Dealing with social awkwardness at work Insights from the autism community

Dealing with social awkwardness at work Insights from the autism community Hannah Schufreider may seem an unlikely person to be teaching you how to manage your career. She is a 12-year-old autistic girl living in Haverhill. Her days are spent being a little bored in school, reading Manga comics, watching Hannah Montana on TV, and going to fencing class on the weekends. Sounds like a typical adolescents schedule. But in one of those odd convergences of circumstances, Hannahs successful strategies for dealing with her disability could be adapted by adults having trouble in their professional lives particularly those who cant seem to connect with others at work. Think this is a bit much to swallow? The link between the two is socials skills. Is there always one person at the office who acts rudely during meetings? Do you shy away from interacting with colleagues because youre not good at office politics? Maybe that colleague, or you, have trouble reading social cues. Heres where Hannah can help. People with autism usually have poor social skills. She has a form of it called Aspergers syndrome, whose sufferers often have well-above-average intelligence but troubles with social interaction. On the playground, other moms might see these kids and say something like, Oh, how cute! Hes a little Einstein. At school, teachers at school may comment, He doesnt listen to anything anyone says. I dont know how he is doing so well in my class. Autistic people behave in ways that are out of sync with other people. I make terrible jokes because I copy stuff that I see on TV. I think its funny but my parents tell me its not funny, says Hannah. Most people are born with the ability to read nonverbal cues. Hannah cannot, so when people dont laugh at her jokes, she doesnt understand it was because they werent funny. Someone has to tell her. A workplace corollary is when a colleague who makes a coworker the butt of a joke is clueless that the coworker has a fragile personality. Another example: youve worked months on a big project, and after talking about it for an hour, a colleague says, forget it, that will never work. In these situations, a manager should take that person aside and explain what was inappropriate, says Beth Howell, vice president of human resources for EBSCO Publishing, a provider of print and electronic journal subscriptions. People who miss social cues naturally have no idea they are missing them. Often employees dont agree with the assessment. So the person speaking with them tries to give specific scenarios, she says. For example, instead of saying, I feel you were too aggressive in that meeting, Howell would say, In the meeting on Friday when you said X, did you notice there was not a lot of conversation after that point? I think you might have been a little too strong. Teaching people to read social cues is very, very difficult. So instead of trying to understand how to say things differently in a meeting, it might be more appropriate for these people to limit the time they spend in large meetings. Instead, they should concentrate on having one-on-one conversations or using e-mail. People who are bad at reading nonverbal cues tend to fare worse when there are more people around, because there usually is that much more nonverbal communication going on. Back to Hannah. She is most successful socially being in a smaller group of kids than in her regular, larger classroom. Its easier for her to connect with one person and block out everyone else. Writing is another good solution because the nonverbal affect isnt present. For most people, this makes communication more difficult, and we add emoticons to make up for lost nuance. To someone who does not have strong social skills, written communication has a flat, straightforward affect, making a grave misunderstanding between the communicants less likely. Hannahs connection to the written word is almost life-saving in its intensity. When she has trouble in a given situation, she reads, and when she grows up she wants to be a writer. So take a tip from her if you are on the receiving end of the youre-offending-people feedback, try communicating via e-mail instead. A lot of people who have poor social skills say things like, I dont do office politics or I just want to be left alone. But its very hard to maneuver through the workplace with this attitude. The point is that people judge your work skills as incompetent if you are not likeable no matter what your work skills are. It may not be fair, but its what people do. So if you want to keep your job, you need to do enough politicking at work to make people like you. Instead of saying you do not like being around people, try creating scenarios where you find people more tolerable. For example, Hannah seeks out certain people and groups she knows shell be more successful connecting with such as at fencing class. For those not succeeding with colleagues at work, the key is to figure out what environment would help them become more successful, as Hannah has. For someone with poor social skills, so much of their ability to function is dependent on the environment no matter how small or severe the problem. But perhaps the most important thing we can learn from treating kids with autism is that they are most likely to succeed if we help them use their strengths to work on, or compensate for, their weaknesses. We each have strengths and weaknesses, and we can each use this approach to make the difficult task of self-improvement a more positive experience.

