Are Men Paid More Than Women in the Work Place? Unfortunately So

The sad truth is that men are paid more than me. Based on the research conducted by Payscale. The explanation though is from the choice of careers - if you believe that. Of course, I would hope not - but more often than not, it is more common to see men who are software developers and construction managers.

What the infographic fails to take into account are women who work other types of jobs. Like those who work in Marketing, Information Technology, Graphic design, Sales and other types of management roles - the pay grades there may not be similar to the items below

People tend to segregate jobs and opportunities into gender biases. Unfortunately we are all prone to that.

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Four Rules To Answer The Toughest Interview Question

In interviews, I've noticed one of the toughest questions to answer is "What is your greatest weakness?" Simply because your answer can work against you and the inability to answer is also by itself considered a general weakness. I looked up Shine.com - a job site, and this is what they had to say on the subject

Read the complete article from Shine.com here:

From blatant... 'greatest weakness'; 'weakest attribute'; 'most significant failure' to soft 'what might your previous employer say? even softer 'you certainly seem to have a lot of strengths, but we understand no one is perfect' The question will come one way or another, everyone knows it, yet still befuddled by it. There have been many Rules of Thumb developed over the years, from making light of the question with an answer like “Pizza!” (Do not pass go; do not expect a job here) to true confessions, putting a cloud over everyone, to developing a response that actually demonstrates a strength: “I tend to be a workaholic” or “perfectionist” (Yuk!)

I find many Rule of Thumb to be off the mark and misleading. What may be good for one may not be for another. That is not to say there are no rules that can be applied; there are. Just choose your medicine carefully.

So the 4 rules when answering this interview question are:

Rule#1: Stay Positive…Always! “What’s your greatest weakness” is your opportunity to shine. One way is to demonstrate that you are a positive person by nature. Everyone likes a person with a positive nature, right? Remember you are in the interview to make yourself desirable for hiring, so you might say, “I rarely sit there and think of myself in those terms, nevertheless, I do want to respond to your question” or something on those lines. Notice by the way I did not say “I rarely sit there and think of my weaknesses”. Okay, I take it back. Here’s a rule of thumb that always applies: Do not use or repeat negative terms, even if the interviewer throws it out there.



Rule#2 No Superlatives! Keep it singular. Superlatives such as “weakest” or “worst” or “biggest” indicate the greatest degree of whatever is it describing. “Worst weakness” is the weakness of the highest degree implying there are other weaknesses of varying degrees but weaknesses nonetheless. That begs the question “what are some others?” Likewise, “need most to improve” implies there are others areas for improvement. In any case, try this as an alternative: “If I had to come up with one…” (No negatives; no multiples).



Rule#3 No Absolutes! The absolute, as in “my weakness is…” states that the weakness exists unconditionally: Utterly fixed and not likely to change. Wow! Wouldn’t it be better to be a little less restrictive, something more conditional like “it could be that I am…” Conditional responses suggest you yourself are not completely convinced of it. This type of response also accomplishes what the bungling technique of using a “strength” to describe a weakness consistently fails to achieve – that your “weakness” may not be a weakness after all.



Rule#4 Keep it real! Your “weakness” should be one (singular) that is subjective – of your person. Humanize it! “If I had to come up with one (singular) it might be (non-absolute) somewhat (qualifier) of a lack of internal patience (human)”. Continuing … “I seem (unconvinced) to have strong tendencies to expect the same from others that I do from myself (human). Not just in terms of results – I’m smart enough to realize that not everyone has the same level of skill, abilities and education (real) … I do however, expect others to give their best effort, and if that’s not there, then yes, that might (conditional) bother me to some degree” (Ah! … “bother me to some degree” … human, non-absolute, qualifier, and conditional … Don’t you love it!) Another tact, similarly keeping it real, could be an incident resultant of some area where improvement was needed (potential weakness) that turned out to be a learning experience and later grew into a personal asset, thus giving you, once more, an opportunity to showcase strength.

