STOP Saying Candidate Control!

STOP Saying “Candidate Control”! I’ve recruited for some of the top companies in the third party recruiting industry. And no matter what company it was upper management loved their buzzwords “Forward Thinking”, “Deep Dive”, “Manage Expectations”, “Synergy”  the list goes on and on I don’t disagree with all of them that are out there, sometimes you really just can’t find a better phrase  to describe your thought process. However here is one we need to throw away right now: “Candidate Control”. In fact I petition that not only do we throw this term out, I think we need to start fining people for using it. What is candidate control? First let’s look at the word it’s pretty simple, the first word Candidate, the second Control, meaning you have control over the candidate. Managers use this term to justify coming down on you the recruiter for a mistake the candidate made. I can’t recall exact situations where this has happened to me, but I do know how the conversation went anytime one of my candidates messed up: “You know Chadd, you really should have had better candidate control on this one.” Candidate shows up late for an interview? Candidate Control Candidate lies on their resume? Candidate Control Candidate falsifies education experience? Candidate Control I do agree that we should limit these issues because recruiting can be a pretty expensive service, however, to think you can control another human being is almost laughable. Ask any parent with a toddler see how much “control” they have in the house. The same goes for candidates! They are going to act, think and handle situations how they see fit. If you assume you have control over your candidate you need to re-evaluate things, and fast. And if your manager uses this term to you, I think it is in your best interest to challenge them and their position in the company. But this article is not written to complain. I always say if you have a problem with something you better come to the table with a solution. So I present the industry with a resolution to this issue. Candidate influence: I would like to officially coin the phrase:  â€œCandidate Influence”. Candidate showed up late for an interview? Did you send them the exact address and tell them to arrive 15 minutes early? If you did not, then yes that is your fault. If you did and they still showed up late, minus you physically driving them to the interview yourself, you did all you could. Candidate lied on their resume? Did you check references and verify the information? If not, again shame on you. If so, shame on them. And so on and so on. It is our job as a recruiter to do our due diligence with our candidates. If you aren’t talking about money, job location or any other major factor that will ultimately play a role in a candidates decision making process from the first time you meet them than you are not doing your job. We compile all of this information so we can influence the candidate’s decision. At the end of the day a candidate will make the decision that is best for them and there isn’t much we can do about it if it doesn’t agree with what we want. But if you know your candidate wants 65K, a 15% Bonus and a 20 minute commute, than you should be able to play a major influencing role in the decision that the candidate makes. Hence, “Candidate Influence”

Famous Quotes on Resume Writing

Famous Quotes on Resume WritingWhen it comes to famous quotes on resume writing, there are several. The most famous quotes on resume writing come from the likes of Winston Churchill, Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Edison. These quotes could be inspirational for you and provide a little insight into what they stand for in life.However, the free quotes that are available are only meant to inspire and uplift. They're not meant to be taken literally. They are intended to inspire you and help you become better than you currently are.When you are looking for famous quotes on resume writing, consider quotes from famous people, written by famous people. Examples of these include, William Shakespeare, the late, great Albert Einstein, and, the late, great John F. Kennedy. Other famous quotes include, 'Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't always be who they seem.' - Albert Einstein.If you are considering starting a business, you migh t consider a quote like, 'Success does not always follow talent, but it almost always follows persistence.' - Albert Einstein. You might also consider a quote like, 'If your life is devoted to something greater than yourself, you'll be overwhelmed by it.'Another quote that is appropriate for writing resumes is, 'Life is what happens while we are busy making other plans.' - George Burns. A quote about life that could be used with a job might be, 'Life is what happens when you're busy trying to forget what's happened.' - Mae West.One quote that could be appropriate for resume writing could be, 'Happiness is not what happens to us but what we make it.' - Winston Churchill. A quote about the challenges of life might be, 'The best way to succeed in life is to work hard for what you want and stop worrying about what you don't have.'A very important piece of advice that we would like to offer is, never read too much into a quote. Just because a quote sounds inspiring, doesn't mean that it is. Remember, as Thomas Edison said, 'It is easy to give a man an idea, but it is much harder to get an idea out of a man's head.'Quotes are great ways to convey ideas, inspirational messages, and positive encouragement. However, remember that while they are a great way to convey positive things, they are also a way to convey negative things as well.

