Jason Monastra's Blog (47)

Change Your Career Today

I went home this past weekend and I felt like Dr Phil for about the whole time with my brothers and sister. Not about feelings and family issues, but about career management and decision making. Not the position any of else wishes for however turned out to be a good way for us to bond. With a large family, six siblings spread across 17 yrs there tend to be some lost communication and relationships differ. That being said, this weekend in career counseling might be more difficult than…

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Added by Jason Monastra on January 24, 2011 at 8:45am — No Comments

IS TECHNOLOGY THE MAGIC BULLET FOR RECRUITING

Technology is becoming an increasingly strong asset in all areas of business. As companies become more complex, the need for technology grows and management is turning to technology for answers in all verticals. Have we asked ourselves - is technology the answer at all? Managers look to technology approaching issues with the question "What technology will solve this issue?" They need to ask if technology is the answer at all, and then ask what technology might be the appropriate…

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Added by Jason Monastra on January 20, 2011 at 8:41am — 2 Comments

Dress for Work vs. Dress for Interview

I laugh continuously at the tenuous debate over what to where and when reference work. Is this the red carpet, are we attending a formal reception, do we need to know the dress according to what time of the day the marriage ceremony is? It is simply another issue to add to the useless list (that is becoming exceedingly long) that are thrown on to the shoulders of workers across the country by mindless drones in corporate America that think up what is the formal dress code for their…

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Added by Jason Monastra on January 19, 2011 at 10:28am — 6 Comments

DO SOMETHING YOU ARE GOOD AT, YOU WILL LIVE LONGER

The constant motto when people graduate college or the whispers over the years from concerned parents is "Do what you love!" Well, let us just put it out there - that is wrong! Do what you love is such a generic phrase it nearly applies to all situations and to pin that upon one of the most critical parts of your life - career choice - let us just say is not a wise decision. Why don't people say "Do what you are good at"? Does it sound corny or mean spirited? I don't believe so and I…

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Added by Jason Monastra on January 18, 2011 at 9:26am — No Comments

Communications at Work: Part 3

After you understand the big picture of what you have been communicating with your audience about, the essential next step is to truly understand and empathize with your audience and their motivations. Communications are far more than verbal, one must be in a position to read non-verbal signs and understand the motivations that are driving the communications. True motivations are far more difficult to understand unless a foundation of trust has been established between the parties. …

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Added by Jason Monastra on January 17, 2011 at 8:34am — No Comments

Communications at Work: Part 2

We discussed yesterday the need and understanding of your audience, and how that plays a foundational role in ensuring the success of any communications made within the workplace. The rest of this series is based and built on the previous pieces, so 2 building on 1 and so on. The next major step in becoming a better communicator is that of understanding the big picture. That is a widely used expression however few people actually define the big picture in the manner in which it is meant to… Continue

Added by Jason Monastra on January 14, 2011 at 8:50am — No Comments

Communications at Work: Part 1

As the head of operations for a systems integrator, communications in all its forms are key to the most challenging obstacles we face daily. I have been blessed with the opportunity to work with and watch first hand great communicators, professionals capable of bringing together all groups and sides to a common goal and objective. In the same, I have… Continue

Added by Jason Monastra on January 13, 2011 at 9:59am — No Comments

Economic Expansion and Jobs: Is there a link?

We operate under the impression that the past continues to repeat itself and therefore patterns can be traced and the leveraged to make more informed decisions when a similar scenario presents itself. But what if the scenario is the same but the architecture that has repeated itself…

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Added by Jason Monastra on January 12, 2011 at 9:18am — No Comments

Has the workforce changed forever?

The evolving US economy, cyclical change, and the worldwide distribution of wealth and business have caused what some experts are claiming to be an ever changing and fluid workforce. Stability and permanence are washed away to the low cost countries beating down our doors offering value and efficiency. But is that the case, or are we not noticing the widespread change that is taking place with our off-shoring efforts and what is likely to be a huge windfall (long long term) if the US can… Continue

Added by Jason Monastra on January 22, 2010 at 8:00am — No Comments

Unemployment and the Government: Which is worse?

Unemployment is a mounting issue that continue to steal the headlines of papers and blogs across the nation, and the world for that matter. Jobs being lost, outsourced or simply disappearing overnight are every day events. Plants shutting down, companies closing their doors, and the most financially stable name brands we grew up with calling it quits are on the tips of our tongue. So how do we address this? The free markets that we have come to understand are the driving forces of the western… Continue

Added by Jason Monastra on October 9, 2009 at 11:02am — 2 Comments

Why are we having a jobless recovery?

