Culture Questions to Ask before Taking up Job

When you are in the process of job hunting, you get eager to land a job that you would love. And when you get an interview call, you obviously get very excited and face the interview well-prepared. At such times, it gets very tough to reject the job offer on the criteria other than salary. But, it is very important to find whether you will be ‘culturally’ fit within that organization or not. Remember, you can’t work where you don’t feel comfortable.  The culture of the company you’re applying for carries tremendous weight on your decision to work there. Therefore, before you accept a job, conduct ‘culture audit’ to assess company’s culture.

What is a culture?

Culture is one very important way in which employees describe where they work. It underlies their understanding of the employer’s business and helps employees orient themselves in the organization. Company culture is the shared values, practices and beliefs of the company's employees. From hiring practices to how people work, make decisions, resolve differences of opinions, and navigate change, the culture defines the unwritten but very real rules of behaviour. If you are job seeker in that company, you should take into account its culture.

If you ask an interviewer following types of questions, you will understand a company’s culture:

• What makes you proud to work at this company?
• How would you describe the culture here in few words?
• What's the process for on-boarding employees, and how do you handle beginner mistakes?
• Are the firm’s executives approachable?
• Is employee input sought for new initiatives including strategy? 
• How are big decisions made?
• Does the firm get together when new sales records or big customer orders are achieved? 
• Could you please give examples of people who succeeded wildly within the boundaries of the organization?
• What’s the difference between an average employee and the best one in this role/department/company?
• Is risk-taking encouraged and what if people fail?
• How does the organization support professional development and career growth?
• Are there formal quality initiatives in place such as Six Sigma or Lean?
• What’s one thing you would change about this company if you could?

Company culture is everything. You can’t work where you don’t fit. Ask a few of these questions on your next interview, and you’ll be sure to find the organization that’s the right environment for you.

Importance Of Career Counseling

Every day different careers and professional opportunities are emerging. No matter how much interest you have in more than one field, you will have to prioritize and choose the best option for you depending upon your strengths, weaknesses, interests, personality and aspirations.

Whether you are in the process of choosing a career, deciding whether or not you should change careers or jobs, re-entering the workforce, job hunting, or recovering from a job loss, you may realize that this is an overwhelming process and you need some help.

Reasons to meet with a career counsellor:

• You have no idea what you want to major in
• You have a major but do not know what you want to do with it
• You want to take an assessment to explore possible careers to help with career decisions
• You need to start your job search but you are not sure what you are looking for 
• You completed an internship and discovered that your chosen career is not a good fit for you
• You want to discuss your future with someone other than your friends or family

How will a counsellor help you?
A good career development professional can help you explore career options, can inform you of labour market trends, and can assess your skills, interests, and work related values. A career development professional can help you sharpen your job search skills, and can help you learn how to move up the corporate ladder.

A counsellor helps students discover their true potential and interest in various subjects in order to help them choose the right career. Several institutes including schools and colleges, offer career counselling through a series of aptitude and IQ tests. The advice and counselling provided is based on three deciding factors — personality, aptitude and interest.

Before hiring counsellor or coach, do your homework. Explore free or low cost online and community resources. Join job clubs and career workshops. Learn about jobs and market situation in your area. This will tell you what positions are in demand. Check out salary information websites.

A word of caution
Career counselling and coaching are unregulated fields, meaning anyone can claim himself/herself to be a counsellor. So, be sure to check the credentials and experience of your prospective consultants. The bottom line: Success in landing a good job of your interest is up to you.
When you find your niche area, register on TheGongzuo.com to search the perfect job you are dreaming of!

Is Your Resume Screaming "Unprofessional"?

You have the right skills and experience and now you are eager to move ahead with your career. But, if your resume fails to convince your prospective employer, you will have a hard time getting a new job. Resumes need to be used as a personal marketing tool. You need to focus on its style as well as contents. Prioritizing your accomplishments in the right order is very crucial.

Here are the issues which could hurt your resume and make it look ‘unprofessional’.

• Formatting – If your resume ends at the middle of the page or above, leaving more than half of blank page creates wrong impression on employer’s mind. He/she may infer that this candidate does not have much to say about his education or experience. This doesn't mean you have to stuff your resume with fluff. Describe more about what you have done, what you know, and how you can contribute to this job. Fill that white space with meaningful information that can set you apart.
• Fonts – Your prospective employer should notice the actual text or words in your resume and not the font! No Comic Sans font for resumes. Do not use colors, curly-cue fonts, and clip art. Keep your total font styles—including different points/sizes, bold text, and italics—limited to four.
• Keep personal life out of your resume - Try to keep references to your children, marital status, age, lifestyle, and religion out of your resume. If you have worked for any religious organization etc., let only its name talk about it. Don’t add additional details on your own.  
• Grammatical errors and spelling mistakes - All grammatical errors and spelling mistakes are a problem in a resume, but some may cause a proportionally higher level of damage than others. 
• Negative statements – Watch out for negative tone of the resume and edit it immediately. For example, statements like “I was not happy with my last job profile” sound negative. Instead, you can write “I learned a lot during my last job and now ready to move on”. 
• Sending unprofessional photo - If a photo isn't specifically asked for in the job application process, don’t send one.  If it is asked for, make sure that it portrays you as professional and personable.  Send a photo where you are dressed nicely and smiling.  Use your judgment. 
• Sending blank email with resume attachment – In your email, you should type a simple greeting, explanation of who you are and what you are sending. Sending blank email is not at all professional.
• Sending resume to multiple employers in the same email – If you do this, your email will most likely get deleted! 

Avoiding these mistakes is as easy as stepping back for a minute, proofreading, and engaging your common sense.

Invest enough time in writing your resume and when you are ready to apply for a job, register on TheGongzuo.com for free. Top IT companies are eager to hire professional employees. They will call you for an interview only if your resume reveals your professionalism!

How To Make Career Switch Simpler And Financially Viable

Making a roadmap for yourself will reduce the financial burden and help you get onto the path of career satisfaction.

Read more: https://www.thegongzuo.com/how-to-make-career-switch-simpler-and-financially-viable