Making a Great Lasting Impression

It’s not just first impressions that count!

It comes as no secret that making a great first impression will do your career and life good on so many levels. So many business professionals get so hung up on making a good first impression and forget all about making it last. Whether you are giving a speech, going on a job interview, or delivering a presentation to your team at work, you need to plan your presence even if the crowd already knows you. Akhtaboot is here with a number of tips on how to make a lasting impression to keep yourself in line with bigger and better future opportunities.

It All Starts with the Proper Greeting

From the way you smile and remember the other person’s name to the way you shake hands and make eye contact; you should care, and it should show.  Say good morning or good bye to each of your coworkers as you walk by them, no matter how close you are to them. Although some coworkers may choose not to return the greeting, greeting coworkers properly will set a good standard for your future relationships at work.

Remember Names and Key Facts about People

Express interest in the people you meet and what they say. Remember personal details about them.  Keep track of what coworkers or clients reveal, like birthdays and the names of their family members.  Find ways to show that you remembered what they decided to reveal and try to draw on your own personal experience to show empathy. By letting people know something about you, you show them that you are an approachable person who can interact well with others.

Prove that you are Trustworthy

Although gossiping is sometimes tempting and fun to do, coworkers shy away from gossips as they never know when they’ll become their hot new topic in the future. If you treat private information with respect and only share it in absolute confidence and in a professional way, the more likely it is that people will trust you with confidential information. Make sure you only share information when you are certain that it won’t impact negatively on you or the person who told you. The more information people give to you, the more knowledgeable you will become in your role.

Looking and Feeling Good

People notice everything about you; from the choice of colors and how your jacket fits, to your hair-do and the length of your fingernails. Dress appropriately; even on casual Thursdays. Any drastic difference from the typical dress code for your position may give the impression that you don’t fit in. Keep your energy level balanced. If you always look tired, people will make the snap assumption that you're too tired to get the job done. This does not mean that you need to become a bodybuilder. But you must be healthy enough to look alert, competent, and interested.

We all know someone we would describe as charismatic. They always make a strong first impression, show strong confidence and have a captivating presence. They know how to build and maintain good relationships with people and are never forgotten. You need to understand that people aren’t born with charisma; it is a learned skill that you can actually develop to make an ever-lasting impression wherever you go.

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Firing Employees the Right Way

The art of terminating employees the appropriate way.

No matter how we try to sugar coat it, there is no pleasant way to fire an employee. However, you can’t afford to waste your time, money and effort by keeping bad performers around. While termination is a necessary part of any business setting, there are certainly right and wrong ways to go about letting someone go. Getting it wrong might cause heartache for the both of you, or worse, you may end up in court! So how can you fire an employee with minimum damage while keeping their ego intact? Akhtaboot presents you with some useful strategies to follow when terminating an employee is the only choice you have left.

Communication

There should always be an open dialogue between you and your employees from the very start. You should outline your performance expectations and make sure that your entire team understands their job description really well. If an employee is performing poorly, don’t hesitate to bring it to his attention before it’s too late. Keep in mind that poor performers can be turned to company superstars with the right motivation tools and mentorship style. Have a clear warning system in place that gives your employees multiple chances before the final cut is made.

Treat People Fairly 

Since you are not perfect, an employee who does a mistake deserves a second chance. Find out the reason behind it and explain to him what he should have done differently to get a better outcome. Never make decisions based on your emotions rather than facts. You can't fire people based on personal clashes that has nothing to do with the actual job. It has to be about the impact on the organization, accountability and getting the job done. Your firing decisions should always be fact-based.

Be Honest and Firm

If after several warnings and second changes you decided that firing an employee is in the best of the company, remember to be honest, firm and always back up your speech with performance related facts. Get straight to the point and don’t label the employee himself, but the actions he or she has committed. Keep in mind that you should also allow the employee to vent. Listen to him, help him out and give him some useful advice. After all, he was one of your employees and you don’t want to have someone out there badmouthing your company.

Make it a Learning Experience for the Employee

Make sure that the terminated employee understands that any experience, is a learning experience. Pinpoint exactly what he did or didn’t do that led him to this point. Talk about what he can do differently in the future to improve his job. Offer to help your terminated employee with finding another job that fits his skills and strengths.

It’s a Learning Experience for YOU

The success of your company depends on its people. It all starts with hiring better! If the company’s turnover rate is high, something wrong is going on for sure. It’s either that the Human Resources department isn’t doing a good job, employees are not well informed about what is expected of them, or you are just not hiring the right people in the right positions! Successful recruitment is never an easy task; you should have a clear idea of what you need exactly in an employee and look for successful patterns that have worked in the past to guide you through. Super performers are out there, but just as in the old days, you may need to do some detective work and actively seek out the people who will turn your company from good to great.

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Keeping your Best Employees on Board

People resign for many different reasons. Top talent usually leave an organization when they’re badly managed and when they feel that the organization is confusing and uninspiring. Akhtaboot provides you with simple tips to keep in mind to help you keep your best talent on board.

