Getting Mad at Work the Right Way!

Because the choice is yours!

From disagreements with coworkers, stress over a tight deadline, to your boss getting on your last nerve; it’s an inevitable fact that every once in a while you will get angry at work. When it comes to your personal life, your response to similar situations might be to start shouting, or to complain out loud about it, but at work, acting this way can harm your professional image, as well as your relationship with others. While anger is a completely natural emotion, we can't just lash out at every person or object that irritates or annoys us at work. Akhtaboot is here with a number of tips to help you better understand and cope with anger in the workplace.

Get to Know What Triggers your Anger

Keep track of what pushes your buttons at work and make a conscious choice on how you’re going to react in the future when presented with similar circumstances. If notice a pattern in the type of situations you walk yourself into, acknowledge that you might need to work on sharpening your social intelligence. Never act upon your feelings in an irrational way.

Don't Play the Blame Game

Own up to your anger. Be responsible for your reactions and for openly expressing them. Once you do, you can look for ways to control it in a constructive way. If you feel that you crossed the line when expressing your anger, apologize. Your apology shows that your relationship with the other person is more important to you than being right.

Criticize “Actions” Rather than “People”

While it might be hard to isolate your personal feelings in the spur of the moment, you need to learn how to avoid making judgments or fixing blame on individuals rather than actions. Hostile statements such as "you are wrong" can definitely elevate the situation to another level of conflict. When expressing your feelings towards the situation, define the actions that led to it and try to suggest some solutions. Keep in mind that today's problem is tomorrows learning experience.

Ask Questions

Get to the bottom of what triggered your anger. Ask if the other person meant to treat you disrespectfully, and if so, make it clear that you won’t tolerate such behaviors. Don’t make up your own assumptions about motives. Ask for an explanation and listen more than you talk. Consider the possibility that you might be wrong, or that you and your opponent may both be right.

Seek a Mediator

There are certain times when all involved parties get so overwhelmed with anger that outside help may be needed to resolve the issue. Having a third opinion from a trusted mediator provides neutrality when you need it most. Set up a private meeting to give all involved parties an opportunity to share sensitive information with the attendance of a third party who can add value to coming up with a solution.

Your ability to resolve conflict and manage difficult situations is critical to your job satisfaction, career success and to the organization's productivity. Always remember; venting your anger is one thing, but taking it out on a coworker in a rude manner is another. Learning how to tame your anger and redirect it in a constructive way will help you earn the respect, treatment, and attention that you want and deserve from everyone.

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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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Keep your Workplace Clean!

Most offices have a janitor, but it takes a little effort by everyone to keep the workplace looking good. For most people, organized and clean desks mean a higher degree of concentration, higher productivity and a more professional look to both employees and clients as well. Here are a number of helpful ways to have a more pleasant and spotless workspace.

1. Pick up all the stuff you leave behind you and organise your work station on weekly basis. A few seconds of your time keeps the workplace more pleasant for everyone.

2. At the end of your lunch break, put all the trash in the waste container, don’t leave dishes lying on the table and clean the crumbs when you’re done.

3. Don't leave the toilet room dirty when you're done. A quick swipe of the paper towel across the counter makes the restroom nicer for the next person.

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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 a work-related mistake; 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 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 management 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 make your company great.

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Learn How to Manage Job Stress

The ability to manage stress in the workplace can not only improve your physical and emotional health, it can also make the difference between success and failure on the job. Being stressed can have a great impact on the quality of your interactions with your colleagues, boss, family and friends. The better you are at managing your own stress level, the more you'll be able to positively affect those around you:

1. Take responsibility for improving your physical and emotional well-being.

2. Avoid people with negative attitudes. Surround yourself with people who are enthusiastic and hard workers.

3. Revive the great lost art of conversation; improve your communication skills to enhance your relationship with your coworkers and boss.

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Working Smart

Stepping on the fine line between hard work and smart work!

“Working Smart, not Hard” is a popular get-rich-quick concept among workers in today’s business world. Although there is a great difference between working hard and working smart, most of the time employees mistake “smart work” for only doing the bare minimum while getting a fat paycheck at the end of each month. This is not actually the case for nothing can be achieved without hard work. However, there are some strategies that can be employed to help you work smarter by reducing the amount of energy you put on to accomplish each task. Akhtaboot reveals 6 techniques that can help you achieve more with half the time.

Focus on Important Tasks First

Have you ever felt like you spend a lot of time being torn between multiple tasks, but at the end of the day you don’t feel like you’ve really accomplished anything significant? When it comes to working smart you need to focus on completing the most important tasks with the greatest impact on your career and company goals. An excellent way to find out your key tasks is to narrow down your three most important items for the day by asking yourself: “If I could only do three things today, what would I feel the most fulfilled in doing?” Understand your working habits and what tasks take you the longest time to complete and do the most tedious on the times you are most productive.