Where Should You Work? BPO or Traditional Company? Tips From 10 Years of Experience

Hey just because I have 10 years of experience doesn't mean I'm old. I started working quite young. Blame it on old people who made bad investments. But nevertheless, there's no reason I shouldn't put this to good use.

I've worked in a traditional company and I've worked in a BPO company (business process outsourcing). They are very different industries with very different cultures. Where will you fit in? Here are some tips

• If you want to move up the corporate ladder quickly, try a BPO company - they are usually more open to that. Why? That's because turn-over is slightly higher in a BPO company - dog eat dog world. That's not to say that turn-over is any less in traditional companies, but you'll probably find a lot more older people (people who have been in the business longer) in traditional companies rather than BPO companies, making it rather difficult to move up the corporate ladder
• If you want higher pay/ salary right now - you'd probably be better off in a BPO company rather than a traditional company. Why again? That's because BPO companies are used to paying in dollars (and most likely receive their revenue in dollars) so compared to what they make, your salary equals peanuts. Traditional companies are more conservative when it comes to salaries
• If you want just to work days, then you should stick with a traditional company. The very nature with BPO is the fact that their clientele is outside the country (more often than not the time zone probably differs), so this will require some work hours that are rather uncommon (or unholy, however you want to put it)
• Depending on the how you would like to dress - a traditional corporation will require you to dress up, while a BPO company is not likely to care
• Also depending on how good your English speaking skills are, a traditional company will be more forgiving of your twang or your local accent, a BPO company on the other hand will be stricter with regards to your communication skills. If your English is deficient then you probably won't get very high in the corporate ladder in a BPO company
  
• If you're interested in stability, these days they say that a traditional company would be the way to go. I think it's not much different. Given the economic situation now. Everybody is having some difficulty - BPO and traditional companies.

One thing I've learned though is that if you work hard and go the extra mile, whatever the pay range... whatever the industry, whatever the company... someone will take notice and all that hard work will pay off.

Top Four Things To Consider Should You Apply For A Job Abroad

Everybody's leaving the country, either as a nurse in the US or a chef in the Middle East or even just to migrate to Canada or New Zealand. Everybody is setting their minds on opportunities outside the country. Is this the course for me? Should I try getting a job outside of the country? Will it be worth it? How will it affect my family? If you're considering working overseas, bear in mind these questions.

Here are the top four things of the non-personal things that should be at the top of your list if you plan on applying abroad:

1. What type of job would you like to pursue? Of course the popular jobs abroad are medical (nursing, PT), teaching, construction and engineering jobs, as well as design and development positions. You're going to have to decide the career path you'd like to go one because this will most likely dictate what you'll be d
   



2. TOEFL test (or IELTS), people often think both exams are the same but they're not. Sometimes they're determined according to the location you want to go. IELTS is usually considered for Canada and the UK but TOEFL is said to be for the USA. I don't think that's the determining factor.
   
   As a personal note Test of English as a Foreign Language or TOEFL actually is used more often as basis for English proficiency even when people have already taken the IELTS. But just so we define it as well, IELTS stands for the International English Language Testing system. It operates on a nine point band, where a nine indicates that the student has a level of English equivalent to a highly educated native speaker, and it tests all four skills ( reading, writing, listening and speaking) in an academic context.



3. Prepare your VISA, make sure you read on How to get a VISA for the location abroad you will be relocating to. Research the area and know your way around so you don't get lost or worse yet become a victim of fraud.
   



4. Be sure your employment is sure and guaranteed before you leave the country. As best you can, work your employment requirements while still in your hometown. It will be more difficult to complete them when you're miles away. Also be wary of fake job opportunities that swindle people. Do not pay upfront for the job. Avoid sending money to your employer. If they truly want to hire you, they will spend money to get you there.

Career Interests Game

Everybody wonders what career fits their personality. This is most obvious for kids who are graduating from college. The immediate question then becomes what will I do after I graduate? In the Philippines a lot of kids end up unemployed. I guess this is now true for most parts of the world.