Do You Understand The Time Value of Money

Do You Understand The Time Value of Money The phrase time is money is not just used in terms of a powerful career person talking to his or her subordinates. Time is Money is actually a mathematically proven statement that explains the value of money now versus its value in the future. The reason is simple: A dollar that you receive today can be invested so that you can have more than a dollar at some point in the future. Therefore $1 today, is worth more than $1 received tomorrow. Perhaps youve heard the famous lottery debate: would you take the $100,000 now or in 5 years? Lets just keep it VERY simple for now and review the basics of this concept. Once you understand it, I hope you will see how valuable putting your extra cash in an interest bearing account or investment is. I also hope you can apply the principle of TMV in your daily life. For some of you this is a review. If you werent a business major, this may seem a bit foreign. Either way, it is very important stuff to understand because everyone has and needs to learn to deal with money. Example 1 You have an extra $1,000 sitting in your checking account that you never touch. If you moved that $1,000 into an account that earned 5% interest and didnt touch it for 3 years, how much would you have after 3 years? Present Value of your money is: $1,000 Value at the end of year 1: $1,000 * (1.05)= $1,050 Value at the end of year 2: $1,000 * (1.05)^2=$1,102.50 Value at the end of year 3: $1,000 * (1.05)^3= $1,157.63 Future Value of your money after 3 years: $1,157.62 Example 2 You want to pay off your $5,000 student loan in 3 years.   Assuming the loan accumulates no interest, how much would you need today in order to have $5,000 at the end of 3 years at 5%? To answer this question, we need to flip the equation. Therefore, $5,000 is the Future Value of your money, we need to solve for the Present Value. So if, FV= PV * (1 + i)^n Then, PV= FV/ (1 + i)^n (n=period, in this case years; i= interest rate) PV= $5,000/ (1.05)^3 = $4,319.19 So you will need to start with $4,319.18 today to grow your account to $5,000 at 5% after 3 years. Example 3 How does saving $150 per month at 6% look after 5, 10, 20 and 30 years? 5 years: $10,466 10 years: $24,582 20 years: $69,306 30 years: $150,677 Plug in your own example using this calculator.   Heres how to fill in the calculator for this type of scenario: PV= 0 (you start with nothing) FV= leave blank (because this is what we are solving for) Rate= interest rate Periods= # of years you want to save*12 (i.e. period for 5 years is 60, or 5*12) Drop Down Menu, select monthly (you will be contributing to this account each month).     Then click FV to solve for Future Value. The Rule of 72 The Rule of 72 is a popular way to quickly calculate how long it will take to double your money. Its quite simple. All you do is take 72 and divide the interest rate you are getting, to find out how many years it takes to double your money. So if you are earning 9% on your investment, 72/9=8 years If you are earning 8% on your investment, 72/8= 9 years In todays economy, if you are earning 3% on your investment, 72/3= 24 years If you have other scenarios that youd like me to teach you to solve, send ‘em over.   Im happy to help!

