No Bull Business Blog

10 most outrageous lies on resumes

Only 8% of employees admit to stretching the truth on their resumes, but 49% of hiring managers say they’ve caught job applicants lying on their resumes, says a CareerBuilder.com survey.

The most common lies included:

• Embellished responsibilities – 38%
• Skill set -18%
• Dates of employment -12%
• Academic degree -105
• Companies worked for – 7%
• Job title 15%

But some folks make incredible claims: Here are some of the most outrageous:

1. Claimed to be a member of the Kennedy family
2. Invented a school that did not exist
3. Submitted a resume with someone else's photo inserted into the document
4. Claimed to be a member of Mensa
5. Claimed to have worked for the hiring manager before, but never had
6. Claimed to be the CEO of a company when the candidate was an hourly employee
7. Listed military experience dating back to before he was born
8. Included samples of work, which the interviewer actually did
9. Claimed to be Hispanic when he was 100 percent Caucasian
10. Claimed to have been a professional baseball player

DIGGING DEEPER
Spotting bad hires before they're on the payroll saves you a lot of angst and money. Get help with this Executive Report: Why Stupid People Get Hired - And What You Can Do To Avoid This.

No Bull Quote

"Don't find fault, find a remedy."
- Henry Ford

10 dumbest excuses for being late

One in four workers admits to making up excuses for arriving late.

More than 32% blame traffic and another 17% blame it on falling back asleep, says a CareerBuilder survey.

Most of us would probably buy those answers, but the 10 below are a bit beyond belief:

1. While rowing across the river to work, I got lost in the fog.
2. Someone stole all my daffodils.
3. I had to go audition for American Idol.
4. My ex-husband stole my car so I couldn't drive to work.
5. My route to work was shut down by a Presidential motorcade.
6. I wasn't thinking and accidentally went to my old job.
7. I was indicted for securities fraud this morning.
8. The line was too long at Starbucks.
9. I was trying to get my gun back from the police.
10. I didn't have money for gas because all of the pawn shops were closed.

DIGGING DEEPER
Spotting bad hires before they're on the payroll saves you a lot of angst and money. Get help with this Executive Report: Why Stupid People Get Hired - And What You Can Do To Avoid This.

You can teach a bear to dance, but it will always dance like a bear

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Why Good People Jump Ship - and What You Can Do to Stop Them. 

Perhaps more than any other aspect, trait or quality, employee retention hinges on a good job fit.

Remember: You can teach a bear to dance, but it will always dance like a bear.

Consider this real-life example: A small, bottled-water company in the mid-Atlantic region was trying to grow. It had some early success using some of its delivery drivers as salespeople to drum up new business at grocery stores and other retail outlets the drivers were already familiar with.

Then the company tried to expand the sales effort by including all drivers. The company offered significant training and a handsome sales commission package. Yet managers were stumped as to why more of the drivers weren’t able to succeed in their new roles as salespeople.

Was it a poor fit? It’s a fair question to ask.

When fitting an employee to the job, the first question to ask is: What is the benchmark? What does it take to be a top performer in this position? Then: Which of these characteristics does the employee already have and which does he/she need training on?

It’s all about fitting a square peg into a square hole. But because managers are dealing with people and ever-changing work roles, it’s not quite as simple.

A clear job description is essential. So is gaining feedback from the employee on his or her strengths and weaknesses, then playing to the strengths first. That builds early success and sets the stage for future success.

Another question to ask: Is the job description realistic?

DIGGING DEEPER
Keeping good people isn't an accident. It takes good managers who know how to create an environment that employees see challenging. For more help, check out the Executive Report: Why Good People Jump Ship - and What You Can Do to Stop Them.

Workplace safety: Think globally

You’ve probably heard this plenty of times: Workplace safety saves money by lowering costs associated with employee injuries, such as workers’ compensation claims

Of course, saving money is great. But there’s another reason U.S. companies should pay attention to worker injury rates: Competition.

Whether a company’s competition is down the road, across the country or, in the global economy, half a world away, cutting workers’ comp and medical insurance costs will help businesses compete successfully.

Edwin Foulke and Dr. John Howard, Directors respectively of OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety (NIOSH) both said during the American Society of Safety Engineers’ Safety 2008 conference that as companies look to cut costs by moving operations overseas, upper management can help keep jobs in the U.S. by saving money on safety.

Foulke said saving money through safety can help U.S. companies stay tops in productivity, efficiency and quality.

Info: www.aven.com/conf.cfm/cid/1057 for audio of ASSE’s Safety 2008 sessions.

