Key Takeaways:

• Job offers are invitations of employment that can be formalized in a letter or email.

• When offered a job, make sure to get it in writing so that the terms and conditions are understood by everyone involved.

• You do not need to accept a job offer. You can also ask for some time to consider the offer.

• Job offers are the first steps to being officially employed at an organization.

What Is a Job Offer?

• Job title and position

• Start date of employment

• Salary

• Benefits

• Reporting structure

• Location of employment

• Other terms and conditions

How a Job Offer Works

What’s Included in a Job Offer Letter

Job Offer Letter Templates

How to Accept a Job Offer

How to Decline a Job Offer

• If you know you are planning on quitting, start by taking small items home with you without drawing suspicion.

• Cleaning out your desk is important because it lets the next person who uses your desk have a nice clean space.

• You should delete any personal documents from your computer, and take any personal items from the common spaces.

Why Cleaning Your Office is Important?

How to Start Cleaning When You Quit

1. Computer. There are bound to be things you want to totally remove from your work computer (Vacation pictures anyone? How about thatresume you used to get your new job?), there are also going to be a few things you want to save like a project you rocked and would like to use for future reference or as a resume builder. Make sure you get rid of all of your personal data before you hand over the computer.

2. Email. Clean out your email, deal with open tasks as much as you can, remove personal emails and leave it as empty as possible. Don’t forget to send out that good-bye letter to your coworkers before you sign off.

3. Software. Have you downloaded software that’s not a part of your job or that is but it’s not something the company asked you to download? If so — clean it up and move it out.

4. Browser. Delete your browsing history, any cookies, saved passwords, and other items that are sitting in the browser.

5. Drawers. Whether it’s file cabinets or desk drawers, they all deserve attention. Most likely file cabinets will stay for the next person, but you may want to pull some contact information from them to keep for future reference. Your drawers will be full of stuff and most of it will be garbage to everyone but you, so go through it all carefully. You’ll want to leave everything clean and organized for the next person.

6. Office storage. If you have office storage or a cubby, those areas need your attention too. These spots often house long-lost coats, sweaters, shoes, umbrellas, and more.

7. Common areas. Do you have coffee cups lying around, storage containers, a gym outfit, tennis shoes? Many offices have common areas that act as dumping grounds for your items and you sometimes totally forget what’s there or forget to look in those areas.

When to Start Cleaning Out Your Desk

• Start organizing. You probably don’t want to let everyone know you’re looking for a new job, or maybe you do, but the best time to start organizing your desk and your workspace is before you quit your job. If you’re an overachiever-type, you should always keep a clean desk that’s organized for efficiency, this will make the final clean-up a breeze.

• Start small. Bring home a few trinkets here and there. Any personal item you’re not regularly using can be slipped into your computer bag and out of the office without anyone noticing and you’ve already started the process.

  It’s also a great idea to start going through the drawers of paperwork before you put in your notice to make sure you’re not forgetting anything you really need to take care of.

• When you start to look for another job. Along the same lines, decluttering your email and your computer can begin as soon as you start looking for a new job. The reason to get a jump on this part of the process is you never know what’s coming down the line. You may have a new job offer that needs you immediately and you simply can’t give two weeks notice.

  You might discover that your employer has a policy where they remove people from the building as soon as they quit. In addition to these practical reasons to get a head start on tidying up, you may find it gets emotional when the wheels are set in motion and it might be harder to do then.

Things You’ll Find When You Clean Your Office

• Drugstore supplies. Don’t be surprised if you find a drugstore full of prescription and over-the-counter remedies you’ve collected over the years and through all sorts of allergy and cold seasons.

• Business cards. Business cards from people you don’t even remember will be scattered everywhere. Fortunately, there will be those that you need and are happy to have found. Keeping in touch with customers, clients, and co-workers can be great for your career.

• Snacks and drinks. Remember that time you were going to start drinking tea — well, now you know where those tea bags went, and the granola bars, the half-eaten candy bar, and a wide variety of snacks. It’s okay — just about everyone has a secret snack stash.

• Office supplies. These are an obvious find in your desk. If you can, return unused items to a supply closet.

• Memoires. Get ready to turn on the waterworks because you’re going to find memories in every drawer. Even if you’re leaving because you couldn’t stand your job anymore, you’ll realize you still had some good times with your co-workers and clients. It’s okay to feel emotional about a career transition, anarticle in the New York Times suggests you take time to grieve when you change careers.

Leave on a Positive Note

• Acts of favoritism are considered illegal if the treatment is for a specific and protected characteristic, such as gender, age, race or religion.

• People tend to be subconsciously attracted to particular personality types, which can lead to favoritism.

• Favoritism is bad for a work environment because it builds animosity in other employees, creates an environment without room to grow, and decreases employee moral and creates a high turnover.

• When handing favoritism in your work environment you should examine the situation, work on your performance, speak with your boss or HR department, or seek a new position.

What Is Favoritism in the Workplace?

Reasons Favoritism Is Bad for a Professional Environment

1. Builds animosity in other employees. Watching a single employee with an average skill level receive extra benefits and promotions while their co-workers get nothing isn’t the type of environment that builds a passionate staff.

   Employees pick up on favoritism quickly, whether it’s in the form of simple remarks or more drastic actions. A team that’s filled with people who feel frustrated or cheated isn’t going to be productive.

2. Creates an environment without room to grow. When a person commits to a job, they’re often viewing it as a stepping stone towards career advancements down the line.

   When managers provide promotions to their favorite employees only, it limits the capacity of others. Employees who feel that their employer isn’t taking care of them or their career interests look to alternative options.

3. Decreases morale. Nobody wants to put in their hard work and effort for a job that doesn’t recognize them because of favoritism. It decreases motivation and morale quickly because it makes employees feel like they’re not working towards anything.

4. Increases employee turnover rates. After a while of being dissatisfied with their work environment, employees naturally seek new opportunities elsewhere. High turnover rates negatively impact a business because it takes a lot of money and time to keep filling open positions.

Examples of Favoritism in the Workplace

1. Receiving extra attention. While receiving the majority of a manager’s attention might not seem serious, it can limit other employees’ chances to improve. A company supervisor only has so much time on their hands.

   If they’re giving it all to one person on the team, it means a lot of other employees are being neglected.

2. Regular praising. Offering praise to an employee for a job well done is recommended to boost motivation and confidence. However, when this praise is only given to a single person on the team, it implies favoritism.

   Constructive feedback is given to every employee proportionate to their performance in a well-functioning work environment.

3. Being given extra privileges. Employee privileges, such as a flexible schedule or personal days off, are benefits that are outlined during an employee’s onboarding process.

   When certain employees are given more privileges than others with the same responsibilities, it’s interpreted as favoritism.

4. Excusing an employee’s poor performance. In addition to providing favorited employees with more opportunities, professional favoritism also comes in the form of pardoning poor performance due to bias.

   When a manager excuses a team member’s shoddy work, it puts the entire company in jeopardy of falling behind. Additionally, employees who meet their job responsibilities quickly get annoyed when they’re making up for a favorite’s lacking performance.

5. Unearned promotions. Promotions are hugely significant because they recognize employees for their achievements and contributions.

   When promotions are awarded to people based on favoritism instead of performance, it negatively impacts a business over time by decreasing overall employee motivation.

How to Handle Favoritism in the Workplace

1. Examine the situation. While it’s easy to jump to assumptions about a situation that you feel slighted in, take a moment to examine the circumstance at hand.

   It’s crucial to evaluate fully before taking action because it reflects negatively on an employee if they make a huff about their boss displaying favoritism, and it ends up being unfounded. Do some research into what constitutes favoritism, and decide if your experience matches these examples. Even if you find the favoritism you’re coming across is legal, your company can still handle it and improve the circumstance.

2. Work on your performance. It may seem ridiculous to respond to favoritism by working even harder on your work performance.

   However, being the best employee possible provides the evidence needed to strengthen a case for favoritism because it shows you’re doing everything right in your role without receiving the same opportunities for growth in return.

3. Speak to your boss. Once the problem has persisted past the point that you’re able to ignore it, it’s time to set up a meeting with the manager whose committing the offense.

