Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Are You Answering These Job Interview Questions Incorrectly

Are You Answering These Job Interview Questions IncorrectlyAre You Answering These Job Interview Questions IncorrectlyLearn the right way to answer these difficult and essential job interview questions. Tell me about yourself. (Translation Why are you a good fit?)Trust me, the interviewer doesnt want to know that you love long walks on the beach (unless thats parte of the job). And youre not doing yourself any favors by asking the interviewer what they want to know about you. Consider this an extended version of your elevator pitch, specifically tailored for this opportunity. Before the interview, review the job description and think back to your initial phone screen to determine the core must-haves for this role. Use those top requirements to develop talking points that demonstrate how you are qualified for this role. Weave a story that explains how your experience and skill sets have led you to this opportunity.What is your biggest weakness?(Translation How self-aware are you? Ca n you overcome challenges?)Recruiters and employers dont want to hear that youre a perfectionist or any of those other faux weaknesses that can be turned into strengths. They actually want to know what areas youve struggled with, and fruchtwein importantly, what youve done to overcome those shortcomings. For instance, if youve been too efficient for your own good in the past and missed the little details, you can explain what measures youve taken to ensure you produce a high-quality, error-free product now. Remember, as long as you can explain what steps youve taken to improve your skills, youre good to go.Tell me about a time (Translation Prove it. Give me an example)Employers are often trying to get a sense of your problem-solving abilities or management style with these types of behavioral questions. When faced with these questions, stick to the STARapproach describe a Situation or Task you handled explain what Actions you took to resolve the issue and summarize the Results of your actions, especially how it benefited the organization (costs cut, revenue increased, less employee turnover, etc.) To prepare for the interview, use the core job requirements to brainstorm relevant behavioral questions and succinct stories from your work history that demonstrate your abilities.Do you have any questions for me?(Translation How interested are you in this opportunity?)The answer to this question should always be an enthusiastic Yes, whether youre on your first or fifth round of interviews at an organization. Use this opportunity to not only demonstrate your interest and research into the organization, it will also help you better understand the needs of the hiring manager so you can position your skills as the solution to those needs. Here are five sample questions to test out in your next interviewWhat are the three most important things you want the person who joins your team to achieve over the next year?If you could describe your corporate culture in three wor ds, what would they be and why?What is your vision for this group/department/product line/etc. over the next 2-3 years?What kinds of people are successful at this organization?Whats the timeline for making a decision on this position? When should I get back in touch with you?Practice responding to these questions so youll feel confident when it matters most. Click on the following link to access more job interview advice.

Friday, November 22, 2019

How Government Retirement Systems Determine Eligibility

How Government Retirement Systems Determine EligibilityHow Government Retirement Systems Determine EligibilityHave you ever wondered why government employees seem to retire at such a young age? Well, the reason is that governmentretirement systemsoften have retirement eligibility rules allowing people to do so. It is such an important benefit that many government workers do not seek employment outside the public sector or even outside organizations within their own retirement systems. Government retirement systems base retirement eligibility on two factors age and years of tafelgeschirr. For almost every government retirement system there is some number that represents the sum of an employees age and years of service that, once reached, makes an employee eligible to retire. The Rule of 80 Many systems use the rule of 80. It means that once an employees age and years of service total 80, the employee is eligible to retire. Here is an example. An employee begins working for a gover nment agency at age 27. The organizations retirement system operates under the rule of 80. Given this employees age and the rule of 80, the employee will be eligible to retire at age 53 1/2 after 26 1/2 years of service. Double-Dipping This early retirement age gives the employee plenty of working years left to pursue a second career or come back to public service to double-dip. Double dipping is when an employee has retired and is drawing an annuity but is also working and earning a salary in an organization that participates in the same retirement system. Retirement systems often have provisions for those who start in public service very late in their careers. Systems may adopt a retirement age where people can retire even if they have not reached the rule of 80. Many systems allow employees age 65 to retire regardless of their years of service. unterstellung individuals receive small annuities because of their few years in the system, and they may not have the same health car e benefits as those who reach the rule of 80 before retiring. Increasing the Rule of 80 To increase the number of employees contributing to the system and to reduce the number of retirees drawing from it, some retirement systems have increased from the rule of 80 to the rule of 85 or even 90. When this happens, existing employees are often grandfathered into the old rules, and new employees must meet the new requirements. Grandfathering Grandfathering makes retirement system changes more palatable to existing employees. Employees feel undercut, devalued and cheated when retirement system rules change on them. Future employees have no say in the matter because no one knows who they are yet. While grandfathering makes the sales pitch easier, it creates administrative burdens. Retirement systems must maintain two or more sets of rules, forms, help documents and the like. The increased maintenance costs continue in perpetuity until retirees under an old set of rules die out. The Rule of 90 Say the 27-year-old employee in the earlier example is in a retirement system that operates with the rule of 90 instead of the rule of 80. Because of this one change, this employee will be eligible for retirement at age 58 1/2 with 31 1/2 years of service. Retirement systems tend to have strict rules about transferring service credit from one retirement system to another. When employees move between jobs under different retirement systems, they may lose service credit. Government employees should investigate this possibility when considering a new job. When service credit does not transfer, employees may have the option to leave what they have in the old retirement system there and start fresh in the new system. An employee could wind up with different retirement dates among two or more systems. Then, the retirement dates are merely dates when an employee may access financial benefits, but employees could choose to begin accessing all their annuities at the same time .

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Jenner & Block Celebrates Five Years in New York

Jenner & Block Celebrates Five Years in New YorkJenner & Block Celebrates Five Years in New YorkA Tuscan room, Jacques Torres, live music and a quesadilla stationthese ingredients created a perfect Thursday night at Jenner Blocks office in midtown Manhattan. The firm, with its headquarters in Chicago, whipped out the party hats to celebrate its five-year anniversary in the Big Apple. With food-and-drink themed rooms (Tuscan, Mexican, and whiskey), passed hors doeuvres and an open bar, the event welches impressive. Partners and associates mingled with guests in the firms Conference Center, which was transformed from a workspace to a party space with cocktail tables and live music. The event was lively, and the Jenner crew seemed genuinely excited about the five-year milestone (including those partners who battled long airport delays to get there).The firm ended the evening on a sweet note, giving guests boxes of Jacques Torres chocolates as they left. It was a wonderful event. Congra tulations to Jenner BlockFOLLOW VAULT LAW ON TWITTER VaultLaw