Deciphering 7 Job Ad Phrases and What They Really Mean

Deciphering 7 Job Ad Phrases and What They Really Mean Sometimes reading a job description is a bit like trying to decipher The Matrix. While some phrases are literal, others are more cryptic, leaving you to wonder, â€Å"Is this really the right job for me?† This handy crib sheet can help you understand what employers really mean when they write job descriptions. 1. â€Å"Multitasking†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Multitasking† sounds like a great skill, right? Being recognized for your ability to do many things at once is, on the surface, a positive one. However, while the job description may simply mean that you will be expected to balance, prioritize, and complete work in order of importance, it can also have an underlying meaning: that your employer will expect you to do anything and everything - whether or not it actually falls under the roles and responsibilities of your job.If you like to have understanding of what your job will entail, and prefer to stay within those guidelines, then the â€Å"multitasking† keyword may set off alarm bells for you.2. â€Å"Team Player†In our increasing era of collaboration, the need for team players goes without saying. So what does it mean when a job description highlights this fact? Along the same lines as â€Å"multitasking,† this may cloak what employers are really looking for: someone to do the dirty work in the form of the department’s most untenable work. Or, you may be asked to put aside your own work to help a teammate who dropped the ball. Over time, this can become a major frustration.3. â€Å"Entrepreneurial†Entrepreneurial skills are highly prized in today’s business world. While some companies may be looking for movers and shakers, others may be cloaking an unclear or irregular job description.Rather than being given a firm set of responsibilities, you may be expected to intuit where you need to be and when, which can be a recipe for disaster in uncertain situations.4. â€Å"A Fast-Paced Job Environment†This one m ay sound like a thrilling opportunity. After all, who wants a job that’s slow and boring? But this description may be a hidden warning that you’ll be working in a pressure-packed environment. While this may work for you if tight deadlines and frenetic work hours help keep you motivated, if you prefer a more stable environment, think twice.5. â€Å"Must have a good sense of humor†A sense of humor is an addition to any office, but that goes without saying. However, if a good sense of humor is requisite for the job - and the job doesn’t involve working in comedy club - then more likely than not this may indicate that the company culture leans toward the off, unusual, inappropriate, or even alienating.It may also mean that they are looking for an employee who will laugh in the face of adversity†¦and thereby that adversity exists.6. â€Å"Perfect for stay-at-home moms and students.†Stay-at-home moms and students may be looking for flexible hours, so job descriptions which put these words front and center may be particularly appealing to them. However, this may also be a way of suggesting that both experience requirements and pay are minimal.Many people in need of part-time work are also willing to work for less so the competition may be surprisingly steep.7. â€Å"Passionate†It’s good to be committed to your job, but not if â€Å"passionate† means â€Å"willing to work for much less to do what you love.† It may also mean that an employer expects candidates to be willing to put their jobs above all other commitments.As the competition for the best candidates becomes fiercer, employers are getting savvy about crafting job descriptions that catch the attention of potential applicants. Savvy applicants, meanwhile, can be prepared to decode job description lingo and find a job description that matches their expectations when it comes to a real-world job.

Before You Buy an Inventors Log Book

Before You Buy an Inventors Log Book An inventors log book is used to record the progress of your inventing. You should start using one the moment you think of an idea for an invention. However, your log book must be of a certain type. You can buy a specially printed inventors log book. You can also buy a generic bound notebook. The most important thing is that the pages of the notebook cannot be added or subtracted without that being evident. Before Buying Specially Printed Log Books Look for sequentially pre-printed numbered pages, fade-away backgrounds, spaces for you and a witness to sign date, and instructions on how to use the journal. Look for pages with blue-lined grids for easy drawing. Some log books have special copy features; copy drawings on a light copier setting and the grid pattern fades away for preparing patent application drawings, or copy the drawings on a dark setting and the words, Do Not Reproduce appears for confidence usage. Inventors NotebooksScientific Journal Generic Bound Notebooks Never buy a loose leaf notebook. Never buy 3-ring binders to use as a log book. Never buy a legal pad or any glued together notebook. Buy a notebook with pages as secure as possible - a bound or sewn notebook. Mead brand composition books are perfect. Buy only notebooks with white pages - the lines can be colored blue or black. Mead Composition Notebooks Generic Ledger Books These common and inexpensive ledger books can also be used as a log book. The same considerations given to bound notebooks will apply - bound books only. Remember you have to buy a separate log book for each different idea, so inexpensive is sometimes the way to go. Staples Office Supplies ledger book