   • Don’t use this discussion as a chance to attack your supervisor for displaying favoritism; instead, take the chance to gain clarity. Ask them why you didn’t receive a recent opportunity and how you can improve your performance to be considered in the future.

   • Once your manager has outlined the direction for how you can receive more opportunities for advancement in the future, it provides the information needed to improve in these areas.

   • Oftentimes, bringing their attention to your eagerness to take on new challenges inspires a manager enough to give you a chance. If they still display favoritism and ignore you for projects, you need to discuss the situation with a higher-up in the company.

4. Speak with your company’s Human Resources department. When you’ve tried to work with your boss to reach a conclusion that satisfies you both, but they’re still demonstrating favoritism towards other co-workers, consider speaking to your company’s Human Resources department.

   • An HR branch is responsible for handling employee affairs and acting as a neutral bridge between a company and its team.

   • Speaking with a member of the HR department helps diminish a favoritism situation by speaking further with the manager in question or even transferring you to be supervised by someone else.

   • An objective party, like a Human Resources representative, often has better luck with getting through to an unruly manager than an individual who works under them.

5. Seek a new position. While heading off in search of a new job is a last resort for frustrated employees, it is an option to consider.

   It’s a short-term headache to quit your role and begin the process of finding a new job, but it might be the best alternative if you’re uncomfortable at your current company because of favoritism. Finding a fair supervisor at a new job is often easier than trying to change a horrible boss.

When Does Favoritism Become Illegal?

• Gender

• Age

• Race

• Religion

Tips for Preventing Favoritism in the Workplace

1. Build a professional relationship with all employees. One of the reasons that favoritism occurs in the workplace is that managers only build a working relationship with one or a few team members.

   To steer clear of favoritism while managing a team, put in the effort to build a professional relationship with every employee. Speaking with someone for a few extra minutes might give you insight into common ground you share and the unique skills they possess.

2. Establish a system to evaluate employee success. Creating a system to evaluate every employee’s performance is an excellent way to manage favoritism in the workplace.

   Having a set rubric for the success milestones that an employee needs to meet eliminates the possibility that people are being rewarded unfairly.

3. Take employee feedback seriously. Employers collect constructive feedback from their employees because it shows them a different perspective. As a supervisor, your team might pick up on things you’re unaware of from your position.

   Consider employee feedback carefully and take action to remedy situations that people are uncomfortable with, like favoritism.

4. Speak out about favoritism if it’s witnessed. Sometimes it’s another co-worker who’s the culprit of the favoritism in your business.

   When you’re positive that you’re witnessing a co-worker demonstrate favoritism towards their team, it’s best to speak to them about it. This doesn’t have to be an accusatory meeting, but just let them know what you’ve been seeing. In situations where a manager isn’t conscious of their favoritism, bringing it to their awareness might solve a lot of difficulties.

Research Summary. Affordability remains a big concern for companies and employees alike, as health insurance premiums have increased much faster than overall income or salaries. And although insurance is widely available among larger companies, only about half of the small-to-medium-sized businesses offer coverage to their employees. After extensive research, our data analysis team concluded:

• In 2020, the average annual premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance were $7,470 for single coverage and $21,342 for family coverage.

• Employers pay for 83% of single coverage employee health insurance plans and 73% of family coverage plans, on average.

• Roughly 157 million people have employer-based coverage as of 2019.

• Health care is typically one of the most expensive benefits for employers to provide, constituting 8.2% of total compensation for civilian workers in March 2020.

• The average premium for family coverage has increased 22% over the last five years and 55% over the previous ten years.

• 40% of non-elderly adults said that they or a family member had difficulty affording employer-based health insurance or health care or had problems paying medical bills.

• Medium-to-large firms are more likely to cover additional health care services such as telemedicine and those provided in retail clinics. However, smaller firms that offer health insurance also offer additional coverages like dental, vision, 401(k), life insurance, and paid family leave.

General Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Statistics

Employer-sponsored healthcare coverage is an essential perceived benefit among employees, which is the top reason why many companies offer it. Additional reasons include boosted productivity and tax benefits.

However, the percentage of firms offering employer-sponsored health insurance varies widely by the number of employees, with smaller businesses less likely to provide access to coverage than their larger counterparts.

• Employer-sponsored, also known as employer-provided health insurance, is coverage provided through a job to eligible workers.

  In most instances, an employer offers different group health plans, and employees are responsible for covering part of the premium cost. This is currently the most common type of health coverage in the U.S.

• Roughly 157 million people have employer-based coverage as of 2019.

• Companies began using healthcare during WWII as a means to attract talent, particularly women.

• Offering health insurance may be one way to stand out from other employers while contributing to a company’s recruiting strategy and employee benefits package.

• The top reasons why employers offer health insurance to employees include:

  • To hire and retain the best workers (66%)

  • Moral responsibility (43%)

  • Encourages productivity (27%)

  • Workers can’t afford coverage on their own (26%)

  • Tax benefits (11%)

• 89% of workers are employed by a firm that offers health benefits to at least some workers.

• 56% of firms offer health benefits to at least some of their workers.

• If you operate a small business with less than 50 full-time employees, you are not required to offer group health insurance. However, if your company offers health coverage to employees, you are typically required to pay for at least 50% of employee premiums.

Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Cost Statistics

Among the benefits provided by businesses to their employees, employer-sponsored health insurance remains the most expensive. Coverage is also costly for employees, as premiums, deductibles, copays, and coinsurance amounts have increased dramatically over the past decade.

Furthermore, most plans require employees to pay for a significant portion of their coverage premiums.

• Health care is typically one of the most expensive benefits for employers to provide, constituting 8.2% of total compensation for civilian workers in March 2020.

• Average employer-provided health insurance costs have increased modestly over the previous year. The average single premium increased by 4%, and the average family premium increased by 5%.

• The average premium for family coverage has increased 22% over the last five years and 55% over the previous ten years.

• In 2020, the average annual premiums for employer-sponsored health insurance were $7,470 for single coverage and $21,342 for family coverage.

• Between 2010 and 2020, the average annual worker insurance premium contribution increased from $3,997 to $5,588, an increase of almost 40%.

• During this same time, the average employer contribution increased from $9,773 to $15,574, or about 55%.

• 31% of covered small firm employees had their employer pay the entire premium for their single coverage.

• 35% of covered small firm employees were enrolled in a plan where they contribute more than one-half of the premium for family coverage.

• 83% of covered workers have a general annual deductible for single coverage that must be met before the plan pays for most services.

• Over the past five years, the percentage of covered workers with a general annual deductible of $2,000 or more for single coverage has grown from 18% to 28%.

• The average copayments are $25 for primary care and $40 for specialty care.

• The average coinsurance rate for hospital admission is 20%, and the average copayment is $326 per hospital admission.

• Average individual deductibles have increased by 24% between 2015 and 2018.

• The average single coverage annual deductible among covered workers with a deductible has increased 25% over the last five years and 79% over the last ten years.

• The average copayments are $26 for primary care and $42 for specialty care. The average coinsurance rates are 18% for primary care and 19% for specialty care.

• 65% of covered workers have coinsurance, and 13% have a copayment for hospital admissions. The average coinsurance rate for hospital admission is 20%, and the average copayment is $311 per hospital admission.

Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Affordability Statistics

Because of high—and continuously increasing—health insurance premiums, many covered individuals express concerns about affording coverage generally and paying for prescription medications specifically.

The situation is similar among employers, nearly half of whom state they’re “very concerned” about their continued ability to offer employee health benefits.

• 94% of all civilian workers who participated in their employer’s medical plans in March 2020 had to contribute part of the premium for family coverage.

• Middle-income workers spent an average of 6.8% of their income on employer premium contributions in 2018.

• The average premium for family coverage has increased 22% over the last five years and 54% over the previous ten years, significantly more than workers’ wages or inflation.

• 63% say an increase of 15% or less in monthly premiums will make their current plan unaffordable.

• The cost of prescription drugs is one of the most significant challenges facing employers and families.