Many say it's not easy to get a job, and I agree that's true. But I also have a stand that it's really not that difficult either. It only becomes a burden when people are picky.

There are a lot of call center and BPO companies springing up in Cebu City, the options are almost limitless. The local newspaper has half their pages devoted to classified ads on weekends.

I tell you the less picky you are, the easier it is really to get a job.

Below is the career interests game by Dr. John L. Holland, the premise here is that there are 6 groups of individuals all of which have a specific quality that stands out. You may have a characteristic in common with some or all of them but if you were to join a group of radicals separated according to the characteristics below, who would you prefer first?

So the general idea is that after you choose, the choice will give you additional ways of checking out your career-related interests and getting involved in your career planning.

Realistic	Investigative	Artistic	Social	Enterprising	Conventional
People who have athletic or mechanical ability, prefer to work with objects, machines, tools, plants or animals, or to be outdoors.	People who like to observe,learn, investigate, analyze, evaluate or solve problems.	People who have artistic, innovating or intuitional abilities and like to work in unstructured situations using their imagination and creativity.	People who like to work with people to enlighten, inform, help, train, or cure them, or are skilled with words.	People who like to work with people, influencing, persuading, performing, leading or managing for organizational goals or economic gain.	People who like to work with data, have clerical or numerical ability, carry out tasks in detail or follow through on others' instructions.

This RIASEC model of occupations is the copyrighted work of Dr. John L. Holland, and his publisher, Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc. (PAR). For an assessment of your career interests, contact the MU Career Center to complete a Self-Directed Search, or take it online.

Source: http://career.missouri.edu/students/explore/thecareerinterestsgame.php

Tips For Working Moms From Monster's Career Advice

Tips for working moms from Monster's Career Advice

Teach Cleanup

Do you clean up toys, hang up coats, stow shoes, pick up laundry and make beds? Then stop it right now. These are things even 3-year-olds can do. When you come home, ask politely for everyone to hang up their coats and put away their gloves. Explain to kids that dirty clothes go in the hamper and clean clothes go back in the drawers. Show them how to neaten their beds. Resist the urge to fix or fold after they are done. After all, they're learning and helping, so don't discourage them or make them feel they did an inadequate job.

Delegate Chores

Ask your kids/spouse to help you. At mealtimes, small children can set the table, older ones can serve drinks, and everyone can help bring plates to the table. Teach kids to clear the table, how to get their own cereal and how to load the dishwasher. Have children take out the trash, teach them to use the laundry machines and have them put their own clean clothes away. Grant points or make a sticker chart as rewards to show your kids how much you appreciate their help.

Plan Your Morning

Mornings will go more smoothly if you do some things the night before: Pack lunches (or have kids make their own), lay out clothes, ensure homework is done, pack backpacks and check the calendar for after-school plans. Teach kids to get themselves ready in the morning by putting up a wall chart that lists "brush teeth," "make bed," "get dressed," "eat breakfast" and whatever else they need to do.

Schedule Quiet Time

Have each family member spend five or 10 minutes alone when everyone gets home. This gives you all time to calm down and regroup before getting dinner ready and discussing the day.

Plan a Work Schedule

Don't let work pressures eat into your family time. If you often work late, talk to your boss or coworkers and figure out a way to leave at 5 p.m. on certain days. Cooperate with your spouse to make sure you're prepared if one of you must work late. This way, your family will know certain days are family dinner days or one-parent nights, and they will learn to cherish those times together.

Plan Meals Ahead

Make only one shopping trip per week to buy ingredients. Get a cookbook that contains easy-to-prepare recipes. Double a recipe and freeze half for another meal. When you're making a salad, make double and save half for the next night. Keep lasagnas or other one-dish meals in the freezer for nights when you don't feel like cooking. Designate your most hectic night as order-out night and get pizza or Chinese food. Have the kids make dinner one night a week if they are old enough.

