How to Ask for Time Off at Your New Job (the Right Way)

How to Ask for Time Off at Your New Job (the Right Way)How to Ask for Time Off at Your New Job (the Right Way)Ah, summer. The time of year when your thoughts turn to tan lines and drinks with little umbrellas in them- unless, of course, youve just started a new job. In which case, youre probably staring jealously at your friends Instagram pictures and wondering how youre going to survive the summer without going on a single trip.The good news is, just because youre a new employee doesnt mean you have to give up your travel plans. To get the scoop, read on for answers to some of the most common questions about taking vacation at a new job.I just started a new job- when is it okay to take a vacation?After I graduated from college, someone gave me a piece of advice I always abide by Dont ask for any time off during the first three months of your job. Think of it as a probationary period in which youre trying to prove your worth- which is hard to do if youre sipping margaritas on the bea ch.After youve been at a job for three months, youve likely accrued a little vacation time and youre ready for a break from the 9-to-5 grind. At this point, its usually acceptable to ask for one day off for every month youve worked after your self-imposed probation. (Obviously, this varies depending on your companys time-off policy and how much vacation time youre given.) In general, though, if you started working in March and didnt take any time off in March, April, or May, youre not going to raise any eyebrows if you ask for a day or two off in July.The exception to this rule comes if youre working at a company thats super-relaxed or touts vacation time as a major perk. Some start-ups and small companies cant pay their employees high salaries, so they try to make up for it with flexible schedules and lots of vacation days. If youre not sure what your companys culture is, look for some common cues. Has your babo asked you what trips youve got planned for the summer? Are otherbei ne w employees taking a long weekend over Independence Day? If so, you may be okay to bend the three-month vacation rule a bit.Ive been at a company for a few months, but Im mucksmuschenstill getting the hang of things. How can I determine the best time to book my trip for?As a new employee, the last thing you want to do is book a vacation during the busiest time of year or find out that your days off conflict with a critical meeting. So, do some research before you start looking at flights. If youre not sure when your companys busy season is, ask a fellow employee.You can also bring it up with your boss (and should, in most cases). A simple, Id like to use some of my vacation days this fall, and Im wondering what the best time to be out of the office would be, will help you schedule a stress-free vacation and show your boss that you take your job responsibilities seriously.My boss is a little intimidating. Whats the best way to approach her about taking vacation time?If you have a no- nonsense boss, it can be a little scary to ask for vacation, even if youre entitled to time off. To make sure the conversation goes as smoothly as possible, broach the subject at the right time, like after youve wowed your boss with everything youve accomplished in your weekly status meeting or on a quiet Friday afternoon when she likely has time to chat. And definitely ask for the days off, rather than tell her that youre taking them. A simple, I have three vacation days, and Id like to use them the week of September 9. Is that possible, and does that work for the team? works perfectly.After youve gotten verbal approval, document the vacation on your calendar and send your boss a reminder a week or two before the big day that says something like, Just a reminder that Im going to be out on vacation Monday through Thursday, but Ill get that report to you Friday afternoon for review. This lets you kill two birds with one stone Youve made sure that your vacation is still on your boss r adar, and youve let her know that youre working hard to get everything set before you leave.My boss keeps sending me emails while Im trying to relax on the beach. Do I need to respond?Every workplace has a different expectation when it comes to staying connected on vacation. Its best to ask your boss ahead of time what he needs from you before you leave the office and what he expects while youre out of town. For example, does he want a quick update on the status of all your projects before you head out of the office? Will you need to check your email on a regular basis or just provide your boss with a way to reach you if any work-related emergencies arise?If you didnt have this conversation with your boss before you left, play it safe. Respond to important or time-sensitive office emails as best as you can, even if it means setting aside a few minutes each morning and evening for a little work. If your boss doesnt need a response until youre back from vacation, hell probably let you know.Im interviewing for a new job, but I havent been offered the position. When should I tell them about the vacation I just booked?Unless your vacation is a trip to the Amazon thats going to take you out of the country for a month, theres no need to announce it until an offer has been made. Once the company has extended an offer, you can ask HR or the hiring manager if they can accommodate your vacation plans. Again, remember to be courteous and ask for- but dont demand- the days off. If you end up accepting the job, youll want to make sure that youve started your employment off on the right foot.In short, you dont have to resign yourself to a boring summer just because you started a new job. By knowing how and when to ask for vacation, you can impress at your new job while still satisfying your wanderlust.Photo of man relaxed courtesy of Shutterstock.