Review chapter 8( Ethical Autonomy and Dealing with Unethical Essay

Review chapter 8( Ethical Autonomy and Dealing with Unethical Superiors ) from the book (The Responsible Administrator...) and chose any article and make relation - Essay Example Therefore, Cooper crafts four key points in this chapter. The first major point is that revolving around the whole book i.e. ethical conducts by a public officer. Secondly, the ethical conduct of an individual working in a corrupt environment. Thirdly, the components necessary for individual ethical autonomy, and lastly, the importance of the role played by the administrator and to whose loyalty he or she should act on ( Cooper, 2012). In his article, Nurse Autonomy as Relational, Chris MacDonald explores the various autonomous dimensions in the nursing profession. He further explains that in nursing the nurse’s autonomy is relational. Hence, devotion to the social and circumstantial factors that assist profoundly autonomous action is important to advancing the understanding of the connections between professionals and their clients/ patients, in addition to different teams of professionals. Further, MacDonald explains the descriptive and prescriptive aspects of autonomy. Descriptive autonomy is explained as the capability for self-governance, while prescriptive autonomy refers to the resistance towards interfering with persona life and the steps involved enhancing such resistances. Lastly, according to this article professional autonomy has been linked to relational autonomy in the nursing profession. According to this article, professional autonomy depends on the social structure because the profession it self is self-governing ( MacDonald, 2002). This article relates to coopers explanation about ethical autonomy in that it outlines the implications of a relational autonomy model in the nursing profession. The first implication is that through understanding autonomy, the nurse is able to understand the thin line between their personal capabilities for independent actions and the responsibilities they have towards their patients. Secondly, it helps in the understanding

INCREMENTAL SHEET FORMING ( Mechanical Engineering ) Essay - 1

INCREMENTAL SHEET FORMING ( Mechanical Engineering ) - Essay Example The manufacturing process is desirable for mass production because of the shared value of dies and punches with production of a large number. The performance of film forming distinct rolls to achieve a particular image was done in the past. This process is known as sheet metal rolling, but the process is possible for production of natural shapes. Therefore, the search for new sheet metal forming solutions has been started. The developments took the route of searching for new shapes of rolls, which in turn paved a way for new forming scopes. (Mecanica 2009) However, in a severe world industrialization competition, there is the need to obtain the demand for increasingly complex shapes. For the demands of complex requirements, metal plate stretching attempts have been made by outstanding prototypes, to reach the final shape. In order to contour the high volume demands, the use of presses for short lead times and production costs began. The main benefits of this method is the need for the formation of a significant essential tool for the plate formation. This increases cost of the tool, as a result of high production costs. The presses system establishment is suitable for mass production. Nevertheless, in the current global fierce competition, there is a need for more and more products that are complicated by the demand. For the achievement of the final requirements, attempts for sheet metal extension on exceptional prototype have been made to achieve the optimum shape. The formation of stretch metals on presses was adopted to handle mass production demands with more batch measurements at lower costs of manufacturing. However, the system was disadvantaged in that every product needed a specific tool, for the sheet metal development. This increases the device costs which results in higher production costs. Therefore, presses forming can be appropriate

