2. Do your share of the work. If people are forever needing to pick up your slack, they are not going to appreciate you, as a co-worker, over time.

3. Do’t flirt. Much, Don’t flirt with the boss. It will not provide you with job security and it will make you the object of water cooler gossp.

 4. Be kind. Help the new-be get acquainted and settled in. You will make a friend.

5. Share what you know about the job and the business in a positive way. Be enthusiatic about your work. If you can’t do this,  then star circulating your resume. Think about getting another job where you will be happier. It’s eight hours out of five days of your week. You need to feel good about what you do and where you do it. Don,t get sucked into the “You ought to be happy just to have a job in these hard times” mindset.  You desserve to have a job that brings you satisfacition and  fulfilment.

Every state in the U.S has adopted “at -will employment” legal concepts. At -will employment essentially means that an employer has the right to terminate an employee without reason, for any reason, and even for an unfair or unethical reason… just as the employee can leave a job the same way. As long as the reason is legal, the employer can fire at-will. This concept is supposed to put employers and employees on an equal ground related to rights.

States recognize certain exceptions in federal and state law to at-will employment to different degrees. While some may recognize all of the existing exceptions others may just recognize federal law exceptions, such as discrimination law. However, an employer must violate either the state exceptions or federal law exceptions for a firing to be considered wrongful termination.

Most Common State and Federal Exceptions:

• An employee/employer contract or union contract specifically defining the employment termination policy as other than at-will.

• Violation of federal discrimination laws which prohibit an employee from being fired solely based on- age, creed, sex, disability, race, religion, national origin, military duty, and genetics.  State law may add additional categories such as marital status, sexual orientation, etc..

• Violation of Public policy. Applies to some degree in 42 states. This exception involves employees fired for whistle blowing  or refusing to perform an illegal job duty. The employer can not fire in retaliation for an employee reporting an illegal activity either. It also involves terminations that undermine the interests of the public for example, a firing because an employee filed for worker‘s compensation. 

• Breach of implied contract applies to some degree in 37 states. This would involve verbal or written statements by an employer that are implied as employment agreements. An example would be an employee handbook section for termination that contradicts at-will employment policies.

• Breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealings. Applies to some degree in 11 states. This rare adoption by a state requires that an employer treat employees fairly, honestly, ethically, and at least show “good cause” for termination. It protects the employee from being fired because they are due for a promotion or raise and from having an employer use false accusations to justify the termination.

• Violation of federal medical leave. An employee can not be fired for taking a family or medical leave.

There are a few other state by state exceptions. However, the above are the most often used in wrongful termination suits. Again, aside from the federal laws, state exceptions do not apply in all states or to the same degree in states that do recognize them. So, figuring out if you have a wrongful termination suit and even filing a wrongful termination suit is a tedious and complex process to say the least. 

I find it absolutely amazing that society and government officials can be rational enough to realize that it is unfair, unethical, and not just to fire someone solely because they are black, elderly, disabled, pregnant, etc….but, have failed to make it impossible for someone to be fired for petty reasons like: a quirky personality, they have blonde hair, they have a pimple on their nose, they drink Coke instead of Pepsi, they have an irritating laugh, etc..  An employer should be free to hire whomever they feel is best qualified and fitted for a position, but once they hire a person, they should have a just cause to fire them.

Proponents of at- will employment argue that it provides a fairness to an employee being able to leave at- will. However, the answers to two questions are proof that fairness is non-existent under at-will employment- How many unfilled jobs are employers struggling to fill? Now, how many unemployed Americans are struggling to find a job? Aside from some very obscure profession, I have never heard of an employer going out of business because they can not find someone to fill a job left vacant by an employee leaving. However, there are millions of employees fired without cause who were depending on job security to live.

Since the birth of my handicapped child, I have advocated relentlessly for fair treatment of handicapped persons. Now, I can add doing away with at-will employment and enacting actual fair laws to the books to my list of causes to harass government officials about.

I came 2nd. Nobody remembers who comes 2nd right? Normally this wouldn’t have bothered me at all. I have been a freelance filmmaker all my life and have grown totally impervious to the endless rejections, but this one got under my skin.

the guy that was appointed had already done the job for the last year. He was a safe bet, neither exciting or a risk. A nice comfortable pair of slippers that the exec producers could slip on with any wrinkles. Of course, he was going to get the job long before interview day. He was a shoe in. Nothing wrong with that; I’ve appointed people I know many times, but at least I didn’t waste anyone’s time advertsining for a job that didn’t really exist.

