Why an employer is always looking for...

A duoblog with Sander Kooijman, child coach

STAR(S) & Personal pitch

Help: I can't catch up with myself! Does this sound familiar to you? Not in balance between work and private life. You are busy caring for everyone else, but you can't remember the last time you took care of yourself. At the end of the day you feel exhausted. You are longing for a challenge, your work is in a rut: been there, seen that, done that.. But you are still not able to change this and make a step forward and start working on your CV and LinkedIn profile. You just don't know where to start and besides,, you don't even feel the energy to do whatever it takes to break out of this vicious circle. This is what Natascha, owner of Gieter vol geluk, coaching & mindfulness says about this: If you no longer have a clue about the things that are important to you, what makes you happy. If you aren't able to enjoy daily life and don't know anymore how to be spontaneous and have fun, you need to create space in your head en body to get connected with yourself again. Only then you will be able to start working on your personal development! These are my tips for you to get yourself moving again: Go out there! Spending a lot of time indoor it is easy for your body and mind to forget how it feels to be outsite. Make sure to get some fresh air on a regular base. Inhale the fresh air, take a walk around the block or plan another nice outdoor activity. Your rumination wil fade and it will clear your mind. New ideas pop up and you wil have a fresh take on the situation . Write down what gives you energy Pay attention to the things that you enjoy during work and life. Treat yourself to a nice notebook* and write down what makes you happy. What gives you positive energy? Questions that may help you: What tasks do you like? And why? What people do you find interesting? And why? What kind of activities are you always looking forward to? What subjects do you read about in magazines are appealing to you? What are your your interests? Break through your habits Routine makes you live on autopilot modus. Break through your regular routines. Walk another route, listen to new music, make conversation with a stranger or start with volunteering work. Even small, new experiences will get you out of your comfort zone. Your mind wakes up, you will feel closer to yourself and you will feel alive again! Did you enjoy Natascha's tips? Do you want to receive her tips on a regularly base as a reminder to yourself? So this feeling of balance will be present in your mind at all times, and preferably every morning you wake up? Pleas submit he re ! (available in Dutch). Found your way back to balance in your body & mind? Now is the time to work on your intention to apply on a job you really like! a proper, well-prepared plan can help you. Make sure to include:: Personal roadmap 1. What are my skills? - You have a thorough overview of your qualities/competences - Your CV is updated 2. What do I want? - You know what makes you tick and what is important to you and your job, now and in the future - You know the organisations you want to work and jobs that you are willing to work in 3. Start with your job applications! - You did your homework and gathered (online) your information about the organisations where you would like to apply - You have picked up the phone and called the contact person at the organisation and asked her some nice, smart, low profile questions.\ - You rewrote your CV in order to match with the job and organisation you are going to apply - A compelling motivation letter is ready to be sent - You know how to present yourself in a short and sweet way - You prepared yourself for the job interview 4. Negations about your contract.. - You know your market value, you know what your salary demands are and you have delved into the employment conditions of the organisation Here you can read the tips in Jet's blogs that will help you find a job that makes you happy! Do you want to talk to her about your career wishes? Please leave your request on the contactform or give her a call of WhatsApp ! Natascha & Jet

In my blog about online job interviews, I promised some do’s and don’ts for the second interview, so here it is! I ended my blog about the (online) job interview by pointing out that the first interview is crucial to present yourself in the best way. In the second interview you can take your time to ask questions about what is important to you in a new job! You want to be sure that the job and organisation are a match and that you are making the right decision! When I had my very first job interview ever, I did my utmost to show that I was the best candidate for the job. I did however forget to make sure weather I liked the organisation and the team… Luckily for me it worked out just fine, but on the other hand: I didn’t have much demands for my first job. By now I know how important it is that there is a click: the job description, the organisation size, the organisation culture, your manager, the team etc. There need to be a match for you to shine in your role! Do’s & don’ts • After your first job interview look up the information that is online available about the organisation. Have a look at their website and check out if there is someone you know that works there or check out through LinkedIn if your first contacts know someone at the organisation. In this way you might informally get more information about the organisation. By the way do you know that there is a website where (former) employers can wright a review on their organisation. Just have a look at www.glassdoor.nl. • Take a moment to think about your first impression: how did the interview feel? What about the way you were approached, did that feel okay? • Think about what you need in order to be in the right place: you might want to write down what that is, for example: travel time (what is your daily maximum travel time), do you prefer working in a team or stand alone? How much autonomy do you need? (do you want a manager that discusses your tasks on a daily basis, or do you want a manager that prefers to be informed about the big picture and allows you to fill you own time schedule). Actually, these are questions you should ask yourself before; it is an important indicator for the job and organisation you prefer! • Prepare questions for the second interview; what does the team look like, how is the culture: informal or more formal? Do they celebrate achievements? How do colleagues inform each other about project and organisation developments? How does the team handle feedback? Is there time and budget for personal development? Do we have lunch moments together? Can I work from home? Who will be my direct colleagues? Is there a possibility to meet my colleagues that are not at the interview before I make my decision? How will I be facilitated in my work? What does the organisation do about sustainable employability? (your physical and mental wellbeing) • You are not there yet! The second job interview is another selection moment for the people that you will meet. Make sure you dress properly, weather you are in an online or face to face meeting. Don’t let your guard down and don’t make it yourself too convenient. Make sure the people you are about to meet get the same good impression of you and show that that you are eager to get the job! Finally, do you have doubts after the second interview, even though the organisation is very enthusiastic about you? Please accept the invitation for the interview about the employment conditions and just listen to what they have to offer you. It is in your hand to withdraw from the selection procedure at any time in the process. The job is only yours when you decide to sign the contract. Make sure to take your time to come to a decision! Jet