Three Tips About Writing a Hybrid Resume

Three Tips About Writing a Hybrid ResumeThree tips about writing a hybrid resume that will make it more beneficial to your current employer. First off, hybrid resumes are not a traditional resume; they are a modified version of a standard resume, but they are crafted to show just how much of one's former professional experience is relevant to the position for which the resume is being submitted. This is typically a larger number of years of work experience than is required in a standard resume.Second, there are some things to keep in mind when working with a hybrid resume. While it is possible to use the old format for most things, there are some things that can be changed to fit the hybrid one. Therefore, if you are editing a resume that uses the hybrid format, you may want to avoid the use of certain information that would be 'excessive' for this type of resume.Examples of this include including too many contact numbers or dates, which can become a distraction. The point of using a hybrid resume is to be able to tell the potential employer that you have more of your professional experience than what was listed on your standard resume. Therefore, it is often necessary to reduce some of your years of experience.Third, you should always focus on the career objective for each position you are applying for. Your objective is what the employer is looking for, and therefore, you should try to focus on this and make sure that you are capturing it on your resume. Also, if you are employed in a field where the responsibilities of the job involve a great deal of travel, such as that of an airline pilot, you should try to list this information, because it may actually make it more advantageous for your employer.Not only will the hiring manager want to know about your past work history, but they will also want to know why you want the position, what your personal goals are, and other questions. Forthese reasons, you should have all of the information ready to go when you fill out your resume.Next, think about how you can capture your work history on the application. Ideally, you should list a section on the application where you will include your entire work history from different positions, along with any notes that relate to them. Also, you should include any awards you received, including any that were related to your professional background.Finally, try to write your education information in chronological order, rather than alphabetical. In the case of the educational information, you should also consider including letters of recommendation and any other information the hiring manager might need. If you have some volunteer work to include, it may be helpful to include it here as well.With these three tips about writing a hybrid resume, you should have a more tailored cover letter and resume. There are many different templates available for this particular format. Having a template also makes it easier to find the format that works best for you.

The Proof Is In The Packing

The Proof Is In The Packing Making your own product is an extremely exciting process, with loads of learning to do along the way, and the joy of seeing your ideas become a reality in front of your eyes. Going down a route like this is something which a lot of people dream about. While it will be hard, the rewards you will get for success will be far greater than the work being put in. Of course, though, there is a boring side of this, and this post is here to help you with it. To give you a head start, it will be exploring the importance of the packaging being used for your goods. Graphic Design: This has become a very popular field in recent years, with loads of small businesses finally being able to match the larger ones at their own game. While this is good for customers, it can make it hard when you’re releasing your first product, as your packaging simply can’t be lacking in this area. To help you with this, websites like Freelancer can help you to get your hands on quality professionals without having to hire anyone directly or work with a large company. Safety/Damage Prevention: A lot of modern products being shipped around the world are very fragile. From electronics to drinks bottles, it can be hard for couriers to keep these items safe, and it is down to the manufacturer to keep them under the right conditions. To help you out with this, companies like APPF can give you access to loads of high-tech examples of safe packaging. With a heavy focus on responsible materials, using businesses like this can give you additional selling points. Security: People like to know that they are the very first person outside of the factory to touch the product they have bought, as this helps to avoid the risk of tampering. To help to make this possible, most companies will use seals on their packaging which prevent it from being opened without it being obvious to those thinking about buying it. Along with this, a lot of businesses are starting to supply codes with their goods which prove their authenticity. This helps to stop other companies selling clones. Quality: Finally, as the last area to consider, quality is very important when you’re working on something like this. Customers will quickly catch wind of poorly printed boxes and cheap foam being used, and it is best to avoid this sort of issue from the very start. To help you out with this, there are loads of companies out there which are experts when it comes to packaging. Using their support will not only result in better designs, but could also give you the contacts you need to get everything made. With all of this in mind, making the packaging for your first product should be nice and easy. For a lot of people working on this sort of area, it can be very hard to make sure that you’re putting the right kind of effort into it, even with all of the help you have available.