The BBC is obsessed with marketing itself as transparent and open to scrutiny. The playing field is supposed to be level; equal opportunity for internal and external candidates alike. This is an absolute lie. Most BBC jobs have gone or have people lined up long before they ever hit the pages of Broadcast magazine.

In period where we all, filmmakers and viewers alike, wondered what happened to the great brave drama series of 20 years ago, it’s not difficult to see why. The BBC takes the path of least resistance in all its staffing terrified that anything or anyone might stand out. Ok as a philosophy if you are a bank, but totally unacceptable if your business is producing original thought provoking programming. This comes from people with something to say not those who know how to say nothing.

1. Sloppily dressed—The worst example I can remember is a guy who showed up to turn in his application wearing very dirty blue jeans and a white undershirt that was filthy and had giant yellow armpit-stains. The guy also looked like he had not shaved in 3 days. While the job only paid $1 over minimum wage, I still put his application on the very bottom of the no pile.
2. Confrontational—I can give several examples here. One applicant turned in his application by slamming it down on the desk and saying we now had 48 hours to interview him, according to state law. I never could find the law he was citing. Another, when calling to check on the status of his application, accused me of nepotism, simply because I had decided to interview other applicants—he instantly went from a maybe to a no.
3. Lying during the interview—While most people are pretty honest, I know how to spot a B.S. artist, so when I see somebody feeding me a line, I move them to the no pile. One applicant who said she had taken a few years off to raise her children caught my attention as a potential liar, and when I ran the criminal check she had actually been in prison for 2 1/2 years. One applicant had left his last 3 jobs due to plant closings.
4. Bad job history—Lots of applicants I saw openly admitted to leaving their last job due to a conflict with their supervisor, poor attendance, or having too many jobs in their recent past. One applicant had listed 5 jobs for a period of 6 months.
5. Going back to a job that fired you—I had several people who I fired, along with a lot more that I was glad to see quit, come back and apply to return to work. The best was a guy who quit while on a final warning for misconduct. On his way out the door after turning in his resignation he mooned a security camera (I am not kidding at all) and then 2 years later he applied to come back and work for us.
6. Having your possessive boyfriend “escort” you to the interview—I saw this twice in my career so far. If you have a boyfriend like this, start confronting him about his trust issues.
7. Dressing provocatively for the interview—Any woman who does this automatically goes into the “no” pile, immediately. The best example was a woman who worn a skirt with a button-down slit. The buttons kept conveniently popping open, so that she could draw attention to her legs as she redid them and giggled.

I’ll try to add more as I remember them.

Follow these simple instructions, and in no time you’ll land your dream job.  Happy interviewing!

I was recently told I was a valued and greatly respected employee.  I was given a raise, taken to lunch and told that, although things were tough recently, I did not need to worry because my work was superior and appreciated.  As I sat there and ate my corporate graced salad with the CFO looking me in the face, I heard the words, “you don’t have to worry unless things get drastic and we’ll let you know if that happens.”  A few months later the same corporate officer stopped me as I was about to clock out and said, “we are going to have you take on some more work and learn the tasks of the person we are sending out to another office.”  Two weeks later I was out on my ass, facing unemployment with no forewarning, stunned, in shock, and angrily feeling betrayed. 

Although an intelligent individual might be expected to embrace caution and even distrust in the current economic chaos of rising unemployment, bankruptcy, and foreclosures being broadcast day and night, a loyal and trusting personality is likely to believe in the security outlined in gold highlights even while the walls close in on shrinking profits.  Shame on me and shame on the deceivers who hire executive officers who cost the company a fortune in losses or run big charity events providing proceeds below the costs of the events, or act with cutthroat heartlessness while proclaiming themselves rescuers of stray or aged animals while their former employees go home and wonder how they will pay for their next meal or keep the electricity on.

