employment

How to Tell If You’re About to Be Fired

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No one's job is easy, even when things are smooth sailing.

But when your job starts to feel more challenging out of the blue, it may be time to sit up and pay close attention. Lynn Taylor, the author of Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job, told Business Insider that the savviest professionals always keep an eye out for the classic signs that their job is in danger.

If and when you notice red flags popping up, you can attempt to turn the tides before it's too late. That said, it's not always easy for employees to pick up these signs. "What's important is to be alert of situations around the office to ensure the security of your position in the company," Ryan Kahn, a career coach and author of Hired! The Guide for the Recent Grad, told Forbes. Here are the most common signs that you could be walking the line between hired and fired.

You've received a poor performance review:

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Most people on the job are subject to an annual review, that awkward one-on-one meeting with your boss where they're obligated to offer you constructive criticism. Most bosses won't turn down the opportunity! But if you find yourself leaving the meeting feeling completely slammed with a whole wheelbarrow full of unexpected complaints, it might be time for a reality check. "Critical performance reviews could be a major sign that your job is in jeopardy," Kerr told Business Insider. If this happens to you, it might be a great idea to start looking around for other opportunities before you need to. Meanwhile, try to stay calm and work towards making improvements in the areas that were brought to your attention.

You've been left out of the loop or removed from projects:

When your colleagues are working on new projects, or attending meetings that somehow never made it onto your calendar, you'd better pay more attention to the dynamics. Keeping you out of the loop is often one of the biggest signs that trouble's around the corner. "The more distance, the better--and since they [colleagues] know you'll soon be gone, they want information to stay proprietary," says Taylor.

You sense tension with the boss, or with other employees:

Work environments can feel like families—there's no shortage of competition, camaraderie, and casual banter. Think of what your "baseline" for good relationships with your boss and your colleagues would be. Has that deteriorated into petty digs and heavy sighs? If you feel like your colleagues are doing anything and everything to limit communications around the office—whether personal, or work-related—it might be time to polish up your resume.

Written complaints about your work are piling up:

Too many emails detailing small work issues can add up to a big problem! pngimg.com

Your email has blown up with the strangest things lately: "Hi X, I've noticed that the latest memo you sent out had a couple of mistakes that I thought we had cleared up. Just FYI!" If the FYI's are mounting up in your inbox, your boss and colleagues could be working to build a case against you. Or, not. This isn't a marching order to feel paranoid, but rather to take a serious look at written communications between you and your colleagues that are changing in tenor from easy to terse, with a whole new level of specificity. Also, be mindful of who's being cc:d on these communications. If you notice that supervisors are being brought into the complaint loop, it's important to pay attention.

Request for details about expenses and more job oversight:

Don't get in trouble for slipping your cat food into the petty cash fund! c1.staticflickr.com

Being a bean-counter is one of the worst parts of running a business. Keeping track of every little expense can be tedious, even for the most Type-A organized people. Petty cash privileges are implied in a lot of jobs. If you've been doing a decent job of gathering up your expenses and filing them without getting them bounced back for careful review, that's a sign that you're being trusted to do the right thing. If, however, your boss makes a change in tone and requests receipts and lengthy-explanations for every penny spent, you may be getting a signal that things aren't as copacetic as they used to be. Be sure to keep all of your receipts in case accounting suddenly becomes more intense.

It's important to listen to your intuition. If you begin to have doubts about your standing in the workplace, don't push those feelings aside. Don't panic—but pay attention to warning signs and address them as they arise rather than let them pile up.

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What to Do When Your Employer Doesn't Pay

Church Executive

Amidst the longest government shutdown in history, more federal employees are going without deserved pay than ever before. But even a functioning government can't guarantee that an employer will pay its employees on time. Payroll is a federally (and in many cases, state) regulated process with defined rights and restrictions. However, there's just enough leeway in the law for employers to try to skirt around workers' rights.

Don't be mistaken; here's a rundown of what to do if your employer doesn't pay you on time.

1. Be firm: You're legally entitled to be paid "promptly"

Federal laws don't regulate how often employers are required to issue paychecks. Almost all state laws dictate whether employees are paid on a weekly, biweekly, semimonthly, or monthly basis (exceptions include Alabama and South Carolina), but the government's Fair Labor Standards Act clearly states that workers must be paid "promptly." The law doesn't prescribe a specific measurement of time, but specifies that employers must issue either cash or a "negotiable instrument" (like a check) by the soonest pay period possible. In addition, no portion of an employee's pay may be forcibly withheld without cause.

Address the issue with your employer in writing, using any and all available channels to lodge formal complaints and obtain documentation of any violations of federal law. If your employer refuses, you could bring the issue to your state's labor agency.