Go against the grain or with the flow? I really admire people that have the guts to go against the grain on the basis of profound inner conviction. It takes a lot of guts and authenticity, because it simply is much easier to go with the flow and to do what other people expect you to do. Nevertheless, you might have these moments it feels right to comply, just because the opposite reaction will not bring you anything and at the same time it costs you a lot of energy! Energy you need for example because you need to be able to focus on something new. I know that can bring up some resistance and it asks of you to abandon your principles about the situation, though important to you... An example: your manager is leaving, and a new manager arrives that you are not getting along with very well. You will probably not be the only one that senses this tension, so will your manager. This frequently leads to communication problems. It is worth the effort to try to try to improve the communication, even when this asks for coaching sessions between you and your manager. Sometimes it just doesn’t work and you can get frustrated, less motivated and perhaps even feel like fighting, resistance (freeze) or quitting (flight). It is you after all that have been working more many many years at this organisation and you know the drill by heart! So far you felt appreciated and co-workers know how to find you for your specific expertise. Unfortunately, in my work as a HR counsellor I have seen many times that an employer did not win this battle. It frequently happens that an employer will get sick in the end and at some point is no longer able to do his job. You really want to prevent that from happening, because there is a lot of damaging and the team will no longer feel secure. What can you do? There is always a choice, though it might not feel like that at that moment. It needs your acceptance in order to move on. You need to accept that the situation is beyond your control. But how can you move on when it doesn’t feel right? To let go of a situation works just about the same for people (see the schedule below). It consists of 5 stages: denial, anger, negotiation, grief and, finally, acceptation) You undergo these stages at your own pace and now and then you need to take a step back to relive a stage. Knowing this, you can influence the pace you use to go through these stages! This is useful, because you need to be able to accept your loss in order to move forward. And why is it useful to complete this cycle? In my work I regularly meet people that are not ready to move on yet. This is not helpful when the candidate is in a job interview and bursts out into tears when asked how he is doing in his current job. Neither does it help to burst into anger (and yes, I had some interviews with candidates where this happened). As a career advisor I am asked by managers to have a talk with employers that are no longer comfortable in their job. If they start talking about that in time, the employer will be able to reflect on the situation and we can start looking forward to a desired solution by identifying possible positive scenarios together. If that is the case it helps the employer to focus on his next step, because there he retains control on his own career! This will only work if he starts talking about this with his manager (if the manager is not part of the problem). If often helps to start some coaching sessions with a career counsellor. Jet

It is lovely weather to be outside and to enjoy the sun on your balcony or in the garden! This is also a good time to consider doing online job applications. Perhaps your employer has asked you to start working in less hours or there is an opportunity that your employer will ask UWV for a permit to let you and your team members go... Maybe it is your own decision to apply for a new job, just because you feel it is the time and your current job doesn't offer you the challenge and satisfaction you need any longer. Applying at this moment means you must apply online and I guess that is not something you are used to do! I will help you out with some practical tips! Is there a laptop available? That is the best option, because this will offer you the most opportunities for job interviews on Teams, Zoom, WhatsApp camera, Skype. But job interviews on your mobile phone through these media is also okay! Keep in mind that having a job interview using your laptop is more comfortable and it keeps your hands free for making notes. My tips: • Practice when possible beforehand with someone you know welll, this way you can make sure you know your way with all the interview options that are available. If a method doesn't work for you, just ask beforehand to the employer if it is possible to make contact in a different way. • Don’t forget to ask the new employer what the "rules" are for the interview. Who will be present at the job interview and in what role? You might want to know some practical things as well, like speaking on turn? Is there a conversation leader? Check this out so you will be well prepared for your interview. • Search on google or LinkedIn for the organisation and look up the background information. This way you will know for example if the organisation culture is formal or more informal. • Same with the participants to the interview: visit them on social media like LinkedIn. This way you will now the background and position. • Take a shower and don't enter the job interview in jogging trousers, not even when the interview is by phone! You will feel more confident in an interview when well dressed! • Make a print of your resume and motivation letter. It makes it easier to talk. Also make sure you have a note block and pencil within reach. • Make sure you have a nice and quiet place to sit and that there are no background noises, like a dog, birds or playing children. This might disturb the job interview. • You need to pay attention to all the participants in the interview, even when there is one leading speaker. You don't want to give future co-workers the impression that they are not important to you! • Prepare some small questions, for example about the team composition, what are the current projects and what does the team expect from their new colleague... • When the interview comes to an end and you don't know yet what the next step of the selection procedure will be, just ask! Every Dutch company must have a transparent job application procedure! •Good to know that the first job interview is a good moment for you to present yourself at your best.Therefore try to show as much of yourself as possible. It is important that the selection committee has a complete overview of you as a person and your (work) skills. Based on the results of the interview the committee will have to decide whether they will invite you to a second interview. You will have enough time later to ask the questions you need to know in order to decide yourself. • Finally: make sure to show your gratitude for the job opportunity and always end the conversation with a smile (even if you are not that positive at all..) In my next blog I will give you more information about a second interview or meeting about the job offer and working conditions. It is then the right time to find out whether the job and organisation are a match! You might want to spend a lot of time and energy in this new job and you want to make sure you are making the right decision! Jet