Schedule Quality Family Time

Strive to have a family dinner as frequently as possible. Plan a family movie night once a week. Plan a group outing for the weekend. Take the whole family to a child's sporting event.

Make Time for Yourself

Moms tend to put themselves last on the list, but regenerating your own inner strength and peace will go a long way toward giving you the energy you need to be a mom. So take care of yourself: Go to the gym, visit a museum, meet a friend for coffee, join a book club or work on your hobby. Make a deal with your spouse allowing each of you one night a week to do your own thing.

Be a Couple

Get a babysitter once every two weeks, or whatever is feasible, and go out together. It doesn't have to be fancy. Even a trip to the bookstore will help the two of you remember what it's like to be adults together.

Use Action Phrases and Power Verbs In Your Resume - Here's A Complete List

Action Phrases and Power Verbs to use in your resume (care of Monster's Career Advice)

Describing your work experience isn't easy. To help you, we've compiled a list of action phrases and power verbs. The purpose of using them is to show employers that you know how to get results. Begin your job descriptions with a power verb or phrase: enlisted the support..., formed a committee..., sold, budgeted, improved, increased, maintained the client relationship.

Action Phrases

CHRONO RESUME
Design, develop and deliver
Conduct needs analysis
Write course design documents
Manage development
Consult with clients
Facilitate problem-solving meetings
Implement solutions
Develop and implement formatting
Developed and delivered
Revamped product training
Assessed employee and client training needs
Analyzed evaluation data
Designed and implemented

EDUCATION EMPHASIS
Followed special task force
Assisted special task force
Proctored and scored
Facilitated discussion

SCANNABLE RESUME
Reduced manufacturing plant's burden
Reduced material costs

BLUE CHIP RESUME
managed an eleven-person team
negotiated over $tk
coordinated strategic five-year plan
created and implemented innovative approach
developed new product


Power Verbs

A-B

accelerated acclimated accompanied accomplished achieved acquired acted activated actuated adapted added addressed adhered adjusted administered admitted adopted advanced advertised advised advocated aided aired affected allocated altered amended amplified analyzed answered anticipated appointed appraised approached approved arbitrated arranged ascertained asked assembled assigned assumed assessed assisted attained attracted audited augmented authored authorized automated awarded avail balanced bargained borrowed bought broadened budgeted built

C

calculated canvassed capitalized captured carried out cast cataloged centralized challenged chaired changed channeled charted checked chose circulated clarified classified cleared closed co-authored cold called collaborated collected combined commissioned committed communicated compared compiled complied completed composed computed conceived conceptualized concluded condensed conducted conferred consolidated constructed consulted contracted contrasted contributed contrived controlled converted convinced coordinated corrected corresponded counseled counted created critiqued cultivated cut

D

debugged decided decentralized decreased deferred defined delegated delivered demonstrated depreciated described designated designed determined developed devised devoted diagrammed directed disclosed discounted discovered dispatched displayed dissembled distinguished distributed diversified divested documented doubled drafted

E

earned eased edited effected elected eliminated employed enabled encouraged endorsed enforced engaged engineered enhanced enlarged enriched entered entertained established estimated evaluated examined exceeded exchanged executed exempted exercised expanded expedited explained exposed extended extracted extrapolated

F-H

facilitated familiarized fashioned fielded figured financed fit focused forecasted formalized formed formulated fortified found founded framed fulfilled functioned furnished gained gathered gauged gave generated governed graded granted greeted grouped guided handled headed hired hosted

I

identified illustrated illuminated implemented improved improvised inaugurated indoctrinated increased incurred induced influenced informed initiated innovated inquired inspected inspired installed instigated instilled instituted instructed insured interfaced interpreted interviewed introduced invented inventoried invested investigated invited involved isolated issued

J-M

joined judged launched lectured led lightened liquidated litigated lobbied localized located maintained managed mapped marketed maximized measured mediated merchandised merged met minimized modeled moderated modernized modified monitored motivated moved multiplied

