hiring process of any company, the key to answering interviewing questions is to practice answering them over and over again with professionalism and honestly.

When answering personal questions, it is important to keep a professional mindset while deciding how to answer the question. Personal questions about work ethic, work life, and over all work experience are not inappropriate. These are considered personal questions in relation to work. Remember that any personal questions dealing with sexuality, religion and political party preference or any other topics not allowed, under the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission (EEOC) these topics should not be asked during any interview.

This is a random personal work question that may or may not be asked by many employers. It is important to focus on the main subject of this question. The main subject is “important rewards” this is the main subject of this question because if you don’t plan on receiving any awards then that should be stated, but ensure to back it up with something positive such as “I don’t plan on receiving any awards because most of my work is behind the scenes and the work I complete for my clients is reward enough.” Your answer doesn’t have to be that cheesy, but it is important to always back a negative perceived answer with a more positive response.

If you have already received rewards from the work you have completed or done for previous employers it is important to mention this as well. Make sure to give details of what work was completed and the specific reward and time period for which the reward was received. Taking in mind that some positions on your resume are shorter than others, if there are awards you have received from related work or a retired status make sure to mention these awards for the position time frame. This helps the interviewer to realize that you take your work seriously and strive for greatness.

This is a difficult interview question to answer, but if you come mentally prepared to answer this question or a similar question, you are sure to impress the interview panel as well as give yourself a reminder of how competent you are and reaffirming your professional ability. Happy job hunting, you can do or be anything you want with persistence.

For more information go to “Pep Talks” the series