Our New Office Is More Than Just a Place to Work
Most people feel a bit friendlier during the holidays, but at CyberSearch, that attitude isn’t limited to the months of November and December. That’s why in addition to the holiday events we hold, and charities we support this time of year, we always strive to focus on the long-term things that don’t just help further our business goals, but improve the lives of our employees and ensure they have an impactful experience while employed with us. It’s this mentality and desire to make a difference that resulted in the decision to move to a new, upgraded office. [···]
How to Boost Your Career by Staying Engaged at Work
When you think about advancing your career, you likely consider pursuing new hard skills through seeking out training, obtaining certifications, and learning new tools. There’s no question that those professional development activities are important, but few consider the impact that their engagement level has on their career. For companies, an engaged employee is a highly valuable one, and yet only 33% of U.S. workers are engaged at their jobs. If you’re able to stand out as an engaged employee, you’ll not only be happier at work, but you’ll be more likely to get that next promotion. Let’s take a look at ways to improve your workplace engagement, surrounding culture, and subsequently, your career. [···]
How to Make the Most of Onboarding IT Talent
So you’ve beat out the competition’s offers and recruited a top tech candidate. Game over, right? Not necessarily. Your onboarding process will have a significant impact on the retention and engagement of that employee. At a time when 86% of new hires decide their future with a company within the first six months, proper onboarding is key to retaining talent and preventing negative employee personalities from developing. Closely tied to the longevity of a business, here are ways to make the most of onboarding IT talent. [···]
How to Cope with Difficult Employees in the Workplace
No matter how many exemplary employees an IT manager oversees, there always seems to be at least one difficult worker in the mix. Perhaps they are able to fulfill their duties, yet somehow they still manage to be problematic.
They may fall into one of the most common types of difficult employees such as “The Ghost” who is never around, or “The Hisser” who becomes a bully when provoked. Even if an employee has their own unique blend of difficult personality traits outside of the common types, there are still steps you as a manager can take to manage them and prevent future negative personalities from growing under your watch. [···]
Online Learning vs. Traditional Learning: What’s Better for Your IT Career?
How to further one’s education has become an increasingly asked question for IT professionals. With a staggering 69% of developers reporting that they are at least partially self-taught, some may even indefinitely put off making the decision of how to formally obtain their next degree or certification.
Time may be one of the biggest factors in deciding how or when to enroll in a new educational program. With the average tech pro putting in 52 hours a week, you’ve likely had trouble fitting a casual hobby into your day, let alone an entire degree.
This is the plight so many searching for that advanced degree or certification face, but the answer could be right at your fingertips. The number of digital learners is on the rise, with 5.8 million students enrolled in at least one online course during the 2014 fall semester. [···]
What to Do When Your Employer Doesn’t Offer Professional Development Opportunities
Even if you’re not aspiring for a spot in the C-suite, professional development is likely a major value in your career. It’s how you prove yourself worthy of promotion, of salary raises, and of increased responsibility. It’s also how you stay mentally stimulated and adaptive to the rapid pace of technical evolution.
And if you’re a Millennial, this is especially true. Studies show that one of the key motivators in a Millennial’s career is professional development; they want continuous learning and growth opportunities, and, furthermore, they believe their employers should be providing that.
Does that sound like you? If so, you can imagine how frustrating it would be to find that your employer doesn’t offer professional development opportunities. If that’s all too familiar of a situation, here’s what you can do. [···]
Recruiting as a Career: Is It the Right Path for You?
We’ll be completely honest: We know that the recruitment field often gets a bad rep. It’s an industry shared equally by dinosaurs, start-ups, and every company in between, which means best practices and company culture vary wildly. You might have heard horror stories, but we can guarantee there’s an equal if not greater number of stories of high reward and great impact.
At CyberSearch, we’re running away fast from the “used car salesman” stereotype some recruiters have gained, in order to craft a job opportunity that truly appeals to people. Is recruiting as a career the right path for you? [···]
The Key to Navigating Real World Generation Gaps in the Workplace
It’s a trend affecting every industry and sector: the generational shift that is occurring as Millennials increasingly outnumber Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers is a complex topic that cannot be ignored. From marketing to healthcare, from financial services to, of course, technology, this paradigm shift requires serious evaluation of process, engagement, and communication.
Perhaps more complex than any of those, though, is the matter of overcoming the challenges of generation gaps in the workplace. Hiring, engaging, and retaining a staff of talented individuals in a way that successfully spans the generations is essential to any growing business. [···]
Are Exit Interviews Worth Your Time?
We’ve all been there. Whether you’re an HR manager, department manager, or team leader, the moment an employee comes to you to tell you they’re leaving, you get that sinking feeling. It’s a sensation tinged with sadness, regret, stress, and overwhelm.
One of your first thoughts is likely about how to replace them. The looming increase in workload and decrease in employee morale hang like storm clouds in the office, and you quickly get preoccupied with the challenge of recruiting in a high demand market.
The last thing on your mind is arranging a time to sit down with the employee who’s quitting to pick his or her brain about their experience with your company. In fact, it’s pretty easy to get cynical and wonder if an exit interview is even worth your time at all. [···]
Does Onboarding Really Work?
Put yourself for a second in the nightmare mindset of a high schooler who’s about to start a new school in a new town. Where to go, who to sit with, what are the cool kids are doing after school… these are cringe-worthy questions even decades after the fact.
No, this isn’t high school anymore; we’re all (mostly) grown-ups here with real world experience and growing resumes. However, the deeply human desire to fit in remains. And it’s much more pivotal to workplace productivity than you might imagine. [···]