Shortcuts are Allowed

We all perform dozens of similar actions every day. But what really makes smart employees different is that they always try to optimize work processes to get things done faster and more efficiently every day. Taking shortcuts doesn’t necessarily mean that your work will become less valuable or complete, it means, analyzing the flow needed to accomplish tasks and then understanding if that whole process is necessary. Try to come up with smart ways to complete the same assignments with the same outcome, but in a more resourceful ways.

Dare to Delegate

It goes without saying that we only have 24 hours a day; so our valuable time should be used in places where we can make the most impact. For the lower impact tasks that needs to get done such as administrative work, make sure that it’s delegated to someone else. If you are a business owner, study the aspects of your work such as accounting and design that can be outsourced to others. Smart employees know that there's no need for them to learn and get hands-on on every single thing, especially if it's not related to the core of their job. Being a perfectionist sometimes prevents you from achieving more. Let go of the perfectionist mindset and stop obsessing about the minor details and specifics of the tasks delegated to others.

Keep your Losses to a Minimum

Everyone hates to fail but what most people don’t realize is that failing is an essential part of success. Working smart is all about learning from your bad moves and overcoming them. Don’t invest your time and your resources into a lost cause, there’s no point. Do what you can to salvage the situation and understand what went wrong and why, and then move on. Make sure that you don’t repeat the same mistake twice in the future.

Stay Ahead of the Learning Curve

Working smart is all about your ability to see the big picture. You need to constantly work on your skills and knowledge if you want to position yourself as an indispensible part of the company. Don’t narrow your scope as you need to be able to adapt and evolve with the times. Keep in mind that companies no longer focus on the number of working hours spent on the job but on how flexible and adaptable employees are.

Stop Feeling Guilty About Time-Off

Many employees choose not to take time off due to too many responsibilities or stress at work. While some simply claim that they do not have the time and resources to plan a holiday, smart workers understand that a tired person can’t do meaningful work. Asking for a vacation can be done the smart way too. Plan your holidays during the slowest season is one example of this. Another suggestion is to plan for how your most critical tasks will be covered before you leave with the help of your colleagues.

For some reason people seem to think that they have to be miserable for the first few years of their working lives in order to get anywhere on the professional level. Lots of younger people have this notion that if they work hard, everything will be fine and fall into place for them. This is the wrong way to go about trying to succeed. In this day and age it’s not about the experience you have but your ability to learn and apply what you have learnt that makes you most valuable.

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What Employers Don’t Want to Hear!

The top 5 things not to say during a job interview

Job interviews are not a mystery or a horror as one might think. Despite the anxiety, formality, and inevitable nervousness a job interview can bring, it can actually be both an enjoyable and informative experience. In fact, with a killer CV in check, practice and preparation, you can easily ace any job interview you are confronted with.
A job interview is your chance to impress and put light on your professional achievements so make sure you are as prepared as you possibly can be to grab the opportunity with both hands and leave nothing to chance. The more you practice the art of interviewing, the more familiar you will become with the variety of questions and scenarios that you may be faced with.

Most job seekers know the ABC of a good job interview; dress the part, sit up straight, be confident, ask questions about the job...etc. But have they thought of what not to say? Although there are many things you should never say or ask during a job interview, most of us have said something that we’ve regretted as soon as we clamp our lips shut. You can say all the right things that can be said but with one mistake, one wrong move, you can kiss the interview goodbye. Akhtaboot presents you with 5 things you definitely should never say during an interview.

How much does the job pay?

Everyone wants as much money as they can get. Yet when it comes to job interviewing, asking the salary question can make it seem as if you are only interested in the money and not in the job itself. As a rule, wages and salaries are not to be discussed during the first interview unless the interviewer decides to open up the subject. An excellent way to handle salary negotiations during interviews is to research the range of pay in both your industry and country. Identify the qualifications required by the position you are applying for and state what you expect to get within a realistic range of the pay scale depending on how your qualifications match the company’s needs. You can also ask if they can give you a range of their pay scale for such a position and you can decide accordingly.

If you don’t mind me asking, what exactly is it you all do here?

Want to sound really unprofessional during an interview? Then this is the question to ask! Although we all understand the consequences of going to an interview unprepared, it is amazing how many job candidates still ask this question. Doing some research on the company is the least you can do to impress the interviewer. You can find some helpful information on the internet, in newspapers and the company’s annual report. Another smart thing to do during interviews is to ask questions that show you’re well prepared and excited to work at the company, not those which you should already know the answers to, or that can be easily found on the company's website.

What can your company do for me?

Interviews are all about your ability to sell yourself and what you can do for the company, not the other way around. Employers want employees who are interested in the job and the company, not just employees who are only in it for the cash.Prepare to talk about your skills and how you were an asset to your previous employer. Keep in mind that you’re the one being interviewed. While you should use this opportunity to decide whether the company is a good fit for your career, you shouldn't make it sound as if you'll be doing them a huge favor if they hire you. Keep your questions on company benefits to the second or even third interview, or wait for the interviewer to open the subject himself.

I don’t have any questions!