DIGGING DEEPER
Safety training is often repetitive, which makes it boring for some workers. To make training interesting (and to get it to stick), look at the Executive Report: Safety Training Ideas Worth Stealing.

26 phrases you should never use in writing

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Business Writing: A Guide to Clear, Concise and Effective Writing

 

Certain phrases are part of the business world - but that doesn’t mean they’re the best choices. You can easily improve your writing and more effectively communicate by using more direct terms and phrases. Here are some examples of wordy phrases and what to use instead:

 

Instead of:                                                            Use:

At this point in time                                               Now

Come to the conclusion                                         Conclude

Despite the fact that                                              Although

Exhibits a tendency to                                           Tends

I am of the opinion                                                 I think

In the amount of                                                    for

Is indicative of                                                       indicates

It is incumbent on me                                            I must

Make a decision to                                                Decide

On the grounds that                                              Since

Perform an analysis of                                           Analyze

Pertaining to                                                         About

Prior to that time                                                   Before

Provide information about                                       Inform

Reached an agreement                                          Agreed

Subsequent to                                                      After

Take under advisement                                          Consider

The committee made an agreement                        We decided

The question as to whether                                    Whether

To summarize the above                                        In summary

Under no circumstances                                        Never

We deem it advisable                                            I suggest

With a view to                                                       To

With regard to                                                       About

With this in mind                                                   Therefore

You will find attached                                            Here is

DIGGING DEEPER
Writing clearly and concisely is key to being successful in business. This writing guide can help: Business Writing: A Guide to Clear, Concise and Effective Writing.

OSHA: We’re getting better at inspections

When OSHA takes a look in the mirror, it sees an agency that’s getting better at inspections.

That was a major theme in a presentation from OSHA’s Enforcement Program Director, Richard Fairfax, at ASSE’s Safety 2008 conference in Las Vegas.

What’s he mean by better? Fairfax says the agency is hitting more of the worst offenders than ever.

So far in fiscal year 2008 (that started Oct. 1, 2007), 59% of OSHA’s inspections have been “targeted.” That means they’ve been at companies with higher than industry average injuries or at facilities targeted under local emphasis programs.

Only 41% of inspections are now because of complaints or accidents that cause injuries or fatalities.
The number of companies found in compliance after inspections has dropped from 26% in 2007 to 22% this year.

OSHA says that’s a good thing because it wants its inspections to uncover problems.

The federal safety agency is on target to match the number of inspections last year – a bit above 39,000. It’s also on track to issue citations for about 88,000 violations.

Of those violations, 76% are categorized as serious, which bring higher penalties. That’s the same as last year.

OSHA has found only 21% of whistleblower reports to have merit.

Hazard communication is still the most cited violation.

DIGGING DEEPER
A safe workplace requires that frontline managers lead the way. How do you do that? Check out the Executive Report: Turn Good Supervisors into Great Safety Leaders.

The secret to better business writing - revision

Excerpted from the Executive Report: Business Writing: A Guide to Clear, Concise and Effective Writing.

Successful business writing is all about revision. A first draft only requires you to put down your thoughts on paper or a computer screen. But the fine-tuning of your document occurs when you revise what you’ve written. This might sound like a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be. Follow the steps outlined here for successfully revising your document: 

Step into the reader’s shoes. Read over your letter from the reader’s point of view. Is it easy to locate the main message – or is it getting lost in a lot of “throat clearing?” Is the main message near the beginning of the letter – or does the reader have to wade through three or more paragraphs before learning what the letter is about?

Analyze your language. If you’re unsure how your language will sound to the reader, read the letter out loud. Is it chatty? Academic? Bureaucratic? Are some of the words – or sentences – open to other interpretations? If the letter doesn’t flow smoothly when you read it out loud, you’ll want to make some changes.

Look for sequence. As you read over the letter, check to see that your ideas follow each other in a natural sequence. The ideas you express in the letter should flow seamlessly from paragraph to paragraph.
Take a close look. Once you’re sure the content of your letter reads exactly the way you want it, look it over carefully for any mistakes. Your credibility depends on the spelling and grammar being error-free. Go ahead and use spell check – but don’t rely on it. Spell check can only tell you whether you’ve used the right part of speech. It can’t pick up mistakes such as ‘bare’ for ‘bear.’ 

Check the format. Successful letters that encourage the reader to take action are visually easy on the eyes. That means: Make use of white space. Keep paragraphs short and use italics, bold and underline when you can. Check that your bullets (if used) are lined up properly. Make sure your font is easy to read and when you print out the letter, check that the ink is clear and dark.

