Want to find work or keep your job?

 In yoga teacher training there are many types of personalities. Though I may care and appreciate each person, when it comes to hiring I have to look for very specific qualities. In my work as an employer and as a manager (I own a business and work for a large non profit) I have to make decisions in hiring that can be quite difficult.

What I look for when hiring:

1. Is the person a team player? Does he or she work well with others and have a positive outlook about the organization?
2. How does the person handle conflict? Can he or she understand that in business life problems do arise and it takes patience and tact to work through them and find a solution?
3. Are they dependable? Will show up for work and give plenty of notice when they need to be off?
4. Do they follow the rules of the organization? This is much like being a team player however it goes deeper than this. For instance, we have a rule that when teaching certain poses a teacher must give a modification if the pose has the potential for being dangerous. Do teachers take caution and understand how they can modify?
5. Are the teachers willing to continually learn and improve their skills?

Here are some steps to finding work or keeping your current position:

1. Does the timing of the job fit your schedule? Apply for work only if you know you can be dependable. If you find you need to make changes speak to your boss about a schedule change, they just may be able to accommodate you.
2. In other areas of your life be dependable. For instance do you show up for appointments on time? Do you do what you say you are going to do? This will reflect in your reputation.
3. Be willing to understand that there will be challenges. You will have to try to solve some problems. Expect that others are not trying to make you angry, they are merely doing what they think needs to be done. Simply put be flexible and open minded.
4. Always  be a student. Continue to study, ask questions, read books and blogs on your profession.
5. Be willing to admit your mistakes. Apologize, take responsibility and move on. Above all, do right once you know where you messed up, intentionally or not. 
6. If you don't know, admit it. On a regular basis people ask me for help with specific health issues. Now there are about 1,999,999 different health issues in the world. If I don't know the answer I say " I'd like to double check to be safe. I'll get back to you." Then do it.
7. Do your work in a reasonable amount of time. Make sure you understand your expectations. If you boss says "I need you to do this." You say, "When do you need that by?" If you find you cannot meet that expectation once you start your project, then speak to your superiors and discuss it. Whatever you do, don't let it sit out there and ignore dealing with it. Likely your superiors are in a place of management because they are "Get it done" types. Always handle things in a timely fashion.
8. Manage expectations. If you have an expectation then ask if you are not sure. Don't let things fester. Deal with your challenges as soon as you can.

Simply Put:

• Show up
• Smile
• Be nice
• Study
• Care
• Work hard
• Be honest
• Be flexible

Here is a great blog post from Step Morgan on hiring employees.
http://stepmorgan.com/2011/09/the-secret-to-finding-the-right-employees/