Employers can get a clear idea about you based on the questions you ask. Having no questions prepared sends the message that you are ill-prepared and not fully interested in the position. Come up with smart questions to ask the interviewer. There's no set number; it actually depends on what you need to know. However, it's highly unlikely that you would enter an interview without having at least three questions on your mind and prepared to articulate. You can ask to clarify anything that was discussed during the interview or you can ask about plans for new products or services. Show interest in the company and in the position!

I don't have any weaknesses!

The weaknesses topic is definitely one of the most feared questions to be asked during an interview. In most interviews, interviewers will ask you about your strengths and weaknesses to get a sense of the real you. They understand the fact that you are not going to totally reveal your flaws, but they do want to get a sense that they are talking to a genuine person. The key to answering the weaknesses question is to provide a weakness, and explain how you are planning on overcoming it. The smartest way to handle this topic is to be authentic!

Since no two interviews are the same, it is often not easy to be totally prepared for what to expect. However, even without knowing what questions you will be asked, you can focus on your presentation skills to make sure they are consistently sharpened before you go on a job interview. By practicing and developing your communication skills, you can gain an advantage on your competition and help avoid these common interview mistakes.

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You’re Fired!

Akhtaboot presents 5 Hidden Reasons for Getting Fired!

Most people get paid just enough money not to quit and work just hard enough not to get fired, yet, there are a number of hidden reasons that you might not be aware of that can lead to your dismissal. Although there are plenty of legitimate reasons to fire someone, many of which vary by the company culture and employer expectations. All in all managers have no right to fire employees unless they have a valid reason for doing so. Most of the employees who have quit their jobs think that they have left the company by choice, but in fact it is very possible that the company was considering letting them go before they resign willingly. Management may start using simple but powerful techniques to make you hate your job and leave. Some of these techniques include favoritism, setting unreasonable deadlines to make you work overtime and using unfair reward systems. Akhtaboot presents you with 5 things you might be doing that may cause you to get fired.

Unstoppable Negative Attitude

Your management and colleagues can only cope with negative attitude for a limited time. However, your manager might start taking corrective actions once you begin poisoning your whole team or department with your unending display of negative attitude. Even if you feel you had been unfairly excluded from a supervisory position or you have not been given the raise you were promised, do not start grumbling to yourself or to your co-workers. Managers may find negative attitude a cause for dismissal when it starts affecting the operations of the company. In this situation they may release an employee with a reasonable severance payment.

Being an office Jerk

Many of today’s employees spend their working days scrambling to please and prevent outbursts from the office jerk. An occasional fit of bad behavior may be excusable, but if an employee’s abusive behavior reaches the point that it injures the other person either physically or psychologically then he may be asked to leave the firm. Do not underestimate the effect of repeated verbal insults, sarcastic jokes or name calling. The absurd actions or downright inappropriate behavior of the office jerk reduces the productivity and morale of every other employee. Most office monsters have been created due to childhood or family problems. Nonetheless, that does not give them the right to disrespect and disregard the feelings of others.

Performance Problems

Some employees are sloppy and do not exert any effort in doing a good job. Unless their attitudes change for more productive beliefs, they will most likely be fired. Employers are often reluctant to dismiss an employee over performance issues that have some potential of being solved and improved. They would usually give the poor performer several warnings and enough time to enhance his work quality. However, if the poor performer does not meet his employer’s performance standards after they have been set and communicated directly to him, the employer can establish a legitimate cause for dismissal.

Bringing Personal Issues to Work

You had an argument with your spouse in the morning, so you take it all out on a colleague. You had a fight with your boyfriend or girlfriend, so you spend most of the morning work hours talking about it and taking advices from your colleagues. You have money issues and you can't meet your home loan payment, so your productivity drops. As you get more stressed, it seems more dreadfully harder to keep your personal life under covers. If the complaining habit becomes obviously noticeable by your co-workers and manager and starts affecting your performance as well as the productivity of others then your manager might feel that something has to be done about it.

High Absenteeism Rate

High absenteeism rate is a vital problem that might cause a lot of troubles to the employer such as reduced revenue. It is a disease that might be easily transmitted to the rest of the team. As long as one employee feels free to go on with such a behavior, the rest of the employees would assume it is only normal to do the same. When an employee takes extended or unauthorized breaks, leaves work without the approval of his supervisor or takes a day off without permission, it means that he has reached the final stages of the disease. In this case the employer can only eliminate the source of the problem and prevent the spread of the disease to the rest of the staff by firing the employee.

Reasons why managers would fire an employee may not be crystal clear at the first glance, yet, employees do not usually get fired unless they have been warned numerous times and have been given sufficient time to adjust their behavior. Employees may not be aware of their disruptive behavior and when confronted may immediately adopt a defensive approach or even deny the whole accusation. A more productive approach is to acknowledge your shortcomings so that you can shore up those areas with the appropriate solutions and skills and show signs of improvements to both your manager and co-workers. If you can improve in these areas on the job, you should take action now. Avoid an employment gap on your resume while achieving what you desire in your career!