Lying on Your Resume

Lying on Your ResumeLying on Your ResumeAmid fierce competition for every single job, where do you draw the line between embellishing and lying on your resume?The Wall Street Journal examined the careers and resumes of 358 senior-level executives and directors at 53 publicly traded companies. The result At least seven top executives at Americas largest companies invented academic degrees they didnt have.Inflated academic credentials in the nations executive suites may be more common than generally thought, wrote the author Keith J. Winstein in the November 2008 issue of The Wall Street Journal. But is it really a problem? And amid the heavy competition for a jobs, wheres the line between putting your best foot forward and outright lying?In times when competition for a single job is high, its easy to entertain the thought of embellishing a resume. But its still true Regardless of the job-market climate and regardless of the level of the candidates experience, personal integrity matter s, and it counts on a resume.Resumes do bedrngnis have to provide every conceivable fact to the potential employer. You can leave out dates, certain past employment and material details. The truth is you can lie. Yes, you can. But you do it at your own peril. Attorneys who represent employers find this is as good a reason as any to prove you wrong in court.Courts are holding that material misrepresentations on an employment application and resume constitute just cause to terminate an employment contract reduce or deny benefits, including disability benefitsIf you are an excellent rsum writer, you will counsel someone who may feel desperate enough to lie to notlagelage do so. Each and every certified professional rsum writer and career coach I know encourages clients to tell us the truth so we can coach and create proper documents and search strategies for them. In fact, its hard to coach someone on a lie anyway. Most career professionals and the clients they serve agree that a rsum needs to be a marketing tool, a persuasive document that does not need (even in the case of federal rsums) to dump information on the reader just to be truthful.It wears well to use credible, reliable facts and achievements to build the case for our career-transition clients. Thats what we do, in the fruchtwein inventive ways. Clients pay us for that keen and uniquely individualized perspective. But its not what we do that gets clients into trouble. They get into trouble by permitting themselves to lie to us and ultimately to potential employers.People lie to their professional resume writers - and if they then populate these lies on LinkedIn and other professional, bio-driven sites, they are creating even more problems and fuel for attorneys. Falsification has had a nice run on the Internet. Many people use the same techniques as an identity thief. The Internet provides a fountain of information, resources, databases to hack into, mock degrees and everything else for someone who w ants to do this wrong right.How big a problem is resume fraud?It has been reported that 90 percent of the personnel directors surveyed by the SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) reported finding resume untruths ranging from past salaries to personal identification.Further, it costs companies and organizations billions of dollars to hire new candidates every year. These candidate costs can often average $5,000 or more to find, hire and properly onboard a new employee. Looking at the big picture, the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners estimates that occupational fraud and abuse costs organizations more than $600 billion annually, or roughly 6 percent of gross revenues.Educational backgrounds seem to be the most fertile ground for fraud. It gets easy to make false scholastic claims changing areas of concentration and adding majors, minors and degrees never obtained. Usually fraud comes through in changes in employment dates, salary manipulation, job titles and duties, an d omitting negative records that may come up on background checks.Although its not their job, career coaches and outplacement specialists continue to advocate honesty in their practices, to teach and even educate clients how they can creatively and imaginatively promote, but not falsify, their backgrounds to earn new positions, promotions and job assignments.Recruiters look for incongruities and evidence that demonstrate the candidate does not have the background to match her qualifications. But even with strong recruiters, background checks and previous employer verifications, many clients squeak through. Time becomes a factor, and companies sometimes figure out that they can prove resume fraud later if they need to so its to their advantage perhaps not to invest company time and money until they must.Lets turn the tables a bit Have you done a background check, employment verification and criminal records history on every babysitter who has ever worked for you? Wouldnt you like to know who will be watching your kids? Should you do this? Are your kids worth it? But the answer is probably no, isnt it? Its human nature to take the easy way out of situations, and unfortunately its people who handle hiring.So there you have it tell the truth, whether it be on your resume, your job application, or who broke the window with the baseball. Very few people have a blemish-free past or the perfect credentials for the perfect job.It is far better to know how to face the blemishes of your career head-on than simply to cover them up with lies. Good resume writers and career coaches can help job seekers gain perspective on imperfections and imaginatively present your past, thus eliminating the need to lie. Tell the truth in securing new work opportunities. You will face enough challenges and worries once you have the job. Dont take short cuts to get there take the higher road.

5 ways to invest in your career

5 ways to invest in your career5 ways to invest in your careerIt may seem counterintuitive to spend money on your job when your job is meant tomakeyou money, but the reality is thatsometimes its worth spending a little bit of extra cash to invest in a career.Any money that you put into sharpening your professional skills or making you look mora professional should come back to you in spades when your boss (both current and future) sees all the effort youve put in.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreHere are some of the best ways to smartly invest in your careerProfessional coursesSure there are plenty of ways to hone your skills while on the job, but that can take time, especially if youre teaching yourself. If you instead decide to take some classes, you might be able to garner those saatkorn skills- taught to you by a professional- in a shorter period of time. As an added bonus, t heres always the chance that your current employer will be willing to pay for, or at least chip in for,classes that further your job skills.Professional clothesEven if you work remotely or as a freelancer,dressing for your role is a big part of success. You might be surprised how throwing on a pencil skirt and blousemakes you instantly feel more professional, as opposed to working in yoga pants from your bed. You dont need to spend a ton here to make a difference, either. A couple of staples- like some white shirts, a couple of skirts, and a few pairs of pants- should do it.Setting up your home officeEspecially if you work remotely- but even if you only occasionally need to work from home- it helps toupdate your office with at least the basics. A good computer (assuming your company doesnt provide one), a printer, and a scanner are probably a must, but some additional things like anergonomic chair, some plants, and good lighting will go a long way as well.A professional portfolio re viewThese days its about way more than your resume- your name is probably out there in more ways than one, from Facebook and Twitter toyour own professional website. Sincefirst impressions are so important, it doesnt hurt to have a social media expert help you out by looking over your existing profiles to catch any glaring things that you might want to change. If youre in a career where branding is important, these people can help ensure that your objectives are clear across all of your channels as well. While were at it, it might not hurt to have a professional help you set up your website (especially if that type of thing really isnt your schtick) and glance over your resume.Leadership coursesBesides any courses that might help you further your specific professional skills (like copy editing, for example, or writing code), you might alsoconsider signing up for a class that teaches leadership skills. Its pretty much a given that in any type of career,leadership skills are a must, a nd an employer that sees youve taken the manahme to improve your own is sure to be impressed.Taking the time to up your professional game doesnt have to cost a ton- especially if you spread the suggestions out over a given period- butinvesting in your job in strategic wayscould actually be one of the smartest things you do to advance your career.This article first appeared on Flexjobs.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people