The stock market is up, the economic news is cheerful, and people are calling an end to the recession by 2010. However with all of this, what has happened to the jobs that were to be created with stimulus? What has happened to new jobs overall? The ideas are numerous and the points of views countless on where the jobs are, when we will see them, and in some cases if we will ever see them again.

Searching for the north, the way out of this hole we have placed ourselves in is much more… Continue

Added by Jason Monastra on October 8, 2009 at 2:03pm — 15 Comments

Social Media Job Searching (Part 1)

Amongst constant media attention and countless blog posts, Social media is here to stay. And you better get used to it. I here a great deal of job seekers still asking “WHY DO I NEED TO DO THAT?” If that is a question on your mind or if you simply do not know how to get involved, this series is for you. The focus will be to understand the importance of social media in the job search and workplace environments, plus how to leverage that to achieve your next job or enhance your current… Continue

Added by Jason Monastra on September 21, 2009 at 9:46am — No Comments

Social Media Job Search

Everywhere I turn I cannot get away from the ever evolving trend of the social networking process for job searches. Countless comments and posts speaking to the rage and what it does for recruiters and job seekers. The issue I keep finding myself looking at is the lack of a detailed strategy. How do you leverage these networks? What is the best way to connect and get tied into a company you want to work for? What if you do not have a job - how do you use these tools to land your next position?… Continue

Added by Jason Monastra on September 8, 2009 at 11:39am — 7 Comments

Laid off and done Badly

As the economic condition continues in its turbulent rant and rave cycle, the consistent flow of layoffs seem to effect and detract from every sector without relief. In this, I try to look for the benefits that are offered to those employees in their transition. How do employees view their employers and how did the layoff go in terms of process and respect.

Well, to no ones surprise, least of all mine - they do not do a good job. A recent poll suggested the following figures which… Continue

Added by Jason Monastra on June 23, 2009 at 9:35am — No Comments

Passion and the Job (Part I)

The job search and better yet the career path that one takes has a genuine undertone that I think inevitably shapes the thoughts and minds of the seeker. That is the person’s passion. Passion is under-used criteria in the search process as most people think that passion is lost when they need to “grow up” and move out into the world. I researched passion and this is what I found “Passion can be expressed as a feeling of unusual excitement, enthusiasm or compelling emotion towards a subject,… Continue

Added by Jason Monastra on April 22, 2009 at 3:34pm — No Comments

Overworking to look Good

Over time it has become apparent in reading and listening to people within organizations that a sense or lack of manager care is constant in the work place. Management, both executive and supervisory, are pressed with the bottom line offering little consciousness of the impact. Expecting more and demanding more, employees become less and less engaged. They work endless hours to serve “the man” just in the hopes that they will keep their job in the sliding economy. The downward pressure… Continue

Added by Jason Monastra on April 20, 2009 at 11:00am — No Comments

Confidence for Sale?

I read a recent article about the art of confidence and how one is to garner it. Take a look at the post on The Career Encouragement blog. I noticed as I was reading the post that places together a quick list of ways to gain self confidence that something was missing. The list of ways to gain self confidence did not cover what I think is the number 1 reason and… Continue

Added by Jason Monastra on April 16, 2009 at 4:00am — 1 Comment

Job motivation

I have been investigating the job motivation area since I see a trend that has evolved since our last major recession in the 2000-2001 time frame. People are looking for jobs, applying for new roles, even leaving positions for uncertain futures during a time when positions are not as plentiful. Why is that? Why is their turnover when people are being laid off by the thousands? Why are the open chairs when unemployment is so high? Motivation and the keys to why people work are becoming of large… Continue

Added by Jason Monastra on April 14, 2009 at 10:24pm — No Comments

Layoffs not Needed

I am not sure how many articles I have read over the past months talking about the greed of the CEO and executive leadership even amongst the constant layoffs that our nation is experiencing. In my reading of some of the other blogs, there was a discussion surrounding if there was a suitable alternative to layoffs. I gave some thoughts however did not have a real practical or example of a company that has implemented cost cutting in the face of layoffs to reverse the trend. One has… Continue

Added by Jason Monastra on April 13, 2009 at 3:49pm — No Comments

Friendships in the Work Place

One of the better blogs I enjoy is the Chief Happiness Officer. If you have not read it, start. All of it does not apply however the approach to looking at the work place and other facets of our lives makes for an interesting read at the minimum. I find that for some people, especially those less likely to be labeled “social butterflys”, there is a good influx of information on how to make work life better overall.

A solid read most recently posted on the subject of making friends at… Continue

Added by Jason Monastra on April 13, 2009 at 3:47pm — No Comments