As summer fades into the rearview mirror, people everyone are shifting their focus toward fall, football and the upcoming holidays. A quick glance in any arts and crafts store serves as a quick reminder that staples such as Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are closer than we realize. Sure this means upcoming gathering with are friends and families, but it also means lots of awkward office luncheons, obligatory gift exchanges and the all-too-anticipated holiday party. Although most of us would prefer to go without the forced socialization imposed on us around the office during the holidays, we can't escape it and have to admit it's a necessary evil. For those of us that have experienced our fair share of these, we already have our routines down. We know who to sit with, who to avoid and what topics are and are NOT appropriate. We've perfected our grin and bear it faces and know just how much fake enthusiasm is enough. Now, those of you who actually enjoy the people you work with … [Read more...] about Surviving the Holiday Season Around the Office: A Guide for Young Professionals
Career Advice Blog
Change the World: Make a Career in Battling Cancer
Being diagnosed with cancer is a horrible and traumatic experience. Undoubtedly, people who have been diagnosed with this dangerous disease face turmoil and worry beyond comprehension. While nothing can really eliminate the fear associated with this disease, modern medical treatments can help bring hope to those facing cancer. Radiology One such treatment was discovered over one hundred years ago and it has undergone a lot of research and massive improvement over the years. This particular treatment is known as radiology and it has become one of the best weapons against many types of cancer. An oncologist is a physician who treats cancer patients, and radiology is a common treatment an oncologist may elect to use to battle a patientÕs cancer. Radiology is most often used to treat cancer because of its effectiveness. The reason this particular treatment is so effective is that it has the ability to actually kill cancer cells and prevents them from spreading. There are several … [Read more...] about Change the World: Make a Career in Battling Cancer
How To Conduct Employee Appraisals
At least once a year all employees must receive a review. Doing so serves as an opportunity to reward those who perform well and gives an incentive for all to work more proficiently and to aim to meet company goals. Employee appraisals are necessary for a supervisor to determine how suitable each worker is, their strengths or weaknesses, and how each can improve. Not only do performance evaluations provide a chance to recognize the stages where employees are at, they help a supervisor focus on how an employee can progress to a higher level. Important Terms When conducting an employee appraisal the following factors must be considered: Job performance Attitude Ability to pay attention and follow directions How well an employee accepts responsibility and is liable for their own actions How devoted the employee is to her position Their ability to interact with coworkers and customers Their level of interest in growing with the company A. Job Performance To determine … [Read more...] about How To Conduct Employee Appraisals
Halloween Office Parties: Dos and Don’ts
From pumpkins to princesses, offices will be filled with unlikely characters this Halloween. If your boss is allowing an in-office Halloween party, you’re likely excited to showcase your costume creation skills. However, before creating the perfect costume, be sure to follow these office party dos and don’ts. Do Participate If your boss is allowing employees to dress up in the office on Halloween, participate. Being the only employee to not dress up will label you as dull and anti-participative. Halloween is about loosening up and adopting an alter ego for the day. Whether you go all out with an extravagant costume or keep the costume simple, participating at any level will keep you connected to the day’s festivities rather than feeling like an outsider. Don’t Dress up as Your Boss While dressing up as your boss at an office Halloween party may seem light-hearted, your boss likely won’t see it that way. Keep your costume generic to avoid any repercussions you may have … [Read more...] about Halloween Office Parties: Dos and Don’ts
Can What I Wear Affect My Promotion Prospects?
The job market gets increasingly competitive as people who have years of experience and qualifications are finding it increasingly difficult to find work and accepting job which are below their skillset. For someone who has recently graduated or in an entry level position, this can become frustrating with chances of promotion often going to people with ‘experience’. There are many ways to get noticed by your boss, but this post will focus on the psychology of the way you dress, how to do it well and if it is really possible to affect your job prospects. Dress for your industry With the digital and creative sector booming in the current economy, dressing for your industry is very important. If you are working for a design company, the dress code is often relaxed. On the other hand, this doesn’t mean that you should wear what you would on a Saturday. Wearing smart casual jumpers with shirts and smart jeans or trousers will set you apart in front of management. If your firm has a … [Read more...] about Can What I Wear Affect My Promotion Prospects?
