5 Ways to Make People Want to Talk to You at Work - The Muse

5 Ways to Make People Want to Talk to You at Work - The Muse5 Ways to Make People Want to Talk to You at WorkIs there someone in your office who people are just drawn to?Maybe they know all the good news before everyone else. Or, theyre the first person your boss turns to for advice. Or, they command just about every meeting they enter.Im going to shatter all your They must have super powers thoughts, because getting people to want to talk to you is a skill anyone can acquire. I mean anyone.All you need to do is copy these five habits of approachable people1. They SmileYup, its that simple. Smiling, according to research, leid only makes you look more friendly and approachable, its contagious- meaning your good vibes rub off on your peers. And when people are happy, theyre more engaged in discussion.Now, approachable people dont smile all the time (because then theyd look crazy). No, they know when its appropriate- and when its better to put on a more serious, determined face.2. They Listen (and Dont Judge)In one of our deeper discussions, my dad made an alarming accurate observation that still sticks with me to this day. Alyse, he said, youre a great listener, but youre so quick to give advice that you dont always just let people vent.And he was right Not to pat myself on the back, but I cared so much about helping people that when they told me their problems, I immediately jumped to giving the best suggestions I could think of. I didnt stop to question if they actually wanted my help- or just wanted someone to listen to them.Popular people are not only active listeners (a.k.a., they dont stare at their phones in conversations), but they also dont impose their own views on others. They receive information without judgment, and only when asked, provide feedback and encouragement.3. Theyre Not Afraid to Be VulnerableThis may sound odd- who wants to share their problems with someone who has enough of their own?- but showing vulnerability makes people feel like th eyre not alone, and that they can trust youll understand where theyre coming from. If you can share your problems and discuss your flaws openly and confidently, it encourages people to do the same.On the flip side, always appearing perfect can make you less approachable- not because people arent impressed or proud of your success, but because they may find you intimidating or fear your judgment.4. They Have Killer Body LanguageJust like smiling has the power to change peoples moods, great body language can make others open up to you more frequently.According to body language expert Vanessa Van Edwards, instigating the triple nod, or nodding your head three times, convinces people to speak three to four times longer. This also means avoiding body language that closes you off from others, such as crossing your arms or looking away.5. They Ask QuestionsThis tip comes from Muse writer Ivy Shelden, who had success at a networking event as a result of this habit. She realized asking quest ions to the speaker does two things It provides the opportunity to be seen and heard by the entire audience at once- and it makes you more memorable to the speaker as well. As a result, people come up to you.So, how can you practice this on a daily basis? Dont be afraid to approach people with questions or raise your hand in meetings. Your curiosity will mimic that of others- making people want to bounce ideas off you. And, it shows that vulnerable side of you thats OK with not knowing everything (and like I said earlier, this is an attractive quality). And, it even makes you look smarter- and who doesnt want to talk to someone whos smart?And thats it Five easy ways to become more likable, approachable, and ultimately the number one person people turn to for a nice conversation, venting session, inspiration, or advice.Riding the train of popularity? Why not test out these six fast ways to seem more interesting to anyone you meet.

