10 Things Employees Need to Know About Non-Compete Contracts

1.Non-competecontracts are given to protect the company from its former employees working on competitors or revealing company trade secrets.

2.It is also called nomcompete agreement, non-competition agreement, non-comp or covenant not to compete. Employees sign it when they got hired, during employment, when they decide to leave or all of the above.

3.It is also given to valuable employees to whom the company have spent money for training or to those who have access to important informations that losing him would accumulate loss for the business.

4.If employees sign it, they agree not to engage in the same industry for a certain period of time after leaving the company. If they opt not to sign it, they’re likely out of a job, benefit or even had been subjected to lawsuit depending on when they chose not to sign.

5.It should not cover too wide geographic area because the legal system also puts high regard on a person’s right to earn a living.

6.It must not prohibit the former employee in engaging in too many types of businesses. It can disallow, for a reasonable duration, joining key competitors but not other indirectly related industries.

7.Six months to two years duration is considered a reasonable time for the non-compete contract to last.

8.It is highly appreciated if appropriate benefits will be provided in exchange of signing a non-compete agreement. Promotion or a raise is also most welcome.

9.Non-compete contracts might not be enforceable if employees quit or were fired because they refused to engage in illegal activities while on the job.

10.It is also non-enforceable if the employer allowed other key employees to take employment on competitors. It will be unjust to permit the employer to rely on this contract which was fully ignored in the past.

While some of these information about Non-compete contract seems discouraging, it exists mainly to protect employers from unscrupulous employees. So as long as an employer or employee is reasonable, the law will definitely comes in favor with them.

Ozfreeonline recommends Job Search at OzFreeOnline for your Career Opportunity. Ozfreeonline is the author of job posting site.

10 Effective Workplace Habits

The most dreaded scene in Donald Trump’s show The Apprentice is when he meets a contestant at the boardroom and tells him “You’re fired!�?. Then the only thing a contestant can do is either plead or cry. The pithy phrase strikes fear to the audience especially for those working professionals. It’s either you’re a heir of an empire to not care or you dread to lose your job. For the majority, their job supports their expenses and feeds their passion. It is not enough to work hard, working professionals must know how to keep themselves employed amidst the strong industry competition. The list below discuss the top 10 effective workplace habits to prolong one’s career.

1.Have a life plan. Most successful people have created a clear life plan. They either memorized it by heart or wrote about it, by doing these they’ve outlined the direction that they want to take. This helps them take the small steps that will make them closer to their big dream. Roadblocks might cross their paths but being focus on their plans, definitely it will lead them to the right way.

2.Update your skills sets. The only constant thing is change. In every industry advancement is discovered thus keeping your skills set current will make you stay at par with your colleagues. Be updated on new methods that will make you more efficient.

3.Be responsible. A professional employee exert all their efforts until they achieve the results that they wanted. Give all your best, getting hired doesn’t mean that you can’t give the same enthusiasm that you’ve showed as an applicant of your company.

4.Do the job using efficient and effective means. The end doesn’t always justify the means therefore make sure you do your work efficiently and effectively to give you more viable outcomes.

5.
Be irreplaceable. Work hard and show them that no one can do the job right, but you.

6.Remember that knowledge is power. Don’t be afraid to keep on learning new ideas and approaches that can ameliorate your career. Continuously feed your brains by reading lots of books even if it’s not related to your work.

7.Be with the right crowd. Be with people who exudes positive behavior and encourages intelligence and creativity in others because you can learn from them that might help with your grow as a person.

8.Give credit to where it is due. Don’t hesitate to acknowledge a colleague’s good work because people inevitably reap what they saw. Similarly you will also be recognize for your best efforts.

9.Distinguish the line between promoting your self and bragging your accomplishments. Find the proper way and venue to let your colleagues in the industry know about your success.

10.Accept the fact that your career’s success will not be a walk in the park. There will be times where despite all your attempts and good intentions, unfavorable situations happens but you must not lose your focus. Being mentally and physically tough will help you get through the ordeal.

Positioning Yourself for Job Search Success

When the job market tightens up, and there are less opportunities for job seekers, job searching becomes much more competitive. Rather than it being a buyer’s market, where you can pick and choose between job offers, there are fewer jobs available and more candidates, so employers can afford to be picky.

When job searching times get even a little tough, it’s more important than usual to make sure that you stand out from the job searching crowd and show the hiring manager that you are a candidate who definitely should be selected for an interview.

What can you do to get noticed? It’s not as hard as you might think. Your application materials, have to be perfect, of course, and you will need to use your connections to help get an “in” at the company.