• About 50% said they or a family member had skipped or postponed getting health care or prescriptions due to costs in the past 12 months.

• 40% of non-elderly adults said that they or a family member had difficulty affording employer-based health insurance or health care or had problems paying medical bills.

• The top two most important factors for small employers when choosing a group health plan are affordable monthly premiums and out-of-pocket costs.

• 41% of small businesses are “very concerned” about their continued ability to offer employee health benefits, 42% are “somewhat concerned,” and 17% are not concerned.

• 39% of small businesses are “very concerned” about employees’ ability to afford premiums and deductibles, 38% are “somewhat concerned,” and 23% are not concerned.

• For employers, the most important factors when choosing a health plan include:

  • Affordable monthly premiums for employees (34%)

  • Affordable copays and deductibles (30%)

  • Affordable monthly premiums for employers (11%)

  • Strong medical provider networks (10%)

  • Getting key medical benefits (9%)

  • Other (6%)

• 53% of employers say that sponsoring a health plan has not prevented them from offering raises or hiring additional workers. However, 30% report that offering coverage has made it harder for them to increase employee wages or hire additional workers.

Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Statistics Related to HMOs, PPOs, and Other Plans

Point of Service (POS) plans are the most common among employer-sponsored health insurance coverage. However, HMOs typically require slightly lower employer and employee contributions, whether for individual or family plans.

• For HMOs, the average employer contribution is an average of $6,071 for single coverage, with individual employees contributing $1,212 per year. When it comes to families, employers contribute $15,520, and employees cover $5,289.

• When it comes to PPOs, employers contribute an average of $6,546, and single employees contribute $1,335 per year. For family coverage, employers contribute $16,231, and employees contribute $6,017.

• POS (Point of Service) plans account for 47% of all small business plans. HMO (Health Maintenance Organization) plans account for 26%, PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) plans account for 15%, and EPO (Exclusive Provider Organization) plans account for 12%.

• For all plan types, employers provide an average of $6,227 toward single coverage, and employees pay $1,243. For family coverage, employers contribute $15,754, and employees contribute $5,588.

Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance Coverage Statistics

Most employers are satisfied with the breadth of their health insurance network and the choice of provider networks available to employees. Large and small firms typically offer plans that cover additional health benefits like health risk assessments, smoking cessation, weight management, or behavioral or lifestyle coaching.

• Among employers offering health benefits, 51% say that the network for their plan with the largest enrollment is ‘very broad,’ 42% say it is ‘somewhat broad,’ and 6% say it is ‘somewhat narrow.’

• 45% of employers offering health benefits report being ‘very satisfied’ with the choice of provider networks available to them, and 38% report being ‘satisfied.’ However, only 22% of these firms report being ‘very satisfied’ with the cost of provider networks available, while 39% report being ‘satisfied.’

• Among those offering health benefits, 42% of small firms and 60% of large firms provide workers the opportunity to complete a health risk assessment.

• 53% of small firms and 81% of large firms offer a program in smoking cessation, weight management, or behavioral or lifestyle coaching. Among large firms offering at least one of these programs, 44% offer their workers an incentive to participate in or complete the program.

• 85% of firms with 50 or more employees who offer health benefits cover telemedicine health care services in their largest health plan.

• 76% of large firms offering health benefits cover health care services received in retail clinics, such as those in pharmacies, supermarkets, and retail stores, in their largest health plan.

• Most small businesses offering employee health coverage also offer additional benefits such as:

  • Dental (52%)

  • Vision (41%)

  • 401(k) (24%)

  • Life insurance (14%)

  • Paid family leave (13%)

Average Cost of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance FAQ

1. What is the avearge cost of health insurance through an employer?

   The average annual cost of health insurance premiums through an employer is $7,470 for single coverage and $21,342 for family coverage. The average employer contributes an average of $6,227 for a single coverage plan and $15,754 to family coverage. This leaves employees paying an average of $1,243 for a year of single coverage or $5,588 for a year of family coverage through their employer-sponsored health insurance.

2. What percentage of health insurance do employers pay?

   Employers pay for 83% of single coverage employee health insurance plans, and 73% of family coverage plans. While employers pay an average of $7,470 a year for single coverage, employees pay the remaining $1,270 (17% of the total cost of $8,690). For family coverage, employers pay an average of $15,754 a year, while employees cover the remaining $5,827 (23% of the total annual cost of $21,581).

3. Is employer-sponsored health insurance cheaper?

   Yes, employer-sponsored health insurance is cheaper. While the cost of the plans themselves might not change much, the fact that employers cover around 83% of the premiums means that employer-sponsored health insurance almost always works out to be less expensive than buying an individual plan. The downside to employer-sponsored health insurance is that you’re limited to certain plan options.

4. Do employees pay for employer-sponsored health insurance?

   Yes, employees pay for employer-sponsored health insurance. While these plans are employer-sponsored, your employer does not typically cover the entirety of your premiums. On average, an employee will pay about 1/5 the price of premiums, which is usually deducted directly from their paychecks. Additionally, employees are still responsible for making copayments and reaching their deductible before insurance covers services.

5. Can I get a premium tax credit if my employer offers insurance?

   No, you cannot get a premium tax credit if your employer offers insurance in most circumstances. However, if the employer-sponsored coverage is too expensive or does not meet the minimum value standard, you may be eligible for a premium tax credit. “Too expensive” is defined as more than 9.83% of an individual’s household income and not meeting the “minimum value standard” means that the plan won’t cover at least 60% of the total cost of benefits that you expect to incur. If at least one of these things is true, you may qualify for a premium tax credit even if you are offered health insurance through your job. Speak to a certified accountant to learn more.

Conclusion

While health insurance coverage is a popular way for employers to attract the most talented employees, affordability remains a top concern among both employers and employees. This concern applies to general policy premiums, deductibles, copays, and coinsurance, and specific coverages like prescription medications.

Based on past trends, health care coverage is expected to become increasingly unaffordable for businesses of all sizes, as well as the employees covered under different plans. Fortunately, plans are changing with the times, as many now provide telemedicine and retail health care services coverage.

Sources

1. eHealth Insurance. Average Cost of Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance. Accessed on 8/9/21.

2. eHealth. Small Businesses Health Insurance: Costs, Trends and Insights 2018 (Published April 2019). Accessed on 8/9/21.

3. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2019 Employer Health Benefits Survey. Accessed on 8/9/21.

4. Kaiser Family Foundation. 2020 Employer Health Benefits Survey – Summary of Findings. Accessed on 8/9/21.

5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Average employee medical premium $6,797 for family coverage in 2020. Accessed on 8/9/21.

6. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Medical care premiums in the United States, March 2020. Accessed on 8/9/21.

7. Harvard Business Review. Are Employer-Sponsored Health Plans on Their Way Out? Accessed on 8/9/21.

8. The Commonwealth Fund. Trends in Employer Health Care Coverage, 2008–2018: Higher Costs for Workers and Their Families. Accessed on 8/10/21.

Key Takeaways:

• Presentation skills are important in the workplace because they can be used for meetings, interviews, and conferences.

• Presentation skills include research, organization, and adaptability

• Practice as much as possible before a presentation so that it becomes muscle memory, however, to engage the audience, be flexible with your presentation’s performance.

• Good presentations are informative, engaging, and precise.

Types of Presentation Skills

1. Research. The first step of any successful presentation is the research and preparation phase. First and foremost, you have to become an expert on the content you hope to deliver. It’s also essential to research your audience to know which information is most pertinent for them.

2. Planning. Once you’ve completed your research, it’s time to develop a plan. During this phase, you’ll prioritize which information gets put front-and-center, and which is less vital for your ultimate goal.

   Before you start drafting your presentation, it’s crucial to keep your goal at the forefront: what do you want the audience to do after listening to your presentation? Whether it’s convincing a client to purchase a service, landing your dream job, or getting a few laughs at a wedding, your presentation’s goal should always be central in your plan.

3. Organization. Audiences prefer presentations that are well-thought-out and delivered in a logical order. Before you even step foot in the room, you should know what you need to do to set up, have all your notes in order, and be aware of your allotted time.

