SoberJobs Resource Articles & Guides

The following activities can help a person gain peer acceptance, belongingness and increased self-esteem:

Participation
Voluntarily submitting oneself to be involved is one way of being recognized.

Sharing
When you share time and other resources with someone it is a simple way of letting others feel cared for.

Be a friend
 Have you tried being a friend to a friend in need? If gaining friends is one of your goals in developing your social skills, there may be people around you who maybe in need of a companion.

Be patient
Stop being temperamental. People will tend to shy away if they find you to be uneasy and irritated with simple matters.

Following Directions
Listen first before arguing.

Cooperation
When one volunteers to help, one develops a sense of self-worth and the other party on the other hand benefits from the support extended towards achieving their goals and objectives.

Taking Turns
Learn to give way for others. Do not be greedy of attention.

Accepting Differences
Accept if you are at fault. Avoid arguments and realize your mistakes. Be humble and say you are sorry.

Listening
Respect others’ opinions as they try to respect yours.

Remaining on Task
Stay on the task assigned. Be responsible for the task assigned to you.

To improve your social skills use the following strategies to get started today:

Warm Up Exercises
This tool is designed to allow you to perform and carry out the different behaviors being taught during social skills learning. Such warm up exercises are not real life related.

Homework Assignments
Homework assignments allow you to try new learned behavior. It is expected that exercises based on real life situations will produce positive results.

Role playing
You try to act out a short real life situation that happened to you in your community. Your role playing would show how you look at the situation that just occurred. Observers would be able to ascertain the aspects of your personality that affected the outcome.

Modeling
Somebody tries to demonstrate the appropriate behavior for you.

Instruction
Different behavioral patterns are taught in detail and the importance to social situations is explained.

Reinforcement
The knowledge acquired through verbal instruction and modeling is put into place.

Assessing your skills and how you would like to go about it is your choice. You should learn that social skills are used to interact with others. Assessment of our social skills, whatever techniques it might be, will help towards building social interaction and awareness of the social situation. Evaluate yourself and decide what to do next.

By Katherine Nelson

In today’s world reference pages have gained utmost importance while you are applying for a job in a well recognized firm. These days not only what you know, but who you know makes the distinction in getting the particular job. Your references are individuals or group of people who know you very well and who can guarantee for your capacity to work hard and do well at a position for which you are applying.

These days it has become a common trend to include a reference page with the resume. So, now lets us discuss some ideas and tips for writing a resume reference page.

1. Use a separate page for references
Earlier people used to include their references in the resume it self, but now as the trends have changed more and more people are making a separate page for their references only.

2. Include all the necessary details
While writing a reference page for your resume you should try to include all the necessary details in it. You should include the person’s name, phone number, address, email and the relationship that they have with you. Disclose all the necessary details that would help you in securing the job.

3. Gather your references
Make a detailed list of all your recent and well-known contacts. Before writing their name down as your reference, contact them and ask them whether they would or would not have a problem in becoming your reference. You can include their personal contacts depending on your job.

4. Use current references only
Resume cover letters and references are placed on top of the resume so that the employer can easily see them. If you really want to make a good impression on your future boss then you need to use only current references, you also need to send periodical updates to employers. If your resume’s references are not current, then this can even make your employer suspicious of you.

5. Use a specific format for the reference page
In the very first line you should include the name of your reference, after that you should give company name or department, title or position, address, and telephone number of your references. While you draft the reference page; make sure that the information you have provided is accurate and up to date so that potential employers can easily contact your references.

6. Keep the references up dated
Wrong or outdated references can really harm your chances of getting a particular job. You need to update your list at least once every four-to-six weeks. Go through your list of contacts and get updated information on a regular basis.

Follow these important tips in order to create an impressive and worthy reference page.

By Heather Eagar

When searching for employment, you will find that most employers will at some point ask you to provide a list of your references. This may seem like a simple request to fulfill, but in actuality, choosing references is something that should be done with care. So before you throw your own list out there to employers, let’s take a look at some ideas to keep in mind.

Why Provide References

Employers usually ask for references during the course of an application process for two reasons: 1) they want to verify previous employment, and 2) they want to know what they’re getting themselves into. Most likely, they have determined that you’re a great candidate based on your resume, cover letter and interview, but it always helps to have some additional sources step in to confirm your qualifications.

So when should you disclose your references? This can vary depending on who you’re applying for. Some may request a list of references in the job posting while others may have you list three or four while filling out their application. A good rule of thumb, however, is to hold on to your list until you’re asked for it. Just be sure to choose wisely the references you disclose, because while some employers may simply want to verify your employment, others may go further to ask specifics about the type of employee you were.

Choosing Your References

One of the most important ideas to remember when choosing your references is making sure they will say good things about you. If you’re not sure what they might say, then you can have a friend call on your behalf and get a reference, asking simple, professional questions just to gauge the responses he or she might give.

Typically, the best people from which to request references include past or present supervisors, co-workers, professors, customers, vendors, and even coaches and friends. However, when the references are more of a personal nature and they were not specifically requested, you may want to list them after the most highly-regarded professional references. This is because, for the most part, the employee is more interested in your work ethic than your personal behaviors. And with additional resources available like social networking sites, many can do more “realistic” research without needing to gauge your characteristics from a personal friend.

Asking for Permission

One of the biggest rules of thumb when selecting references is to make sure that you ask their permission before submitting their names to employers. Failing to complete this task can offer unfavorable results all the way around. Think about it, if you don’t tell your references you’ve offered their names, when the employer calls they may be thrown completely off-guard, having to come up with specific details on the spur of the moment. This could result in you not receiving the thorough recommendation you’d hoped for. So to ensure that it goes your way, make sure ask your references if you can use them in this way.