N-O

named narrated negotiated noticed nurtured observed obtained offered offset opened operated operationalized orchestrated ordered organized oriented originated overhauled oversaw

P

paid participated passed patterned penalized perceived performed permitted persuaded phased out pinpointed pioneered placed planned polled prepared presented preserved presided prevented priced printed prioritized probed processed procured produced profiled programmed projected promoted prompted proposed proved provided publicized published purchased pursued

Q-R

quantified quoted raised ranked rated reacted read received recommended reconciled recorded recovered recruited rectified redesigned reduced referred refined regained regulated rehabilitated reinforced reinstated rejected related remedied remodeled renegotiated reorganized replaced repaired reported represented requested researched resolved responded restored restructured resulted retained retrieved revamped revealed reversed reviewed revised revitalized rewarded routed

S

safeguarded salvaged saved scheduled screened secured segmented selected sent separated served serviced settled shaped shortened showed shrank signed simplified sold solved spearheaded specified speculated spoke spread stabilized staffed staged standardized steered stimulated strategized streamlined strengthened stressed structured studied submitted substantiated substituted suggested summarized superseded supervised supplied supported surpassed surveyed synchronized synthesized systematized

T-W

tabulated tailored targeted taught terminated tested testified tightened took traced traded trained transacted transferred transformed translated transported traveled treated tripled uncovered undertook unified united updated upgraded used utilized validated valued verified viewed visited weighed welcomed widened witnessed won worked wrote

Cover letter Do's and Don't from Monster's Career Advice

Cover letter Do's and Don't from Monster's Career Advice

Get to the Point

State the purpose of your letter in the first paragraph. Small talk is generally a waste of space. "Most of the cover letters we do for clients are three paragraphs or so and fill less than a page," says Shel Horowitz, director of Accurate Writing & More in Hadley, Massachusetts.

Tailor Your Letter to the Reader

Focus on the needs of the specific organization, not on your own requirements as a job seeker, says Lorna Lindsey, director of academic affairs for CompHealth, a healthcare recruiting and staffing firm based in Salt Lake City. Visit your potential employer's Web site or read the company's annual report to learn more about it, and then use your cover letter to demonstrate how your skills and experience can benefit the organization.

Maintain the Right Tone

A cover letter should be "businesslike, friendly and enthusiastic," says Bill Frank, founder of CareerLab in Denver and author of 200 Letters for Job Hunters.

Health professionals have the "opportunity to reveal their passion" through a cover letter, but the document "shouldn't become too syrupy, or it loses its objectivity and professionalism," says Lorne Weeks III, MD, a healthcare consultant for the Physician Career Network, a division of CareerLab.

Make It Memorable

New graduates can make their cover letters stand out by personalizing their stories. If you decided to model your career after a physical therapist who helped a family member, for example, tell that story rather than making the blander claim that you've always wanted to help people. "If your story is unique, it's no longer a cliche," Frank says.

Stay on Track

The best cover letters are direct and concise, says Kathy Campbell, employment and employee relations manager at Holy Spirit Health System in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. "Don't include a lot of unnecessary personal information," she says.

Highlight Your Biggest Successes

Your cover letter shouldn't just summarize your career or repeat the same information from your resume, according to Wendy Enelow, founder of the Career Masters Institute in Fresno, California. "You want it to highlight the successes and achievements of your career that are most related to the types of positions for which you are applying," she says.

According to Frank, you should mention career-related "triples and home runs" in your cover letter.

Use Power Phrases

Use strong action words to convey your experiences and illustrate your qualifications with phrases like "I have a strong background in" and "I have a talent for," Lindsey says.

Don't be shy about selling yourself, Enelow notes, since that's the purpose of a cover letter.

Show Your Team Spirit

If you have room for a few extra sentences in your cover letter, Lindsey suggests emphasizing your teamwork and communication skills. "In this day and age, teamwork and communication are vitally important in almost every healthcare position, from the lowest to the highest paid," she says.

