Career Advice Blog

Seventy-nine. That's how many times I was interrupted at work the other day. Even keeping the tally was a distraction, but the research was for a good cause.In the modern workplace, where we wear so many hats that our hats are wearing hats, interruptions are commonplace. From people stalking us immediately after hitting the send button ("Did you get my email?") to bosses calling us into their offices every hour on the hour, something has to give.[See Tips for Breaking Up With a Job.]After making several mistakes at work, I decided it was time to re-evaluate the way I was working. My conclusion: I am being interrupted far too frequently. Plagued by a similar problem? Try these quick fixes.Make yourself unavailable. Even at the turn of the century, doctors were letting us know whether they were in or out of the office with signs. The same way you wouldn't interrupt a radio deejay when the 'on air' light is illuminated, you should not address coworkers when they are clearly engrossed in … [Read more...] about Work Interrupted: How to Limit Distractions

The way we feel about ourselves goes a long way into defining the person we are and the person that we are becoming. People with positive self images are more adventuresome, confident, outgoing, hopeful, and have a stronger belief in their ability to realize all of their potentialities. Yet, a positive self-image is not a given for all of us. Some of us have to work on developing a positive self-image. You must be actively engaged in the process of improving your overall self-esteem. An effort must be made to recognize why your self-esteem may be faltering and then additional, prolonged effort must be made in an effort to reverse these patterns. I am a strong believer that major changes should be done in a piecemeal fashion. It is hoped the following suggestions will be implemented into your life and serve as a platform for more holistic changes in your life aimed at increasing the positive nature of your self-image. 1. Defining Self-Esteem - Before we can acquire a more positive … [Read more...] about Improving Self Esteem in Four Steps

Do you often feel pressed for time? Do you feel like you have so many things to do and yet don’t have enough time to do them all? If so then you are no different from the millions of people out there. What you need is activity management. Many people may call it “time management.” But I believe activity management is a better term because you can’t manage time but you can manage activity. Now more than ever, you need to manage your activities for the day. There has never been a busier time than the present. But why is activity management so important? Let me give your 3 reasons why. First, learning the art of activity management will make you more productive. You will be able to prioritize what needs to be done and more importantly, get them done in record time. Without activity management chances are you’ll end up leaving a lot of things unfinished. Either that or you won’t be able to do them at all. Second, it can give you peace of mind. Have you ever experienced having so many … [Read more...] about The Importance of Activity Management

The Internet offers a wealth of resources for the modern professional — whether you’re a job seeker or an actively employed guy or gal. The trick is knowing which resources can make your life a little easier so you don’t waste your time on the ones that can’t. 1- Simplify Scheduling I’m willing to bet you’re familiar with the e-mail scheduling game — as in, when you and a contact send multiple e-mails back and forth, trying to figure out a good day and time to meet or chat. Then I discovered the following great scheduling tools: •  Tungle.me •  TimeTrade.com 2- Controlling Your Appearance in Search Results Whether you are a job seeker or a seasoned professional, you are going to get googled at some point. So it’s better to be proactive in trying to manage what people will see about you then to wait for Google’s algorithm to decide to show your high-school prom pictures. These websites are a good start to managing your on line reputation. •  Vizibility.com •  … [Read more...] about 10 Online Tools Every Serious Job Seeker Should Use

Anyone who is in need of resolving a dispute or would like to get the best deal possible regarding some sort of financial transaction or a trade of any kind is certainly in the market to learn negotiating skills. A person may need to learn negotiating skills because they are limited in their knowledge or experience in communicating their needs and desires. When attempting to make the most beneficial deal, understanding the subtle points of negotiating or dispute resolution can spell the difference between getting what one wants and giving away too much in the process. The purpose of negotiating with another party is to get them to do something. They need to do more, pay more, give up more, etc. Or perhaps they need to do less or stop some action. Ultimately, negotiations are necessary in order to get something which is not otherwise forthcoming. Two Variations of Negotiation Processes Distributive negotiating is referred to as the "Fixed Pie" method as there is a set, limited, or … [Read more...] about Negotiate Your Way To Success

Let’s say you’re craving something. Something more interesting, more challenging, more lucrative…just, more. Because YOU are capable of handling more, of pursuing more, of achieving more. You’re worth more, and you know it. Maybe you’re not sure what the next (realistic) step on your personal career ladder is, or maybe you’re debating switching paths altogether. Either way: how can you know what you want if you have no idea what you already have? Identifying your skills makes job hunting much easier and more effective: you’re aware of what you qualify for, what makes you a unique applicant and what you can tangibly offer to potential employers. Thankfully, a few thoughtful minutes of reflecting upon your experiences – past positions and present pastimes – can open up a multitude of professional possibilities for your future. Generally, you have three types of job skills... Professional Skills – these are skills specific to certain positions, ones picked up only through experience … [Read more...] about Identifying Your Skills to Revamp Your Résumé

We all know them, we all face them almost every day, and we usually despise them passionately: deadlines. Deadlines begin chasing us in our early childhood — there are health check-ups and shots for babies, homework at school, dorm rent payments for students, all sorts of projects and grants on the job, loads of taxes and mortgages throughout working life, and many, many more.I experience deadlines almost every day myself, but I also have the chance to observe home buyers and home sellers in Toronto coping with various deadlines all the time. There are open houses, scheduled inspections, offers and counter-offers, and closings happening incessantly.An upcoming deadline means that one has to exert extra effort as it approaches in order to “make it” in time. This is because we know (or believe) that financial losses or personal costs resulting from missing a deadline are seldom negligible. Often we wonder, however, whether deadlines are really necessary and whether it could be easier to … [Read more...] about Why Deadlines Are Good

The cherished workplace break room: a place to escape from challenging projects and catch up with co-workers over a fresh pot of coffee. However, while the break room can serve as a workplace safe haven, it can also be the site of fierce co-worker battles regarding proper etiquette. If break room wars are currently brewing in your office, here are 5 rules to consider implementing to keep the peace. -         If you empty it, replace it – Each morning in workplaces across America, the rush to the break room coffee pot begins. Many a coffee fiend’s days have been ruined by going to fill a cup with the break room coffee pot only to discover a single drop remains. When someone uses the last of something in the break room, they must be expected to replace it as a courtesy to their co-workers. Whether coffee, sugar or other shared items regularly run short in your office, end the frustrations by implementing this rule. (Related: Coffee … [Read more...] about The Coffee Pot Wars: Creating Break Room Rules to Keep the Peace