Staff Management Tips

It’s happened to us all. We go for that promotion, but someone else gets it. We slog away at our jobs, putting in long hours only to be passed over for that promotion. Usually it goes to someone who is great at sucking up to the boss and is as lazy as a lizard on a rock on a scorching hot day. That’s life in the corporate world I guess. Nothing is more true than in the world of management. It’s a can be a cut throat profession because everyone is so obsessed with having the title ‘manager’. However, what can set you apart from being  a good manager to a great manager is how you handle being passed over for that promotion.

There are two ways you can react and only one of those reactions will cement your next chance of actually getting the promotion. The first reaction will not get you that promotion. It’s happened to me before on several occasions that someone whom I thought was a bit of a parasite got the promotion. When I was younger, my reaction was, “so this is what I get for putting in long hours and trying to prove myself to the company and this bludger gets the promotion when all he does is sip lattes down at the coffee shop and chats all day long to the other staff! What a bloody joke!” That did me no favors at all. All it did was make me loose credibility and make me look very negative. The way I should have reacted was not to be too accepting because that would have made me look like an easy pushover but I should have expressed my disappointment in a professional  and dignified manner. Emotional outburst will get you nowhere fast.

The best way to handle being passed over is to say something like, “I am disappointed because I believe my work ethic deserves a little recognition but I will work harder so I can prove my worth to you”. A statement like that can do wonders. You should even go up to the person who got the promotion and congratulate them so that way you project a very dignified manner. Sometimes you may also need to reevaluate your companies workplace politics as there might be something you can do to ‘fit in’ or ‘play the game’ a little better. Sometimes, the bigger the workplace is the harder it is to get the recognition that you deserve so that could be a sign to find another company to work for.

Keep in mind though that if the person who got the promotion only got it because he was great at sucking up to the boss, he will show his true colors very soon and show that he can’t really do the  job. I’ve seen that happen time and time again too. If you handled the rejection in a dignified manner, then guess who has the next best shot at the promotion…yes, it’s you.

Interview Tip

These tips will help you whether you are going for that management promotion or that first job interview. More and more we are subjected to something known as a panel interview. That’s where there are usually three or more people who do the interviewing. It’s bad enough facing one person whom you have to impress and sell yourself to but when there are three or more, it can be quite daunting.

According to Arnold Boldt, the author of No-Nonsense Job Interviews, it need not be so bad. He suggests three techniques to acing that interview every time.

1. Do some research.

Before the interview, find out how many people will be on the panel. Try and get their names and do a profile search on them on their corporate website. That way you will be able to pitch your successes and strengths to the appropriate person on the panel. If there is no profile available, ask each individual person on the panel to give you a run down on what their role is in the company. Remember, you are there to interview them as much as they are there to interview you. After all, you have to know whether you want to work for their company or not.

2. Ask which one of them will be your boss.

It’s folley to assume that you will be reporting to the highest ranking person on the panel. The person who will be your boss can carry as much as 50% of the deciding power whether you get the job or not. If for whatever reason the panel wont give you that information, then try to connect the dots and figure it out by asking some tactful and appropriate questions.

3. The receptionist could be your best friend.

It’s aways a good idea after the interview to have a chat with the receptionist. If there are any missing pieces in regards to names and positions and so on, ask the receptionist. You will need that information to send each of them a dfollow up letter or email thanking them for the interview opportunity and how hiring you will be a great asset to the company.

The above are a few simple things that we can do to secure that new job or management promotion. A panel interview can be a scary thing but when you concentrate on one person at a time and direct your attention to them and phase out the others, it all of a sudden can seem to be like a one on one interview. At the same time, a panel interview is sometimes better than a one on one because you have the opinions and impressions of three or more people making your chances of getting the job a lot higher.

The next time you are faced with the uncomfortable situation of standing next to your CEO in the dunnies, look him in the eye and say “how’s your day going?” He will probably either just grunt at you or he will say something like, “it will be a whole lot better once it’s over”. You will realize then that hes just like you are, an everyday guy but with a higher paying job than you but still, just an every day ordinary guy and not someone to be feared but respected.