   You should also always arrive early for a presentation, so you can organize anything that needs organizing before you start. That way, you won’t kick off your presentation futzing with wires while your audience starts drifting to their phones.

4. Verbal communication. No surprises here, verbal communication skills are downright essential for an effective presentation. Even if you have very rigid notes to follow, being quick on your feet to answer questions or alter your content for the audience’s benefit will serve you well during presentations.

5. Nonverbal communication. Good body language means standing up straight, not fidgeting too much, and maintaining eye contact with your audience members.

   Additionally, your inflection, pace, and energy are all elements of nonverbal communication. Adjust these according to your audience (through research or in real-time), and you’ll be a more effective presenter.

6. Public speaking. Some people get nervous just thinking about speaking publicly. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it is crucial to keep your nerves under wraps for delivering the most effective presentation possible. Audiences are less likely to trust presenters who don’t appear confident.

7. Memorization. We’ve all seen presentations where the presenter is just reading directly off his Powerpoint slides – we don’t need to tell you that those presentations are unequivocally bad. It’s fine to have notes as a reference, but the more time you can spend looking at your audience rather than the sheet in front of you, the better.

8. Writing. Being a good writer will help keep your presentation organized and give a boost to your credibility. Before you can commit your content to memory, you need to develop that content.

9. Story-telling. Not all presentations require story-telling, but it can be a very effective method of grabbing your listeners’ attention. It can be a hypothetical story that presents a question or problem, a real story that leads into your main argument, or a story that continues throughout to illustrate the duller facts your presentation covers.

   While we tend to associate story-telling with more informal presentations (like a maid of honor’s toast), it can be equally effective in a professional setting.

10. Rhetorical skills. Rhetoric is all about persuasion: how are your words going to induce action from the listener(s)? Rhetorical appeals are classified under three headings: ethos, logos, and pathos.

    Ethos establishes credibility in the speaker and trust in the listeners through confident delivery and expert testimony. Logos covers your presentation’s logical thrust through statistics, models, comparisons, analogies, etc. Pathos is your presentation’s emotional appeal, supported by vivid language and stories that promote certain values. Every presentation will contain some element(s) of these rhetorical appeals, but the weight each gets depends on the situation.

11. Active listening. Pay attention to which parts of your presentation are grabbing listeners and which are falling flat. If your audience’s eyes start glazing over or phones start coming out, you know you’re losing them.

    Additionally, some presentations have a Q+A segment, so be ready to shut up for a second and give your full attention to each question.

12. Adaptability. Like the above point, being able to adapt on the fly sets top-tier presenters apart from merely good ones. For instance, if you can tell your presentation isn’t working, you can open up the floor and ask for questions as a way of determining your audience’s priorities.

    Using the ample research you conducted, you can start steering the presentation towards areas of genuine interest.

13. Delivery. We bet you’ve heard some of the same Dad jokes multiple times in your life. Sometimes they’re hilarious, and sometimes they induce an eye-roll. The difference? Delivery. Pace, timing, tone, and enunciation/inflection are all important elements of good delivery.

    It’s a tough thing to practice, but if you’ve got an anecdote to share in your presentation, maybe try it out on a few people beforehand using different delivery methods and see which works best.

14. Technical skills. All right, you’re all set with the perfect presentation, you walk into the room, and the A/V set up isn’t what you were expecting. Well, if you followed our advice above, you showed up a bit early and had time to fix it.

    Either way, being handy with different presentation software and just generally technologically-literate will lessen the stress associated with technical difficulties.

15. Analysis. Phew, your presentation is done. Time to forget about presenting until the next one comes up, right? No siree – now is the time for you to take a step back and evaluate your performance.

    What went well, where could you improve, and how did the audience respond? If you want to improve as a presenter, you must be continually tracking your strengths and weaknesses.

How to Improve Your Presentation Skills

• Watch and learn. You’ve seen presentations before, but to prepare for your own, try watching presentations to learn what works and what doesn’t. If you’re presenting at a conference, attend other presentations and pay attention to how the audience responds. Your audience probably won’t be much different.

  Alternatively, you could watch TED presentations and pick up tricks from the best in the business.

• Practice. Practice makes perfect, as the saying goes. Rehearse what you want to say, either on your own or with an audience of friends. You can even record yourself speaking and pinpoint weak areas and strengths. The more you perform your presentation, the more comfortable you’ll be delivering the real thing.

• Visualize success. What speakers often forget is that audiences want you to do well. They’re there (more or less) of their own volition, and they want to hear what you have to say. Take that nervousness you’re feeling and transform it into excitement.

  Athletes don’t visualize themselves missing shots or losing games, so why should you picture your presentation bombing? Think about how awesome you’re going to do, and you’ll do better.

• Exercise/drink water beforehand. The human body responds to stressful situations with a whole host of unwelcome physical side effects. If you stay hydrated and get some light exercise in beforehand, you’ll flush the adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormones) right out of your body.

• Adopt a power stance and smile. Just as exercise and hydration help keep your body regulated, so does powerful body language. Standing straight with shoulders squared and a smile on your face, and your body will be tricked into thinking you’re in a confident and commanding position.

• Engage your audience. The best presenters are also first-class entertainers. Don’t go overboard and start practicing your comedy routine, but lightening the mood with a joke or two can go a long way. Be sure to greet your audience enthusiastically.

  Additionally, you can get the audience involved with call-and-responds by asking for questions and posing your questions.

• Don’t get defensive if you’re stumped. There might be moments when an audience member asks a question, and you don’t have an answer. Don’t try to equivocate or dodge the question because people will see what you’re doing. It’s okay not to know everything, but pretending you do will only deteriorate your listeners’ faith in you.

• Keep it concise. People won’t be upset if you wrap up earlier than expected, but they might be a little peeved if you start running over your allotted time. Cut irrelevant information, and your audience will thank you.

• Take your time. All right, so we just suggested keeping things short, and now we’re telling you to take your time. What gives? Well, you should always include a bit of padding into your presentation. For example, if your presentation is meant to be a half-hour, try to get it down to 25 minutes, so you have some wiggle room.

  That way, you won’t feel rushed to get through your material. You can take pauses, slow down your speech, and add emphasis when appropriate.

Types of Presentations

• Delivering a presentation to colleagues, employees, or subordinates about new technology, processes, goals, etc.

• Drumming up investor interest, either for a new business or for your current business’s expansion.

• Teaching your team a new skill.

• Deciding between two or more alternative options or solving a problem with a current system.

• Progress reports.

• Selling a product or service to a client.

• Motivational speech

• Interviewing for a new job or promotion

• Saying goodbye to a colleague (or introducing a new one)

• Giving a speech at a family function, like a wedding.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are the four types of presentation?

The four types of presentation are: informative, instructional, arousing, and persuasive. Informative presentations briefly educate your audience on a specific topic. Instructional presentations teach your audience more thoroughly and generally come with more details and/or directions.

Arousing presentations are meant to evoke some kind of emotion in the audience. Persuasive presentations are designed to convince the audience on a particular viewpoint.

2. What are the four P’s of presentation?

The four P’s of presentation are: planning, preparation, practice, and performance. As the four P’s imply, you need to plan and prepare your presentation, as well as practice. Finally, you need to be aware of your performance during your presentation to make sure you use your skills in an engaging manner.

3. What is the 10-20-30 rule of presentation?

The 10-20-30 rule is for a slide presentation and means you should use no more than 10 slides, present no longer than 20 minutes, and use no less than 30 point font. Considering these factors helps make a presentation efficient with its time. Remember you want to take your time and be direct with your information. Using the 10-20-30 rule helps you find a balance between these needs.

Final Thoughts

Despite what your boss might tell you, playing hooky can be essential to working in the modern world.

Like all things, it takes the right kind of balance to make sure you’re not going overboard and flat out ignoring your job duties and responsibilities.

But just how do you strike that balance? And how do you go about asking off for work in the first place?

We’ve put together a guide to help you determine just that.

• When done right, spending your day at the beach or the park rather than in the office can have a beneficial effect not only on your state of mind independent of your career, but even on your productivity once you return to work.

• When trying to play hooky, its important to be honest with your boss if possible.

