What is required to be good at your job?



Image: Ambro / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 In my opinion if you want to be effective at work and good at the job you do, the key element is that you do a job you enjoy!

It really is that simple!

During my life I have worked for many employers, doing many different tasks - overall I have always picked jobs that I look forward to doing.

It makes it easier if you enjoy work to put the extra effort into your work and in turn you are a more successful employee.
It doesn't make any sense to me to put yourself into a job in which you will be miserable and not enjoy...

Even if the money is great, you will be regret having to go to work each day because it will seem to drag on and on...

If I were to be offered two jobs at once, one that has a larger salary but the other I would enjoy more, I would (and have done in the past) take the role that would offer the higher job satisfaction.

In the past I have had jobs as dull as sticking labels on bottles, scanning books, answering telephones, and putting leaflets in envelopes - I have always found these jobs were so mundane that I always looked for a way to get out of doing them!


However, in my current customer service role, I totally enjoy doing my job! As a result I find myself really pushing myself professionally - which makes me better at the job I do!
 

I've even had feedback from somebody from our head office - they received an email from a customer who was pleased with my customer service they wrote in and commented...

I was happy enough with the praise I received from my manager, however the £25 vouchers I received to thank me was especially rewarding!

So to sum up, in my opinion if you wish to be better at your job, make sure you land a job you really enjoy!

Good luck if you are looking for a job!

- Thelittlerich

Has online shopping put a nail in the retail coffin?

This is the last week of my Christmas job, my contract ends on Christmas eve. I must admit I'm really going to miss the job, as well as all the people I've been lucky to work with over the last couple of months.

The run up to Christmas got me thinking about how retail has changed over the last few years. I heard on the radio that Monday 21st December was the crucial 24 hours in which retailers could meet or fail to meet their sales figures for the end of the year.

The main problem with retail is that consumers are more and more often opting to spend their money online. It is simply so much easier as a consumer to sit in the warmth of your home, in front of the computer and have everything you buy delivered to the door...

Consumers can avoid the queues, the cold weather, the (lack of) parking, pavement rage and being laden down with big, heavy bulky bags...
It simply makes sense, doesn't it?

However, there are several things that you don't get with online shopping: the personal touch.
Apart from maybe a quick chat with the delivery driver, there is no human contact during your shopping spree. There are no sales advisors who can help you choose the best item, make recommendations to you or to have a bit of a laugh with and raise your spirits!

Another downfall with online shopping is you don't have the item until it's delivered.

Many people would prefer to have their shopping with them in their hand after spending their money. Even with companies offering speedy delivery services, there isn't the same guarantee of getting your stuff... Not in time for Christmas / birthdays / anniversary / ever!

Sometimes you want the safe knowledge that your purchased items are with you and not on the back of a lorry somewhere between your home, the depot and timbucktoo!

As an option, I would use online shopping to order hard to find  items, perhaps an item from overseas, but I admit I prefer to go into a shop and browse-buy, flirt with the pretty sales assistants and leave with my shopping in my hands.

What are your thoughts on the online shopping vs retail shopping? Leave your comments below!

- Thelittlerich  

Some job hunting tips and hints.

I thought I would share these tips I have about searching for a job with you. If you have any other tips, please leave them in the comments section below.

Try to spend a little time each day on searching for a job.  Even if you spend half an hour each day searching for a job, you are more likely to find something than by spending a lot longer on just one day. Of course, how much time you spend is down to you, but I would recommend spreading it over the week.

Be prepared to expand your job search into other industries. If your previous work history is in one industry, and there is a lack of that type of work available try applying for jobs in different industries. Although it may not be the line of work you are particularly interested in, once you are working you can look for a job in your ideal industry. Only apply for suitable jobs. Even if you are looking at jobs outside of your normal criteria, it is a waste of time to apply for jobs you are not qualified to do. Be honest about the job you are thinking of applying for. If you are under qualified or feel you couldn't cope doing a job, don't apply for it. Going for an interview not only wastes your time, it wastes the time of an employer.

Make sure you are available to be contacted.  Make sure you keep your mobile phone recharged so that potential employers can contact you. Also remember to check your email regularly.

Keep your CV up to date.  Make sure it has all of your latest employment history on it, has your current contact details and has been triple checked for spelling errors and typo's.

Keep yourself motivated.  This can be difficult when you receive either no feedback to applications, or you are only receiving rejections. Try not to dwell on the lack of response / negative responses. Once you have applied for a job, don't sit and worry about the company getting back to you, spend your time concentrate on continuing searching for other jobs. If you receive a rejection letter, it's their loss and not yours!

Keep track of where you have applied. If you do this, you will know if you have applied for a job before, and save yourself time and effort for applying for the same job twice. It also stops you from looking unprofessional and disorganised.

Treat your self from time to time! Don't forget to do something nice every now and again to reward yourself for your hard work searching for a job. This will help take the boredom and negativity out of job searching!

Good luck searching for a job! If you have any tips you think should be included, please leave your comments below. - TheLittlerich

Why do large companies forget customer service?

Ring Ring... Ring Ring!

I could already guess who to expect, but I picked up the receiver anyway. "Hello?"

"This is a pre-recorded message. Do NOT hang up!"

(The telephone receiver is already back in the cradle).

Even though the call was probably quite important, if the company calling me up (10 times throughout the day, I should add!) can't even be bothered to get a REAL person to call me then I am not going to listen to some pre-recorded message!

- This is an example of one way I think a company shows a complete lack of customer service!

Image: Graur Razvan Ionut / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I have read a good deal of blogs and articles about starting up and running a small business. Most of the share the same conclusion: Customer service is very important to keeping your business running.

Sadly though, it appears that bad customer service is becoming far more regular. It also appears to me that the larger a company becomes, the less effort is spent on providing good customer service for their customers.

With a huge emphasis on sales and marketing to attract new customers, businesses tend to forget how to keep their existing ones happy.

So my question is how can large businesses afford to upset so many of their customers and yet stay in business?

The simple answer is larger businesses have enough new customers constantly coming through their door to keep them ticking over. Once customers have paid their upfront installments, the business can treat the customer how it likes.

As soon as you have signed a deal with them, they have the opportunity to let you down, and somehow make sure that their failings are your fault!

If you speak to anybody about companies they have dealt with, chances are they will have a story about at least one business that has really let them down... (I certainly have!)
If a business really lets you down, the chances are you would highly recommend that everyone else avoids them!

Do you have any companies you would avoid at all costs? I know you do! Leave your comments below.

- TheLittlerich