2. Record everything

Like all legal matters, documentation provides irrefutable evidence. Lawyers and third parties can draw from all documents detailing the payment agreement between employers and their employees to enforce federal laws. Whether or not an employee is worried about losing pay, every laborer should keep their own records, especially the dates of any missed pay days or other payment violations.

3. Contact U.S. Department of Labor

If an employer has violated a worker's right to be paid on time, then depending on one's state, the employee should contact the state labor division or the federal Wage and Hour Division. The Fair Labor Standards Act is upheld by these departments, which enforce a range of laws that regulate everything from how records are kept to how withholdings must be itemized on pay stubs. These departments will also hold employers accountable to laws forbidding them from changing pay rate without notice, docking pay, or withholding pay.

4. You have the right to back pay

If an employer delays payment or underpays an employee, that laborer is entitled to back pay in the amount of the owed difference. If an employer refuses, the worker has the right to file a private suit in small claims court for back wages, in addition to court costs and attorney's fees. The Fair Labor Standards Act even enables the Secretary of Labor to sue on the employee's behalf.

5. Use emergency funds

Of course, having money put away is a luxury if you're able to earn disposable income. An employer not paying on time is only one instance in which emergency funds are necessary in order to stabilize your home and food security. For those who aren't able to accrue personal savings, there are hardship withdrawals, an option to take funds from employer-sponsored retirement plans (like 401(k)s, 403(b)s, or 457 plans) without paying a penalty. Some plans offer this option in instances of "immediate and heavy financial need." Depending on your plan and your employer's restrictions, the amount you're allowed to withdrawal will vary. Check with your plan administrator to apply for a hardship withdrawal.


Meg Hanson is a Brooklyn-based writer, teacher, and jaywalker. Find Meg at her website and on Twitter @megsoyung.

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Jobs For Those Who Speak Multiple Languages

If you are bilingual or speak even more languages than two, there are jobs out there suited towards your strengths. Knowing more than one language is not only a personal achievement but is valued in a variety of fields of employment. Your love for linguistics can help you land a job that others may miss out on because they only speak one language.

According to NBC News, "In 2010, there were roughly 240,000 job postings aimed at bilingual workers. But by 2015, that figure swelled to about 630,000. The study also showed that bilingual workers were in demand for both low and high-skilled positions."

NBC News continues, "'In today's global economy, businesses require employees who can serve customers in a variety of languages,' John Feinblatt, chairman of New American Economy, said in a prepared statement. 'This research highlights the growing need to attract and promote a multilingual workforce.'"

According to Monster, "The most sought-after languages employers hire for—according to data from the Center for Immigration Studies and New American Economy - are for speakers of Spanish, Chinese, and Arabic. And that translates to more jobs calling for a bilingual skill set."

The uptick in sought-after employees who speak these three languages (among others) is seen nation-wide, but some cities (generally port cities) are hubs for bilingual employees. Monster lists the top ten:

1.Los Angeles, California

2.New York, New York

3.Dallas, Texas

4.Miami, Florida

5.Boston, Massachusetts

6.Chicago, Illinois

7.San Francisco, California

8.Houston, Texas

9.Washington, D.C.

10.Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

So, if you are bilingual and located in or near one of these large cities, your language skills are your strong suit. Here are five careers to consider if you speak more than one language and want to utilize your talents on the job.

Flight Attendant

Flight attendanttopfunnyfacts.com

If you have the freedom to travel and love the idea of interacting with people and aiding air travelers to and from their destinations, becoming a flight attendant could be your dream job. Not only will you visit exciting places and meet new people, but your bilingual skills will be useful when communicating with international flyers. As per Live Lingua, "If an attendant has the ability to speak with a diverse range of passengers, it increases the safety and understanding of everyone onboard."

Customer Service

Customer service repcheatsheet.com

Nearly every company has a customer service department or at least someone in the role of aiding customers and clients. This provides a good deal of job opportunity in this field. That said, being bilingual makes a prospective customer service employee even more valuable. According to The Mezzofanti Guild, "Customer service roles of just about every kind are increasingly in need of more multilingual staff." Your ability to communicate with speakers of a native tongue can help a company retain and gain customers.

Online Content Creator

Content creatord-russia.ru

There is so much available work for online content creation. The internet offers endless possibilities for a platform for content, be it for blogs, websites, social media, etc. Being able to produce content for American companies in another language helps them broaden their consumer base. Whether you can create new content or translate existing content, your bilingual talents will prove indispensable. Not to mention, much online content work can be done remotely, so you can live practically anywhere in the world and use your bilingual skills to your advantage.

Social Worker

Social workerihiresocialservices.com

Social work is a selfless job, one that takes a special kind of patience and personality. If helping the lives of others is close to your heart, think of how many more people you can reach thanks to your language skills. As Live Lingua notes, "A social worker is involved in personal details of a client's life. If he or she can communicate in the heart language of the family or individual that is being treated, it gives them an edge over other candidates. This is a career path for anyone with a heart and commitment to serve others."

