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Hiring Styles You Might Not Know About

The job market is getting tougher and tougher for job seekers because of the high standards demanded by top employers. So if you really, really want that position, everything you have must scream “employable”. And I mean everything, as employers no longer just look at your clothes and curriculum vitae, nope; their inspection extends to other things as well. Here are the few “secret hiring styles” unrevealed.

Waiting Style

Are you the impatient type? That could mean disapproval on your job application as some employers deliberately put you on time out. The purpose is basically to see your reaction when they make you wait. The pass and fail grades are not based on whether you walk out or not but on how you pass the time. More specifically, if you’re just listening to your iPod instead of reviewing your job application, chances are you’re scratched off the employable roster even before the interview.

Lunch Interview Style

Well, this isn’t really a secret anymore as the lunch cum interview setting has been quite used to evaluate applicants. The real question is about the proper behavior when dealing with these somewhat awkward situations. A lunch interview basically works on the same etiquette as a simple lunch. Don’t talk when your mouth is full. When asked a question while eating: maintain eye contact, chew and swallow before answering. Don’t order too pricey meals or stay within the price range your interviewer has ordered.

Social Sites Style

Is your Friendster or Facebook or MySpace or any other social site safe? Not really. Some employers are so resourceful that they even check out your profiles so that they could assess your personality. So while job hunting, it might be best to “private” some of your photos. 

Lying on the Job

Lying to get out of doing or not doing something seems to be common nowadays. However lying on the job is definitely a bad way to conduct a career. Employers now are very, very strict when it comes to those “little white lies” in the workplace. A popular saying goes that a liar is related to a thief, so employers tend to dole out harsh punishment when they catch employees in a lie. However, regardless of what some people say that “a lie is a lie”, some tall tales are bigger than others and thus deserves greater correctional punishments. Here are a few of those “whopper” lies that could give you one big black mark at work.

Calling in Sick

This is the most used excuse in the book. It’s so used actually that some employers tend to be suspicious of this excuse especially if this is the third time in a matter of months. Please note that a hangover does not constitute an illness and lying about it could eventually get you fired. The “calling in sick” routine is a whopper of a lie and is barely tolerated so be upfront and just deduct them from your time offs. There’s also a variation of “calling in sick” which is called “emergency”. Emergency usually constitutes leaving work early because of something that needs immediate attention. You could pull this off once or twice, but three times produces doubts.

Working Hours

This is a very, very serious offense. Adding a bit of numbers to your time sheet or making your “arrival” a little earlier than what it really is could lead to termination. Be very honest with how much work you put in because employers nowadays are very conspicuous with their expenses. There’s no way to prevaricate an excuse for this, the best thing is just not do it.

Uninvited to Lunch: The Most Unwanted Co-Workers

One of the biggest things to conquer in the workplace is not the work itself, it’s the people you meet and converse with day in and day out. Different personalities jive with different opinions and viewpoints, and it is not uncommon that there will be the co-worker who is usually left out of group lunches because of their “weird” or “uncanny” characteristics. Here are a few traits of a co-worker that is left to survive in solitary:

Gossipers

Colleagues like to talk – whether it’s your grievances at home or problems at work – people find it relaxing to share problems. Of course, there are a few restrictions on what you should say, but the bottom line is, we don’t want our complaints aired over the whole workplace. That’s why the “Gossips” is usually avoided, because of fear that what comes out of the mouth becomes office news in a few days. Best way to handle: Watch what you say.

Pessimists

These are the type who never has a kind word to say to a project and always try to “shoot” something down. Pessimists are really bad for your self-confidence and would most likely sap you of all energy to continue whatever it is you are doing. Best way to handle: be an optimist.

Bullies

These are the ones who try to “bully” you into doing more work, asking for a favor or casting you off to the client who eats barb wires for breakfast. Either it’s done sweetly or forcefully, the best way to handle bullies is to stand your ground and say: no. However, if the bully is the boss, a different approach is necessary.

These are only some of the most avoided co-workers. Take heed of those so as not to jeopardize your work.

What You Shouldn’t Discuss at Work

Although it is important to maintain good rapport with your co-workers, there are still some things that you must not divulge at the workplace. For some reason or another, these few tidbits should be avoided at all costs.

Gossip

Remember, news travels fast. What you say to someone is bound to reach someone else’s ears, and could have terrible repercussions. It may not be as bad as complete termination, but a few slashes in your Christmas bonus would really hurt.

Grievances at Work

If you have problems at work, the best approach is to talk to the proper authorities. If you keep going on and on about how stress full your job is, co-workers would start avoiding you. They have problems at work too, but they’re not shouting it out for the entire world to hear.

Salary

Salary comparisons are a no-no. It could be a ground for fights in the workspace. It may seem natural since Hollywood Stars seems to have their salaries plastered all over magazines, but the fact is it is really tactless to talk about how much you get for what you do.

Private Details

You know what I’m talking about. Those details must be kept private. It could not only be disastrous for your career but could be used as leverage against you.

Comments on Co-workers

This one is a recipe for disaster. Don’t go talking about how “irritating” one co-worker is to another co-worker. Chances are, what you said would reach his ears and start a rift in the office relationship. If you have a problem, talk to the officemate about it in private.

These little tidbits of information would unavoidably produce negative repercussions from something as simple as being the odd man out in the workplace, a few slashes in the salary or something as drastic as termination. Be on the safe side.