• Make sure you are considerate to your coworkers and you are not leaving them short handed.

What Are The Benefits of Playing Hooky?

Playing hooky can get you in a lot of trouble if you do it all the time. Not only can it get you fired if your boss finds out you took a day off under false pretenses, but taking too much time off work can cause you to lag behind.

• If you spend a lot of time away from work during normal work hours, your lack of productivity can affect more than just your job performance — it can affect the performance of others you work with whose own jobs depend on you completing your responsibilities.

  But only taking company-sanctioned vacation time and the occasional genuine sick day can be harmful too. You could find yourself getting rundown, caring less and less about the work you do while simultaneously sending you into a spiral of anxiety and stress.

• For this reason, taking the occasional (preferably unplanned) day off from work on a day when you’re not sick can be enormously beneficial to your mental health, not to mention your productivity.

  It’s like hitting a reset button for your body as well as your mind and to be effective, it’s important that it does come during normal working hours.

• You’re trying to break yourself out of a cycle of work and stress in the least disruptive way possible, after all. You need time and space to do this, so it helps if anyone who might get in the way of this is actually at work themselves.

  But there are two main things you want to be careful about as you do this. The first is how you get out of work for your day off in the first place — the second is how you spend the time off once you have it.

How to Play Hooky

As anyone who has ever taken more than a single day off of work knows intimately, there is a right and a wrong way to ask for time off, as well as there being right or wrong reasons to take that time off in the first place.

Playing hooky is different than taking a sick day, after all (or at least it ought to be).

You shouldn’t be taking one for just the purpose of ignoring your work responsibilities — it should be taken because you specifically need to focus on yourself or your personal life.

The distinction between these things is fuzzy, but it’s important to navigate if you hope to get as much out of your days off as you can.

Keep the following things in mind when you’re trying to get out of work for your day off:

• Be honest. If at all possible, you should be honest with your boss about why you’re taking the day off.

  Again, this isn’t necessarily a sick day (although for those suffering from mental health issues, there is a certain amount of bleed over here), and most managers get the importance of playing hooky once in a while when people are on the verge of burning out.

• Use a sick day. However, if you work for someone who you know for a fact would not give you the day off that you need based on burnout reasons alone, that becomes a situation wherein you might want to consider using a sick day.

  It’s a gamble, for sure, but when working for an unreasonable boss it’s the kind of gamble you’ll have to make for the sake of your emotional health.

• Be considerate. Whenever you do take your day off, make sure you aren’t leaving anyone shorthanded or preventing someone else from doing their job. In addition to inconveniencing one of your coworkers unnecessarily, this can also bring additional stress to you later on in the form of unfinished tasks or angry coworkers.

• Ask sparingly. If you’re the kind of person who plays hooky frequently, you really want to be careful when asking for yet another day off. It’s not a good look, and at a certain point, almost any manager will become angry enough at the behavior that they might consider firing you.

• Have a plan. Before you go to play hooky on a given day, make sure you’ve got all your ducks in a row first, and also make sure that you have a goal in mind for that day (even if the goal is as simple as “try to destress”).

What to do On Your Day Off

Once you’ve cleared your day off with your higher up, it’s important after that that you figure out a rewarding way to spend your time.

That’s where having a goal for the day becomes important: What do you specifically want to accomplish that day? And if your goal is as simple as to try to get less stressed out, how do you plan on accomplishing this?

Here are some possibly rewarding ways to spend your day playing hooky:

• Enjoy some entertainment. Take advantage of the smaller crowds and go catch a matinee at your local movie theater. Or, if there’s a sporting event nearby, grab some tickets. And if you have finer tastes, check out a museum you’ve been wanting to go to.

  These things are all usually reserved for the weekend, and having a random workday to enjoy all these things can be a real pick-me-up.

• Spend the day outside. Do something you enjoy, like hiking, swimming, or fishing. Fitness is part of it, but it’s also about disconnecting from office life completely. Just being outside in nature for most of the day can do wonders for your mental health and you’ll come back to work refreshed and with a new perspective.

• Be a lazy bum. Spend your day inside playing video games, streaming television, or just being lazy. As long as you know you won’t feel bad doing so, this can be a great way to de-stress.

• Catch up on sleep. You don’t want to ruin your sleep schedule by staying up all night and sleeping until 2 pm, but give yourself a bit of extra sleep on your day off. Or, take a nice long nap in the afternoon to recharge your batteries. This additional period of rest can do wonders for your productivity when you do return to work.

• Visit with your family or friends. You might not usually have time to see everyone you wish you could. Go see your parents, or if you have kids, maybe let them play hooky too so you can spend the day together.

  Or if you have a friend who works a different shift than you, make an effort to hang out with that person for the day and catch up.

• Work at a particular hobby of yours. Have some idea of what you’d like to accomplish with your hobby during your time off. Or get a start on a new hobby that you’ve been reading about for a while. A day spend productively working toward a non-work-related goal can rejuvenate your way of thinking and approaching topics.

• Treat yourself. Get a massage, a facial, a pedicure — whatever. Even a nice long yoga or meditation session could be classified as “treating yourself.” Pamper yourself for one day, and you’ll return to the office feeling like a million bucks.

Final Thoughts

That’s all for this one! Just keep in mind: Playing hooky is a great thing to do until exactly the moment that it’s not anymore.

That threshold is different depending on the individual, but the most important thing to consider is your work’s reaction to you playing hooky.

If your coworkers seem sour about how much time you spend out of the office, or if your boss seems like they might be thinking about reprimanding or even firing you for your behavior, you really want to start thinking about if your days off are doing you the kind of good you think they are.

On the other hand, if your work is begrudging you small amounts of time off here or there, you might want to think about whether working at your job is worth the level of grief it brings you.

At the end of the day, it’s up to you how much time you should try to take off from your work, and depends on how much you personally feel is necessary for you to feel good and healthy.

Key Takeaways:

• Building rapport, or a positive relationship with other people, is helpful, especially with colleagues, customers, and job interviewers.

• Rapport with colleagues and customers can lead to a more productive professional life.

• Rapport requires you to be empathetic and self-aware.

• Rapport can provide learning opportunities and expand your network.

• Asking appropriate questions are great ways to build rapport.

What Is Rapport?

How To Build Rapport: Know Your Audience

• Colleagues. Building a rapport with your coworkers is helpful to your professional life.

• Customers. A rapport with customers makes interactions more productive.

• Interviewers. Building rapport during a job interview doesn’t guarantee an offer, however it can help show your soft skills and makes a good impression.

• Anyone. Building a rapport with anyone is an important skill that can come in handy in many different situations.

How to Establish Rapport With Colleagues

1. Get to know their basic information. Before you can boost a relationship with someone at work, you need to know all their basic information.

   This includes things like their name and preferred pronouns. Gathering this fundamental information about the people you work with demonstrates that you care about getting to know them.

2. Offer them help with a project or task. A productive work environment functions collaboratively. That sometimes means taking on tasks outside of your job description to lend a helping hand to a coworker.

   Not only does helping out a colleague with a task broaden your horizons and display reliability, but it also encourages rapport. Everyone can use a little assistance in their duties from time to time. Offering your effort to help a co-worker in need is a good way to get the ball rolling on building a relationship.

3. Ask questions about their life to discover commonalities. The vast majority of friendships are branched from discovering commonalities between two people.

   This rule still applies when networking with colleagues in a professional environment. Be inquisitive, without being pushy, about your co-worker’s life, hobbies, and background. After fielding them good questions, listen up to every detail of the answer they provide. Tossing them a question and then tuning out for the answer reads as inconsiderate. People are more interested in building rapport with people who engage in active listening with them.

4. Invite them to get together outside of work. The relationship can be strengthened even further once a base of rapport is formed with a colleague by inviting them to get together outside of work. The hangout doesn’t have to be a monumental event, but it should be somewhere other than the office.

   Examples of easy-going scenarios to invite a co-worker to include:

   • Out to lunch

   • Grabbing a coffee

   • Going for a hike

   • A show, concert, or sporting event

   Meeting with close co-workers outside of the workplace deepens the connection because you form more memories with them.

