I was hired away from my former employer and required to move to a new city for the new job. Shortly after I joined the new company, the senior staff resigned, one after the other. Then the company announced it was restructuring the entire department that I was in.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, my new manager called me into her office to say that I wasn’t meeting the company’s expectations. She wanted to fire me, but agreed to allow me to stay and look for a new job for the next two months because she felt responsible for my being there. To date, I have been at the new company for only three months. What should I put on my résumé? What am I going to say in interviews? I’m also worried a potential employer will call this manager and ask why I was let go.

THIS manager should feel guilty.

She obviously did a poor job interviewing you and describing the state of affairs at the company, and an even poorer job explaining what she expected of you once you were on the job. She perhaps did not know about the entire staff’s plans to resign, which also shows how out of touch she is with the department.

You, too, must share in that responsibility, as it sounds as if you did not do your homework on the company and carefully interview this manager to see whether this was a job worth moving for. You have two months to get her to talk openly, directly and honestly to you – if she is capable of it. Understand that she may not be.

Talk to her in a non-threatening manner, but ask detailed questions until you get solid answers. You cannot interview until you know what this woman is going to say when potential employers call her, and they will check your references. If she refuses to extend to you a good reference letter or explain in detail what you have done to deserve this low performance review, then leave this company off your résumé.

You cannot afford for an unstable, unprofessional manager to ruin your career. Without a reference letter, tell potential employers you wanted to move to the city first and then begin a full-time job search. This is assuming you do not want to return home to see whether you can be rehired at your former job.

– Creators News Service

Employees not jealous of manager’s responsibilities

IF given the opportunity, a majority of workers would rather not take their manager’s position.

Sixty-one per cent of employees, according to a survey by Adecco Group North America, say they would decline the offer to be in charge, especially with the increased job pressures due to the economy.

It seems boss and worker relationships remain an important aspect at workplaces. Sixty-five per cent of employees would not make changes to the relationship with their boss. But some workers still do not completely trust their employer. Fifty-three per cent of workers have doubts about their company’s managerial honesty.

Even with the recession, worker perception of employers hasn’t greatly altered. A large majority (89 per cent) of employees say their boss is still as available as before the economic downturn. There has been a slight increase (14 per cent) when it comes to having more respect for management. Performance reports still maintain the same significance as they did before the recession.

“Good or bad economy, how employees feel about their work-life is very much dependent on their relationship with their boss,” says Bernadette Kenny, chief career officer of Adecco Group North America. “What we’re hearing from the thousands of American workers we partner with every day is that the world of work is more challenging than ever before and constantly changing. Increasingly, difficult jobs require impactful managers who lead by example and create the best possible environment for their staff.”

Adecco provides suggestions for managers that hope to continue to build connections with their employees:

. Promote open communication. Use an open format communication style with workers. This will allow them to present their concerns, leading to an honest dialogue between manager and worker.

. Display loyalty. Make sure workers know that you are loyal. Maintain open communication to build employee trust.

. Increase company morale. Try to motivate employees through contests, rewards and recognition for great work. Create team-building activities in order to improve workplace relationships.

– Creators News Service

More competition for seasonal jobs

IT appears this year’s seasonal hiring will be like last year; there is now a lot more competition.

Eighteen per cent of managers plan, according to a CareerBuilder.com survey that questioned 2,924 hiring managers and human resources professionals, to hire workers for the end-of-the-year holidays, compared to 17 per cent in 2008.

But this year brings more competition. Some employed workers (12 per cent) want to find second jobs in order to make more money for the holidays. Seasonal employment will be pursued by unemployed workers as well as employed ones. The top industries for finding seasonal positions include: customer service, retails sales, administrative/clerical, hospitality, shipping/delivery, inventory, technology and accounting/finance.

When it comes to compensation, 12 per cent of managers hope to increase pay for seasonal workers, while 15 per cent plan to decrease payment. The majority of managers will give $10 or more per hour.

“Competition for seasonal positions will be intense as the job market is flooded with qualified candidates vying for a smaller number of open positions,” says Brent Rasmussen, president of CareerBuilder North America. “Employers tell us they are accepting the majority of their seasonal applications during October and November, meaning job-seekers need to identify and apply for those opportunities now.”

Rasmussen suggests that candidates wanting a seasonal job: apply early, learn more about the company and its products, be enthusiastic during the interview, dress the part (wear clothes from the store where you are applying), and be flexible when it comes to the work schedule.

– Creators News Service

Harvard recognised as top university worldwide

BEIJING, China (AFP) – Harvard University in the United States is once again the world’s top institute of higher education for 2009, according to a Chinese ranking that is dominated by American colleges.

Stanford University was second, followed by the University of California at Berkeley, said the annual ranking by the Centre for World-Class Universities and the Institute of Higher Education at Shanghai’s Jiaotong University.

The Annual Ranking of World Universities was posted on its website at www.arwu.org.

Harvard has been the top-ranked institution since the list was first issued in 2003.

US universities filled 55 of the top 100 spots in the rankings, which are based on a wide range of criteria, including numbers of alumni winning top awards such as Nobel prizes.

The highest-ranked non-US university was Cambridge University of Britain, at number four, while University of Tokyo was top-rated in the Asia-Pacific region at 20th spot.

The top-rated institute on the European continent was the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, at 23rd, while Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris was the highest-ranked French school in 40th spot.