Using Evernote to Write Your Brand Building Book - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Using Evernote to Write Your Brand Building Book - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career More and more, Im using Evernote as a writing tool during the 4 steps involved in getting publishedor self-publishinga brand-building book: Planning, Writing, Promoting, and Profiting. Profit from the cloud Evernote is an excellent example of cloud computing, where files are stored online, on remote servers. Evernote users can create and save notes and notebooks online, where they can be later accessed from any online computers or smartphones. Evernotes organizing structure is very simple: Notes are Evernotes primary building blocks. Think of notes as individual ideas, resources, or topics. For example, titles of competing books, ideas for upcoming books, or websites I want to revisit. Notes can contain text, graphics, oras shown in the illustration belowlinks to uploaded files. Notes can also contain keyword identifiers, or tags. Notebooks are collections of notes that are related to each other in some way. For example, Ive created separate notebooks for my major projects, copywriting and design resources, websites with lessons to teach, as well as other authors and book coaches. When I want to capture an idea, I dont need to log-in to Evernote. I can create and save notes on my own computer, and synchronizeor updatemy Evernote files later. I can also clipor take a screen shot ofa web page by using the Add to Evernote feature added to my browser toolbar. Finally, I can create and update notes via e-mail, and, using additional options, I can use my cellphone to call-in and leave voice messages that occur to me while driving or hiking. Access to Evernote files is password-protected, although users can offer others access to individual Notebooks. Touring the new Evernote interface Evernote has recently introduced a new interface which presents more information at a glance. (Users can, however, still access their information using the older interface.) From left to right, in the example, above: Left-hand column. The left-most column displays the notebooks Ive created and, if desired, an alphabetical list of the tags Ive created. Center column. After a notebook has been selected, the center column displays the titles of the notes contain in the selected notebook. Users can specify how they want to view the Notes; options include alphabetically, by date created, or by date updated. Right-hand column. The final column displays the text or graphic contents of the selected note, plus links to URLs or attached files. Writing with Evernote Here are some of the ways I am using Evernote as an everyday tool, pleased to have discover a better alternative than flash drives or endlessly emailing files between my home and office computers. Planning. Although I still use the Google calendar I described in an earlier post for time management, Evernote helps me organize the 3 primary tasks involved in planning a book; research, competition, and resources. For specific projects, I create a Competing Titles Notebook, with separate Notes for each existing book. This arrangement helps me analyze and track titles from multiple perspectives. I also create separate Notes for competing book coaches, ghost writers, online e-courses, and publicists. The ability to Clip websites means I can quickly review competing websites. Likewise, I can track and evaluate the various trade and self-publishing resources that are available to me. Writing. The key to writing efficiency is to create a separate Notebooks for each title, and use separate Notes for each chapter. That way, all of the ideas, text, and graphics associated with each chapter are easily locate and update. Additional notes are used for other parts of a book, including the Introduction, Foreword, Glossary, Resources, and Testimonials. I also use separate notes for the book proposal, communications with editors and cover designers. Promoting. Evernote makes it easy to plan, and create an author platform using a variety of online, offline, and social media tools. Separate Notebooks can be created for marketing specific titles or integrating a book marketing plan with an overall author platform program. Marketing tasks can be organized using separate Notes for each upcoming month. Notebooks can also be used for categories of projects, i.e., white papers, podcasts, weekly tips, and back-ups of blog posts. Profiting. Notebooks make it easy for organizing categories of profit centers, i.e., Coaching, Consulting, Info-Products, and Speaking. All the text and graphic files, and correspondence associated with individual projects, can be stored in Notes created for individual projects. Although Ive used similar categories when organizing my folders and files on individual computers, the system has worked as well as it does with Evernote. Over time, each computer seemed to evolve its own file and folder system. Working with Evernote has provided a new perspective on project and file management. One of my favorite Evernote features has turned out to be its Clip feature which has eliminated the need to take screen shots of blogs, book covers, and websites, and save them along with my comments. Putting Evernote to work If youre interested in exploring how Evernote can help you write your brand building book, you can get started using Evernote for free, If you like it, you can upgrade to the premium level for just $5 a month (or, $45.00 a year). The premium level allows you to attach more file formats and increases storage capacity. Author: Discover Roger C. Parker‘s Published Profitable blog with over 1,000 posts and tips for planning, writing, promoting, profiting from a brand-building book.

Professional Resume Writing Services

Professional Resume Writing ServicesWhether you are a local or a transnational professional, it is only when a certain level of professionalism is observed by the professional resume writing services of Brisbane North that your chances of landing an interview can be enhanced. The purpose of a resume is to put your credentials to good use and generate maximum visibility. While the aim of writing a resume is to get hired, the purpose of hiring a professional resume writing service of Brisbane North is to have an effective professional resume with the right information.A creative resume can help your cover letter to get noticed; professional services of this city can assist in writing a better professional resume with the right information. If your resume is not well written, you can end up with a less impressive resume. There are so many areas where professional services of Brisbane North can assist you. The following examples will give you a good idea of what can be done for a good re sume.Professional resume writing services of Brisbane North include creating a Professional Resume. For this, they send the resume off to various companies, asking them to comment on it. If you look at the World Wide Web, you will find this process well documented in terms of online courses. In order to increase the amount of time you spend doing the job, you can also employ professional services of Brisbane North to create a Professional Resume using templates that come pre-designed with different aspects that you can customize yourself.Professional services of Brisbane North, help to develop a professional resume according to the specific company requirements. They can also provide advice in the usage of a cover letter and accompany it with a Professional Resume. You can focus on other areas if you are not satisfied with the Professional Resume and cover letter.To make a professional resume in the case of Australia, you need to use the services of professional resume writing servi ces of Brisbane North. This is because a resume is a relatively lengthy document and having it delivered to prospective employers takes time. The inclusion of the personal and company details in the resume would certainly not be convenient for you. However, the professional services of Brisbane North can ensure that all the data in the resume is accurate and organized.The information provided in the resume needs to speak for the company and not necessarily the person writing it. It has to have the right details such as your work experience, education and other related qualifications. It has to capture the attention of the reader. However, you must be aware that your CV has to be presented in such a way that your chronological reference can be covered while leaving out any personal and work related details.The cover letter is also important for a professional resume. However, having a good cover letter is not enough; the professional services of Brisbane North need to go a step furth er and prepare a well structured resume using templates. The resume template will be able to aid the services of an employer in the analysis of your experiences and other relevant qualifications, while serving as a stepping stone for your resume.There are many other areas where a professional resume writing services of Brisbane North can assist. For example, they can organize your references, add a CV for an interview and offer assistance in processing applications. You do not have to spend all your time creating a professional resume, but can utilize the services of professionals to get it done professionally.