How to Build Rapport with Customers

1. Evaluate their priorities and cater to them. A successful salesperson’s ego, needs, and opinions melt into the background the moment they begin a customer interaction. They’re replaced by determining the priorities of the client and working towards fulfilling them in a way that leads them to make a purchase.

   To begin building rapport with a new customer, evaluate what’s important to them and what they’re looking to get out of the exchange.

2. Adapt to their personality and circumstance. Industries with firsthand customer contact handle a catalog of varying personality types and personal circumstances. One person is pleasant and goal-oriented, but the next is disengaged and unsure of what they want.

   The ability to adapt to any type of character that walks through the door improves the chances of establishing a solid rapport.

3. Maintain an optimistic attitude. When a disgruntled customer comes into your workplace to complain about a situation, it’s easy to tune out and simply wait for it all to be over. However, this doesn’t work towards solving their issue or improving the rapport between the two of you.

   Even when you’re handling a tough customer circumstance, it’s important to maintain an optimistic attitude to show them that you’re willing to work with them to find a solution.

4. Employ positive body language. Rapport isn’t only created from your spoken words. It’s also a product of an employee’s body language cues with customers.

   While you might be saying all the right things to form a connection with a client, your body’s nonverbal communication could be telling an entirely different story. Examples of positive body language include:

   • Sustaining eye-contact

   • Upright posture

   • A confident handshake

   • Unfolded arms

   • Smiling and nodding

How to Build Rapport in an Interview

1. Dress for the position. The first impression that an applicant makes in a job interview is with their attire. When you’re hoping to land your dream job, dress for the part. Research what wardrobe is appropriate in the role you’re going for and match that standard.

   While an outfit choice might be the last thing on your mind with an important interview looming, it still needs to be a consideration.

2. Use the interviewer’s name when appropriate. When you begin a job interview, the hiring manager introduces themselves to you using their name and title.

   If they haven’t done this, be sure to ask what they’d prefer to be called. Once you know their name, keep it in the back of your mind to slide in while answering their questions. Avoid overusing an interviewer’s name, but peppering it throughout the conversation a couple of times shows them that you paid attention. It also establishes rapport because you’re addressing them personally when replying.

3. Ask the right questions. An interviewer usually allows candidates to ask questions at the end of the discussion. Use this time wisely by asking the right questions to build rapport.

   The question portion of an interview is the perfect time to find out more about the interviewer and how they enjoy their role with the company. While your questions shouldn’t be overly personal, it’s okay to ask the hiring manager a little information about themselves. It’s a chance to stand out and build a connection beyond the sea of applicants they’ll meet.

4. Demonstrate glimpses of your personality. The pressure of a job interview makes some candidates’ brilliant personality slip through the cracks in an attempt to be the best option for hire.

   While professionalism is crucial to landing a position, it’s equally important to impress the interviewer with your unique character. Allow the hiring manager to see glimpses of your personality, beyond your professional persona, to strengthen rapport in the tight timing of an interview.

Tips for Building Rapport With Anyone

1. Tap into your empathy. Whether you’re trying to engage with a customer or attempting to ask a crush out on a date, it requires you to tap into your empathy. Empathy is a person’s ability to understand and relate to the way another is feeling.

   This is extremely useful when building rapport with anyone because it puts you in their shoes and gives you direction for where to steer the interaction.

2. Use small talk. When you want to build rapport with people around you, but you’re not sure how to go about it, using small talk is a great way to start.

   Small talk refers to surface-level conversation topics that allow casual banter to flow. It‘s a classic tool often used in the business world to build rapport.

3. Inquire about their life light-heartedly. Asking questions about the other party is the route to building rapport with them.

   People enjoy speaking about their lives and hobbies. Asking targeted, yet appropriate, questions in this area demonstrates an interest in who they are besides being your colleague, customer, or interviewer.

Examples of Questions to Ask for Rapport Building

1. Where are you from? This basic question establishes foundational information about the other person.

   It’s impersonal enough time to be on the level of small talk but gives you a lot of information about the other person. It’s a good question to use early in a conversation because other topics naturally arise, and commonalities can be found.

2. How long have you been working here? When you’re starting a new job or asking questions during an interview, this is a solid choice to begin an interaction. It sets a standard of understanding between two people but also acts as a springboard for many other questions.

3. Do you have any exciting plans this weekend? Asking a colleague or customer about their plans for the weekend brings the topic outside of a professional context. This inherently builds a deeper sense of rapport.

4. Can I help you with anything? Offering assistance to another person is a great way to kick off a positive interaction and build rapport. It paints you as a dependable individual and starts a conversation at the same time.

5. What’s your favorite section of the bookstore? This is a more interesting way of asking a co-worker what their favorite book is.

   Instead of forcing them into a corner of choosing a single favorite book, it lets them reside in an entire genre. This is a good inquiry to get to know the more intricate parts of someone at work.

6. How do you recharge after work? Everyone has their own routine for winding down after a stressful day of work. Asking a coworker about their way of recharging after work is a good way to segway into inviting them somewhere outside of the office.

Why Is Building Rapport Important?

1. Creates comfortability among a professional team. There’s an undeniable value to a team that functions well together. Teamwork leads to company productivity, innovative ideas, and an overall comfortable atmosphere.

   To reach this point of togetherness on a professional team, there must be some effort made by all parties to build up a rapport. Part of being an organized unit is knowing the other members of the team. It makes it easier to delegate tasks to the right person, encourages a free flow of communication, and establishes respect for one another.

2. You get to know impressive people in the field. There are always co-workers with a little more insight and experience than you have. Instead of being intimidated by the people at work who have more knowledge in the field, look at it as an opportunity.

   Getting to know high-performing employees at your job creates rapport with impressive people who might be able to help your career later on.

3. Gives the chance to learn from others. There’s a wealth of information at your disposal at work if you have the guts to start a conversation with those around you. Building rapport with people at work also comes with the chance to learn from them.

4. Exposes you to more business opportunities. Keeping your head down and sticking to only your assigned tasks is no way to get ahead at work. It limits opportunities and creates stagnation.

   No matter what field you’re in, there’s one way to guarantee exposure to more opportunities and further your career. It’s building rapport. You never know what incredible job opening or project opportunity that a co-worker could have in store down the line. Your name, skills, and potential linger in their minds years later because you focused on establishing rapport.

5. Improves interpersonal skills overall. Many situations benefit from having a series of handy transferable social skills in your back pocket. Building rapport at work requires interpersonal skills. Focusing on rapport as a priority at work inherently sharpens social skills overall for a variety of circumstances.

Re-Establishing Rapport

Key Takeaways:

• A severance package is compensation provided to an employee when they have been laid of or terminated due to certain circumstances.

• A severance package can include additional pay, payment for unused accrued time off, retirement benefits you’ve accrued, or stock options.

• The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act protects workers and ensures severance in circumstances where businesses employ over 100 people and less than 60 days notice has been given.

• In most situations a severance package is negotiable.

• Remember that when being terminated it is important to update your resume, begin a job search, and finalize any necessary details with your former employer.

What Is a Severance Package?

• Additional pay, typically based on your length of employment

• Payment for unused accrued time off (holiday, vacation, sick time, etc.)

• Any retirement benefits you’ve accrued or information on how to handle those accounts

• Stock options are sometimes offered

• Information about continuing your insurance benefits, typically on a COBRA plan

• Employment assistance to help you find a new job

• Sometimes career and emotional or mental health counseling is offered

What Is Severance Pay?

Who Gets Severance Pay

How Much Severance Pay Do I Get?

Why Some Companies Offer Severance

Severance Pay Is Negotiable

What to Do Before Being Terminated

• Updated resume. The first thing you should do is start updating your resume.

• Begin job search. Then begin looking at job boards to see what jobs are available. Whether you get a severance package or not, you’re going to need a new job.

• Fill in gaps. If you need additional training for the job you really want, look into how to get the training, education, or experience you need.

• Review finances. On average, it takes about nine weeks to get a new job. This is highly flexible and can depend on a lot of factors. But look at your finances to determine if you have enough money to survive nine weeks without a job. Do you need more severance? Now you have a little fuel for your argument.

