Thinking of calling out 6 things not to say, according to hiring managers whove heard them

Thinking of calling out 6 things leid to say, according to hiring managers whove heard themThinking of calling out 6 things not to say, according to hiring managers whove heard themCalling out of work is inevitably kind of awkward. You never want to seem unprofessional or as though youre totally lying to get out of having to adult for the day. But calling out is especially difficult to do if you have to call out for a seemingly ridiculous reason that youjust know your manager is going to question.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreThe truth is that managers have heard all of the grown-up versions of my dog ate my homework. Whether ansicht are truths or made-up excuses, we asked them to share the most cringeworthy Im calling out messages theyve ever received - and heres what they had to offer.1. Mixed-up daysAs a director of operations, I have heard every calling out excuse in the book - and most of these far surpass the middle school the dog ate my homework line, says Dana Case, director of operations ofMyCorporation.com. Two, in particular, stand out. Once, I was told by an employee that they woke up and thought it was Saturday. It was actually Wednesday. Another employee once said they couldnt make it into work because they spilled their coffee walking out the door. I mean, once that happens the day is basically over - right?2. Broken bonesOne morning I received a call from an employee that he had fallen down a steep flight of stairs on his way to the geschftszimmer and had broken his kralle - he explained he couldnt come into the office since he was going to the emergency room for X-rays, says Jared Weitz, CEO and founder of United Capital Source Inc. Later that afternoon, I received a call from a competing business asking about this specific employee. Turns out, he had interviewed for a job there that morning and they were looking for a reference. The next day, when the employee wasnt in the hospital, we asked him to come in for a meeting. During the conversation, he was standing next to a chair and leaning on the broken hand the entire time without even realizing it. Needless to say, this employee no longer works for us.3. Calling outslickI am a human resources officer, and the craziest calling out story I have is from a police department customer, says Sarah Torres-Ferrick. The officer called out before his shift saying that he was sick. There was nothing out of the ordinary, until we received a complaint from an officer that had to work overtime due to the call out. The officer that called out sick posted on Facebook called out slick today. He was friends with his fellow police officers and they did not appreciate him calling out slick and making them work overtime.4. Backup helpA few weeks ago, we heard a knock at our office door at 7 a.m. and, to our surprise, it was a new employees boyfriend, says Trisha Lake, owner and CE O of TLC Cleaning LLC. He came in and sat down to explain our employee was not feeling well and was nervous to call in and get yelled at. He explained to us that he decided to come in, and we could yell at him. We kindly explained our policy on call-offs while also mentioning it is never appropriate for this to happen again. Very strange situation.5. Unknown holidaysWe had an employee last year who called out my business partner and I for not giving everyone paid time off for Nevada Day, says Matthew Ross, the co-owner and COO of The Slumber Yard. I had never even heard of it before, but I guess its a holiday that commemorates the states admission to the Union. The employee was really upset we didnt give everybody the day off. She made a big announcement in front of everyone saying she couldnt believe how selfish my business partner and I were. It was very odd. After her outburst, I called a few friends who work for various companies in the Reno area, and they didnt have the day off either. It turns out pretty much no private companies in the state give their employees the day off, which made the whole situation even more bizarre.6. Bad hair daysBack when I was an exec in the hospitality industry, we had a mid-level manager in her late 30s call out because she was having a bad hair day, says Joni Holderman, founder of Thrive Resumes. It wasnt a hair color fiasco or a truly tragic haircut her hair just wouldnt do what she wanted it to that day (which is the story of my life).Dont miss out on articles like these. Sign upA version of this post previously appeared on Fairygodboss, the largest career community that helps women get the inside scoop on pay, corporate culture, benefits, and work flexibility. Founded in 2015, Fairygodboss offers company ratings, job listings, discussion boards, and career advice.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