Stand Out For A Promotion 10 Actionable Steps You Can Implement Right Away - CareerMetis.com

Stand Out For A Promotion 10 Actionable Steps You Can Implement Right Away Source : Pixabay.comPromotion is a goal that a lot of high-achieving working professionals want to achieve. It is a symbol of success and progression up your career ladder. It is a solid recognition for your achievements within your career.It is in many people’s New Year Resolution to fast track their career this year in 2018. Have you tried to fast track your career but feel stuck and wonder why your colleagues are getting more recognition than you?evalThis article will give you guidance on some of the best ways to stand out from your colleagues. If you haven’t taken any action yet, there will be 10 actionable step that you can implement right away starting tomorrow.Promotion doesn’t just come without actively drawing your attention to your manager to your boss. Where do we draw a line between actively ‘selling’ yourself and ‘standing out’ from the crowd to be noticed?Let’s dive into the 10 actionable steps that you can use right away to stand out from your colleague s without upsetting your colleagues or come across as pushy.1. Dress UpSource : Pixabay.comThe way you dress is a statement of who you are. Human brains are designed to make a split second judgement of your capabilities based on the way you dress. Someone who is nicely dressed and groomed on a daily basis will inevitably perceived as someone more competent and highly skilled.A less well known effect of dressing up is that dressing formally can help you focus and improve your confidence.By dressing up for work, you are effectively doing yourself two favors simultaneously to influence both your work performance and the impression you give.2. Punctuality and Work EthicsSource : Pexels.comPeople who arrive and leave work on time is often seen as someone who is responsible and competent in what you do. It is important to note that this works for both arriving and leaving work. The effect of arriving to work on time is very well known â€" you will come across as disorganized and lack of c ommitment to work.evalUnless there is something that is seriously out of control â€" like an emergency â€" there should be no excuses for constantly arriving to work 5-10 minutes late.Aim to arrive work 15 minutes earlier and you will soon thank yourself for keeping this habit when you can still arrive on time after driving through a congested road.On the other hand, leaving work on time is very often associated with the inability to complete allocated work on time. The mentality of staying over time to be noticed as a hard worker is out of date.Doing so can very easily be viewed as incompetent at finishing work within allocated time frame. How can your boss trust you to finish the work once you take on a higher responsibility and work load Don’t fall into the game of working over time just to please your boss. You will be much better off in the long run showing that you can work smart rather than hard.3. Take Initiative for Extra ResponsibilitiesSource : Pixabay. omIf you have an other 5+ colleagues doing the same role as you, take initiative on extra responsibilities. This doesn’t have to be a huge responsibility boost â€" it can be as simple as summarizing everyone’s work into one document at the end of the week, or taking on a portion of the project that people don’t like.Most average workers tend to allocate equal work amongst themselves so that everyone feels balanced. That’s great in theory, but if you actually take initiative for more responsibilities, you are ultimately the one that will stand out while other average colleagues are happy to do less work than you. It’s a win-win situation.4. Live Up to Your WordsSource : Pixabay.comOnce you promises to take on responsibilities, you need to live up to it. Set realistic goals and targets that you can reach. It is much more important to show that you can achieve 20 small but realistic goals, rather than aiming for one massive but unrealistic goal that you do not reach in the end.Reaching goals after goals will portray a characteristic of trustworthiness, and reliability. Build a record of your reliability with the goals you promise and you will very soon stand out as the go-to person for specific business needs.5. Go One Extra StepSource : Unsplash.comBosses and managers love it when they see you go one step further and do extra research, learning or planning without them having to nag you. It is a sign of you taking ownership of your own personal development and your ability to reach a solution independently. If you can take the stress off your supervisor/manager/boss, then they will see this and appreciate it.Go even one step further and always do an excellent job delivering amazing result time after time then you will be noticed very easily. You can easily leverage this achievement as a strong point as to why you should be promoted when the performance review comes. 