Design Your Office Space to Attract and Retain Great Talent

Design Your Office Space to Attract and Retain Great Talent Design Your Office Space to Attract and Retain Great Talent It’s no secret that a great looking office space works wonders when courting new clients or impressing investors, but innovative workspaces play another vital role in corporate ecosystems: attracting talent. When your finalist candidate walks through the door of your company, he or she is immediately judging the environment; is it a place they want to work in? And once that candidate is hired? A well-designed workplace can dramatically effect employee innovation, morale, and even retention. Effective design and approaches to daily work life in the office can work wonders in cultivating a loyal and long-standing employee base. “The most dynamic workspaces I have seen all contain a number of common threads tying them together that transcend mere placement of office furniture and a fully stocked kitchen,” said Jeff Chaitman, workplace design expert and vice president at IdeaPaint. “These trends get to the heart of what it means to be a motivated and loyal employee in today’s workforce and encourage ideas to come to life wherever they might spring from.” Here are three recommendations to consider when designing appealing and effective workspaces: 1. Create choice According to a 2013 Workplace Survey by design and architectural firm Genslar, the average square foot of space per person dropped from 225 to 176 square feet between 2010 and 2012 and is expected to be near 100 by 2017. Just because personal space may be declining does not mean that the overall amount of space in an office is decreasing. Rather, many companies are opting to use that reclaimed space to create more and diverse work environments incorporating myriad different uses. And employees love it. They now have more choices in where they work, think, create, and engage with colleagues during the course of their workday, giving variation and adaptation to any meeting. According to the same survey, choice drives performance and innovation. Employers who provide a spectrum of choices for when and where employees can work are seen as more innovative and have higher-performing employees. In fact, companies who grant employees choice grew four times and had one-third the turnover versus control-oriented organizations. 2. Give them a seat at the table Good ideas can come from anyone, from upper management to interns and new hires. Offices that have varied workspaces and foster more democratic brainstorming meetings are well poised to capitalize on a greater employee knowledge base. Boston-based energy management company EnerNOC sought to empower their Millennial workers â€" roughly 50% of their entire workforce â€" by getting them more involved during brainstorming meetings, working alongside senior management and executives which allows for a more open exchange of ideas and experiences. They found that their younger employees were extremely eager to learn from their managers and develop their own creative voices. “The access these employees have to managers, specifically the variety of access they have to them, creates unique relationships between new hires and veterans that forge a strong professional bond and creates a sense of empowerment that keeps them engaged day after day,” said Chaitman. In the 2012 Global Workforce Survey by Towers Watson, 32,000 employees were polled to gauge their opinions on company leadership, among other topics. Researchers found that when it comes to employee retention, a high quality work experience is paramount. Managers who spend time to engage employees and focus on building on their strengths play a major role in the creation of a work environment that promotes high retention. 3. Keep them coming back At the end of the day, work is, just that. We spend on average one-third of our day at work. It is a necessary part of our lives, but it doesn’t have to be a negative one. In fact, well-designed workplaces can inspire employees on a daily basis and be a place they want to come to every morning. Take the Quicken Loans Family of Companies’ corporate headquarters in downtown Detroit. The campus is a revelatory composite of breathtaking design and highly functional, highly collaborative workspaces. In fact, a new design firm, dPOP!, was founded as a result of its build out. The space features a repurposed bank vault for meetings, a nod to Detroit’s industrial routes through the use of iron artwork, antique equipment, and brick-and-beam architecture, and large bright open office spaces complete with floor-to-ceiling windows and even Ping-Pong tables. “The result is a workplace employees want to go to on a daily basis,” said Chaitman. “Companies of all shapes and sizes, from Apple to Zappos, are realizing the benefits of great office design. The common thread throughout is a boost in innovation and creative thinking, employee retention, and overall engagement.” Hiring companies, in your effort to think holistically about how you attract and retain talent in this new world of work, consider investing in your office lay-out well beyond stocking free soda and coffee in the break room.

How to sweet talk your boss -

How to sweet talk your boss - Have you ever thought about how you could sweet talk your boss? Did you know that saying certain words, in just the right way, could make all the difference in your relationship? Get your mind out of the gutter were talking professional relationships here! It is smart to consider that your boss is human, too. (Really no matter what you think of him or her, unless you work for a certified robot, that fact is undeniable.) When you give your boss credit for being a person with feelings, its not difficult to identify what you can say to curry some favor. It can also help you get a new job down the road. Yes, of course. Id be happy to. Not a problem. Who doesnt love an employee who doesnt hesitate to jump on board with a positive attitude, without complaining? Even if youre really thinking, Are you kidding me? try taking the high road and being agreeable and you may notice your boss attitude toward you improves significantly. How can I help? We all welcome a helping hand in our personal and professional lives. Volunteering to take on a project or work that no one else wants to do can help raise your profile in your organization. If you execute it well and accomplish the goals you set out to reach, youll be better positioned than ever to make a case for a raise, promotion or other special favor in the future. Id like to learn more about that. Have you ever thought about volunteering to take on additional training or to learn something new? Yes, it may take up some of your free time, but maybe you can learn something (on the companys dime) that will make you more marketable and more crucial to your current company. What can I do to improve? This is music to a boss ears. It indicates the employee welcomes feedback and opens the door to two-way communication that benefits the boss and employee. You dont want to be the one who is blindsided by a bad review because you never knew you werent doing an amazing job. When you take initiative and ask for advice about how to do better, not only do you get information you need, you demonstrate an aspect of emotional intelligence and self awareness that employers appreciate. Being known as someone who requests feedback can actually help you land an opportunity in the future. We can solve that problem; heres how. When you take the proverbial reigns and acknowledge that the issues at hand are not insurmountable, you will win friends and influence people. Who doesnt want to have someone willing to just do it on their team? Even better when you offer a solution at the same time you agree to help, theres no doubt youll be a boss favorite. I love my job. If you do enjoy your job, its a good idea to let your boss know. Be specific. Explain what you like, and its OK (once you have a good relationship) to share what pieces of your job description are not at the top of your favorites list, as long as you dont make a habit of complaining. Youre a great boss. Thank you for all you do. You need your boss to advocate for you give back a little with some kind words. Even if you have a difficult relationship, you can still probably find something to admire or a compliment you can give your boss. You dont need to be a kiss up or brown-noser, but its not a bad idea to toss a kind word or at least a thank you every once in a while. photo by qthomasbowe

