Career Advice Blog

Trying to concentrate in a noisy environment can be a very difficult task. Whether it’s chatty co-workers, loud machine noises, or a neighbor who insists on having long conference calls on speaker phone, noisy distractions can have a significant negative effect on your productivity. However, there are some simple methods that can help you deal with the noise and focus on your work. #1. White Noise Machine - A white noise machine generates a sound that is random but soothing like running water or wind. It is capable of blocking out distracting noises. Use of a white noise machine is also dependent on the policies of your office. Another option that can produce a similar effect is to run a small fan on your desktop. If the fan is noisy enough, it can also block out distracting noises. The best one on the planet is... #2. Listen to Music - Depending on the policies of your office, you may be able to listen to music with headphones while you are working. If this is the case, then … [Read more...] about Noisy Office? 10 Tips to Help You Cope

This is the first holiday season I’m spending alone. Well, I did get stuck at college one time, but the stranded all hung out together. I won’t bore you with gory details; I’m just not up for it this year. I’m opting to hang with the cat.I don’t mean to step on any religion’s toes – you are free to observe, celebrate or whatever. But I won’t be there. Sure, I’ll spend some time with my mother around Christmas, but for the most part, I’ll be doing the “Anti-Holidays.”So here are some of my Anti-Holiday survival (Stress-Busters and Holiday Survival Guide) plans:·         Watch movies - No, no holiday-themed ones. I’m thinking more like “The Fast and the Furious.” Now, I’m not a gearhead, but I do like nice cars. Plus it’s just so right to make fun of Vin Diesel.·         Food – No … [Read more...] about The “Anti-Holidays” Survival Guide

Communication skills are vital to our careers, yet we don’t often look for opportunities to improve them. While dealing with salespeople can be stressful—we often see them as a drain on our bank account—that interaction can also serve as a chance to sharpen our negotiation skills. And learning to negotiate is essential no matter what career we’re striving for.Here are a few ways to improve your communication skills the next time you deal with a salesperson:1. Ask a ridiculous question.Whoever said there are no stupid questions was a fool. If you’ve ever asked a silly question, you know what it feels like to have blood rush to your face. Yet we can’t avoid asking silly questions once in a while; we need the answers no matter how much it hurts. Asking whatever questions come to your mind, regardless of how silly they seem, will help you feel comfortable asking that important question at work.2. Negotiate the price.There are two types of people in this … [Read more...] about 7 Ways to Use Salespeople to Advance Your Career

In my job as a Deputy Sheriff, confidence can mean the difference between going home safely and being in a potentially deadly situation.  As a female officer who stands 5’4” and weighs 130 pounds, I am not a physically imposing person.  However, the people I work with are often as much as a foot taller than I am and many pounds heavier.  I work in a jail, and my typical work day finds me in a room alone with as many as 96 inmates who have charges ranging from traffic offenses to murder.  Yet as part of my job, I am required to keep these individual safe from themselves and others and to enforce rules that may seem petty, such as not allowing inmates to wear the legs of their uniforms rolled up to the knee.  The key to staying safe and keeping my community safe is confidence.  While your job may not include people who want to (literally) kill you, chances are you could benefit by being more confident at work. The first tip I would give is to … [Read more...] about How to Be Confident at Work

In the old days, the answer to the question, "how long should I stay at my company?" was basically "forever."  Today it is a much different question and answer.  And with the economy still shaky, it is important to really think this through.   Because today with so many people out of work your career history will get a lot more scrutiny.  And if your resume suggests “instability” or “poor judgment”, you become more of a risk to hiring managers -- especially when compared to someone with longer stints at fewer jobs. Of course that’s not the case with everyone, but “job hopping” is still a resume killer for many recruiters and hiring managers.  There will always be a crowd that will never forgive your career spontaneity. Interestingly though, in the next few years, this question of “how long should I stay” will become highly relevant for the working population.  At some point the focus will shift from the … [Read more...] about Quiz: How Long Should I Stay At My Company?