Chemical Reactions Essay Example for Free

Chemical Reactions Essay Introduction In this paper you learn about the reactions that occur between backing soda and lemon juice. We will also describe what is occurring with the molecules on a molecular level. Lastly we will explain what chemical bonds are formed and or broken when lemon juice and backing soda. Observations of the Reactants When most people hear baking soda they think of the bright orange box sitting in their pantry or refrigerator soaking up the foul odors that have come about from the onions or fish. Some may think of pancakes or baking a cake. Baking powder is a fine white substance with the consistency of powdered sugar. Baking soda is a chemical base. Another substance most people do not recognize as a chemical in their household is Lemon Juice. This is a liquid mixture of water and citric acid. Its color is mildly foggy and a pale yellow. Lemon juice is a chemical acid and when mixed with a base like baking soda creates a reaction. Reactions that occur Mixing lemon juice with baking soda gives you a chemical reaction. The lemon juice contains citric acid. The citric acid from the lemon juice will donate a hydrogen ion (H+) to the bicarbonate or baking soda (NaHCO3). When the bicarbonate is mixed into solution, the bicarbonate acts as a base and takes the H+ ion from the citric acid to form carbonic acid (H2CO3) and carbon dioxide (CO2). Whenever a chemical reaction produces gas, it will be highly favored due to its large increase in entropy associated with the gas formation. In this reaction, you will notice the solution bubbling and foaming due to the CO2 production. The reaction of lemon juice and baking soda is as follows: C6H8O7 + 3NaHCO3 Na3C6H5O7 + 3H2CO Essentially, one molecule of citric acid will react with three molecules of sodium bicarbonate. This will form one molecule of sodium citrate and three molecules of carbonic acid. It is a very exothermic chemical reaction. Molecular Level Baking soda or sodium bicarbonate is a salt while lemon juice is a citric acid. When combined, on a molecular basis, the acid in the lemon juice is able to lose a hydrogen (H+) ion while the sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) of the baking soda is able to gain an ion. Mixed in a solution, the NaHCO3 dissociates into a sodium (Na+) and bicarbonate (HCO3-) ion. The HCO3- then takes the H+ ion to form H2CO3 (carbonic acid). Bonds that formed and broken The bonds that are forming between the lemon juices and backing soda are polar covalent bonds. The bonds have an uneven electron share which is known as a dipole moment that makes them insoluble. Each the backing soda and the lemon juice have bonds that are broken. The bonds that are broken in the citric acid are when the H+ ions are taken away to form the H2CO3 and CO2. While this is happening the two molecules are sharing there atoms which is making then fight one another. So in return the baking soda does not naturalize the lemon juice like most acids and bases do. This is the violent bubbling reaction you see occur when the two are mixed. Conclusion Backing soda and lemon juice are two very few reactants that react the way they do. Normally a base and an acid turn neutral. This is not the case between these two chemicals. The molecules fight on another casing them to react violently resulting in the bubbling situation that is observer. As you have learned these two chemicals react in a way to form a gas called carbon dioxide. The color changed mildly to form a fogy white color. When it is compared on a pH level it is stronger than stomach acid. This experience has showed us that different reactants react in many different ways and that is why it is important to observe them many different items before make an assumption. Reference Swindells, J. (n.d.). What does lemon juice and baking soda do?. Retrieved from http://www.blurtit.com/q7839108.html Tro, N. J. (2009). Introductory chemistry. (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. What is the chemical equation for lemon juice and baking soda. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_chemial_equation_for_lemon_juice_and_baking_soda

Essay --

They say your character is built by life challenges. Esperanza is the perfect example of this. Even though she goes through hard times, she can still find the strength to persevere in her dreams and ambitions. In the book â€Å"The House on Mango Street† Sandra Cisneros tell the tail of a young Latino named Esperanza. In the story she goes through hardships of trying to escape Mango Street or poverty. Throughout the story, characters are introduced by stories of Esperanza’s time on Mango Street. These characters have thought Esperanza to become independent through their good and bad influences in her childhood. To begin, one character that is introduced is Marin. She is someone that Esperanza can look up to and is comfortable around. Esperanza looks up to Marin because she does not make her feel self-conscious or ashamed. She also feels she is learning from some one older and wiser, this is obvious when Esperanza says, â€Å"She is older and knows lots of things. She is the one who told us how Davey the Baby’ sister got pregnant and what cream is best for taking off moustache hair†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Cisneros...