5 Red Flags in Your Job History ... And How to Combat Them

5 Red Flags in Your Job History ... And How to Combat Them5 Red Flags in Your Job History ... And How to Combat ThemWhen employers screen job applicants, they might spend as little as a few seconds scanning your rsum before moving on to the next. If they see red flags during that initial look, theyre likely to toss your application and move on to the next candidate so its important to make sure that any red flags in your job history are addressed right up front.Here are five of the fruchtwein common job history red flags and how to combat them.1. You have unexplained gaps in between your jobs.Why its a problem When employers see gaps of unemployment (of longer than a few months), they wonder what happened during that time. Did you leave the previous job with nothing lined up, and if so, why? Were you fired? Were you working somewhere that youve deliberately left off your rsum, and if so, what are you hiding? Gaps in your job history raise questions that you dont want on a hiring man agers mind.How to combat it Be prepared to explain what caused the gap and what you did with the time. Were you spending the time caring for a sick family member, traveling, or volunteering? Be ready to talk about it.2. You look like a job-hopper who doesnt stay at a job very long.Why its a problem If your rsum shows a pattern of leaving jobs quickly meaning that you have repeated stays of less than two years youre going to raise alarm bells for most employers. Theyll assume you wont stay long with them either, and theyll wonder why youre unable or unwilling to stay in one place for a more typical amount of time.How to combat it First, if any of those short stays were designed to be short from the beginning, like an internship, temp job or contract work, make sure that your rsum indicates that. Note contract job or another explanation next to your job title. But if youre a true job hopper and those jobs that you left early were intended to be longer term, this is a harder problem to fix. You might need to rely on convincing hiring managers that (a) youre ready for stability and want to find a company you can commit to for longer, and (b) youre so great at what you do that youll be worth investing in.3. You were fired from a job in the recent past.Why its a problem Employers will want reassurance that whatever caused you to be fired wont be repeated if you work for them.How to combat it Practice an answer that briefly explains what you learned from the situation and what you do differently now as a result. Practice saying it out loud until you eliminate all traces of defensiveness or bitterness employers are going to pay attention to how comfortable you are with your answer and whether it sounds like youve moved forward.4. You dont have much experience. Why its a problem While you might be able to do the job if given a chance, the reality is that employers have plenty of experienced candidates who have already worked in their field. As a result, they dont hav e much incentive to take a chance on someone untested.How to combat it This is where a fantastic cover letter can really help you. That means a cover letter that doesnt just regurgitate your rsum but instead really speaks to why you want this particular job and why youd excel at it. In addition, try fleshing out your rsum with volunteer work, to establish a track record for employers to look at.5. Youve been unemployed for a while.Why its a problem Even in this economy, some hiring managers look at long-term unemployed candidates and wonder if theres a reason that other employers havent hired them. Fortunately, many employers do understand that it can take time for even good candidates to find work in this market.How to combat it Make sure that you can show that youve been spending your time volunteering, building your skills or something other than watching TV and applying to jobs. Employers want to see that youve done something to keep up with your field during your time away.Alis on Green writes the popular Ask a Manager blog, where she dispenses advice on career, job search, and management issues. Shes also the co-author of Managing to Change the World The ohne gewinnerzielungsabsicht Managers Guide to Getting Results, and former chief of staff of a successful nonprofit organization, where she oversaw day-to-day staff management, hiring, firing, and employee development.