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The Boss from Hell: Akhtaboot presents 5 types of difficult bosses and the way to deal with each one of them!

Conflict between a boss and an employee can be both exhausting and intimidating, yet it is bound to happen in any workplace. Difficult bosses vary in personality from being somewhat controlling and aggressive to being straight up abusive. The way employees handle their difficult bosses may determine their position in the company as well as their long term career success. Akhtaboot presents to you 5 types of difficult bosses and the way to deal with each one of them.

The Control Freak

Control Freak bosses always consider themselves to be overwhelmed and burdened with the task of protecting the ungrateful world from their own mistakes. They are convinced that no one can do things the right way unless they dictate the exact steps of doing it. Their behavior is definitely annoying, yet confronting them would only make the situation even worse. They will only see your behavior as evidence that you’re not interested in doing things right. A good way to deal with a Control Freak boss would be to reassure him that you are taking your tasks seriously, and that he can count on you in handling your own responsibilities effectively and efficiently. Hand over all your deliverable on time and make sure not to miss out on every single detail.

The Absent Boss

If you rarely see your boss and most of your conversations with him are a quick chat in the hallway, then most probably you are dealing with an Absent Boss. The worst part about working with an Absent Boss is that he is rarely aware of the problems caused by his absence. Absent Bosses are rarely present when their approval is required or when a procedure is unclear and their guidance is needed. The secret to getting your boss’s attention is stressing the importance of your work and how your boss’s input is crucial to the project at hand. Once you get his attention, talk in headlines by summing up what decisions he needs to make or directions he needs to give. It might take more effort from your side to get things done, but your manager will respect you for being assertive.

The Whip-Cracker

Most Whip-Crackers are workaholics who don’t have a life and they assume that their employees don’t have a life either. They push their employees to the extreme and are never satisfied with their output. They think that employees are irresponsible slaves who wouldn’t want to work unless they are forced to do so. In order to get you’re the Whip-Cracker off your back, work hard and do not let your work go unnoticed. Demand acknowledgment by showing initiative and introducing new ideas that would benefit the firm. Show your boss that you consider yourself a partner of the firm rather than an employee who only works for a living.

The Scheming Boss

The Scheming Boss is the most dangerous type of bosses who is always planning to fire one person or another. He is highly manipulative, keeping an innocent face while setting up a trap for his prey. He tries to protect himself and his position by firing brilliant and qualified workers who might get in the way of his career success. Always be honest and act with extreme care when dealing with this type of bosses. Don’t hesitate to state your opinion about a specific situation even if it is different from your boss’s opinion, but be careful not to point out his shortcomings as it will never go unpunished!

The Busy Boss

This type of bosses is always impatient with lots of things on his mind, yet he respects all of his employees. He expects everything to be done the instant he asks for it. He may not be fully focused when talking to him and may even surprise you with a “you didn’t tell me that” the next day. When talking to this type of bosses, try to repeat important issues more than once and make sure that he has grasped it and agreed to it by asking: “so this is what we have agreed upon, right?”. Moreover, keep evidence of your communications by sending official emails about each decision taken by you or your boss.

It’s often said that people do not quit a job, they quit a boss. While it is frustrating to work with one of the above bosses, it’s quite possible to be able to manage your relationship with them so that none of you would kill the other. Always remember that your boss is someone who is highly experienced with a lot of wisdom to share on how to reach the position he is in now. Keep in mind that bosses aren’t from another planet, although sometimes they seem to be!

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Get a Life! Akhtaboot presents 5 helpful tips for achieving work-life balance!

Achieving the right balance between your work life and your personal life in today’s hectic business world is no simple task. Between work, kids, social and family commitments there is no time left for personal leisure. Nevertheless, you should remember one important thing “life is what you make it”. You have a choice to either surrender to whatever comes your way and live in chaos or you can be proactive by identifying your priorities and scheduling your activities leaving sufficient time for your personal obligations.

If you had to rate your work-life balance on a scale of 1 to 10, what score would you give it? If the chosen score was less than 5 then you have a serious problem that may lead to depression, exhaustion and maybe chronic stress. Akhtaboot presents 5 tips to help you get your work-life in balance.


Organize your Day

Give each activity in your life a fraction of your time. Get a calendar to help you organize your day by setting goals and scheduling appointments such as lunch dates, outings and even sleep hours. Most employees take work home almost every day. Technology has made us more readily accessible to those who needed to reach us urgently, but at what cost? Checking your Blackberry or laptop for work mail every 10 minutes can become one big work blur. Instead of checking your PDA every 2 minutes, stay at work for one extra hour to respond to all of your work emails. The more in control of your projects, tasks and your life as a whole, the less you need these things interrupting you from enjoying the rest of your non-work time. Always remember, work will always be there in the morning!

