Work. What is it good for?

Well it pays the the bills right? But you are likely to spend about quarter of every week in the workplace. It is important therefore that at the very least you feel comfortable there.
One factor that will influence how you feel about your workplace is the culture.


Some companies deliberately create and promote a specific working culture amongst its staff, whether it be innovative, appreciative or formal. Often the culture is organic, having developed with the growth of the company.
There is advice for employers about picking staff who will fit into the existing company culture and advice for applicants eager to find the right job culture on what to ask at job interviews.
And if you find yourself in an uncomfortable workplace there are tips for surviving or even beginning a process of change.


Have a look at our other posts on what makes work valuable, or not.

happy at work

Happy At Work
Mental Health in the Workplace
Work. Life.Balance.
What is a Good Job
Commuting

Interview skills

There are lots of tips on how to conduct yourself in a job interview. Here are just some of the ones we found online.

• First up do your homework.
• Be properly prepared.
• Make sure you take all you need with you.
• Here recruiters offer some advice.
• What to say when asked 'tell me about yourself?'
• What questions will you ask? Prepare a list of things you need to know at interview and in any calls before or after.
• After the interview consider following up with your interviewer.

The key thing is to do what makes you feel confident about yourself and your ability and suitability for the position you are being interviewed for. If that means wearing your lucky socks or favourite lipstick then go ahead and make yourself more confident with whatever tricks you have. 




What tips would you share for job seekers going to an interview?


Finally - a joke about interviews.

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Please note we supply these links for information and hope that as you look at websites you will come to be able to assess which are good sites and which are more dubious. Don't forget there is a lot of free information out there so you should make sure you do plenty of research before you think about paying for anything.

Work. Life. Balance.

Work life balance is a phrase that gets bandied about by all sorts of invested parties in the world of work. Often it is over simplified as meaning the proportion of your time you spend in or at work. Equally though it can mean the proportion of your happiness or wellbeing that is a result of your work. Gradually experts in the field are coming to understand that the way work makes a person feel has a direct impact on their effectiveness as an employee.


Having a purpose in life seems to be a vital part of a healthy life, so it makes sense for work to be part of the fulfillment of that purpose. If career and purpose are well aligned then it easier to be fully engaged in your day to day tasks.


Engaging an employee with the work and goals of an organisation can be the difference between motivating him or her to work hard and be creative and active in moving forward, or them slumping over a desk barely getting the basics done.

How does your manager act?

The job interview is an opportunity for you, the would be employee, to find out if a company promotes staff well being and actively finds ways to motivate workers. Ask what the organisation offers in the way of

• staff education and training or CPD
• what opportunities there are to work outside the box of the job description
• what incentives or chances to move up or around the company structure are offered
• what staff support is in place to help on the days or in the periods that anything might not be going so well, this includes sickness payment but also if an employee is struggling with workload or being asked to do things beyond their remit.

Find out if these things are done departmentally by individual managers, or if there is a company wide policy that is implemented by the HR department. Think about which system suits you best. What else do you hope for from your bosses?

The Basics

Plenty of sites across the web offer tips on searching for a new job. Here are some that should give you a good grounding in the basic skills such as writing a CV, interview techniques and networking. Don't forget to click around each site to see what else they offer.

• Start with checking your cover letter is well written
• Honesty is always the best policy
• eHow publishes advice from professionals on everything from what to wear at an interview to descriptions of particular careers.
• Which shows you the questions you need to know the answers to.
• Monster UK offers advice on  everything you need, click the links in their Expert Careers Advice box
• Practice psychometric tests on the Prospects site, these tests are sometimes used by big corporations.
• Advice from The Guardian on getting feedback on your applicattion
• A really useful article on not appearing desperate.
• Interview advice in video clips from VideoJug, and look at the other clips available
• Advice from Jobsite on interviews
• What to wear for an interview (men) (women) (and don't forget to get your underpinnings fitting well)          NB These videos may begin with an advert.
• And look out for the weird questions some interviewers might throw you.
• Do no overreact to rejections