Human Resources

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Companies rely on their human resources department to keep the business in check - from hiring to training to making sure people comply with company standards and rules. Speaking more than one language allows the HR specialist to reach more people within the company including those who may work abroad. As per Live Lingua, "The ability to speak multiple languages is an asset during the interview and training processes, particularly for companies that hire workers for manufacturing or manual labor."

According to New American Economy, "The demand for bilingual workers is rising." Use your second language skills to succeed!

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5 things you should probably leave off your resume

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We are always being told what to include on our resume, but there are things we ought to leave off as well. More is sometimes just more - not necessarily useful, and some items can be exhibited more clearly and concisely, as well as projected more professionally.

As per The Balance, "Recruiters can take as little as thirty seconds to conduct an initial review of your resume. You should avoid cluttering your document with unnecessary information which might make it harder for the employer to find the most qualifying elements of your background."

Redo your resume by letting go of fillers and wording that doesn't represent the best version of yourself and your accomplishments. Potential employers will be impressed with you before they even meet you in person!

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An Objective

Many resumes start off with an objective, which usually consists of a generalized statement that nearly anyone would agree is sensible, but not specific. "I'm seeking to grow with your company," or "I will use my education and experience to excel at a new position," are not particularly useful or give any indication of how you'll add value to the business.

The Muse suggests an alternative. "Craft an executive summary or 'Who I Am' section that showcases your overarching value proposition and speaks directly to the stuff you know the target audience is going to care the most about. This is your chance to make it clear you're a strong fit."

This summary of qualifications, "encompasses your skills, abilities, professional expertise, and what makes you most suitable for the position," as per The Balance.

"Big" Words

Stick to the facts of what you have done thus far using simple and straightforward language that gets the point across clearly. Now is not the time to show off your broad vocabulary or former spelling bee champ internal word database. All this will do is become a distraction, making your resume harder to read, not to mention, borderline obnoxious.

According to The Muse, "Using non-conversational words doesn't make you look smart; it makes you look like someone who spends too much time in a thesaurus."

Let your background speak for itself. If you need to adorn your experiences with "bells and whistles," perhaps you need to rework how you layout your past responsibilities, so they reflect your work ethic and valuable skills and experience.

Insignificant Jobs

Depending upon how long you have been in the workforce, there may not be a need to list every job you've ever had. If you are applying for a senior-level position, those two months of scooping ice cream the summer after college aren't going to sweeten the deal.

According to U.S. News & World Report, "Short-term jobs raise red flags for hiring managers, who will wonder if you were fired, couldn't do the work, or had trouble getting along with co-workers. Plus, a few months on a job won't typically be useful in showing any real accomplishments or advancement anyway."

The Muse adds, "Unless something you did more than 12-15 years ago is vital for your target audience to know about, you don't need to list the entry-level job or internship you held in 1994. It's totally OK to leave some of the life history off."

Personal Info

While a resume is all about you, it must be related to work experience specifically. This is not your mini-autobiography. Not only can adding non-professional info be "TMI," but it may make your resume super-long and difficult to peruse.

For instance, as Inc. suggests, "Don't list hobbies on your resume--save these for interview conversation. And any awards you list should be from community service or previous work." Even more importantly, "Don't include things like date of birth, ethnicity, religious affiliations (unless the job you're going for is somehow related), reasons for leaving your previous job, specific street addresses, or phone numbers of previous employers."

Additionally, "Unless you're applying for a job as a model or actor, photos of yourself have no place on your resume. Since your appearance has nothing to do with your ability to do the job, including a photo comes across as naive and unprofessional," notes U.S. News & World Report. The interviewer will have plenty of time to see your face if you are asked to meet in person.

Silly/Unprofessional Email Address

If you still have that same email account from high school or college made up from a nickname or something silly, stupid, or scandalous, now's the time to get a brand new professional email address. Start things off on the right foot without embarrassment or being passed over altogether.

As Inc. recommends, "[email protected]," may have been fun to use at one point in your life, but in the professional world, it's a miss.

And perhaps an even worse idea is to use an email address from your current place of employment, as noted by The Muse. "Nothing says, 'I job search on company time' quite like using your current work email address on a resume. Unless you own the company, it's poor form to run your job search through your company's email system."

If you still think your resume can use some fine-tuning and refreshing, let TopResume take care of your resume for you. Get a free expert review, career advice, or have them rewrite your resume for you. TopResume guarantees they will get you two times more job interviews within 60 days by signing up with one of their resume packages.

Revamp that resume and get the job you're seeking. Good luck!

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