There is something inhumane and abusive about big business when it comes to insuring its own survival at the expense of respect and honor.  Misleading employees by keeping its status a secret or outright lying about the anticipated future of employment and production is a foul tactic more suited to criminals justifying their crimes by blaming society for their actions.  It’s a fraudulent lie and indecent but few have ever believed that big business is humane or decent. However, most loyal, dedicated workers operate on exactly that premise and they are too often the first worker bees to be smashed in order to protect the hive and keep the fat queen bee bathed in honey.  The drones at multi levels are the forces that keep a company operating.  Even though the elite executives with their high-powered tasks of decision making and elevated responsibilities might actually be necessary to make it possible for the workers to busy themselves in the hive, they are also too often the source of the decline of profit and success in the business.  They are also more often the last to be dismissed or eliminated in the need to protect the status of the corporate entity regardless of their true level of positive contribution.

I sat at my desk eight hours a day or more, five days a week and watched a new manager charge personal expenses to corporate accounts, talk to fellow employees in the office in inappropriate fashion, ignore necessary tasks, disappear during the day, create his own working hours and basically lose the company thousands upon thousands of dollars.  Even in the middle of a recession and falling profits, it took the corporation over a year to dismiss the over-paid department manager.  This high level manager was given time and more time to prove himself, was provided with instruction, respect, conference meetings, new equipment, and finally warnings while the profit levels dropped in the entire company due to recession and the fruits of his high-paid labors.  On the other hand, hard working, intelligent and honest employees were dismissed with no forewarning and void of any word of apology, regret, or shame for the ruthlessness of their tactics. 

It’s a big business survival of the fittest but the fittest are not recognized as the loyal, hard working drones that keep the machines running, the phones answered, the accounts logged, or the office humming.  The fittest in corporate world equates to the highest title and the highest salary figure regardless of their skill or their contribution to the success of the company. The fittest are also likely to be the most manipulative, hard game-playing individuals who survive based not on their technical skill or dedication but on their ability to sell themselves, persuade belief in their importance, and in some cases even blackmail, prostitution of their morals, and ability to dramatize their presence while the genuine workers take real action and keep the business alive.

How many of us could tell this same story and are wondering what to do next?  There is a long wait ahead of many in the unemployment lines and regardless of the government speeches and hopes to revive the American economy, it will be the dedicated workers that make it possible for this nation to succeed and recover from the darkness of capitalism run amuck with greed and selfish disdain for the people who made their corporate castles possible.  Let us dance or pray in the meantime and find value in who we know ourselves to be regardless of the lack of acknowledgment or appreciation from big business.  The real workers will survive because they are self-schooled in plowing on and grinding away and in the end the survival will truly be of the fittest.

Other Articles by Susan Raines

Turning Fifty-The Quandaries of Aging Gracefully

Interracial Relationships: Black and White

Choose Your Dog With Care

Either way as a recruitment specialist, and having been in the industry for fifteen years, it always surprises me at the amount of resumes that come across my desk and end up in the unsuccessful pile, simply because they are too lengthy, too confusing, or are written back to front. This piece of paper is GOLD; it’s your secret to gaining that illusive interview, better still the job of your dreams. Spelling errors, résumés longer than 4 pages, employment dates not in reverse chronological order, no dates or job titles, and irrelevant information, are just some of the obvious ways not to get the job. 

Prospective employers around the world, large or small, receive hundreds of resumes daily most of which end up in the bin, or should I say the unsuccessful pile! It is a huge job screening and individually acknowledging applicants, and these organisations or the manager with the vacancy simply cannot manually read or acknowledge each and every resume, therefore there is usually a gatekeeper of some sort. Either someone within the Human Resources department who has no experience in the field that requires the new person, or there is some sort of applicant-tracking software in place. “These days there is a plethora of applicant tracking systems available” says Caitrin O’Sullivan, public relations coordinator at iCIMS, a leading organization in providing software as a service. So, how do job seekers ensure their resume makes it through these gatekeepers and into the hands of the right person and in the yes pile? “Lay out really is open to debate but the best advice I’ve heard is Keep it simple”, writes Kate Southam, Editor of careerone.com.au. Make it easy for the employer to read, preferably 11 point Times New Roman or Arial, and remember quality not quantity is always far more attractive!

Here are a few tips on layout. The first page of your resume usually is your employment summary, a snapshot of who you are and what you have been doing for the past ten years. Realistically ten years is far enough for you to go back, unless it is truly relevant to the position vacant.  Name, address, phone number, mobile, email (make sure it’s professional, not sexysally@), DOB (up to the person), education, and qualifications. Towards the bottom of the first page you can include a brief career summary, if you’re not fresh out of school, job title, employer name and dates is all that is needed. If you are a school leaver it might be good to include a career objective instead.