Choosing the right references to offer to prospective employers can mean the difference in you being hired for a position. So choose carefully, making sure each reference is someone you have a good relationship with and who truly has your best interest at heart.

By Bryan Burbank

There are many reasons for getting fired. Getting fired can can cause you great distress. It is important that you know the reasons that employees are sometime fired. Hopefully, you you can avoid some of the causes that could be in your control. If you have been fired you may want to understand what has transpired so you can avoid such behavior in the future.

To start with one of the most common reasons for being fired is for poor performance or poor attendance. Simply don’t take a job you are not qualified to do and don’t take a job that punctuality and good attendance is a must if you are not a reliable type of person.

Secondly, inappropriate behavior can be a reason for termination, this can include: lying, sexual harassment, having an office affair,with a co-worker,using company resources for personal use. This can include using the internet for personal reasons. The list is endless and the final result can depend on how forgiving your employer is.

Next, they may use the reason that your job has been eliminated or that the company is down sizing. Either of these can result in you loosing your job.Whether this is the truth or not, the results is the same you are out of a job.

Lastly, personality clashes if you are lucky you get along with everyone, but sometimes that is just not possible. You also may find that some employees are fired and just never know the real reason why they were fired.

Phase I – BEFORE THE INTERVIEW
RESEARCH the company before your interview – Nothing spells lack of preparation more than being asked a question about the organization and not being able to think on your feet with a concise, intelligent response. A day or two before the interview, make it your priority to research the company on the internet.

PRACTICE answering interview questions – Interviewers typically start and end their interview sessions with a few standard questions. They typically ask about your previous work experience; strengths and weaknesses; what makes you interested in the position you are applying for; what would you like us to know about you.

Phase II – ON INTERVIEW DAY
Leave your house in plenty enough time to arrive for your interview at least 15-20 minutes early. Arriving early allows you to overcome any potential traffic and parking issues that may stand in the way of you putting your best foot forward during the actual interview.

Let friends and family members know that you will have your cell phone off during the interview. The worst impression you can make is taking a personal call, or your cell phone ringing incessantly during an interview. So turn off your cell phone as soon as you reach the building or parking lot, discard chewing gum, and don’t smell like cigarette smoke. This includes the receptionist who greets you in the lobby, as well as the Administrative Assistant or Staff Member who escorts you to the interview room; even people you encounter in the public restroom of the building, or in the parking lot.

Phase III – AFTER THE INTERVIEW
On your way home after the interview reflects on the entire day by asking yourself: Did I wear the right attire? Did I leave home on time? If I were asked that question again, how would I respond differently? If I get a second interview, what will I do differently? Did the office environment seem like one I would enjoy working in?

Send a thank you note; this can be done by email or in the form of a neatly handwritten note that is mailed. Keep your notes short; reiterating your interest in the position and your gratefulness for the time they spent with you.

Give the interviewer a few days to complete the process before following up; nagging emails and telephones calls could negatively impact your ability to get the job. However, if you have not heard anything within the allotted time the interviewer initially indicated and you really want the job, follow-up with a brief email or telephone call reiterating your continued interest in the job.

By Steve Wong

Usually the potential employers will provide an opportunity for you to ask questions towards the end of the job interview. Can you ask questions prior to this allocated slot? It’s nothing wrong indeed! But you should always ask permission from the interviewers when asking the first couple of questions, and you need to read their responses. If the interviewers are showing signs of discomfort, you need to back off. If asking questions is acceptable to the interviewers, you have established a 2-way flow.

So, what kinds of job interview questions are appropriate to ask the potential employers? Here are the guidelines you can use to construct your questions:

The Do’s:

1) Tailor your questions to a specific job position. Before showing up for any interview, research as much as you can for the position you are interviewing, the industry, the company, the mission statement, the recent news and the job nature. Formulate your questions according to the requirement of the specific job and the goals of the company.

2) Ask intelligent open-ended questions and be a good listener. Let the interviewers do the talking and bring about giving you the information that you want. Allow the conversation to flow naturally and build some rapport with the employer. The employer will want to hire those they feel most comfortable with.

3) You may need to attend a few interviews for a specific position before getting hire. You should shape your questions intelligently according to the different stages in the interview process. If you’re in the screening stage, you will probably ask general questions. If you have a chance to attend the 2nd or 3rd interviews, your questions can be very targeted. Likewise, you’ll expect similar concise questions from the interviewers.

4) Read the interviewers’ reaction for what you say or ask. Observe their body language, eye contacts and listen to their verbal signals. All these will provide indication for how well you’re really doing.

The Don’ts

1) Don’t ask multi-part questions all at once. You should ask concise and to-the-point questions one at a time and wait for the interviewers to answer before asking another. You can continue with your follow up questions and let the interviewers bring out more information before switching to another one. If not the interviewers may confuse or have the choice of which one to answer.

2) Don’t ask questions where the answers are easily available to the public such as from the company’s website or on the internet. For example, “Who is the Managing Director of this company?”

3) Don’t ask questions regarding rest days, medical leave, working hours, etc. Focus your questions on the job objectives and company’s goals.

4) Don’t ask questions about salary, benefits or reward during the first interview unless it is brought up by the interviewer. Keep these questions until you are offered a job or during the 2nd or 3rd interviews.

5) Don’t ask personal and weird questions with poor sense, non job related and bias. Even if you’re terminated from your current job, you should not ask questions that show you are desperate for a job.

For examples,

“I will do anything. Will you hire me?”

“Is my boss younger than me?”

“Is my boss a female?”

Conclusion:

Asking targeted, intelligent, well-crafted and concise questions during an interview will demonstrate the extent of your professional and knowledge of the particular job and the company you are interviewing. It helps to align and match your experience, skills and expectation with the company’s need.