Learn to Say No

Have you ever felt that you can’t concentrate on the task at hand because every half an hour a coworker interrupts you asking for assistance? One of the most valuable tools for effective time management is recognizing that you don’t have to place other people’s needs before your own. Learning to say No to certain requests when there’s too much on your plate is an effective tool that you should master for better work-life balance. Always identify inquiries that simply aren’t worth your time for effective time management. This advice does not only apply to work but also to personal and social events. Next time you are invited to something, weigh the benefits and costs before saying yes to make sure you don’t compromise your own priorities.

Accept Help

Most professionals do not ask for assistance since they prefer to stay in control and figure things out themselves. Even if you have many years of experience, don’t feel ashamed to ask for help in any area where you lack sufficient knowledge. Moreover, learn to delegate when possible. That doesn’t mean to hand over all of your tasks and sit down doing nothing, but it means passing on some of your responsibilities to your subordinates. Always remember that many of your coworkers may be able to handle some of your work if you give them a chance. When it comes to life outside work, accept help from your partner, family members and friends. For example, ask one of your friends to watch your kids for a night out on the town.

Protect Your Private Time

You may probably think twice before skipping out on a business meeting, doctor’s appointment or a career-related event. Give your private time the same respect you give to your prescheduled appointments. Protect your personal time by turning off your work mobile and laptop whenever you are spending time outside the office. It is not healthy to be one click away of your boss or clients. Make it clear that they should not expect a response from you if they contact you after work hours or on weekends. Moreover, take a ten-minute break every two hours during work day to increase your productivity and efficiency.

Plan Fun & Relaxation

Fun and relaxation are definitely an essential part of leading a well-balanced life. Most of you would think that going on a vacation is not something one should plan beforehand. This is not precisely true. In today’s busy life people can’t afford to let things go unplanned as nothing will be accomplished. Figure out what you want to do while you’re vacationing, and do some research to find out just how you’re going to do that. You do not necessarily need to go abroad in order to relax; you can simply take a novel to the park and enjoy the outdoors, visit the gym or go for a long relaxing walk.

Many employees of today’s world are too busy making a living that they don’t make enough time to create room for their personal life. What you do in your life is in your own hands and finding a balance between your work activities and personal activities should not be left to chance. Work-life balance is all about setting your boundaries and communicating them clearly to everyone. Don’t be one of those who make work life itself and try to get a life of your own!

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Bullying is Not Over Yet!

Bullying is something we all hope not to have to deal with much beyond school days. Unfortunately, the bullies you tried to avoid at school will most probably grow up and follow you to the workplace. Adult bullying has become a common trend in both small and large organizations. Employees as well as managers should be able to easily distinguish between the various forms of bullying such as hostile communication, exclusion of certain employees, public humiliation, making some employees the target of particular jokes and using faulty language. In addition, employees who are being bullied should be able to handle the issue immediately; otherwise, it can result in high levels of stress, low self-esteem, lower productivity and possibly depression.

Most bullied employees simply choose to quit in order to escape the trouble and the stress, but why give bullies the victory when you can win the battle as well as preserve your job? While bullying obviously harms those directly targeted, it can also affect onlookers and ultimately lead to an unhealthy organizational culture. Akhtaboot will help you identify the main types of bullying behavior and the way to handle each one of them.

Chronic Bullying

This form of bullying is the meanest and cruelest of all as it is part of the individual’s nature and everyday behaviors. Chronic Bullies behave with an intention to harm and they have pleasure in torturing others. They usually target those who have low self-esteem levels.

How can employees survive a Chronic Bully and stop him from crossing the line? Humor is the ultimate solution. Using humor is the best way to disarm a bully. Telling a joke about yourself, will give the impression that you are not intimidated by the bully’s criticism and will help the bully let down his wall of insecurity. In general, when you make a bully feel that he’s an insider rather than the person who has to fight his way in, he becomes more approachable and easier to deal with.

Situational Bullying

This is the most common type of bullying and usually happens in specific situations such as, high stress levels at work, change, competition and conflict. In such situations, Situational bullies can turn on their colleagues through verbal abuse, intimidation and aggression. However, these acts are only temporary and tend to stop once the situational factors disappear or when they feel it is in their favor to do so. In fact, Situational Bullies can be very friendly when it comes to achieving their personal career goals.

When dealing with a Situational Bully, one of the common mistakes that you should avoid is to become defensive about the situation. Defending your actions through explaining why you did something signals weakness. Don’t argue with the bully as it will make him more hostile and will definitely blow things out of proportion. The Situational Bully tends to meet aggression with aggression. Instead, stay calm and keep the argument at a minimum. Again, the most useful piece of advice that you should follow in this regard, is to use humor to disseminate the situation.

Unaware Bullying

Some bullies might not be aware of their bullying behavior or the effects it might have on their colleagues. The Unaware Bully is someone who just happens to be in the mood for criticizing and commenting and is totally oblivious to what he is doing.

The best way to deal with Unaware Bullies is to ignore them because their bullying behavior is not intentional and most probably will not happen again. However, once the bullying behavior starts to reoccur, you must confront the bully and tackle the situation at once. A typical reaction of an Unaware Bully would be to become defensive as he might not be aware of his bullying behavior but most of them will stop and apologize.