Discovery of a Father

In â€Å"Discovery of a Father† by Sherwood Anderson and â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† by Robert Hayes, Sherwood and the speaker both do not approve of their fathers’ actions but begin to appreciate them later on. In the beginning as young boys, both of the sons are lacking the appreciation for their fathers. In â€Å"Discovery of a Father†, Sherwood does not like the fact that his father is a storyteller and how his father would lie about his nationality and take someone else’s as his own. For example, Sherwood recalls, â€Å"If an Irishman came to our house, right away father would say he was Irish. If it was a Scotchman the same thing happened† (5). Sherwood’s father is also a joker and someone who is absent for long periods of time in their family’s life which Sherwood also dislikes. Sherwood also can not understand how his mother could tolerate it. Similar to Sherwood, the speaker reveals his father’s unlikeable traits. The speaker does not like the fact that his father has an unlikeable temper. He expresses how his father’s temper is caused by his long hours at work and the lack of thankfulness. The speaker spends his boyhood â€Å"fearing the chronic angers of the house† (Hayes 9). So soon each son comes to know that his father actually does love him. Although this dislike for both Sherwood’s and the speaker’s father’s actions occur, they also both experience a paradigm shift when they realize that they have some type of reason to New 2 love their fathers; because their fathers love them. Sherwood’s father demonstrates such love when he takes him swimming in the pond which gives them a chance to connect with one another. Sherwood recalls that â€Å"it was a feeling of closeness†¦It was as though there were only we two in the world† (Anderson 8). Ironically, Sherwood’s father is usually very playful and energized but during that night he becomes completely serious and silent. Then Sherwood relates to his father when he notices that not only his father is a storyteller but he himself is as well. On the other hand, the speaker discovers his father’s love when he is older when he remembers when his father displayed a few acts of kindness to him when the speaker says, â€Å"had driven out the cold/and polished my good shoes well† (Hayden11-12). Therefore the sons in both â€Å"Discovery of a Father’ and â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† each have their eyes open to a love that they thought was not there but always was.