6. Achieve Results That Matters For The CompanySource: Pixabay.comPeople like to achieve certain goals t hat they value such as clearing your email inbox by the end of the day, being the first one to finish a set amount of workload, or hearing at least 1 compliment a day from your manager. These are achievements that can boost your confidence and self-satisfaction, but how much of that translate a ‘value’ for the company?You will only start to become visible to the boss when you starting bringing in value for the company. Find out what results matter for the company â€" is it the revenue? Is it the client number? Is it client retention rate? Learn to speak in the phases and wordings that your boss cares about.evalAchieving results that matters for the company is the most effective way for your boss to measure your success and this strategy itself can score you a promotion with a pay rise up to 38%.7. Throw In IdeasSource : Pixabay.comMany times people come up with great ideas that can actually change company for the better. Unfortunately, due to the employer-employee relationship, most don’t speak up. People feel scared to input ideas because they don’t want to make themselves look like a fool suggesting something the company doesn’t care about.Truth is, A LOT of managers and bosses love to hear what you have to say â€" provided you say it right. Present your ideas in a well structured and friendly way.Let them know what X idea you have because of how it can solve problem Y, and how that will bring Z value to the company. You will be viewed as an active thinker for the company.8. Show Interest In The Company’s Growth And Your Seriousness To StaySource : Pexels.comSometimes you may feel lost whether this effort of getting noticed at your current workplace is worth it and whether it would be best to change a company and start fresh. Or you may be wondering whether you can really get the pay rise you want after the promotion.evalNo matter what goes on through your mind, remember to constantly show interest in your company. Don’t disclose any unhappines s about the company to your colleagues or your manager â€" you never know who that negative comment will be passed on to.Promoting an employee can be costly so your boss needs to see your seriousness in your commitment within the company before you can even be considered for a promotion.9. Connect With Your ManagerSource : Pexels.comIt is important to follow instructions and orders from your manager but it is also important to be able to connect with them at a more social level. Make them feel like you are an outgoing person who is easy to talk and can freely bounce ideas around.When considering who to be promoted, 99% of the time your boss will ask your manager for feedback on who stands out more, or more specifically whether you stand out. If your manager feel that you are just a hard worker and nothing else, you will most likely be categorized as the ‘worker’ and that’s it. 10. Ask For It!Source : Pixabay.comSet up a meeting with your manager and bring to their attention th at you are keen to take on more responsibility. Ask what would be appropriate for you to take on, and discuss about the possible career pathway for you within the company. This is a friendly discussion that can give a hint that you are keen to move up the ladder.There is no direct ask here â€" this initial conversation should just be how you can improve and what career pathway is out there. Show your curiosity and interest.Majority of the time your manager would be happy to guide you in the right direction on how to improve your performance. The next time a position opens up you will on the top of the list simply because you have raised their awareness that you may potentially want to move up the ladder.Better yet, if you have done a fantastic job at delivering valuable results for the company and stood out with the above 9 points, your boss may also consider creating a position just for you.Getting noticed is definitely not as easy as downloading an app to solve a problem on the ph one â€" it takes effort and time to build your reputation up within the company.You can speed up this process with the action steps above and fast track your way to a more successful career. Get in there and start making a difference now!