Spice Up Your Writing

Effective cover letters are a little different from all the others but still straightforward, experts say. For example, the boring, traditional way to begin a cover letter is: "I am writing in response to your advertisement for a nurse and have enclosed my resume for your review." The better opener could be: "Your ad on Monster for a nurse captured my attention and motivated me to learn more about this opportunity." Then describe how your qualifications match the employer's needs.

Follow Up

An unforgivable error some job seekers make is failing to follow up after promising to do so in a cover letter. If you write in your cover letter that you'll call the letter recipient on a certain day or by a specific deadline, do it.

Don't:

• Provide salary information when it is not requested.
• Address a letter recipient by anything other than his name. Avoid "Dear Sirs" at all costs.
• Write a canned, generic letter that looks like it was copied from a book.
• Start the first paragraph and too many other sentences with "I."
• Make spelling errors and typos.
• Handwrite a cover letter.
• Use shoddy paper, or paper that's different from your resume paper.
• Cram too much information into a small space.
• Include irrelevant personal information or job experience.
• Overstate your accomplishments or contradict your resume.

How To Pass An Interview - 10 Tips From Monster Career Advice

Some of us aren't as lucky as the image of this lady embedded here.

Even the smartest and most qualified job seekers need to prepare for job interviews. Why, you ask? Interviewing is a learned skill, and there are no second chances to make a great first impression. So study these 10 strategies to enhance your interview IQ from Monster's Career Advice

Practice Good Nonverbal Communication

It's about demonstrating confidence: standing straight, making eye contact and connecting with a good, firm handshake. That first impression can be a great beginning -- or quick ending -- to your interview.

Dress for the Job or Company

Today's casual dress codes do not give you permission to dress as "they" do when you interview. It is important to look professional and well-groomed. Whether you wear a suit or something less formal depends on the company culture and the position you are seeking. If possible, call to find out about the company dress code before the interview.

Listen

From the very beginning of the interview, your interviewer is giving you information, either directly or indirectly. If you are not hearing it, you are missing a major opportunity. Good communication skills include listening and letting the person know you heard what was said. Observe your interviewer, and match that style and pace.

Don't Talk Too Much

Telling the interviewer more than he needs to know could be a fatal mistake. When you have not prepared ahead of time, you may tend to ramble, sometimes talking yourself right out of the job. Prepare for the interview by reading through the job posting, matching your skills with the position's requirements and relating only that information.

Don't Be Too Familiar

The interview is a professional meeting to talk business. This is not about making a new friend. Your level of familiarity should mimic the interviewer's demeanor. It is important to bring energy and enthusiasm to the interview and to ask questions, but do not overstep your place as a candidate looking for a job.

Use Appropriate Language
It's a given that you should use professional language during the interview. Be aware of any inappropriate slang words or references to age, race, religion, politics or sexual orientation -- these topics could send you out the door very quickly.

Don't Be Cocky

Attitude plays a key role in your interview success. There is a fine balance between confidence, professionalism and modesty. Even if you're putting on a performance to demonstrate your ability, overconfidence is as bad, if not worse, as being too reserved.

Take Care to Answer the Questions

When an interviewer asks for an example of a time when you did something, he is seeking a sample of your past behavior. If you fail to relate a specific example, you not only don't answer the question, but you also miss an opportunity to prove your ability and talk about your skills.

Ask Questions

When asked if they have any questions, most candidates answer, "No." Wrong answer. It is extremely important to ask questions to demonstrate an interest in what goes on in the company. Asking questions also gives you the opportunity to find out if this is the right place for you. The best questions come from listening to what is asked during the interview and asking for additional information.

Don't Appear Desperate

When you interview with the "please, please hire me" approach, you appear desperate and less confident. Maintain the three C's during the interview: cool, calm and confident. You know you can do the job; make sure the interviewer believes you can, too.

(image from hot-screensavers.com)