Joints and Body Movements

Joints and Body Movements Laszlo Vass, Ed. D. Version 42-0014-00-01 Purpose: What is the purpose of this exercise? In this exercise I will exam how joints function and thereby discover how they allow for movement in the body. Joints are where two bones come together. The joints hold the bones together and allow for movement of the skeleton. All of the bones, except the hyoid bone in the neck, form a joint. Joints are often categorized by the amount of motion they allow. Some of the joints are fixed, like those in the skull, allow for no movement.Other joints, like those between the vertebrae of the spine, allow for some movement. Most of the joints are free moving synovial joints. In this exercise I will exam how joints function and thereby discover how they allow for movement in the body. Are there any safety concerns associated with this exercise? If so, list what they are and what precautions should be taken. Basic lab precautions, including keep a clean workspace and washing your hand when dealing with raw poultry. In order to ensure that this occurs layout the equipment beforehand in a clean sterile environment and follow safe work practices.Exercise 1: Questions A. As you observe the skull, explain how the structure of the sutures between the cranial bones is related to the overall function of the cranium. Children’s heads needs to squeeze through the birth canal during delivery, humans during infancy have evolved with a soft skull composed of many different bony plates that meet at regions called cranial â€Å"sutures†. These sutures also allow the skull to grow rapidly during the first year of life, at which time the bones start to slowly fuse together. This allows the skull to continue to protect the skull during early development.B. Why are synarthroses an important component of fibrous joints? These joints are weight bearing and the joints provide stability and cushioning. Synarthrotic joint is to provide a stable union between bony sur faces. The suture and synchondrosis actually become more stable when ossification of the joint takes place. Exercise 2: Questions A. Cartilaginous joints exhibit amphiarthroses. Why is this important? Amphiarthroses provides an articulation between bony surfaces that permits limited motion and is connected by ligaments or elastic cartilage, such as that between the vertebrae.B. Structurally, how are cartilaginous joints similar? Cartilaginous joints are connected entirely by cartilage. Cartilaginous joints allow more movement between bones than a fibrous joint but less than the highly mobile synovial joint. Cartilaginous joints also form the growth regions of immature long bones and the intervertebral discs of the spinal column. Exercise 3: Questions A. Which type of synovial joint has the least amount of movement? Plane joints permit sliding or gliding movements in the plane of articular surfaces.The opposed surfaces of the bones are flat or almost fat, with movement limited by the ir tight joint capsules. B. Why are diarthroses important for synovial joints? Diarthrosis permits a variety of movements. All diarthrosis joints are synovial joints and the terms diarthrosis and synovial joint are considered equivalent. C. Which synovial joint is most movable? A ball and socket joint is a joint in which the distal bone is capable of motion around an indefinite number of axes, which have one common center.It enables the bone to move in a 360 ° angle. D. What are the four structural characteristics that all synovial joints share? Synovial joints all have synovial fluid, articular cartilage, articular capsule, synovial membrane, capsular ligaments, blood vessels, and sensory nerves. Exercise 4: Questions A. Which of the body movements was the most difficult to perform? Why? Inversion which is a gliding joint and provides little movement. B. Hinge joints like the elbow and knee have limited movement. Why are these types of joints more prone to injury?Hinge joints in the elbow and knee contain a lot of anatomical structures packed into a tiny space and when challenged with heavy and constant use, it thus especially prone to injury and infection. C. When performing flexion on the arm, the biceps muscle (on the anterior of the arm) contracts. What happens to the triceps muscle (on the posterior of the arm) as this action is performed? As you perform flexion on your arm the triceps muscle relaxes. D. Both the shoulder and the hip are ball and socket joints. Why does the shoulder have a greater range of motion than the hip?The muscles and joints of the shoulder allow it to move through a remarkable range of motion, making it the most mobile joint in the human body. The shoulder can abduct, adduct rotate, be raised in front of and behind the torso and move through a full 360 ° in the sagittal plane. Exercise 5: Observations Sketch your chicken wing: Label the bones, muscles, tendons and joints. Exercise 5: Questions A. What effect will the tearing of a tendon have on its corresponding muscle? The corresponding muscle will shrink due to the decreased activity tendon. This is because when the tendon is torn the area around the tendon ill not be in very much use until the tendon is repaired which can take a good while unless professionally handled. The muscle will go back to its original size once the tendon heals and the muscle is used more. B. Why are ligaments harder to heal than tendons? Tendons heal faster than ligaments. The reason is that tendons are connected to the muscle, which will allow them to receive a larger blood flow. Ligaments are connected to bone which supplies less blood. Blood is the key -what carries nutrients in order to repair the tissue. C. Compare and contrast tendons and ligaments.Ligaments connect bone to bone and tendons connect bone to muscle. D. What is the function of fascia? It is responsible for maintaining structural, provides support and protection, and acts as a shock absorber. The function of muscle fasciae is to reduce friction to minimize the reduction of muscular force. Fasciae: a) Provide a sliding and gliding environment for muscles. b)Suspend organs in their proper place. c) Transmit movement from muscles to bones, and d) Provide a supportive and movable wrapping for nerves and blood vessels as they pass through and between muscles. [ E.What effect would the loss of articular cartilage have on a joint, its bones and their corresponding muscles? It causes the breakdown of the cartilage in joints. It also called degenerative arthritis. Cartilage is the joint's cushion. It covers the ends of bones and allows free movement. If it becomes rough, frays, or wears away, bones grind against each other. As a result, the joint becomes irritated and inflamed. Sometimes the irritation causes abnormal bone growths, called spurs, which increase swelling. Conclusions Explain how skin, bones, and muscles are related to each other.Why is this relationship important to the underst anding of the skeletal and muscular systems? Joints are where two bones come together. The joints hold the bones together and allow for movement of the skeleton. All of the bones, except the hyoid bone in the neck, form a joint. Joints are often categorized by the amount of motion they allow. Some of the joints are fixed, like those in the skull, allow for no movement. Other joints, like those between the vertebrae of the spine, allow for some movement. Most of the joints are free moving synovial joints

