We all have our rough days. Sometimes we can't or don't have someone to go to. So where do we get our "Atta Girl", or "Hay, you aren't so bad", or "No, you are absolutely not a B...". Or my favorite "You are right!"

Circle back to your professional network. Ask for recommendations from previous employees, peers, superiors. It's an easy click on LinkedIn, you just have to ask.

If you do have recommendations on your profile, OMG, read them again! Truly. Embrace what others are saying about you - publicly.

You will feel better. Just take a minute (or five) to remind yourself that you have made a positive difference in others' lives.

Yes is a powerful word.

However - "A yes man is a person who agrees with everything their superior, employer, supervisor, or authority figure says without thought; a mindless follower or sycophant; a person who attempts to ingratiate themselves to the person in charge to achieve advancement or to retain their position." https://lnkd.in/eepHnVUh

I don't trust yes men/women.

I don't trust their intentions.

I don't trust that they will ever speak the truth directly.

I have zero respect for yes men/women.

Feel the same way? Feel like you have an employee that is like this? Feel like it's time to make a change in your team?

Let Unified Executive Search be of service to you. I am not a 'yes man.' I will challenge you (politely of course) and advocate for you and my candidates. My job is to build your team and find those who will advance your business.

Yes, is not always the right answer.

Except when it comes to hiring Unified Executive Search, of course.

My Grandfather said it much better, but essentially the advice was “When faith turns to hope, you’ve got a problem.”

I had faith that when hired you, you would do your job to the best of your ability.

I had faith that you would show up on time (remote or on site).

I had faith that you would work hard.

You are now late to work, late to meetings, work is subpar, and I am now hoping you will show up and do your job.

Hope is indeed powerful.

But if you are at work and are just hoping someone will do their job after you have had faith, you’ve got a problem.

Train. Communicate. Learn.

This is a great article about workplace respect. However, if you are not yet hired, how do you go about showing respect? First of all, respect goes both ways.

The candidate needs to respect the employers hiring process. It may not be ideal, it may be way to long, it may be ridiculous, but it is their process. The candidate must be prepared for meetings. I have asked many candidates to research a company and they have not done so. This is so important. One must be familiar with company culture, leadership, portfolio, etc. If you are not qualified for a job, please don’t apply. It may seem like an obvious statement, but not everyone understands this. I had a belly dancer apply for a hotel General Manager role. No, she did not have hotel experience. Finally, one must also remember to say thank you. Whether by snail mail or by email, it is not enough just to say it at the end of the conversation.

The hiring company also needs to respect the candidates time as well. Having a lengthy process is not respectful to the candidate nor to the company. It can be a waste of everyone’s time. Can you imagine as a company leader having to interview several candidates for a management position? All told, you and your team could lose countless hours interviewing, discussing the interview, reviewing all the candidates for nothing. This time adds up. Quite frankly, it’s also pretty obvious when someone is not a fit. Don’t keep putting them through the interview process. Kindly let them know you will no longer be pursuing them. Be respectful of their time and yours.

Industries are small and people talk. It’s not a secret if candidates are being dragged along. It’s also not a secret if a candidate applies over and over again.

So yes, respect goes both ways and both sides must do better. Be transparent about time frames. Follow up. Say thank you.

Self care. I really never understood what this meant until recently.

Responsibility is responsibility and that comes first. Someone has to pay the bills, put food on the table and yes, clean up too.

However, on Saturday, I brought a payment to my dog sitter. She told me I could see her 8 - one week old puppies. I can tell you that my endorphins shot through the roof the moment I saw those little guys. Seriously, no bigger than a chicken breast. OMG, I am in love - no, I am not taking any home. But I am going back to sit with the mama and keep her company. It's a busy business and yes, I have some time to give love.

Find that thing in your life that melts your heart. It makes going back to work a bit nicer, kinder and gentler.

Or - call me and I can help you staff your team with the appropriate people, so you actually have the time to fall in love with puppies.

I wrote a post a while back and have given advice about what to do after losing your job. Personally, I am task oriented. I clean out closets, the junk drawer, and get rid of S@#*. So much S@#*!

What I didn't cover is grief. Grief is natural. We hold our identities so close to our work that when we leave the role (for whatever reason) we tend to lose a bit of ourselves. Loss of identity.

If you had to fire someone or they quit, I believe that the same grief applies. You lose an employee, maybe a friend, God forbid a spouse. It's still grief.