If you have exhausted all your options and non of the above suggested solutions seemed to work, then you might be left with only one alternative and that is to communicate your problem to top management. Top managers have a huge responsibility towards keeping the work environment bully-free. They should be able to solve such situations immediately through creating a zero tolerance anti-bullying policy that details how employees should treat each other and the punishment that any employee will be subject to in case they mistreat one of their colleagues.

If your company is not supportive of making the changes that will help you feel less bullied, then maybe you should move on and find another Job. After all, if the corporate culture is one that won’t support and protect you from anti-productive bullying, do you really want to work there anyway? Well, maybe you do, for other reasons such as your compensation and the other people you work with. But if not, then it’s time you moved on. Just remember, bullies will always be there, in every industry and almost every company, so be prepared!

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Time Management: Get more done with less stress by taking control of your time

Time Management is one of those skills that you don’t learn in school or university, yet it is one of the most important skills that you must master in order to be successful in today’s competitive workplace. It doesn’t matter how many years of experience you have or how skilled you are; your inability to manage your time well enough to get your work done will definitely cause numerous difficulties and complications to both your professional and social lives and can also lead to increased stress, anxiety, frustration and other negative feelings. Nowadays, careers are made or broken on your ability to handle multiple tasks and manage your time, and no matter what type of work you do, you can definitely have a hand in making your workday more satisfying with Akhtaboot’s following time management techniques.

Remember that those techniques should do more than just help you achieve your career goals, they should help you make more time for what you really want to do, not just what you have to do.

Prioritize Tasks with Pareto’s “20/80 Principle”

Effective time managers are aware of the fact that they cannot do everything that has to be done at once. They prioritize tasks by consciously choosing to spend their time on what is most important to them. The key to effective time management is to apply the “80/20 Principle” which states that 80% of your results are produced from 20% of your efforts. This rule will help you discover the percent of your tasks that you need to focus on so as to achieve the greatest returns on your efforts with the limited amount of time that you have.

Manage Time Allocation with Parkinson’s Law

Parkinson Law states that “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. It means that the time you need to complete a certain task depends on the time you originally give yourself to get it done with. If you give yourself a tight timeline to do something, you won’t start because you implicitly know that the time frame is unrealistic. If you allocate too much time to complete the task, you won’t start either, because you secretly know that you still have a lot of time on your hands. To break this loop, you have schedule how long you would like to work on certain projects or tasks and then track your progress. This method will help increase your productivity and reduce time wasting.

Identify your Biggest Time Wasters

In order for your time management process to be effective, it is really important that you identify the biggest time wasters at your job. Time wasters usually fall under two main categories: self-generated and external time wasters. Self-generated time wasters are things that we cause ourselves and that we have total control over, such as disorganization, the inability to say No and procrastination. As for external time wasters, interruptions to your work are inevitable; from the ringing telephone, to clients passing by unannounced, to meetings that go on too long with no fruitful conclusion. Making a list of the major time wasters and arranging them in order of their impact will help you save some of your daily working hours and maximize your productivity.

Get it Right the First Time with Total Quality Management

TQM is a process whereby the need to get everything right the first time and to continually improve your production is required. Total Quality Management is not about doing more, it’s about improving the quality of the important tasks at hand. This might take a little more time in the beginning but will definitely reduce rework required to fix mistakes and will save a lot of time on the long run. Contrary to poplar belief, time management is not about doing more things in less time, but it’s about doing the right things better. Keep in mind that the more you bite off, the longer you have to chew.

Taking Control of Technology

The internet is definitely one of the top addictive time wasters in today’s corporate world; it can actually consume a whole working day before you even notice. Your email, for example, has grown into a serious time drainer with your inbox getting out of control throughout the day. But just because someone can contact you instantly, it does not mean that you have to reply immediately. Unless your job demands that, do not respond to your emails immediately, instead, assign a few times a day to check it and respond and don’t look at it otherwise.

Everyone who works wishes there were more hours in the day so that they could do their job right. While time management is a not a new term, most people are really bad at making the most of their time at work. In the quest for success, however, wasting days, hours or even minutes is bad for your career, so why not cut to the chase and get rid of the factors and behaviors that are, in fact, wasting your time.

Whether you feel overwhelmed by your workload or you just want to find an extra few minutes in the day, one fact will always remain the same: we all have the same 24 hours and you really can’t manage that time, but you can manage yourself better. If you don’t, time will do a pretty good job of managing you!

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Stress Busting Tactics for any Workplace

Stress and chronic stress are quite possibly two of the biggest obstacles to achieving success in the workplace. It is actually a very real issue that can lead to a range of physical, emotional and behavioral problems such as irritability, poor concentration, fatigue, trouble sleeping, anxiety, back pain and high blood pressure. It goes without saying that the level of stress associated with each career varies, which is why there is an ever-growing importance to knowing how to cope with your stress and manage it effectively. In some cases however, stress is not always counter-productive; it can be helpful in providing motivation that allows you to work with a sense of urgency and purpose. The key is learning how to draw the line between stress that is beneficial and stress that is harmful. For some, that line fades more and more with time, which is why everyone needs to learn about stress management.