John Henry Picture Book by Julius Lester

John Henry Picture Book by Julius Lester The legend of John Henry has been celebrated in song and story for generations, but my favorite version is the childrens picture book John Henry by Julius Lester, with illustrations by Jerry Pinkney.   Julius Lesters John Henry is based on the African American folk ballad John Henry, the tale of John Henry, the steel-driving man who was bigger and stronger than anyone and the competition between him and the steam-powered drill in digging a railroad tunnel through a mountain. While John Henry dies at the end, this is not a sad story but a celebration of a life well lived.   I recommend Lesters retelling of the story of the African American folk hero as an excellent read aloud for children five and older, as well as a good book for independent readers in grades 4-5. Who Was John Henry? While much has been written about John Henry, much of the true story of John Henry is still shrouded in mystery. However, what the John Henry of song and story represents is very clear in both the words and images in this book. Artist Jerry Pinkney saw John Henry as ... a free man, whose strength and valor bring him fame. He was a strong folk hero for African Americans, a symbol of all the working men who made a major contribution to the building of the roads and railroads in the mountains of West Virginia - a dangerous job for which many paid with their lives. (Source: Penguin Putnam Inc.) John Henry: The Story Julius Lesters story of John Henry begins with his birth and immediate growth to a size so large that his head and shoulders busted through the roof which was over the porch of his familys home in 1870s West Virginia. The tall tale continues with the saga of how John Henry grew big, strong, fast, and fearless. His crowning achievement, and the cause of his death, was winning a competition to break through a mountain so the railroad could go through. On one side of the mountain, the railroad boss used a steam drill. On the other side, John Henry used his hammers and amazing strength. When John Henry and the stream drill met inside the mountain, the boss was amazed to find that while he had come only a quarter of a mile, John Henry had come a mile and a quarter. John Henry walked out of the tunnel to the cheers of the other workers, then fell to the ground and died. Everyone who was there came to the realization that Dying aint important. Everybody does that. What matters is how well you do your living. Awards and Recognition John Henry was named a Caldecott Honor Book. and to be named a Randolph Cadecott Medal or Honor Book recipient is a prestigious honor. Caldecott honors are awarded annually by the American Library Association in recognition of excellence in American childrens picture book illustration. Other honors for John Henry include  a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award and being included on the ALA Notable Childrens Books list. John Henry: My Recommendation There are several things that make this book memorable. The first is Julius Lesters use of imagery and personification. For example, when describing what happened when John Henry laughed loudly, Lester reported, †¦the sun got scared. It scurried from behind the moons skirts and went to bed, which is where it shouldve been anyway. The second is the artwork of Jerry Pinkney. While Pinkney used his usual pencil, colored pencils, and watercolors, his use of shading is exaggerated in the illustrations, to good effect. This creates almost a transparent effect in some scenes, creating the illusion of looking into the far distant past. Its as if you can see what is going on, but you also know that it all has a bigger, broader meaning than just the scene depicted. The third is the extra information provided. It helps to set the context for the story. Included are brief author and illustrator biographies, a note from the author about his collaboration with Pinkney, and an overview of the origin of the John Henry story and the sources used by Lester. This information will be particularly helpful to teachers and librarians as they share the book with students. I recommend this childrens picture book for the children five to ten years old and their families.   Its also a good book for elementary school classrooms. (Puffin Books, Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 1994. Hardcover edition ISBN: 0803716060, 1999, Paperback edition ISBN: 9780140566222)