• Benefits. Make a list of the benefits you want. Some companies are more willing to negotiate extended benefits than they are to talk about money. Longer insurance coverage can be beneficial, but so could a bigger retirement payout or stock options.

• Mentally prepare. Even when you know it’s coming, it’s still an emotional sucker punch when you lose your job. Preparing for it can help you get through. Remember that it’s not just you. It has happened (or it will happen) to most people at some point in their lives. You will get through it.

• Don’t quit. You might get angry at the situation or be very frustrated. But in this situation, it’s best to let the layoff happen. Some people wonder if it’s best to quit or get fired, but this is different; it’s a layoff. This won’t reflect poorly on you as an employee and quitting can mean you won’t get any severance options.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is typically included in a severance package?

A severance package typically includes one to two weeks of additional pay. It is possible to receive continued benefits for a pre-determined amount of time. Remember that severance may not be guaranteed and that you can negotiate different terms.

2. Is severance pay the same as your last paycheck?

No, your severance pay is not the same as your last paycheck. Your last paycheck is what you are owed for your labor up until your termination. Your severance pay is additional pay due to the nature of your termination.

3. Can I quit my job and get severance pay?

Usually, no, you cannot quit your job and expect severance pay. There is no legal reason for a company to give you pay if you resign voluntarily. The only way you would get severance is if the company wanted to give it to you or if your contract had a clause explicitly stating you are owed severance even if you quit.

Final Thoughts

Key Takeaways:

• Ask questions that give you a more detailed understanding of the opportunity.

• Learn from the recruiter why the position is available, what the turnover at the position is like, and if there are other recruiters trying to fill the position.

• Ask about the role and responsibility of the position.

• Recruiters are paid to place people, so they should be willing to help you out as much as possible.

• Make sure to clarify the next steps with the recruiter after speaking with them.

15 Questions to Ask a Recruiter

1. Why does the company need this position filled?

   Your average job listing won’t give you information about why a company needs to hire someone for a particular position. Therefore, you can get inside information by asking a recruiter. You may learn whether the position is newly created or if it needs to be filled because a previous employee left. In the case of the latter, you can inquire further and gain more information about how long the previous employee worked there, and if they left on good terms. Knowing this will help you understand the quality of the position. For example, if the last employee who worked that position was promoted, that could be a sign of high upward mobility. On the other hand, if the previous employee/s only worked the position for a short period or quit to work somewhere else, those might be red flags.

2. What is the timeline for filling this position?

   This question will give you an idea of the steps in the hiring process and how quickly the employer is looking to fill the position. When you understand the pace of the hiring process, you can be ready for additional interviews, tests, or wait times. One of the main benefits of understanding the company’s timeline will be knowing when you’re wasting your time. For instance, if you know the position needs to be filled as quickly as possible, you’ll be able to move on to a new opportunity if the company hasn’t gotten back to you in a week. By contrast, if you have the steps explained to you, you’ll be able to evaluate the timespan of the process, and if that timespan suits your needs.

3. Why weren’t other candidates chosen?

   While some recruiters may not answer this question, you can gain worthwhile insight if you’re able to receive an answer. For example, if you understand what the employer views as red flags, you can avoid those actions, traits, answers, etc., in an interview. Instead of learning from your own mistakes, you can avoid making any by learning from the mistakes of previous candidates who weren’t chosen.

4. How did you find me?

   Knowing how a recruiter found you can tell you which people, social media sites, websites, or any other professional platforms are giving you useful exposure. For example, if you know that a recruiter found you on LinkedIn, you can prioritize the appeal of your profile on that site.

5. Are there any changes I should make to my resume or cover letters?

   Your resume and cover letters are your initial gateway into a position. With that in mind, gaining inside information on how to improve those documents from a recruiter can help you improve. Many recruiters have seen hundreds of resumes and cover letters, so their professional experience with the best of the best and worst of the worst is valuable. After looking at your resume or cover letters, they may give you formatting, grammar, or content related tips. Overall, when a recruiter offers you specific suggestions about improving your resume or cover letters, implementing them will be of great benefit to you.

6. What kinds of questions could I expect in an interview?

   Knowing what kind of questions to expect in an interview can not only help you practice, but also give you an edge over other candidates. Luckily, recruiters will often have an idea of what kinds of questions you’ll be asked. For instance, if your recruiter tells you that the hiring manager will likely ask about a time you had to show workplace prioritization skills, you can think of examples before you even go into the interview. Overall, answering any tough questions will be far easier when you’re able to prepare. In some cases, a recruiter may even help you practice interviews by playing the role of a hiring manager. This opportunity allows you to further hone your interview skills and be one of the most beneficial aspects of working with a recruiter.

7. What do you know about the hiring manager?

   Asking this question can give you an idea of what your interview will be like. If the recruiter knows the hiring manager, they can tell you about the hiring manager’s interview style, reputation, experience, pet peeves, etc. Knowing this information will allow you to go into your interview fully prepared to deal with whoever’s on the other side of the desk. Additionally, you can create a more personalized cover letter when you know information about the hiring manager. Doing so could be the edge you need to land an interview in the first place.

8. What can you tell me about the company culture?

   Knowing whether or not you’ll fit in with your new company and co-workers is an important part of any job. Fortunately, many recruiters can tell you about a company’s culture. By asking this question, you can understand if the company is team-oriented or more individualistic, formal or casual, and fasted-paced or low-pressure, among other things. These details can help you gauge how your personal culture will blend with the company’s culture.

9. What do you know about the salary for this position?

   Receiving fair and worthwhile compensation is one of the most important aspects of any job. Keeping that in mind, attempting to gain insight about a job’s salary from a recruiter can inform you on whether or not you should pursue the position. If you’re aware of a specific salary, you can analyze the numbers and compare them to your current work-life balance. Additionally, when you understand a company’s average salary, as well as what you’re worth, you can negotiate with confidence.

10. Are you the only recruiter working for this company, or are there others?

    Asking this question can give you a better idea of how competitive the position is. After all, if there’s only one recruiter and they’re looking at you, your odds of being chosen for the position are much higher. On the other hand, if the recruiter tells you that they’re not the only one working for the company, you’ll know that it’s even more important to hone your application. When you have to compete with multiple highly qualified candidates, it’s vital that you set yourself apart. Luckily, a recruiter will be invested in helping you with this.

11. How often do you communicate with the employer?

    When you work with a recruiter, you’ll stand a better chance of gaining information and being chosen for the job when there are regular, open lines of communication between the employer and the recruiter. With that in mind, you should only work with recruiters who regularly communicate with the employer, so their assistance is as helpful and accurate as possible.

12. What are the top 3 skills and qualifications the hiring manager is looking for?

    Receiving an answer to this question will allow you to improve your resume and interview presence. For instance, if a recruiter tells you that the company’s hiring manager is looking for someone who is team-oriented, has a bachelor’s degree, and at least five years of experience working with Photoshop, you’ll be able to highlight those skills and qualifications.

13. Does this company/position have a noticeable turnover rate?

    Generally speaking, getting involved in a position that has a high turnover rate can be a major mistake. Typically, jobs with higher turnover can be a sign of overworking, lack of pay, and underappreciation from the company. When you inquire about the turnover rates before your interview, you can evaluate the challenges that come with the position and then decide if it’s worth accepting the job offer.

14. Can you give me a more detailed job description?

    Job descriptions are pretty cut-and-dry, but in some cases, a recruiter can give you more insight into a certain position’s details. After all, job descriptions posted on a website rarely give you an idea of what your day-to-day tasks will look like. Luckily, a recruiter might be able to tell you about specific responsibilities you’ll have and give you information about what you’ll be doing on the job.

15. Do you have any concerns about me or my qualifications?

    Constructive criticism can be extremely useful, especially when you’re going to be evaluated by a hiring manager. When you consider that most recruiters work closely with employers, knowing the recruiter’s concerns about you will give you insight into the employer’s preferences. Once you know your weaknesses, you can work on presenting the best version of yourself to the employer.