5 Careers For The Computer-Savvy - CareerAlley

5 Careers For The Computer-Savvy - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Digital skills are becoming more sought after as our lives become increasingly more reliant on computers. If youve got a digital talent, here are just a few of the major careers that could be applicable to you. Web development The likes of WordPress and Joomla may have made it easier for the average Joe to create a website, however these website builders still have their limitations and those looking for something more professional and personalised will still approach a web development company to fulfill their needs. Website developers may work for a company or create their own. Whilst coding knowledge is necessary, its not a purely technical job and may allow many to pursue their creative side. There are plenty of courses in web development and workshops that can help achieve this career. IT support If youre computer savvy and enjoy helping people, IT support may be the job for you. There are various jobs within this niche from your household computer technician to IT consultants that work with businesses. IT support is very much a problem solving job you are essentially a computer doctor and can have any multitude of problems thrown at you. As with web development, you may be able to work for a company or create your own. Image Source Digital analytics This is a rather new area of computing that has become essential for the future. It involves monitoring large amounts of data and using them to make positive business decisions. A marketing company may use analytics to find out the target audience of a client through analysing web traffic. This may allow them to pinpoint where to put ads on the internet. A financial advisor firm may use analytics to look at a companys spending and profits and pinpoint the best places to make cuts and potentially where to charge more money. Coding can be useful as much of analytics is now about using this data to then create programmes and algorithms than can measure huge amounts of data automatically. Software development There are many avenues to go for someone interested in software development. You could help build software for businesses to make their lives easier, create apps for clien or even help create video games. Software development involves a lot of coding knowledge and possibly some form of higher education, however youre likely to learn on the job and there are many tools out there to make mastering a language easier. Image Source Computer engineering If youve built your own PC, love robotics or simply have an interest in hardware, finding a job in computer engineering could be the career path for you. Many devices in our homes are now becoming digital, and there are future plans to computerise other aspects of our lives from health monitors to smart traffic lights that react to the traffic conditions. Computer engineering is no easy job to acquire and most companies will want a degree before taking you on. However, there will always be a growing market for it. We are always eager to hear from our readers. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions or suggestions regarding CareerAlley content. Good luck in your search,Joey Google+

Can you say no to your boss -

Can you say no to your boss - Are you the yes man or woman at work? Whenever your boss or a colleague needs anything, your name is at the tip of his or her tongue? If you are the go-to person at work when someone needs a  yes,  congratulations! Youve likely secured your place in the office. Who wants to lay off the person who can never say no? On the other hand, its likely you put yourself (and probably non-work relationships) at risk in favor of doing whatever is necessary for your career. That could be a big  mistake. How can you find a balance between maintaining your indispensable status at work and your sanity? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers. Everyones circumstances are different, and if you work in a place where youre only as good as the last thing youve done, not all of this advice may work for you. However, in many cases, once youve created a reputation for being helpful and agreeable, carefully choosing times to say no may not hurt your  work reputation, and may actually earn you additional respect. How can you say no without risking it all at work? Choose the situation carefully. If everyone is stressed to the hilt, youre up for a  promotion  and the boss comes to you with a desperate request for help, its probably not the time to decide youre going to change your reputation as the can-do person in the office. On the other hand, if things are a bit more stable, and it seems like there are plenty of people who could help out, you should have more leeway to indicate if your plate is already full. See the following suggestions for ideas to say no instead of yes. Learn to say no, without saying no. Perhaps your boss forgot about all of the other crucial work you are doing. Instead of saying, No, I cannot take on one more project, say, I can see how important this project is. Can we sit down for a few minutes so you can help me prioritize my work? I want to be sure to focus on the most important things. In this meeting, make sure you dont forget to include any key projects (or even day-to-day work) youre managing. If you can make a solid case indicating that you really dont have time to handle another thing, its possible you can say no without actually uttering those words. Suggest an alternate solution. Perhaps you are too busy to take on the work by yourself, but you can handle one part of the project. If you have a specialty area (for example, youre the best at analyzing data), suggest that you could manage that piece of the project in partnership with someone who specializes in the research piece. No doubt, this is a tricky conversation, as you are trying to deflect pieces of a project away from you. However, if you maintain an enthusiastic, can do approach and  communicate  in a way that will resonate with your boss, its possible you can trick him or her into thinking youre still saying yes, even though you are really saying no. Put your foot down, but have a really good reason. What qualifies as a good reason will vary from office to office. Condolences to you if you work in a place where there are no good reasons â€" perhaps you are in the  wrong job  and it is time to look for a new job that values your time outside of work. If you already have planned time off to attend a family wedding or your childs graduation, and this new project will interfere with that, you may choose to tell your boss you cannot help. Ideally, you wont lead the conversation with the word no. Instead, choose your words carefully, remind your supervisor that you always like to say yes, but the circumstances this time mean youd like to help by coming up with another solution. Originally appeared on AOLJobs.com.