DIGGING DEEPER
Writing clearly and concisely is key to be successful in business. This writing guide can help: Business Writing: A Guide to Clear, Concise and Effective Writing.

Crazy but true: Zappos pays employees to quit

Should you pay employees to quit? That’s the provocative question from a new article that's rocketing around the Web about Zappos.com, the online shoe company with soaring sales.

Zappos is so serious about its commitment to amazing customers that it “bribes” new employees $1,000 to quit after a week, reports Harvard Business Review.

By offering them a leaving bonus plus their first week’s salary, Zappos weeds out reps and employees who aren’t committed to its fanatical belief in great service. Chances are, employees who refuse the $1,000 love Zappos.

The big idea: The online shoe company knows customers don’t engage with companies. They engage with people.

A fanatical belief in great service

It realizes customer service is even more important online than offline.

Here are some of the other things Zappos does differently:

• Puts its telephone number on every page of its Web site. The message: “We want to talk to you.”
• Rejects scripts. Unlike many other companies, Zappos’ reps don’t have scripts or time limits on their calls. These reps are given the power to do whatever it takes to make customers happy enough that they’ll buy again.
• Encourages employees to use social networking tools like Twitter, MySpace, etc.
• Offers free delivery both ways. Got something you didn’t like? No problem: Zappos picks up the tab on return shipping. That minimizes the risk of buying sight unseen from an online company.

You can read more at  “Why Zappos Pays New Employees to Quit – And You Should Too.”

Posted by Julie Power, editor, Internet Marketing Report www.pbp.com/imr.asp and www.eIMR.blogspot.com

Dealing with the difficult boss

Excerpted from the executive report: Stopping Difficult People from Sucking the Life Out of Your Organization

It won’t always be an underling whose behavior you’re trying to change. In real life, the people who manage us can be difficult, too. If handled with tact, these techniques can be used successfully to address problematic behavior with superiors.

Your approach, how a problem is presented, becomes especially important and can have a big impact on success. A positive approach is almost always the way to go.

Let’s say you have a manager who is throwing you assignments at the last minute and leaving you in the lurch. If it happens all the time, it’s a problem. Your performance will eventually suffer because of it.

Be positive and firm: “Jim, when I get an assignment at the last minute it really puts me in a situation where I have to give up something else or I can’t do as good of a job as I normally would do. Is there some way we can work this out that I can sort of anticipate better when these kinds of assignments are coming?”

Remember, what you’re saying in reverse is: “Hey Jim, you’re an awful planner. Do you know that?” So of course, approach these with caution.

Sometimes the nature of your business won’t allow for better planning, for instance if you work for an emergency ambulance service. But at least, having had the discussion, everyone’s on the same page and there is a better understanding as to why assignments arise at the last minute.

Remember, you can’t fix everything. If you’ve thoroughly examined your own situation and you’ve come to the conclusion that your manager is just a jerk, that’s a lot more difficult. Your first question should be: Is the behavior really causing me a problem?

If it is, then you may be at the point where you have to either ask for a change of assignment or decide maybe this is not where you want to be.

DIGGING DEEPER
Whether it is a superior or a subordinate, dealing with difficult people takes a lot of you - and hurts morale and productivity. This Executive Report can help: Stopping Difficult People from Sucking the Life Out of Your Organization.

10 Mistakes Rookie Managers Make Most Often

Excerpted from the Executive Report - Motivating Employees: What Every Manager Needs to Know

Managing is hard work – motivation is even more difficult.

Many managers and supervisors were promoted into their jobs simply because they were the best at performing a set of specific tasks among a team of people.

However, becoming a manager requires different skills, skills that the recently promoted employee may never have been trained to do.

No wonder so many mistakes are made.

Here are 10 typical mistakes made by first-time supervisors:

1. They persist in still doing their old jobs, rather than their new ones. As a result, they don’t delegate; they burn themselves out while the people who report to them can’t grow and thus feel unmotivated.
2. Out of a sense of insecurity, they sometimes view smart new people as competition, rather than assets. As a result, this de-motivates the people who could well represent their best hope for making the team a success.
3. They can be so afraid of making a mistake that they make no decision at all. By their indecisiveness, they lose the respect of their people – and with the loss of respect comes the loss of any chance to motivate people.
4. They fail to consider the consequences of their promotion on their former relationships with teammates. You can’t be best friend with a subordinate.
5. As a result of these factors, new managers play favorites based on former friendships. That destroys the morale and motivation of everyone else.
6. They see themselves as crusaders. They represent their people against the company, which is bound to end in disaster – or the other way around, which is guaranteed to turn everyone into an enemy unmotivated to perform.
7. When pressured to act unethically, they’re afraid to take a stand and do the right thing. Loss of integrity in the eyes of the workers will inevitably result in de-motivation.
8. They fail to adequately communicate laterally other managers, as well as up to their bosses and down to their own team. To be properly motivated, people can’t be kept in the dark like mushrooms.
9. They fail to reach out for help, thinking they have to be all-knowing. Admitting one doesn’t have all the answers can be an important factor in gaining respect.
10. They’re either too direct or too indirect in their dealings with their subordinates. They have a hard time finding a middle ground.

DIGGING DEEPER
Getting the most from your staff is critical. It's hard to achieve high productivity if employees aren't motivated. To find out what you can do, you invited to check out the Executive Report - Motivating Employees: What Every Manager Needs to Know.

OSHA fatality stats revised, deaths increase

The 2006 fatality numbers released by OSHA’s Bureau of Labor Statistics in August weren’t quite final. For one category in particular, they reflect an unfortunate increase.

According to figures just released, the revised numbers bring the U.S. workplace fatality count up from 5,703 to 5,840.

Specifically, there were 52 more Latino worker deaths.

OSHA says the final census numbers have always been higher than the preliminary figures, since the agency first began collecting data.

The revised figures mean workplace deaths actually rose over 2% between 2005 and 2006. This contrasts with the decline shown by the initial data.

What else does the new count show?

• Fatalities for Hispanic workers rose from 923 in 2005 to 990 in 2006,
• 89 deaths were added to California’s total, ranking it past Texas as the state with the highest number of work injuries, and
• 15 other states saw their fatality counts rise.

Hardest hit were the transportation and construction industries: They both saw higher fatality counts.

DIGGING DEEPER
A safe workplace requires that frontline managers the way. How do you do that? Check out the Executive Report: Turn Good Supervisors into Great Safety Leaders.

Don't ditch HSA plans just yet

Don't write off health savings accounts as a means to reduce your health costs. There's good news.

Health savings accounts (HSAs) are seen by many as a flop. But a recent insurance industry study by America's Health Insurance Plans' Center (AHIP) saw a 37% increase in HSA enrollments over the last year. Key reasons:

• The growth of wellness programs has helped make HSAs more realistic for employees enrolled in high-deductible health plans
• More employers are willing to contribute to employees' HSAs, providing a stronger enrollment incentive, and
• Employees are getting the hang of managing their own accounts. The average HSA contribution in 2007 was $1,380 for the year. The average total deduction was $1,080.

A powerful combo with wellness

In general, employers with the greatest success getting employees to sign up for health savings accounts have been companies with wellness programs.

But wellness programs need time to do their thing before employees are ready for HSAs. One report suggests that the wellness program should be in place at least two - and preferably three - years before the HSA is likely to get widespread buy-in and help moderate or cut costs.

DIGGING DEEPER
To help you understand these issues better, you may find these Executive Reports helpful: New Rules for Wellness Programs - What's Working, What's Legal and Cafeteria Plans - The Rules are Changing.

No Bull Quote

We all have ability. The difference is how we use it.

- Stevie Wonder

New PPE reg gets enforced May 15: What you have to pay for

Heads up: OSHA starts enforcing its new rule that requires employers to pay for employees' PPE on May 15.

In a nutshell, if OSHA requires PPE for compliance, employers have to pay for it.

Exceptions and clarifications

After eight years of study, the rule does include some very limited exceptions from employer payment:

• non-specialty safety-toe protective footwear (including steel-toe shoes or steel-toe boots) and
• shoes or boots with built-in metatarsal protection that the employee has requested to use instead of employer-provided detachable metatarsal guards
• logging boots required by OSHA rule 1910.266(d)(1)(v), and
• everyday work or ordinary clothing, skin creams or other items used solely for protection from the weather.

If various components are needed for PPE to provide adequate protection, then a company has to pay for those components.

Employers are responsible for paying for replacement PPE when it wears out from regular use. However, companies aren’t required to pay when workers intentionally damage or negligently lost PPE.

All part-time or short-term workers are covered the same as full-time employees,

DIGGING DEEPER
Following the new PPE rules are mandatory, but there's also no need to pay for PPE that you don't to. To get a full understanding of the regs, you're invited to check out the Executive Report: OSHA's New PPE Reg - What You Do and Don't Have to Pay For.