How to Write a Resume on Word Documents

How to Write a Resume on Word DocumentsThere are many ways to write a resume that will make your job search easy and worth the effort. Although it can seem like a daunting task, getting organized in an attempt to get your job interview is not out of the question.One way to make your job interview go smoothly is to make it simple by starting with the resume. One of the first things you need to do is decide how you want to format the resume and what format you want it to be formatted in. Once you have that down you can go ahead and write the resume.Next is deciding what skills you are going to cover for the whole job. If you are applying for a sales position, you might want to talk about sales and marketing. If you are applying for a sales position for a real estate company, you may want to talk about real estate marketing.The next important step is to write the job description. You don't have to be a professional writing a professional resume by any means. However, if you are reading and writing these steps you should be able to do so within 30 seconds or less.Covering all the sections of the resume is very important. It's usually okay to cover one section at a time and move to the next when you feel like you're covered. But most companies require you to cover everything as it relates to your qualifications.After you are done with the resume, you will need to fill out the cover letter and your portfolio. These are two different parts of the resume, but you will need to do them all at the same time.When you are finished, you will have written the resume, the cover letter, and a portfolio. It might sound like a lot of work but it is actually not.

How to Choose Boston College Resume Writing Tips

How to Choose Boston College Resume Writing Tips Experienced job seekers sometimes incorporate a Summary of Qualifications section at the start of their resume. Additionally, recruiters are interested in finding candidates with fantastic leadership abilities. You don't have to incorporate every job that you have had since college. The most essential part of an internship resume is making sure the abilities and experience you do have, although you could be very early in your career, are ideal for the job which you need to do. Including professional goals can assist you by giving employers a concept of where you're going, and the way you need to arrive there. Reading content backwardsawkward and time-consuming though it could beis a fantastic way to catch minor mistakes that you may otherwise miss. Show that you understand their principal pain points and possess the abilities and experience to supply effective remedy. Employing a student resume template can help you save you time and effort along with offer you ideas on which sections to include and the way to complete them to be able to pull in the appropriate employers. Fortunately, regardless of the odds, getting into Boston College doesn't need to be a comprehensive mystery. Perhaps you wish to the history of concussions in sports to deal with the function of sports culture in today's healthcare system. It is extremely tough to acquire into Boston college. Boston College considers many diverse components of your application before making a decision if you are going to be accepted. Where to Find Boston College Resume Writing Tips In terms of technical jargon, do not presume that the employer will understand what you are speaking about. Let's walk through three unique resumes for different sorts of post-college jobs. If you're sending a resume to a company, it needs to be a given that you're offered for an interview and you will provide references if requested. In fact, many companies still require consultants to experience an application and interview approach. Definitions of Boston College Resume Writing Tips You should have the ability to identify what profile they want to find and the way the info ought to be presented. There are plenty of websites with tips around the internet, but most bring just a small number of them. If you choose to use high school info, make certain it's really robust and appropriate content. Analyze job ads You will discover a lot of helpful info on job ads. Top Boston College Resume Writing Tips Choices Or perhaps you are, but you're competing with lots of of other exceptional men and women. There's no need to try and locate the biggest problem. Keep away from negativity Do not consist of information which may sound negative in the view of the employer. Know the purpose of your resume Some individuals write a resume as though the aim of the document was supposed to land work. The education section remains at the peak of your resume if you have lately earned a graduate or professional level. Although as a student you might have little expert experience, there are a number of other pursuits and skills that you're able to present in your student resume. As a college student, you might have gained lots of valuable skills and experience through extracurricular pursuits. Landing a fantastic internship for a college student is an excellent means to get prepared for the challenges of life after the university.