11 Myths About Choosing a Career

11 Myths About Choosing a Career11 Myths About Choosing a CareerDo you think you know everything about choosing a career? Many people believe they do,but often wind up choosing a career that is unsatisfying. Thats because those beliefs are actually myths. Thats right- they arent true If you want a fulfilling career, you should know the facts about how to choose one. Well dispel 11 myths about choosing a career so you can find out how to do it the right way. 1. Choosing a Career Is Simple This is entirely false. Choosing a career is anything but simple. It is a complex process that you must give the time and attention it deserves. First, you must learn about yourself, including your skills, interests, work-related values and personality type. Then you must gather information about the careers you are considering. Taking these steps will allow you to make an informed decision about which occupations are a good fit for you. MoreStep-by-Step Guide to Choosing a Career 2. A Career Counselor Can Tell You Which Occupation to Pick A career counselor or any other career development expert, cant tell you what career to choose. He or she can help you learn about yourself and then tell you what careers are suitable for you based on that information. You will have to do your homework and then make the final decision after considering everything you have learned about it. Once you have chosen a career, the counselor can help you find out what training you will need to reach your goals and then show you how to embark on a successful job search. 3. You Cant Make a Living From Your Hobby Who says you cant? When choosing a career, it makes perfect sense to select one that is related to what you enjoy doing in your spare time, if you so desire. Dont forget to research it, just as you would any other occupation. You want to make aya its a good fit for you. Theres a big difference between wanting to do something for fun and having to do it to earn a living. It will also occupy more of your time. 4. If You Dont Find Your Passion, Youll Never Be Happy You may have repeatedly heard thatyou have to be passionate about your career for it to be satisfying. Not true It is important to like what you do, but you dont have to love it. If you can take your passion and turn it into a career, more power to you. You should be most concerned with finding a career that is a good match for your skills, interests, personality type, and work-related values. 5. You Should Rely on Best Careers Lists Every year, especially during milestone years, for exampleat the beginning of a new decade, numerous articles and bookscontainlists of what the experts predict will be hot jobs. It cant hurt to look at them to see if any of the careers on its appeal to you, but you shouldnt use the list to dictate your final decision. While the predictions are usually based on valid data, things often change. What is hot this year may not be in a few years from now. 6. Earning a Lot of Money Will Make You Happy While salary is important, it isnt the only factor you should look at when choosing a career. Countless surveys have shown that money doesnt necessarily lead to job satisfaction. For many people, enjoying what they do at work is much more important. However, you should consider earnings, among other things, when evaluating an occupation. You have to make enough money to pay the bills and to live the lifestyle you want. 7. Once You Figure Out What to Do You Will Be Stuck Doing It Forever Thats not true. You can change your career if, for any reason, you become dissatisfied with it. You will be in good company. Many people change careers several times over the course of their lifetimes. 8. Your Skills Will Go to Waste If You Decide to Change Careers No matter how many times you change careers or jobs, your skills are yours to keep. You can use many of them in a variety of occupations. You may not use them in exactly the same way, but you dont need to worry that they will go to waste. 9. Your Best Friends (or Siblings) Dream Career Will Be Yours Too The person with whom you are closest may have, what appears to be, the best career ever. You may think if its good for him or her, it will be good for me. That could be true, but it may not be. Even if that other person is someone with whom you have a lot in common, you may not enjoy doing the same type of work. Look into it as carefully as you would any other occupation to make sure its a good fit for you. 10. All You Have to Do Is Choose a Career... Everything Else Will Fall Into Place Choosing a career is a great start, but theres a lot more to do after that. A career action plan is a roadmap that takes you from choosing a career to becoming employed in that occupation to reaching your long-term career goals. 11. You Wont Know Anything About an Occupation Until You Start Working While its true that you cant know all there is to know about an occupation until yo u work in it, you can learn enough about it to make an educated decision about whether it is right for you. There are many ways to learn about an occupation, including looking at published resources and conducting informational interviews.

