A while back we had to hire staff for a new position that our team never had before. I wrote a lengthy job description thinking it would answer all the questions of a potential applicant only to be told that the job description published sounded intimidating. I thought I was being comprehensive and helpful, but I didn’t realize what I wrote was overwhelming. 

In reality, a well written and concise job description helps you find a great potential hire and will help you weed out those who are not a good fit. Here are a few tips for how to write a great job description that will help you attract your next star performer.

What is the job title? – what will be the position your potential hire is going to fill? What department will they be under?

Who will be the stakeholders? – potential hires should know who they are going to report to or if they will be working with teams. 

What are the essential job requirements and what are the key responsibilities? – you don’t have to get into the nitty-gritty details, that can be discussed during the interview. However, you have to be clear about the requirements and qualifications that you think a potential hire should possess in order to do the job right. Also, detail the key responsibilities, preferably in a separate paragraph as bullet points. This way, the potential hire will know what to essential skills are expected of them and compare that against their existing skillset accordingly. 

What type of employee is needed? – by this, I mean you should be straightforward and describe if the position is a casual position, a temporary position, a permanent position, etc. Also describe if it is a project-based job or if it is a remote job/freelance job, and what working hours are required.

When is the start date? – let your potential hires know what the expected start date is. This is especially critical if the potential hire is meant to replace someone else.

Put them together and you should  have something like this:

• Job title, the department and the person to whom the employee will report.
• The person’s responsibilities: what will the employee be doing (essential responsibilities)  and what is their objective (how can they help the company?).
• The most important tasks and responsibilities – a bulleted list of the potential hire’s key tasks that can be discussed in detail upon being shortlisted or interviewed.
• Skills and characteristics that a good candidate should have, employment requirements and desired level of education.

Not only can you use your job description to attract the best candidate, but it is also a chance for you to tell prospective employees the benefits of working for your business. Introduce your company with a few strong points and a link to your website or online business profile.

What are your tips for writing a great job description? Share your tips with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Before we get to the nitty-gritty of things, let me say this: I’m pretty sure that all of your clients are awesome and really fun to work with. I’m sure that 100% of the time they are collaborative and that you have a great working relationship. Good for you!

These tips are your use-in-case-of-emergency tips. They’re handy to keep in your back pocket for when you come across that one client who turns out to be less than ideal to work with. You may never get them, but it’s best to be prepared if you do get a difficult client.

First of all, you need to recognize the danger signs that your client is a potential liability. Here are some things you need to keep an eye out for:

• They give you an incomprehensive brief that changes halfway through the project.

They usually give you vague instructions and/or concepts that they leave for you to execute. If that doesn’t turn out the way they like, they change the brief in the middle of the project. 

• They have unrealistic expectations.

This can come in the form of unrealistic turn around times, unlimited number of revisions, assuming that you are available to work on their project 24/7.

• They keep changing the deadlines and go MIA.

They’re late in giving feedback or keep asking for extensions but expect real-time updates from you. They don’t reply to your emails or ignore your calls but come back insisting that they want the work immediately.

• They shortchange you.

This is a big red flag. Clients who ask for deliverables before payments are delivered should not be entertained. This can also be clients who want all the bells and whistles but never want to pay for extra services.

• They are inflexible.

They think it’s their way or the highway. 

So, how do you fire a client gracefully? It’s not as easy as saying “it’s not you, it’s me.” It could potentially get ugly, but you should always try to part on good terms. Difficult clients are very rare, but if the situation arises you will need a tailored approach. However, here are some basic points to guide you:

1. Part ways as amicably as you can – be polite and try your hardest to end on good terms. Don’t burn bridges. Your paths might cross again in a few years, so it’s best to end on a good note.
2. Don’t just send a “Dear John” letter – you can start with an email, but it’s best to schedule a meeting or at least a phone call to make sure there’s no bad blood.
3. Don’t go MIA – do not go missing in action, it’s very bad form. Deliver your deliverables and see the project through as best you can.

Have you ever had a difficult client? How did you end that relationship? Share your story with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

We spend almost 8 hours sitting at a desk at work. It doesn’t help that we all have a tendency to slouch in front of a computer, cradle a phone, or never take movement breaks. Once we’re out of the office, we sit while driving in hour-long traffic. Then we promptly plop ourselves in front of the tv to do more sitting.

Too much sitting can cause back pain, but it can be prevented. Back pains start from poor posture and can be compounded by poor ergonomics. It usually starts in the neck and moves downward through our back until it reaches our lower back. Here are some tips to prevent back pain caused by too much sitting:

Keep your body aligned while sitting and even while standing.

While sitting, make sure you sit up straight. Imagine a line moving straight down the middle bisecting your body. Your left and right side should be perfectly balanced. Align your ears, shoulders, and hips. Watch out for unbalanced postures such as leg crossing, slouching, hunching forward, tilting your head (or cradling your phone), leaning to one side, etc. While standing, make sure that you distribute your weight evenly on your feet. Stand with your feet slightly apart and balanced.

Take movement breaks

We sit too much at a desk, hunched over our computers that we forget to take movement breaks. So get up and move! Go to the copy room to make copies. Walk over to the coffee machine to grab a cup. Take a stroll around the block on your lunch break. Get up from your desk every 45minutes and stretch, stand, or walk.

Use Ergonomic props

Ergonomic items (meaning items that relate to or are designed for efficiency and comfort in the working environment) can take the load off your spine and prevent bad back pains. When you can find them, use them. If you don’t have an ergonomic chair at the office, ask for one, invest in one or buy a portable lumbar back support. Buy a footrest. Get bags or purses designed to distribute weight and minimize back strain. Position your computer screen properly so you don’t have to hunch over it and strain your neck. Use monitor risers so that your eyes rest on the screen in a normal position.