The next three to four pages, four maximum, is an expansion of your employment summary using bullet points and key words relevant to the position.  This is another important point, customize your resume, make sure you have read the job description and you have put the skills that are most pertinent at the top. Dates from start to end, company name and your position title, followed by bullet points of your key reasonability’s. Unless the job specifies “no experience necessary” then try only to apply for jobs that you are qualified for, or have relevant experience in. Having proven ability within the position advertised immensely increases your chances of making it into the yes pile, maybe even accepted for an interview. Keep this section clear and concise try to fill or explain certain gaps, “Employers and recruiters don’t like mysteries so if you have been out of the workforce it is better to try and explain the gap in your resume.” Says Kate Southam, Editor of careerone.com.au.

Finally the last page is for referees and their work phone numbers, preferably not a mobile, as it’ll only annoy them if you catch them in the middle of something un-work related. And if necessary, or relevant to the job, your hobbies and interests, sometimes this can go against you though so be careful. Make sure your referee is someone you have worked directly for, i.e. a manager or supervisor; they need to match with your employment history, where you have worked. And be sure the referee is aware they are down as a referee; they don’t want any surprises either.  

You can do this! It is worth the time invested initially, once you have written your resume in the correct format the rest is reasonably easy. Now, all that is required is to customize your resume according to each position you apply for, this won’t take nearly as much time as it did to put your whole resume together. Just a few, nips, and tucks here and there. You will be amazed at how powerful your well-written resume is, and how it really can assist in your job search. Good Luck!!

Quality Assurance within the Manufacturing Sector

As of 2009, the biopharmaceutical industry does not have a standard quality control process in place. The current quality process is based on analysis to measure the quality after the drug has been created. Biopharmaceutical companies spend millions of dollars each year to produce a drug that they do not know will work. After the drug has gone through research and development, manufacturing, and analysis, then the company will find out if their efforts paid off.

A fifteen-company project has started in Ireland to start the quality control process in the early stages of the manufacturing process.

According to Dr. Keith O’Neill, Enterprise Ireland’s Director of Lifescience Commercialisation, “the key benefit to the companies involved will be access to the next generation of process control tools to enable safe and efficient production of biopharmaceutical drugs.  By investing in the development of these advanced technologies, Ireland is positioning itself to lead the next wave of biopharmaceutical manufacturing and ensure our competitiveness in this sector.”

Why Choose Biopharmaceutical Quality Assurance

Biopharmaceutical products are manufactured in several different forms; powders, creams and lotions are just a few examples. With the variance of products being manufactured under a wide variance of conditions, quality control is a must for the biopharmaceutical industry. A biopharmaceutical product has eight quality dimensions to consider; performance, secondary features, durability, aesthetics, perceived quality, service, conformance and reliability.

Biopharmaceutical Quality Assurance is focused on basic research, commercial research, and standardized testing, including forensic human identification, paternity testing and food testing.

Biopharmaceutical Quality Assurance Manager Requirements

A Bachelor’s degree to a PhD is required for the management levels of Quality Assurance. Companies will also require 5 to 10 tears of quality assurance experience. Individual companies may require specific software background, specific analytical skills, and of course, regular management skills are necessary. If considering a position in this field it is a good idea to have some medical background experience and a desire to learn upcoming technology.

Resources

Irish biopharmaceutical industry gets 2.3 million research boost

The sources of quality in the pharmaceutical industry

Senior QA Analyst Job Posting

Biopharmaceutical Company announces asthma treatment collaboration

Freelance Writer 

There are a lot of internet start-ups looking for content.  Write articles about what you know, and sell them through one of the many clearinghouses for internet sites.  Payment is usually determined by the amount of traffic your articles generate.  Expect about $5-$10 per article, paid in installments over a year.

Image via Wikipedia

House/Office Cleaner 

A lot of people and businesses who hire professional cleaning companies are looking to save money in this economy.  By not having office space or a receptionist, private housekeepers are much cheaper than professional companies.  Advertise on craigslist or by dropping of business cards at local businesses.  Pay is about $25 per hour.