Five things to remember when writing your first bidÂÂ

Five things to remember when writing your first bid   Five things to remember when writing your first bid OK, theres no getting away from it: successful bids take a bit of effort to create. And if you’ve never written one before, it could seem like a particularly daunting task. But keeping a few crucial principles in mind will put you in the strongest possible position when you have to write one for the first time. So here are five things to remember when that time comes. 1. A bid is not an info packet. Its a persuasion tool. If you start the bid-writing process from the wrong perspective, chances are high that your proposal wont do its job. The goal of a bid is to persuade someone to choose your company. Therefore, you must think of this process as an exercise in persuasive writing, not in providing an encyclopedic description of what your company is capable of. Taking a cue from sales, the best road to persuasion is understanding your customer, identifying their need, comprehending that need, showing your customer you understand it, and then showing that you (and only you) have the solution. By simply supplying your potential client with an exhaustive treatise on why your company is wonderful, youve not taken any of the necessary steps towards persuasion. If you dont show the relevance of these facets to your potential customer, you’ve failed from the start. Don’t assume this is self-evident: connect the dots for them. The next four pointers will set you on the right pathway for actually writing your first bid. Follow them and youll end up with an effective persuasion tool that gives you the edge above your competitors. (To learn how to apply them to your own bids, check out  our bid-writing courses for individuals  and for teams.) 2. A bid should be personalised for the client. Take the time to customise the proposal. Bid writing should not be a template-driven process or an exercise in copy and paste. Youll need to do your homework and create a bid thats completely tailored for the client. This means you need to put in some solid research before you can even write a word. Yes, its time-consuming and nearly impossible to farm out, but doing so will raise your chances of winning dramatically. Begin by approaching your bid writing from your client’s perspective. That means finding out who the key decision-makers and influencers will be and writing specifically for them. Finding out who the decision-makers are is only step one, however. Then the real detective work begins: your aim here is to work out the mindset of this person (or these people). The more you can get inside their heads, the more likely youll be to strike a chord with them and be selected for the job. How to do this? Again: research. This will mean you can take the perspective of your prospective client. Only then will you be able to see the ‘problem’ from their point of view. Exactly why is it a problem to them? Determine the decision-makers focus. Youll need to consider different approaches depending on what this is. For example, are they more concerned about customer service or cost savings? Are they operations-orientated or finance-focused? Write your bid in a way that speaks to that point of view and its needs. The more you can sync your bid to the clients way of thinking about the project, the more likely it will be that they’ll see your proposal as offering the right solution for them. Which brings us to the next point. 3. A bid should show that you clearly understand the job. Think of your bid as a customised solution to the clients unique problem. Just as you should tailor the bid to the decision-makers’ thought processes, you should also tailor your proposal to the job at hand. Bids that win are those which show clearly that you understand the job. It may seem obvious that your understanding of the project is inherent to your providing a solution. However, keep in mind that your bid is a sales tool. Therefore, youre taking the reader through a sales thought process. That process involves leading the client from step one all the way up to the conclusion that only your company can do the job. An essential part of that sales thought process is confirming that you ‘get it’: you understand the job as the client understands it. Once youve laid that groundwork (and reassured them), the next logical step is showing how youll provide a great solution. How can you show that you understand the job? At the risk of repeating myself: do your homework. Look at the client’s website; look at everything they’ve told you. Use their language. The more your bid lines up with the clients way of thinking about the problem, the easier it will be to present the right solution. 4. A bid should show how you will provide value. In the business environment, persuasion is all about adding value. If your bid isnt showing the client how your company will add value, then its not a good bid. Merely describing your companys capabilities isnt necessarily going to win you the job. Put teeth into your proposal by describing what results the client can expect. If youve ever worked in sales, think of the classic ‘features versus benefits’ approach and youll understand what needs to happen here. Clients want to see the benefits of choosing you. Make these explicit. Listing the features of your organisation does not equate with showing benefits: don’t expect your client to pick apart such a list and guess at how each thing will help them. Simply telling them youll put the best and the brightest to work on their project means nothing if they cant make the connection between expertise and added value for them. What really lights up decision-makers’ eyes are statements like ‘we project an increase in sales after three months’ or ‘you can expect a 10 per cent upturn in leads by the end of the month’. 5. The devil is in the detail. Dont forget logistics. Provide a timetable for delivery and explain how and where everything will happen. Include a timeline for development too, so the client will feel informed at every stage of the plan. And don’t forget Finally, everything we’ve covered could still come to no good if you submit a bid littered with obvious grammar problems and typos. It may not seem likely (or fair) that a stray apostrophe could bring the whole deal crashing down to earth, but it’s not worth taking that risk. Good writing reflects the quality of your companys abilities and attention to detail. If you clearly havent taken the time to proofread your bid for errors (or even hire an editor to clean it up for you, if that’s an option) it could make you look very bad. The last word Your bid is an indication of how well youre going to perform the job. If youre serious about creating a winning proposal, these five reminders will serve you well. Keep this as a guideline and follow these steps and youll be well-placed to put the competition to shame with your first bid – and every one after that. hbspt.cta.load(2645537, '7b23ded2-8092-4854-8dd9-62573d3f63b2', {}); Image credit: Sunny studio / Shutterstock