We all have our breaking points. Here are some helpful tips on how to control your emotions and thoughts to avoid reaching your breaking points in the workplace:

Identify your Stress Factors

The first step to solving any problem is identifying the source(s) of that problem. Through targeting the causes of your stress, you are able to ponder different ways of dealing with each problem individually and ultimately come up with a tailored set of solutions. Common causes of stress in the workplace are lack of time and excessive workloads, followed by poor interpersonal relations and the risk of accident or injury. Depending on your situation, stress can also be caused by a host of other factors such as adapting to change, fear of lay-offs and office politics. Once you have identified your stress factors, you are well on your way to finding their respective solutions.

Don’t Forget to Breathe

When you find yourself beginning to panic while working towards an unrealistic deadline, or suddenly feel overwhelmed by an ever-expanding workload, take a moment to yourself, forget all your worries and just focus on your breathing. Most people underestimate the power of controlled breathing and although it may sound silly since breathing is an automatic reflex, controlling your breathing will not only control your heart rate and most symptoms of stress but it can revolutionize how you feel and perform at any time.

Make a Long-Term To-Do List

Making a weekly or monthly to-do list will surely help you organize yourself and combat short-term stress at work, but what about the following week, or month, or the following 10 months? Think about all the small, incremental things you can do to build career success over the course of a year, or five years. Expand your social network by inviting someone in your field to lunch every so often, learn another language or acquire a new skill, put in some overtime helping your employer contemplate solutions to a tricky business problem. Making this list and eventually crossing things off will help you feel like you are going somewhere, bringing about a sense of accomplishment which has proven to be a potent stress reliever.

Get Fit and Be Healthy

Your choice of lifestyle is directly related to your ability to cope with stress at work. Are you finding yourself too tired to deal with queries or problems? Does your tiredness make you irritable and short-tempered? If you are not getting your dose of fresh air and exercise, then not only will your body suffer but it will also reflect poorly on your work. Exercising regularly reduces tension, helps you sleep better and boosts your energy. Start simple by going for a walk during your lunch break, or taking regular stretch breaks to reduce neck and shoulder tension. Always remember, what’s good for the body is good for the mind.

Talk to Your Employer

If all else fails and you find these stress relieving tactics to be unsuccessful, then try talking to your employer. If you are dealing with a stressful workplace situation, ask for help to improve it, or if you find that a colleague is behaving inappropriately towards you, talk to your boss, supervisor or Human-Resources department about actions you can take. If you feel intimidated, just remember that your boss will help you deal with your problem in a professional manner when approached professionally.

When stress in the workplace reaches such a high level that it carries over to your personal life in a negative way, this requires you to take action and start managing it properly for the long-term so that it doesn’t spiral further out of control. On the other hand, if you discover that the main source of your stress is your career itself, then perhaps it’s time you considered changing career paths. This can be a risky and somewhat scary step to take, but Akhtaboot is here to help!

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How to Answer the Top 5 Most Feared Interview Questions?

Going into an interview is often described as one of the most nerve wrecking situations people have to face; that is because they are worried that they will be negatively evaluated or perceived by the interviewer.

From the second you enter the company’s building to the time you are back outside, you are being observed. That’s why preparation can definitely help you turn your interview into a great opportunity to convince prospective employers about the tremendous value you will add to their organization.

When it comes to preparation, not only should you research the vacancy, the company and the industry, but you should also try to anticipate questions that tend to come up during almost every job interview. The bad news here is that these questions are not easy to answer since there is no “best” way of answering and every employer expects different answers. The good news is that because these questions are so frequent, you can prepare for them well in advance in order to be able to give the perfect answer without breaking a sweat.

Akhtaboot will help tip the scales in your favor, with hints on how to answer the top 5 trickiest interview questions!

Question #1: Tell me about yourself and your work experience?

As general as this question might seem to be, people often find it hard to summarize their entire working life in just a couple of minutes. Make sure that you start with the present and explain why you are truly qualified for the position. If you are a recent graduate, you can start by talking about the projects that you have worked on during college and how your participation was critical to the project’s success, but for those with many years of experience, it is advisable to highlight the projects and skills that are in line with the position you are applying for. Keep in mind that the way you answer this question, says a lot about your communication skills.

Question #2: Why do you want to leave your present company?

The most frequent answers to this question include: “Better Opportunity” and “Career Development”. Both answers are totally acceptable, but somehow, too common. Giving your answers some identity will make you stand out from every other applicant and will definitely help you shine. Regardless of whether you resigned willingly or you got fired, you should never badmouth a former employer. As good as it may feel to do so; it will always come across as a red flag when you’re being interviewed. Remember that all employers are looking for loyal employees, so make sure that you sound like one!

Question #3: Where do you see yourself in five years?

