Meet Finnish Employers, Find a Job, Create Networks!

 

If you happen to be in Jyväskylä why not check out the event below!?  This event is hosted by Business Arena.  Remember to write to tiina.saarinen@businessarena.fi if you’d like to join the vent!  Download the Invitation from the link below.

Willing to meet a Finnish employer?
Willing to find a job after graduation?
Willing to create valuable networks?

MEET US AND ENJOY SOME SNACK AND DRINKS!
Date and Time: 24th of October from 17 to 20 hour
Place: Crazy town, kauppakatu 32, 2. floor

Invitation PDF Download

 

Bad Day at Work? 10 Tips to Help You Make It Through

By Aaron Crowe

Work is stressful. There are deadlines to meet, bosses to please, customers to help, and it can feel like people are pulling you from every direction. Before you have a Steven Slater meltdown and pull the emergency chute — whatever it may be at your workplace — take time to reflect and find ways to survive your worst days at work.

Here are our top 10 tips for surviving your worst work days. U.S. News & World Report has 40 others, but we’ll just expand on the highlights.

1. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver.

Everyone wants to look like a superhero at work who can get everything done. But there are only 40 hours in a work week, so don’t take on too much or you’ll look worse for not getting it all done. Your boss will be disappointed when you can’t get the job done in time, so it’s best to think ahead on this recommendation and not promise something you can’t complete.

2. Take regular breaks.

Work is mentally and physically tiring, so taking a few 10-15 minute breaks throughout the day can re-energize you and make getting back to work a lot easier. Take a walk around the block. Federal law requires that they be paid breaks, so don’t let your employer hassle you for taking them.

3. Don’t skip breakfast or lunch.

Just like a child in school, regular meals are important to keep the mind and body working at work. If you’re having a bad day at work and feel stressed, think about whether you skipped a meal on that day. Chances are you did and were too rushed to eat. Mom was right: Breakfast is important.

4. Make some friends and allies at work.

This will help lower your stress by knowing you have someone covering your back if something goes wrong and you’re not there to hear it. At a time when layoffs are common, it’s a good idea to have someone in your corner who will speak up about the great work you do if a list of employees to be laid off is being formed. Start by meeting regularly with your immediate supervisor and letting them know each week what you’re up to and how you will accomplish your shared goals for the week. Then start meeting with higher-up bosses and ask if they’ll mentor you.

5. Stop trying to multitask.

You may think you’re saving time by writing an e-mail, reading a report and talking on the phone at the same time, but you’re not. Research shows that doing multiple tasks at once is more time consuming and can harm your health. You want to do a lot of work, but you also want to do it well.

6. Remind yourself of what’s really important in life.

Photos of your family on your desk can help remind you, but if you’re away from your desk, stop and take a breath and remember what’s most important in your life. Your children, for example, are more important than the most stressful work task. Your purpose in life isn’t to get stressed at work.

7. Seek work that suits your personality.

Maybe dealing with inconsiderate people in an airplane and trying to referee fights over overhead bins isn’t suited for you. If you’re in a job that doesn’t feel right, then start exploring jobs that match how you work best. Do you like to work alone? Do you work best in groups? Whatever your personality, there’s a job to match it.

8. Learn to manage your boss.

This is a tough one, but if you can figure out how to manage your boss, your life will be a lot easier. It will take some trial and error, and learning from other employees, but it will keep him or her out of your hair and allow you to do your work to your best abilities. Find out if your boss is a micromanager and wants constant updates; if so, provide them. If your boss is more hands off, then enjoy it and find out how often they want to know what you’re up to. Empathize with your boss to help them become better at what they do.

9. Get a hobby that makes you happy.

Just like reminding yourself what’s really important when you’re stressed out at work, having a hobby to get to when you get home can make the problems at work less of a headache. This step includes having a life outside of work, meaning you’re not working long hours and have something to talk about other than what’s going on at work. Find a sport, reading group or anything else that relaxes you to keep you occupied with anything other than work when you’re away from work.

10. Ask for help when you need it.

Unlike the JetBlue flight attendant, you don’t have to deal by yourself with a problem. Slater could have asked another flight attendant for help, but he pulled an emergency chute and escaped with beers in hand. If you’re overwhelmed at work, ask for help. You’d be surprised at how many co-workers will come forward to help out. When asking someone to join your project, be sure to remind them that you “owe them one” when they need help.

If none of those tips works and you’re still getting frustrated at the little things at work, then it may be time for some counseling.