You’ll also need to actively market your candidacy and yourself, rather than waiting for a new job to find you.

How to Be a Compelling Candidate

Write a Targeted Resume
I know this is harder than just having one resume that you use to apply for every job. However, it works. Taking the time to edit or rewrite your resume so it matches the qualifications for the job you’re applying for will show the hiring manager that you have the credentials for the job and should be considered for an interview.

Write a Targeted Cover Letter
Write a cover letter that shows, at a glance, why you are a strong match for the job. Don’t repeat your resume, rather link (list or use bullets) your relevant skills to the skills the employer is seeking. Highlight your professional qualifications that match the hiring requirements. You only have seconds to catch the hiring manager’s attention, so use them wisely.

Build Your Professional Brand
Sometimes, recruiters Google candidates even before they schedule an interview. You will want to make sure that everything they find when they search and everything related to you on the professional and networking sites (like LinkedIn and Facebook) is information that is presentable to the public. Also, be sure to edit your profile on LinkedIn so your connections know you are available for career and/or job opportunities.

Use Your Connections
Do you have connections at the company you just sent your resume to? If so, use them. They may be able to give your resume a boost and help you get an interview. You can also use your connections to find out more about the company. I know one job seeker, for example, who was able to connect with an employee at the company he was interviewing and get the inside scoop on the job and the company - before he set foot in the door.

In a tight job market, your connections are an even more important resource than they are when jobs are plentiful.

Be Proactive
Remember that old saying “He who hesitates is lost” - it’s true. Employers don’t wait forever for applicants to submit their resume (I know more than a few people who have waited too long to apply and lost out on what could have been a good job), so when you find a job listing that’s a good match, apply immediately. Set up job search agents on the job search engines and/or job banks so you get new positions via email as soon as they are posted online. Again, don’t wait to apply.

Unstick Your Job Search
If your job search seems to be stuck, try some new initiatives to get it started, so you can get back on track to find a new job, sooner rather than later.

Practice Make Perfect
Practice before you go for an interview. Review typical interview questions and research the company so you are well-prepared to interview. Have interview clothes ready (dry cleaned, shoes polished, etc.) so you’re ready to interview professionally at a moment’s notice. That way, your first impression will be positive and that’s the impression you want to make on everyone you meet when you’re job searching.

Sticky Office Situations

#1 How to deal with officemates when you get promoted as their superior.

Handling the shift of being their colleague to a boss is a challenging problem. Adjustments should be done by both sides to deal with this issue properly. The first thing to do is to acknowledge that your relationship has been changed. You are now in a different status but you’re certainly looking forward to work with them as it was like before. You should also maintain an open communication with your team by taking their suggestions and acknowledging their good efforts. Lastly, don’t take everything personally. Others might be jealous of your achievement but the only better thing to do is ignore them because you know how hard you worked to get that promotion.

#2 What to do when your co-worker have too much personal drama.

Ideally, a person should have a separate personal and professional life but some people brings their personal drama to work to the point that it causes stress to everyone around her. When there is a lot of non-work related stress in your office, the best thing to do is to stay away from it. It’s a hard ordeal because you work at the same office but you must not talk about the issue and don’t make any comments about it. If you are asked about your opinion just say that you would rather not get involved . Perhaps make a suggestion that it is much a better idea to seeks help to the superior in your company like the supervisor etc.

#3 How to deal with the boss from hell?

Most people have dealt with the difficult, intimidating, or pushy bosses and supervisors. You may not be able to change their behavior but you can learn how to deal with them properly. Learn to manage this conflict by thinking before speaking or doing an action rather than acting based on emotion. You should try to discuss (not confront) to your boss your issue with him. When he criticize your performance ask for his advice on how you can improve. Remember that you don’t have to like your boss as a person but you can be professional in dealing with him and get your job done as his subordinate.

#4 How to handle relationship with your partner inside the office.

Yes, love is inevitable, especially with two persons that are physically and spiritually attracted to each other. Wherever you are, in whatever circumstances it may be, if you fall in love you will do everything for this moment. However, if you’re mature enough to know how to handle this things, like if your co-employee is your lover you should know that you’re both officemates inside the company. There is no things that in favor with each other, inside the office you must act professionally and responsible for your own job. And if ever that you have problems with your relationship, it will be a great idea if you doesn’t bring it within your work, because it will not just affect your performances with your job but also to your partner.

Ozfreeonline recommends Job Search at OzFreeOnline for your Career Opportunity. Ozfreeonline is the author of job posting site.