Below is a great article about the different stages - yes, worth reading.

When you are at the point where you can focus on what you can control, resume, etc, reach out to me. I am happy to quickly review your resume and if I can introduce you to someone, I am happy to do so.

https://lnkd.in/e-ST6Zs5

So - you have either quit, been laid off, or terminated. What now?

It's emotional. It's confusing. It's hard. Regardless of how it happened, it happened.

Now what? I'm sorry to say there is no one way or one right answer. Everyone is different and we all have different emotions.

Here is what I have recommended to candidates in the past ...

* Take a few days for yourself. Movie, sleep in, binge watch whatever you want. The remote control is YOURS.

Then set a routine for your day. This has been my routine in the past.

* Up and brush teeth

* Coffee (love my milk frother)

* Email and LinkedIn

* Make a list of what you want to accomplish over the week

- When complete, cross off with a big black sharpie. So satisfying

- Place a yellow cap on your sharpie so no one steels yours.

- Who wants a yellow sharpie???

* Play music loud - the acoustic version of Creep by Radiohead is fantastic.

* Shower and get dressed. Yes, sweats are ok.

* Back to the computer and work on either your resume, research, etc

- Remember - You can contact me and I can help with your resume!

- HWatson@UnifiedExecutiveSearch.com (shameless plug) 😀

* Lunch.

* Run an errand, go to a movie, get out of the house, go walking, something

* Computer - yes, one must check in again

* Now, if you have more time - clean out that drawer, closet, under the bed mess. Take an hour and just tackle it. Cleaning out is not only emotionally freeing, this is your opportunity to do it and get rid of clutter.

You will be back to work soon.

You will be busy soon.

Decorum. Noun. Behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety. Etiquette. Politeness.

This rule used to be hard and fast; no talking politics or religion. Full stop.

This has sadly changed. Troll is now defined the dictionary and it has nothing to do with Three Billy Goats Gruff.

Regardless of what side of the aisle you are on, I frankly don’t want to hear it. Even if I agree. I don't want to hear it.

I care about your work history. I care about if you are qualified for the job. I care about making sure you are a good fit for my client. That is my job.

However, if I do my research correctly and I see you are a troll on LinkedIn and constantly pontificate about politics and religion, I do and will think twice about recruiting you.

LinkedIn is a workplace social media platform. Please show some decorum.

https://lnkd.in/eSXaWemx

I admire reaching to new heights and having aspirations. Truly.

Ha, you know a however is coming, don’t you.

HOWEVER, when you are reading a job description, please please please possess most of the skills that are required.

Case in point, I was recruiting for a full-service hotel General Manager position. I received a resume from someone that is a professional belly dancer. Atta girl! I couldn’t do this, nor would anyone want to see me shake and shimmer. Point being, read the job description and please do not apply if you are not qualified.

Now, for all of you who are looking for roles and reading said job descriptions – I have this to say to employers. Write a decent job description! Be open to those without degrees but whom have stellar experience. Post the salary. Get rid of the damn ATS. We all hate it, and we all look for ways around it. It doesn’t take long to read a resume. Yes, it’s time consuming, but I have found some amazing people by keeping an open mind and listening to candidates.

Rant over. Let’s all do better.

And no, this is definitely not a picture of me. No middle-aged housewives were harmed in the making of this post.

Women's Day, really? One day? While I appreciate the recognition for being a woman who works hard...

How about the other 364 days when we do the following???

* laundry

* ironing

* clean the house

* clean out the car (ugh)

* dishes

* hustle at work

* make and attend doctor's appointments

* make and attend our own doctors appointments

* shopping

* deal with teenage attitude and try not to lose our s!@$ (don't worry, I'm not forgetting the diaper stage - that's a whole other s!@$ show)

* deal with drama at work and try not to lose our s!@$

Don't get me started on Mother's Day.

Let's do better EACH AND EVERY DAY and help each other out more on a DAILY basis.

Say thank you more often (verbal, post it note, email, etc)

Buy someone a coffee just for the hell of it

Bring flowers to someone in the dead of winter on a dreary day

Schedule a spa visit for a hard-working employee (Peggy Olson)

If you are NOT being recognized at work - email me and I can help with your resume

If you are NOT getting the results from someone at work - call me and I can help you find someone who is a better fit