Exercise to promote good posture

Some exercises that promote good posture are: walking, swimming, and cycling. These exercises naturally demand that you have the correct posture and form in order to execute the exercises properly. These exercises are also gentle on the knees and great for beginners or those who are starting a new exercise regime coming from zero activity or a sedentary lifestyle.

Tell us your tips to reduce back pains. Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

Back in the day, people used to get up, go out of the house, and go to an actual office in order to get some work done. Fast forward to today, many of us actual do remote work. It can be a perk of the job, an actual way of working or, can be brought about by particular circumstances. In this day and age, almost all of us are familiar with the concept of remote work.

Remote work is a working style that allows professionals to work outside of a traditional office environment. It is based on the concept that work does not need to be done in a specific place to be executed successfully^[1]

With businesses going global and teams being spread across different locations and time zones, it is very important to stay connected and to have the right tools. Building visibility and having solid communication strategies are the best ways to help teams feel that they are part of the company no matter where they are in the world. This boils down to 2 things: having the best collaboration tools and having failproof avenues for communication.

Collaboration tools:

Teams must be able to work together even though they are physically apart. Collaboration tools enable this. The best collaboration tools must give teams the ability to create together. Some of the features to look out for when choosing collaboration tools are:

• Ability to share information in multiple forms (documents, pdfs, spreadsheets, presentations, images, and other multimedia files, etc.)
• Ability to edit and make comments in real-time
• Ability to share or forward information within the app or via 3rd party applications
• Has multiple useful features like 3rd party integrations, spell checks, etc.
• Easy to use
• Has privacy settings, user permissions, access control, and data sharing hierarchy (meaning you can control who sees what)
• Cloud-based

Here are a few of my favorite online collaboration tools:

• Google Docs (of course)
• Zoho Docs
• Dropbox Paper
• Microsoft Office 365
• Evernote

Communications tools:

The strength of teams lies in how well they communicate. Team members have to be available for each other to answer questions and exchange ideas. They have to be able to touch base every now and then to create, execute, and recalibrate. This is why communication tools are very important. These tools are an excellent alternative to face to face meetings. They also increase team member visibility they don’t have to be physically present at the office but they will be able to join meetings and planning sessions from anywhere in the world. This empowers teams and makes sure that all ideas are equally important and that no one gets left behind. Some of the features to look out for when choosing collaboration tools are:

• High-quality audio/video calls
• Reliable and easy to use
• Searchable message history
• Ability to send and share files
• Powerful privacy settings

Here are a few of my favorite online communication tools:

• Zoom
• Skype
• GoToMeeting
• WebEx
• Google Hangout

What are your favorite remote work tools? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

---

^[1] What is Remote Work?, Remote Year

Millennials are always getting flak for being constantly on their phones. The running joke is that the millennial generation is addicted to their phones but hate getting phone calls. That may be true, but they’re not the only ones who are constantly scrolling away on their smartphones.

There’s a series of reports^[1] from Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project that’s been going on for quite a few years now. It explores how different generations use technology. While we can all make sweeping generalizations about how each generation uses their gadgets, and how many do they even own for that matter, this report actually has surprising data that can prove useful if you want to understand how differently your spouse, your parents, your kids, and your peers use technology.

First of all, let’s define the generations and their age range so we know who belongs to which. These are the current guidelines^[2].

• Gen Z/Post Millennials: 1997 – present
• Millennials: 1981 – 1996
• Gen X: 1965 – 1980
• Baby Boomers: 1946 – 1964
• Silent Generation: 1928 – 1945

Find your birth year so you know which generation you belong to and learn some surprising facts about how your generation owns and uses gadgets. Take note that these generational distinctions aren’t an exact science though. They’re just tools used to help in analysis and reporting. Here are some of those findings.

Phones

It’s no surprise that phones top the list of most owned gadgets. You’d probably be hard-pressed to find a person who does NOT own a phone. Eighty-five percent of Americans age 18 and older own a cell phone. That’s a high number right there.

Surprise fact:

1. The remaining people who do not own a phone live in a household with at least one working mobile phone. So, they may not own one, but they definitely live with someone who does own a working mobile phone.
2. The only two activities that are popular for all phone owners are taking pictures and sending text messages. In fact, taking pictures tops activities more than sending text messages.

Computers

Laptop ownership has gained popularity and is slowly overtaking desktop ownership. But while the Millennial generation is the only generation more likely to own a laptop vs a desktop, Gen Xers come close. Also, more Gen Xers own a desktop than Millennials do. Desktop is still king – with more users owning desktop computers overall.

Surprise fact:

1. More Baby Boomers own a desktop than Millennials. Millennials actually come in third in terms of percentage of American adults who own a desktop computer.

Game Consoles

Sixty-three percent of all adults ages 18-46 own a game console like an Xbox or Playstation. That number drops to 38% for those ages 47-56. It’s no surprise that those who are parents and with children living at home are approx 2x more likely than non-parents to own a game console.

Surprise fact:

1. It’s a fun tie between Millennials and Gen X in terms of game console ownership, with 63% of each generation owning a game console.

Can you relate to any of these findings? Share your thoughts with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. TheHelp

---

^[1] Millennials, Pew Research Center

^[2] New Guidelines Redefine Birth Years for Millennials, Gen-X, and ‘Post-Millennials’, Mental Floss, 2018