What Role Does a Recruiter Play in the Job Hiring Process?

What To Do After Speaking With A Recruiter

• When you are more confident at work you tend to feel better about yourself and the work you are doing.

• When trying to be more confident, focus on the positive and focus on the skills you have rather than the ones you don’t have.

• Asking questions about projects, and getting feedback from your boss or coworker is the best way to evaluate your work and gain confidence in what you’re doing.

The Importance of Being Confident at Work

• You’ll feel better about yourself. When you’re not confident in yourself or your abilities, your self-esteem takes a big hit. Self-doubt can lead to anxiety and depression, and a lack of confidence at work can seep into your other relationships in unhealthy ways.

• You’ll be taken more seriously. When a person speaks and acts with confidence, other people notice. If you want your colleagues to trust you enough to advance in your career, a shot of confidence will go a long way.

• You’ll take on and achieve more. Those who lack confidence worry whenever a particularly challenging project comes across their desk. They certainly won’t go out of their way to try anything difficult.

  While this may protect them from short-term failures, it has long-term negative consequences for their careers because they’ll have fewer accomplishments to show off for promotions or job changes. This creates a feedback loop: you never accomplish anything major, so you have no confidence, so you never take on anything major, etc.

• You’ll be seen as a leader. Managers and supervisors are always looking for leadership potential within their ranks. While several characteristics contribute to effective leadership, confidence is a foundational trait of any successful leader.

• You’ll be trusted more. If you’re always diffident at work, supervisors will pick up on it. You’ll get smaller jobs and more oversight. Basically, self-doubt leads to others doubting you too.

  Again, this creates a negative feedback loop, where you have fewer outlets to gain confidence.

• Your employer does better. Your employer benefits from higher levels of employee confidence. Business can proceed more efficiently and effectively if every worker, at every level of the company, has confidence in their ability to perform their tasks.

  It’s especially critical for those with client-facing roles to exude confidence; otherwise, customers will lose faith in the company as a whole.

How to be More Confident at Work

1. Focus on the positive. Cut out any self-deprecating remarks or negative self-talk. If you often tell yourself you’re no good and can’t hack it, then you’ll start to believe it.

   Instead, use self-affirming language and techniques; tell yourself how awesome you are and focus on all your successes. Take time to celebrate your achievements and consider keeping a folder or document loaded with professional kudos you’ve gotten throughout your career. It’s something you can turn to in moments of doubt to remind yourself how well you’ve done so far.

2. Up your skills. It’s easy to slide into feelings of incompetency when you feel your colleagues have more skills than you. Think about ways to develop your current skill set or add new, relevant skills to your arsena.

   When you can apply a newly-learned skill to your job or teach a coworker a new trick you learned, your confidence will get a big boost.

3. Ask questions. Being curious at work won’t just enhance your confidence – it’ll also help you stand out as an engaged employee. We often lack confidence when we feel there’s a knowledge gap, but the worst thing you can do is carry on with a task you’re not sure how to do.

   You’ll probably do a worse job, and that’s not doing your confidence any favors. Remember, nobody has all the answers (that’s why companies are made up of more than one person).

4. Body language tricks. Smile more, always make eye contact, and practice good posture, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you start to internalize those feelings of confidence.

   Practice power poses before a big meeting, like “The CEO” (feet on desk, leaning back, with your hands behind your head) or “The Wonderwoman” (hands on hips, legs slightly spread, back straight), and your body will react as though you’re the most confident person in the world. Also, pay attention to other nonverbal cues, like your tone of voice. Speak with strength and assertiveness (just don’t overcompensate and become obnoxious). Get rid of those “likes” and “ehms” from your speech ASAP.

5. Get feedback often. This one’s good practice regardless of your confidence levels because it shows you care about your performance and want to be the best dang employee you can be.

   If you sit around waiting for kudos and constructive criticism, you may never get it and be left wondering how you’re doing. That’s not a recipe for confidence. Dispel those anxious thoughts with cold hard facts, right from the horse’s (supervisor’s) mouth.

6. Be organized. Keeping your physical workspace tidy will inevitably make you feel more in control and better able to handle your tasks.

   Don’t stop with the physical space, though. Make to-do lists, organize your assignments in a way that makes sense for you, and track your successes (for that “kudos folder” we mentioned earlier). When you practice good organizational skills, you’ll feel a lot less frazzled at work, which is a good foundation for developing confidence.

7. Seek out challenges. If you want to make life-long improvements to your confidence, you’ll have to leave your comfort zone. If you’re uncomfortable speaking up during meetings, make it a point to speak at least once each time, for example.

   This applies to bigger situations as well. Find ways to challenge yourself at work; when you accomplish something new, you’ll get a rush of confidence that will translate into more new challenges, which will further your confidence, etc. It’s also important to set goals for yourself, both short-term and long-term. When you track self-imposed goals like this, you’ll always have something to feel good about. Pushing yourself will also put you in line for a promotion before you know it.

8. Take stock of your strengths and weaknesses. Sit down and think about all the things you’re good at and set you apart as an individual. They don’t even necessarily have to be work-related. It’s harder to get bogged down with negativity when you always have your strengths at the forefront.

   Still, don’t be unrealistic in your assessment. It’s okay to have weaknesses and make mistakes. In fact, there wouldn’t be an opportunity for growth if it weren’t for them (which would make life very boring indeed). Especially essential tip: don’t compare yourself to others. When we get caught up with keeping up with the Joneses instead of our own definition of success, we’re never satisfied (and therefore never fully confident).

9. Hang out with a supportive crowd. Some work environments are full of gossip, bullying, and all sorts of toxic behavior. Avoid these things like the plague – because, just like a plague, they’re contagious and harm the community.

   Instead, seek out colleagues with positive attitudes who will support your goals and not make you feel stupid when you need to ask questions or get some help. If you can’t find people like this in your workplace, you’ve got more significant problems than confidence.

10. Fake it ‘til you make it. Dress for success, act cool and collected, and project a confident attitude, and people will believe it. Tackling imposter syndrome requires that you act the part before you feel entirely comfortable – that’s the best way to start feeling comfortable, anyway.

    Whether it’s a new job or a new set of responsibilities, it’s natural to feel a little wary about your abilities. But when you take on the challenge head-on and do your best, you’ll start feeling more confident each day.

Examples of Self Confidence in the Work Place

• Identifying your weaknesses and finding ways to overcome them

• Accepting praise and compliments when completing a project

• Presenting your ideas and thoughts in meetings without fear of judgement

• Taking on new challenges and projects you wouldn’t otherwise do

• Accepting your strengths and weaknesses and working with them both

• Doing the right thing, even it its not what others are doing

• Working with coworkers you wouldn’t otherwise work with

Common Threats to Workplace Confidence

• Fear of failure. Confidence’s natural enemy is fear. People can be afraid of success as well, but it’s far more common for employees to worry that they’ll do such a bad job that it will be an embarrassment.

  The funny thing is that the longer you run from challenges to avoid facing your fears, the more ingrained your lack of confidence will be.

• Imposter syndrome. When you feel like you’ve snuck into your job and are just waiting for everyone to discover that you’re a fraud, that’s imposter syndrome.

  Over 70% of people will experience this at some point in their career, so you certainly shouldn’t feel alone if you’re experiencing this.

• Perfectionism. Sometimes, it’s the best and the brightest who lack confidence the most. As Charles Bukowski put it, “The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.”

  Perfectionists are never satisfied with the work they turn in and gain workplace confidence at a slower pace.

• Bad relationship with the boss. The most common culprit is the micromanaging boss or supervisor who won’t trust you to do anything independently. It could also be that you feel like your boss doesn’t like you, so you’re more timid around her.

• Bad relationships with coworkers. If you have a condescending coworker or work with people who are otherwise unpleasant, that negativity will filter into your day-to-day life in no time.

  Try not to take these things personally and rise above your toxic workplace culture.

• Job doesn’t align with your skills. You’re not going to feel very engaged at work if you don’t feel like you’re leveraging your strengths as an employee. This is tough to tackle on your own and may require a change in position, department, or even company to remedy.

Final Thoughts