CPA Recruitment in a Competitive Market

CPA Recruitment in a Competitive MarketCPA Recruitment in a Competitive MarketBusiness is booming for many firms with CPAs. Thats good news, right? Well, it depends on whether youre the partner or the HR manager. CPA recruitment is a top concern in a competitive market.With so many organizations in hiring mode, its a challenge to find skilled talent to keep up with client demands and help the business continue to grow. An American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) survey shows that finding qualified staff is the most pressing issue for respondents from firms with two to five and six to 10 practitioners. It was the second-most pressing issue for firms with 11 to 20 and 21 or more practitioners.Is your firm in the same boat? If so, here are five tips that may help make CPA recruitment a little easier in this competitive market.1. Ask your best employees who they knowIf youve already got a strong team in place, the task of attracting in-demand candidates can be much easier. Why? Because skilled workers tend to know others with similar qualifications.So when your firm is hiring, ask your staff for referrals. Employee referrals can be extremely reliable because your employees are likely to recommend only candidates they feel would succeed with the firm otherwise, theyd risk damaging their reputation. Also, your workers can serve as spokespeople for the firm, explaining to potenzial hires why its a great place to work.But youve got to make it worth their while to provide a referral. Consider offering an incentive, like a cash bonus, to anyone who gives the company a referral to a person who gets hired and then remains with the firm for a certain amount of time.2. Find promising entry-level talentWhen it comes to CPA recruitment, experienced candidates are typically in highest demand, for obvious reasons. They often bring an existing book of business with them and are better able to hit the ground running at a new firm. But good luck finding themSo why not incorporate more en try-level professionals into your hiring plan? That may sound counterintuitive, but consider that it can be much easier to recruit recent grads. By providing promising newcomers with professional development opportunities and mentorship relationships, you may be able to build the skills you need rather than try to hire for them.Yes, it will require some effort and patience on your part. But investing in talented entry-level accountants can help your firm beat the recruitment rush, develop future leaders and encourage intense loyalty among workers who know that you support their career.3. Make it harder to say no than yesA competitive hiring market means that the CPA recruitment tactics you used just a year ago may not work today. Simply put, skilled job binnenseekers are in the drivers seat. So the onus is on you to woo them.But we all know that its not always easy to impress candidates, many of whom are juggling multiple employment offers. Challenges in the small business hiring pr ocess are especially acute, because smaller organizations often lack the budget and pizzazz of larger ones.So think of it this way When you view your organization in its best light, what makes it a great place to work? Whether its a relaxed office setting, interesting clients or career advancement potential, make sure your hiring plan focuses on these unique advantages.During the interview, try to ensure that candidates experience or witness the benefits of working for your organization. Have them meet with others who are as passionate about the organization as you are. Take job seekers on a tour of the office so they can see the team in action. Help potential hires envision themselves as an employee of your firm.4. Get an experts help with your hiring planAs you execute your hiring plan, keep in mind that you dont have to go it alone. Working with a staffing agency can help you in your CPA recruitment efforts. These experts can offer additional insight into the current employment m arket and provide details about competitive compensation rates to help you fine-tune your strategies.A staffing firm can also arrange for skilled temporary workers in accounting to come in and help the core team meet current workloads if theyre feeling overburdened. Theres another benefit to bringing in temporary staff, as well These professionals often make excellent full-time hires. In many ways, the temporary assignment can function like an extended job interview in which you can evaluate the persons performance and fit with the corporate culture firsthand. If things are working out, you can then extend a full-time job offer.WORK WITH US5. Know whats going on in the job marketThe best tools for getting up to date on employment trends are free.The monthly Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report continues to show robust growth in the economy, with additional jobs and low unemployment.The 2018 Robert Half Salary Guide gives insider information on industry trends that affect hiring a nd offers steps you must take to hire and retain top accounting and finance talent.The Demand for Skilled Talent report shows its not just money that attracts candidates. Nearly two-thirds (64 percent) of workers said the chance to gain new skills is a critical consideration when making a career move.