1. The Employee-Manager relationship is the cornerstone in retaining top talent. In some cases, employees do not quit their job; they quit their boss as a result of having a bad relationship with him. Managers should nurture a good relationship with their subordinates to achieve high performance levels and keep them from leaving the company.

2. Many people leave their organization when they feel they are no longer learning. Whenever a top employee feels that his skills are not being used to the maximum, they will start considering other job opportunities.

3. Always give credit to the right people, treat everyone fairly - not equally - and appreciate the hard work they put in.

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Akhtaboot and MenaITech Sign a Strategic Partnership Agreement

Akhtaboot - the career network, signed a partnership agreement with MenaITech to bolster bonds of cooperation, enhance the level of services provided by either side to customers, and exchange technical expertise and logistics support in the fields of employment and human resources management.

Under the agreement, signed by Akhtaboot’s CEO and Co-founder, Eng. Yousef Shamoun, and MenaITech’s CEO and Co-founder, Dr. Bashar Hawamdeh, MenaITech, the regional company specialized in building and deploying human resources applications, Akhtaboot’s revolutionary Connect Career service will be added to its long list of integrated services.

Powered by Akhtaboot, the Career Connect service provides companies with a fully integrated and branded Careers section, as well as the ability to post unlimited job openings and receive job applications directly onto their Careers section on their own website.

In his comment, Eng. Shamoun said: “We are pleased to enter into a strategic partnership with MenaITech, the pioneering company in human resources applications and services. This agreement is expected to enrich our service offerings and provide us with the added value of delivering a full package to our clients who are looking to streamline their recruitment process on all levels.”

On his part, Dr. Hawamdeh welcomed the signing of the agreement, saying: “We are glad to supply Akhtaboot’s clients with our wide range of value-added services.  Akhtaboot.com is one of the largest career websites that enjoys wide success at the regional and international levels. We welcome the launch of Akhtaboot’s Career Connect service which exceeds the traditional process of posting vacancies and serves as a novel hiring platform whose components can be customized to suit every company’s needs.”

“MenaITech’s vision goes in line with Akhtaboot’s ongoing efforts to integrate value-added human resources services with online recruitment processes to help public and private sector companies find the qualified candidates for their vacancies,” Dr. Hawamdeh added. 

It is worth mentioning that MenaITech’s services are not limited to a company’s HR functions including training and employment, but extend to cover the needs of administrative and financial departments as well. In this respect, MenaITech has developed a complete package of applications, namely: the human resources information management system, payroll and personnel solution, the employee and manager self service solution, the employee 360 degree feedback evaluation software, the comprehensive HR consolidation and analysis module, in addition to the revolutionary cell phone notification service.

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How to Get Fired

Most of us usually start our careers with the best of intentions, planning to do all we can in order to succeed. With that being said, many employees engage in bad professional practices that can lead them to the way out. Doing the below is a guarantee that you’ll be back to chilling on your couch in no time!   

1. Taking the hate you have for your boss public – Never blast your boss on a social network, especially when he/she is your Facebook friend!

2. Arriving late to work – Punctuality is a very important characteristic one must have. Arriving late to work and leaving early on a daily basis is unacceptable.

3. Making many personal phone calls during work – You might think it’s okay to make a couple of personal phone calls while working; well it is, but don’t overdo it.

4. Not going beyond your job description – Get rid of the "it’s not my job" attitude. Having this mentality will never get you anywhere; it will only make you look average.

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Traits of Truly Inspiring Leaders

To be the person everyone looks up to, you have to have some traits that inspire employees and colleagues to achieve more than they ever thought possible. Akhtaboot provides a number of traits of truly exceptional leaders.

1. They have a sense of purpose: Inspiring leaders believe that success serves a higher purpose. When asked what motivates them, they talk about making other people successful.

2. Giving back: They usually have a sense of obligation to "give back". Their long-term plans usually include being involved in a charitable cause.

3. Beliefs & values: They treasure their beliefs. They don't wear their values on their sleeves, but they act upon it.

4. They are energetic: Real leaders have an uplifting personality. You would kill just to work with one of them.

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Toxic Beliefs That Can Ruin Your Career

There are a number of work-related beliefs that can actually give your career path a hard time. People who hold on to such toxic beliefs tend to have low self-esteem, lack of confidence and are less likely to succeed on the job. Akhtaboot is here to revel a number of negative beliefs that you need to avoid in order to shine.

1. My self-worth is based on what others think of me – Some employees determine their self-worth based on what their boss, co-workers, relatives and friends think of them. When they are convinced that others think poorly of them they instantly lose confidence in themselves. Don't let others opinions get to you, especially when they're not based on solid arguments.

2. Playing it safe - Upon experiencing a series of setbacks, some employees assume that their goals are not achievable and that they will never make it past their mistakes. Over time, they become discouraged and start avoiding situations where failure is a risk. Keep in mind that if you don't make any mistakes, you are no longer learning.

3. I have to do all the work myself - People who seek perfection, must learn how to delegate some tasks to their subordinates. At the end, you cannot do all the work yourself and you’ll miss out on new opportunities that will help you advance.

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