Steps to make ethical practice in the workplace a reality Essay

Steps to make ethical practice in the workplace a reality - Essay Example Since majority of the people in the world goes to work, it is important that one possesses good ethics in the work place. Good ethics is an essential attribute that an individual must possess in order to lessen conflicts in that might arise in the work place. Steps to Make Ethical Practice in the Work Place a Reality Work ethics main concern is how everyone gets along which each other, Weinstein (2009) explains that it encompasses the right attitudes, proper behavior, respect, open communication and appropriate interaction on how people show who and what kind of person they are. Christian values may be incorporated in the formulation of rules and guidelines for employees and following the words of God will actually guide one into having the ideal work attitude and may lead to further career growth. A company could consider incorporating the four basic values which are trust, responsibility, respect and care, as the primary step to achieve good work ethics. Kidd claims that †¦ â €˜it is about healing, empowerment, liberation and transcendence.’ Trust or faith connotes how trustworthy a person is. Imagine the employees of an accounting firm do not have trust in each other that firm is doomed to fail. Trust as defined by Spirit Home ‘indicates a depth and a sense of assurance that is based on strong but not logically-conclusive evidence,  and/or  based on the character, ability, or truth shown by someone or something over time or across situations.’ Once the employees begin to trust each other and the company, a sense of safeness can be integrated. And the breach of trust would result in multiple damages. Spirit Home insinuates that when trust starts to break, people become afraid. Proper communication within all the levels of the organization combined with doing the reciprocal, showing that one also trusts the other will ensure that this value remains intact in the work place. MDE (2004) states that ‘Getting things accomplish ed is more effective when people know who is responsible.’ Responsibility means making it clear to the individuals that they are accountable for their work. People work better when they have been briefed on what they have to do than to have them assume they know their duties. It is the responsibility of the management of a company to orient its entire workforce on the scope of each individual’s responsibility; this should be done to avoid any overlapping in their work that might result in repetitive outputs which only waste precious time. Lack of this will also result in finger pointing whenever something goes wrong and leaves the workplace an ill-environment to be in. Respect is a subjective term. People can create their own meaning of the word based from their experiences. However, Ulrich et al. (2009) claims that ‘respect is important in the†¦.profession’ that ‘†¦it should be practiced with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity , worth, and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status and personal attributes†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Any workplace would be a harmonious one if people begin by respecting one another. This must be innate in everyone, to revere in each other’s attribute, ethnicity, race and stature in life. Showing people you care for them is another vital value that should be included in the ethical practice. Caring is like the other values stated above which definition depends on the person’