Source: http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2010/09/06/work-stress/

How to Deal With the Easily Overwhelmed Employee

by Tia Benjamin, Demand Media Share

Sometimes, no matter how hard or how long an employee works, his tasks aren’t completed. This causes employee stress and adds to feelings of being overwhelmed, often causing him to work harder in a futile attempt to catch up. Constant stress can reduce productivity. In a small business with a limited number of employees, an overwhelmed worker can significantly affect the bottom line. Managers must provide ways to help the employee deal with his stress.

Step 1

Require employees to take regular breaks and a full lunch break. A mental break and time to step away from the job help employees stay refreshed and feeling less overwhelmed. Avoid creating a culture where it becomes acceptable or expected to work through lunch, as this contributes to stress and causes easily overwhelmed employees to feel as if they cannot take time for themselves.

Step 2

Define your expectations clearly. Tell the employee your priorities and provide specific deadlines for each task. Set work according to “SMART” principles. Each assignment should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely.

Step 3

Don’t expect perfection. Accept that everyone makes mistakes occasionally. Give your employees the freedom to make mistakes. Focus on learning from mistakes rather than avoiding them entirely, and you relieve some of the second-guessing and anxiety associated with trying to reach perfection.

Step 4

Acknowledge employee successes by thanking staff for completed tasks. Recognize employees by providing rewards for finishing time-consuming assignments and major projects. Rewards should contribute to employee’s work-life balance. Movie tickets, restaurant gift cards and a paid day off are all possible options.

Step 5

Provide employees with resources to deal with stress and feelings of being overwhelmed. Give overwhelmed employees a referral to the employee assistance program, if one exists, to allow him access to counseling and work-related resources for dealing with stress. Implement a wellness program for staff. The program can incorporate workplace activities, such as brown bag lunches or yoga groups, to provide an outlet for employees’ feelings of being overwhelmed.

Source: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/deal-easily-overwhelmed-employee-17338.html

9 Useful Strategies to Dealing with Difficult People at Work

Written by Celestine Chua

Ever encountered someone who frustrates you so much that you feel like you want to pull your hair, jump around the room and just scream out loud? You’re not alone.

Over the years, I’ve encountered my fair share of difficult people. People who don’t turn their work in as promised, people who don’t show up for meetings, people who stick vehemently to their views and refuse to collaborate, people who push back on work that they’re responsible for – and more. Even as I run my own business, I work on collaboration projects and there are times where there are difficulties in getting a consensus because everyone is so firm in their views.

Years ago, I used to get bothered and worked up over such situations. I’d think, “Why are these people being so difficult?”, “These people are so irresponsible!”, “Just my luck to work with them” or “I don’t ever want to work with these people again!”.

After a while, I learned that these people are everywhere. No matter where you go, you can never hide from them. Sure, it might be possible to avoid the 1st one or two difficult people, but how about the 3rd, 5th, 10th person you encounter? Hiding isn’t a permanent solution. What’s more, in the context of work, it’s usually difficult to avoid or hide from someone, unless you quit from a job totally. Well – I don’t know about you, but it doesn’t seem feasible to quit every time someone has an opposing view or is being difficult.

So rather than turn to some drastic decisions each time, why not equip yourself with the skills to deal with them?

Here’s 9 tips which I’ve found to work in dealing with such people:

1. Be calm. Losing your temper and flaring out at the other person typically isn’t the best way to get him/her to collaborate with you. Unless you know that anger will trigger the person into action and you are consciously using it as a strategy to move him/her, it is better to assume a calm persona.Someone who is calm is seen as being in control, centered and more respectable. Would you prefer to work with someone who is predominantly calm or someone who is always on edge? When the person you are dealing with sees that you are calm despite whatever he/she is doing, you will start getting their attention.
2. Understand the person’s intentions. I’d  like to believe that no one is difficult for the sake of being difficult. Even when it may seem that the person is just out to get you, there is always some underlying reason that is motivating them to act this way. Rarely is this motivation apparent. Try to identify the person’s trigger: What is making him/her act in this manner? What is stopping him/her from cooperating with you? How can you help to meet his/her needs and resolve the situation?
3. Get some perspective from others.  In all likelihood, your colleagues, managers and friends must have experienced similar situations in some way or another. They will be able to see things from a different angle and offer a different take on the situation. Seek them out, share your story and listen to what they have to say. You might very well find some golden advice in amidst of the conversation.
4. Let the person know where you are coming from.  One thing that has worked for me is to let the person know my intentions behind what I am doing. Sometimes, they are being resistant because they think that you are just being difficult with them. Letting them in on the reason behind your actions and the full background of what is happening will enable them to empathize with your situation. This lets them get them on-board much easier.
5. Build a rapport.  With all the computers, emails and messaging systems, work sometimes turn into a mechanical process. Re-instill the human touch by connecting with your colleagues on a personal level. Go out with them for lunches or dinners. Get to know them as people, and not colleagues. Learn more about their hobbies, their family, their lives. Foster strong connections. These will go a long way in your work.
6. Treat the person with respect.  No one likes to be treated as if he/she is stupid/incapable/incompetent. If you are going to treat the person with disrespect, it’s not going to be surprising if he/she treats you the same way as well. As the golden rule says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
7. Focus on what can be actioned upon.  Sometimes, you may be put into hot soup by your difficult colleagues, such as not receiving a piece of work they promised to give or being wrongly held responsible for something you didn’t do. Whatever it is, acknowledge that the situation has already occurred. Rather than harp on what you cannot change, focus on the actionable steps you can take to forward yourself in the situation.
8. Ignore.  If you have already tried everything above and the person is still not being receptive, the best way might be to just ignore. After all, you have already done all that you can within your means. Get on your daily tasks and interface with the person only where needed. Of course, this isn’t feasible in cases where the person plays a critical role in your work – which leads us to our last tip.
9. Escalate to a higher authority for resolution.  When all else fails, escalate to your manager. This is considered the trump card and shouldn’t be used unless you’ve completely exhausted your means. Sometimes, the only way to get someone moving is through the top-down approach, especially in bureaucratic organizations. Be careful not to exercise this option all the time as you wouldn’t want your manager to think that you are incapable of handling your own problems. I have done this several times in my previous job and I found it to be the most effective in moving people who just refuse to cooperate otherwise.

Try out these 9 tips for the difficult people you face at your workplace and see how they work out for you

Source: http://www.dumblittleman.com/2009/07/9-useful-strategies-to-dealing-with.html

Motivation at Work: How to Recharge your Work Mojo

By Lyndsay Swinton

(Definition – mojo (mowjow) – magic charm or spell.)

1. Keep your ambition in check

The desire to work hard is strong when the incentive to impress and prove yourself is high. However, mismanaged ambition will erode your passion to work hard and burn you out.

Manage your ambition by being smart about whom you impress and how you impress them. Balance effort with payback by making sure your actions are low effort to you and high value to them.

2. Find out how to get from A to B

Fuzzy, unclear goals are a major drain on work motivation. Force your boss to delegate not abdicate work. Get clarity on how to get from A to B, and when. What exactly is the expected end result? Is this achievable? Do you need help?

Planning your route in advance will keep your work juices flowing.

3. Get experience

Who do you aspire to be like? Do you think they know how to do everything themselves?

If you don’t know how to do something, find someone who does and copy him or her. Use all resources to hand – websites, books, colleagues, relations, friends, TV characters, and professionals. Save time and learn from their mistakes, not yours.

Or better still, get someone else to do it.

4. Set boundaries

If the work is taking too long, you’re either doing too much or not doing it right. And wait a minute – was it your job in the first place? Whether you take work upon yourself or have it dropped from a great height, set boundaries in your work life.

Be strict about when you arrive and when you leave work, and all the breaks your body needs in between. Be strict about time to build relationships and time to work and time for all the important stuff in your work life.

Be strict about what is and isn’t your job. We’re all one great big team at work, so make sure the ball is passed around ALL players. You can’t be player of the match every game.

5. Push your limits

Sometimes we get so busy nurturing and developing others, we forget to develop our own skills.

Treat your own development like you would treat your team’s or friend’s or partner’s. Take time to discover what you want to do with your life and plan your personal development.

Use these tips to regain your motivation at work – recharge your work mojo, beat Dr Evil and be home in time for tea!

P.S. If your motivation at work and mojo is just exhausted, check out these stress management techniques!

Download ‘Motivation At Work: How To Recharge Your Work Mojo’ in pdf format

Citation Information: Swinton, Lyndsay. “Motivation At Work: How To Recharge Your Work Mojo.” Mftrou.com. 19 August 2004. < http://www.mftrou.com/motivation-at-work.html >.

Further Resources: Download Motivation At Work Hypnosis mp3

via Motivation at Work: How to Recharge your Work Mojo.