Lawn Service 

Just as with housekeeping, this is another area people are try8ing to cut back on.  The elderly and young families often need help with bigger projects such as lawn mowing and weed removal.  Pay is about $30 an hour

Childcare

Laws vary by state, but typically you don’t need a license as long as you are watching less than 3 kids for less than 30 hours a week.  A lot of parents just need a safe place for their children to go after school since after-school programs are getting cut.  Elementary aged kids usually just need some basic homework help and a snack.  Pay is about $5 per hour, per kid.

Survey Taker/Mystery Shopper 

Scams for these kind of jobs abound on the internet, but there are some legitimate opportunities.  Avoid anything that asks for money up front (no legitimate site will do this).  In general, taking surveys works best if you live in the suburbs or a rural area of the country and have (or used to have) an above-average income, as this seems to be the demographic most companies are interested in selling things to.  Mystery shopping works best if you live in a city, since most national chains that hire shoppers have stores located in these areas.  Payment is not reportable on your income taxes, but most of it is in the form of free sample and gift certificates.  Expect about $25 to $50 a month.

Image via Wikipedia

Don’t Look Like The Last Candidate

Earl Nightingale once said that if you ever find yourself in a situation where you don’t know what to do, just look at what everyone else is doing, then do the opposite. Take a look at how other candidates interviewing for your desires position are dressed. Are they wearing a tie? Business professional? Some employers have a strict dress code, and of course you don’t want to flagrantly violate it on an interview. But you also want to stand out. Make yourself look a little different. You don’t want to look too different because then you may come across as a rebel or just a freak. But by changing your appearance in some noticeable way, you will get noticed.

Run Into The Boss

This is going to sound a little weird. Sometimes when you’re walking to your interview, you will run into the boss and not even know it. It’s happened to me more than once, and every time I intuitively knew that it was the boss. But just to be safe, assume everyone you run into is the boss. Be courteous and friendly, and for pete’s sake, don’t tell that guy in the elevator about how crappy your last boss was.

Speak Freely

Speaking freely does not mean unloading all your irrelevant information onto the interviewer. Nobody wants to hear about how bad you need a job, or how bad traffic was, or how good that onion burger was. Nor does it mean talking like you’re in a bar with your friends. What it does mean is expressing your relevant opinions, thoughts, and ideas freely. If you think a company should do x, y, and z, then just say that in a professional and respectful way. Even if it’s not what you think the interviewer wants to hear, you will get points for honesty. Who would you rather hire: Someone who agrees with you all the time, or someone who you can trust? Exactly. Plus, you will demonstrate that you have spend some time and effort thinking about things that are very important to the company and can participate in intelligent discussions.

Reversal

Another great way to stand out is to turn the interview on its head by asking your own questions. I never go into an interview without a list of questions. And my acceptable answers. Asking your own questions does a few things: First, it shows the interviewer that you are serious and have given thought to this job. Second, it reminds them why they are interviewing you to begin with. Third, it tells you whether the company and the job is even right for you. I have walked out of interviews because I didn’t get the answers I wanted. And fourth, asking questions makes you stand out and leaves a definite impression on the interviewer. You will be remembered as the guy or girl who asked a question about _______. And people at the company will start talking about you. Very good.

Push Buttons

The fact that you are sitting with an interviewer means the company has a problem they are looking for you to solve. If you know what these problems are, and how to solve them, you can leave an indelible imprint on the interviewer’s mind by bringing up these issues, offering your brief suggestions (don’t spill your candy in the lobby), and convincing the interviewer that you are the solution. The point here is not to blandly drone on about problems and solutions. The point is to whip the interviewer up into an emotional frenzy, first by inflicting emotion pain by talking about the problem, then relieving that pain by offering yourself as the solution, and giving examples of how rosy life will be once you are working there. And if you think that all sounds goofy, think again. It has landed me jobs over and over.

A Warning

These tips will help you nail any job interview, but only if you are interviewing for a position you are qualified for. And by qualified I do not just mean having the education or experience. I mean being an appropriate fit for the company itself. I have turned down jobs because I didn’t like the way I heard employees speak to each other. You must be honest with yourself about whether the job is right for you or not. If you’re going to a job interview just to go, and not to land the job, you might as well stay home and read more of my articles, because you will get more value from them than you will from sitting through a time-wasting formality for a job you will not get.