Indeed, small BLESSINGS, bigger CHALLENGES

This week has been challenging. Since Monday, I have been in very difficult discussions. Difficult, because my patience and tolerance was being tested. Its hard when you know what the gaps are, but the other person is in denial of the real situation of what's happening and would just comfortably look at you and say to fix things for them. Is that even fair? 

I have been in recruiting for more than 6 years already. I have had my fair share of shortcomings, triumphs and failures. It is in that six years, that I learned how to own up to what went wrong and made sure that I make up for it and fix it. That is accountability. Nowadays, sad to say, not a lot has that in them. In this day and age of the very fast-paced workplace, I believe that its important that you develop some sort of core values within you to keep you on the right track. Everybody should know how to own up when they screw up.

This week, I realized that we need to put an end to taking responsibility for the mistakes of others. That is a hard lesson to learn and a much harder lesson to teach. But, people will not learn if you make everything okay for them. They will not learn the value of committing mistakes and correcting them.

I may not be your ideal People Developer, but I will always stand up for my team, and the work we do. And in this case, I will stand up for them, make sure that they are not being short changed and being held responsible for the things they are not accountable for.

Kung may mga recruiters na makakabasa nito, sorry, mataas ang expectations pag nagtatrabaho ka sa kumpanya na toh. Hindi lang "recruiting" ang trabaho natin dito. Sana gets niyo kung nasaan kayo sa end-to-end process na tinatawag. Matuto kayong makipag-collaborate. You are not higher than anybody else just because you do the work you do. Remember, recruiting is a process of so many hand offs, and appreciate what the other teams do for you.

With that said, I am happy to note, that my team is being recognized for all the work they put in. Its about time!

Truly, the year 2013, is a year of small blessings and bigger challenges. And I thank the Lord for that. :)

Made A Work Mistake? How to Bounce Back

One of the daily emails from one of our Recruitment Leads, Jeff Ellis. A daily dose of Talent Acquisition Tip. Read on...

We all make mistakes. It’s part of being human. But when we mess up at work, we have much more at stake.

If we make mistakes in our personal lives, we can cope by working through it with the people closest to us. But if we make a mistake at work, we often jeopardize our professional reputation. And your professional reputation is essentially the foundation upon which your personal brand rests.

So what do you do if you messed up big-time at work? Here are a few tips for bouncing back quickly:

Step back and breathe. This first step is essential. It can be easy to get worked up over our own failings, but we can’t internalize self-hate when we make mistakes. Before taking action, assess the situation and take a moment to clear your head. Even if the problem is big, being overly stressed or anxious impedes your ability to think clearly and bounce back quickly.

Own up to it. Hiding your professional mistakes may seem like a good idea, but it can lead to more problems in the future. If you’ve messed up at work, address the situation immediately. Don’t mask it or sugarcoat it, either. Let your boss, manager, or co-worker know what happened as soon as possible to work on a solution.

Avoid misplaced blame. Put aside any urges to place blame on others where it isn’t due. This will only worsen your situation, and can lead others to distrust you in the future. Repeat step number one to clear your head before jumping to place blame on someone else.

Be timely. Don’t let your mistakes simmer or they’ll only get worse with time. Own up to your mistakes sooner rather than later if you want continued trust from your higher-ups and fellow employees.

Apologize. Try saying something like, “I’m sorry this happened. I accept responsibility for it, but I may need help to create a fix. Can we talk about this over a meeting?” You don’t have to be overly apologetic, but a quick recognition of your failing can help to propel you forward and show you value your work, even when you mess up.

Offer a fix. Healing work mistakes means being proactive about coming up with a solution. Offer a few solutions to your boss, manager, or co-worker, but be open to their feedback, too. If you’ve gotten yourself into a mess, you may need help to get out of it.

Work mistakes aren’t the end of the world. Still, healing mistakes does require action on your part. Taking small steps toward healing by showing openness and commitment to your job can help you to recover sooner rather than later.