When it come to this question, it’s doesn’t matter what you say, it’s how you say it. Job seekers often think there’s a correct answer to this question. Instead, this question is usually asked in order to get a sense of your overall career goals and aspirations and to see if you may fit well with their organizational culture. Try to think about the big picture; what are your goals? What do you want out of your career? Even if you still have no clue what it is you want to do, you will probably have an idea of the type of working environment you prefer. Try to summarize these thoughts and turn them into a great answer to this question.

Question #4: What do you think are your weaknesses?

While most of us would talk for about an hour answering the “what are your strengths?” question, many find it hard to answer the opposite question, “what are your weaknesses?”. The smartest way to deal with this question is to try and turn your weaknesses into strengths. For example, you can say that you tend to be very hard on yourself when you make a mistake. This seems to be an honest confession of a true weakness, but it will actually be taken as a good thing to your interviewer. The last thing you want is to appear like a big head admitting that you have no flaws whatsoever.

Question #5: What are your salary expectations?

When it comes to salary expectations, stay away from discussing salary details before receiving a job offer, especially if you are new to the job market. Let the interviewer know that you will be open to discussing a fair compensation when the time comes. If you were cornered to provide a more specific answer, always give a range instead of one fixed number. As funny as this might sound, the first one to state a specific number loses, so make sure it is not you!

When it comes to interviews you must really understand that interviewers are not your friends and neither should you treat them as such. While telling the truth might seem like a good idea at first, choosing to reveal everything could possibly ruin any chance you have for a second interview.

Remember that the worst thing you can possibly do is to go through the whole interview focusing on your negative points. Be proud of your experiences, skills and personality and use the interview as an opportunity to show them off. Remember that the key to all successful interviewing is to match your qualifications to what the interviewer is looking for. In other words you must sell what the bargain hunter is looking for!

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So You Got Fired, Now What?

Getting fired is definitely not an ideal situation for a career oriented person like yourself, but it is certainly something that you can survive if handled properly. You might feel anger and hatred towards your boss or you might even feel like cursing out your boss. As much as this might sound appealing at the spur of the moment, you need to handle the situation in a completely different way. It’s totally understandable if this is hard to accept and maybe you feel rejected at the moment, but it will certainly get easier over time. You need to understand the reality of this situation; people lose their jobs for many different reasons; while some of these reasons are within your control such as poor attendance, lack of productivity or being unable to get along with your coworkers, others have nothing to do with your performance. Whatever the case may be, the end result is the same. Here are a number of helpful tips that will help you dust yourself and get back on your feet.

Thank Your Boss

Weird as this may sound, you need to thank your boss for hiring you in the first place. You need to say this in the most sincere way possible. Sit down with your boss and go over the things that led to you being fired. Doing so will definitely help you avoid doing the same mistakes all over again. Remember that there might come a time in the future when this person will be in a position to recommend you for another job. Try to know in advance what your former boss will say about your termination. Doing so will help you address the issue in interviews as a “teachable moment”.

The CV Dilemma

There is no requirement that says that you have to have a reason for quitting your job on your CV, but in this case, there might be a time gap you have to explain. All you have to mention is the period of employment, a brief job description, and the name of the company that employed you. Leave the discussion of why you got fired for the interview and take time in advance to prepare what you will say if asked. Remember that your CV should only reflect your competencies and what you did well throughout your career, and since there are no rules that require you to write the reasons for leaving your last employment; it is usually understood that you left for a better opportunity.

The Interview

It is best to be frank and honest in explaining the reasons for your dismissal during the interview, so it is advisable to be prepared beforehand. Lying about your past job history or badmouthing your previous employer will only make you sound like a bitter ex-employee who is still unable to move on. Taking accountability demonstrates maturity and professionalism that the interviewer is looking for in a potential employee. As much as you try to hide the fact that you’ve been dismissed, it is likely that it will be discovered in a reference check. While some companies do not go into details on why you left your previous job, others do have a column asking “reasons for leaving previous job”. When faced with the direct question, do not lie about it, just tell the truth.

Get Back into the Job Market

Whatever the reason that led to you being fired might be, you must adopt a positive attitude towards your job search. If you loved your last position and the industry you worked in, then you can move on within the same field. But if you weren’t happy, now is the time to consider a career change. Akhtaboot, The Career Network, is certainly one of the easiest online job-search tools available and it will definitely help you a great deal in choosing the most appropriate position and in giving you valuable advice and hints for a successful career. Once you’ve completed your profile, you can start applying to any and all jobs you like on Akhtaboot.

You must know someone in the company you work for who thinks that they are doing a fantastic job, when in fact they actually aren’t. That someone might actually be YOU. Being fired might seem like a catastrophe at first, but it can open up the door for unlimited professional possibilities and can actually increase your job prospects. Maybe you were just waiting for a good reason to start looking around for a better paying job with a more comfortable working environment. If your former company didn’t appreciate your qualifications then other companies will, just change your status to “Looking for Job” and become an active job seeker on www.akhtaboot.com.

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