Understanding the Chain of Command in Your Workplace

Understanding the Chain of Command in Your WorkplaceUnderstanding the Chain of Command in Your WorkplaceAre you interested in knowing more about the chain of command at your workplace? Chain of command describes the way in which organizations, including the military, religious institutions, corporations, government entities, and universities, traditionally structure their reporting relationships. Reporting relationships refers to an organizational structure in which every employee is placed somewhere on an organizational chart. The employees report to the employee who is listed above them on the organizational chart. When every employee reports to one other employee, decisions and communication are tightly controlled and flow down the chain of command through the organization. This is an intentional, traditional structure for the chain of command in organizations that want to tightly control the dissemination of information and the allocation of power and control. Traditional Chai n of Command In the traditional chain of command, if you look at relationships pictorially presented on an organizational chart, the president or CEO is the top employee in the chain of command. This persons directly reporting staff would occupy the second line of the chart, and so forth down through the reporting relationships in an organization. At each level of the organization moving down the chain of command, the power to make meaningful decisions is diminished. This hierarchical method for organizing information flow, decision making, power, and authority, assumes that each level of the organization is subordinate to the level to which it reports. Terminology like a subordinate to refer to reporting employees and superior to refer to employees others report to, such as managers, are part of traditional hierarchical language and thinking. These terms are increasingly not being used as much, as a move to more egalitarian workplaces is the norm. Larger organizations are more pro ne to using this terminology. Command and control are intrinsic in the chain of command within organizations. The further up the chain of command your job is located, the more power, authority, and usually responsibility and accountability you have. Traditional hierarchical structures have pluses and minuses about how they work in organizations. Chain of Command Positives Clear reporting relationships exist with employees designated who are responsible for communicating information, providing direction, and delegating authority and responsibility.Each employee has one boss, thus alleviating the problem of multiple masters and conflicting direction in the chain of command, such as in a matrix organization, where employees can report to multiple bosses.Responsibility and accountability are clearly assigned and each manager has oversight responsibility for a group of employees performing a function. Employees are not confused about whom to go to for resources, assistance, and feedb ack.A certain simplicity and security exists when you organize people and relationships in a structured, unbending, controlled hierarchical cascade.Chain of command communicates to customers and vendors which employee who is responsible for what decisions in their interaction. Job titles that define each level of the organization further communicate authority and responsibility to organizational stakeholders and outsiders. For example, external stakeholders know how much power the title of vice president conveys. Chain of Command Challenges Chain of command thinking originated in an industrial age when work involved more rote activities, less information, and communication options were limited, Decision making and authority were clearly placed in the hands of a few individuals at or near the top of an organization chart.Todays organizations experience a plethora of communication options, more intellectually challenging and information-based jobs, and the need for faster decisio n making. The chain of command, in many ways, impedes these new organizational options and needs. When information is available everywhere, a hierarchical order that ensures the communication of decisions and information needed by various levels of employees is unnecessary to the dissemination of information.The need for flexibility and faster decisions in an agile work environment requires that employees communicate directly with all levels of the organization. Waiting several days for the boss to be available is not acceptable if a customers need goes unserved or an employees work is slowed. The employee should be able to talk with his bosss boss or the president or make the decision on his own. If the desire is to develop employees who can immediately respond to a customer need, because customers require immediacy in this fast-paced world, employees must be able to get information immediately and make decisions without oversight to meet customer needs in a timely manner.Jobs are no longer rigidly defined and the current expectation promotes employee empowerment, autonomy, and decision-making authority close to where the need for the decision exists. The hierarchical order may still exist for ease of organization and reporting relationships, as laid out in a chain of command on an organizational chart. But, the lines and the former rigidity are blurred. In the past, if an employee circumvented his or her boss in favor of talking with the bosss boss, the employee received clear communication that the chain of command was in place for a purpose. While organizations still retain some of its vestiges, the chain of command is much more difficult to enforce when information is so freely circulating and communication is so easy with any member of the organization. The span of control of an individual manager has become broader, with more reporting employees than in the past. This change forces the manager to allow more autonomy. Technology has blurred the hierarchy further since information is available all of the time to any employee. Many organizations are experiencing the value of decentralized decision making. Position Power Within the concept of the chain of command, fleck power still plays a role in organizations. Its a by-product of the traditional hierarchical organization. For example, a quality department supervisor at a small manufacturing company asked to become the quality director in her company. Her stated reason for the change in title was that, if she was a director, people would have to listen to her and do what she wants. This is a young supervisor, who is still learning how to accomplish work through other people, but her perception that a bigger title would solve her problems was troubling. In another example, a new employee was asked to send out a note with a question and a deadline to the director and VP-level managers in her organization. The request sparked an hour of work over a simple note because it was going t o the biggest, most important people in the company. What the Future Holds Modern management science is exploring other options for organization and customer service delivery in this brave new world. But, in the meantime, even the smallest organizations fall back on the traditional chain of command, hierarchical models of organization. The future holds out hope for innovative organizational structures that better serve the needs of employees, organizations, and the marketplace. The rise in popularity of telework and remote employees, a specific desire for millennial employees, further escalates the need for better management structures. After all, these employees are doing work that you cannot see them doing. But hierarchical thinking, a chain of command, and attributing power to position and titles all still exist.