How to Change Your Job – 10 Top Tips
Whenever you start a new job, you probably don't go in thinking about moving on, right? You want to do a good job, you want to impress your manager and you want to succeed. Yet sooner or later you'll start to get itchy feet and want to move on - it happens to all of us. As such, it's always good to be prepared - because believe it or not, unless you're approaching the end of your working life, that day is coming. However you go about it, changing your job takes time, careful preparation and a bit of luck too! Here's a few top tips from Octopus HR on how you can get the ball rolling if you want to make the leap. 1 - Your resume So, your old resume got you the job you're in now? Congratulations! Now throw it out. "Whatttt?" You cry. "Why?!" Because it's the old you. In order to make a fresh start you need a fresh resume. 2 - What do you want to do now? So you want to change your job, right? Well once you've thrown out your old resume, take the time to research your market. Research the … [Read more...] about How to Change Your Job – 10 Top Tips
How Your Education Level Directly Affects Your Salary
You would have heard it being said that there is a direct correlation between what you earn now and your level of education. Now this is true no matter the field or industry that you are in. Therefore, it is still better today to earn that degree and add to this in order to earn more money just as it has been the situation many years before now. Yes, and even though there may be indications pointing to the possibility of the gap between different education levels thinning, it is still very true that this gap exists. For instance, it was reported last year in 2011 by Georgetown University’s education and workforce center, as stated by The College Payoff that holders of bachelor degrees earn approximately $2.27 million over a lifetime with their counterparts that have a master’s and doctoral earning $2.67 and $3.25 million respectively. These numbers certainly are enough proof for as many that may have doubts about this that formal education really does pay. But anyone reading … [Read more...] about How Your Education Level Directly Affects Your Salary
Be The Hero Your Workplace Needs (But Not The One it Deserves)
An office should be a place of pride, a showcase of the machine and how it works. If a workplace looks messy and disordered it says a lot about the state of affairs at the company. So, have you ever walked into your own office that you work at to think what a tip it is and perhaps how much nicer it would do if someone took a little bit of time to do a few specific things? Well, you can be that person – an office superhero; fighting grime and helping out everyone – resulting in smiles all round. Here are a few things you can do to kick start a healthy office mental attitude; if you start chipping in, others will follow you no doubt. Wires Wires, wires, wires; the bane of any office. In many offices through the world you can’t step foot in an office without being offended by these banded black, white, red and yellow snakes that seem to snake around the office. There’s no other way of saying it; wires look messy. So…why not fix this? All it takes is a couple of hours before … [Read more...] about Be The Hero Your Workplace Needs (But Not The One it Deserves)
How to Make Your Pay Check Last
Whatever job you do and however much you are paid, managing your pay check well is important. So how do we make the most of our paycheck and make it go further? Set a Budget Working out a realistic budget is the foundations of making your pay check go further. Sit down and work out all your essential expenses first (rent/mortgage, utility bills etc) and then move onto other expenses in order of priority. If you realise that your rent is taking up too much of your pay check, could you downsize or find somewhere cheaper to rent? What bills could you reduce? Get creative and see what expenses you can reduce in order to free up more of your pay check. You could try tracking all your expenses for a month to get a true indication of what you are spending your money on, so that you can get really clear about what you want to keep spending on and what can be cut. Live Within Your Means Once you have set yourself a budget, make sure you live within your means. It is important to make your … [Read more...] about How to Make Your Pay Check Last
What to Do When an Irritating Coworker Drives You Up the Wall
Have you ever had a coworker who just won't stop talking while you're trying to concentrate? How about a manager who constantly criticizes your best efforts, just for the sake of asserting their authority? When it comes to irritating colleagues, almost everyone can relate. Although work relationships are not marriages -- you (probably) won't be dealing with your current coworkers for the rest of your life -- the same problem-solving and give-and-take techniques that make home relationships work can be utilized in an office or workplace. Whatever your current situation, following these maxims will help smooth out the problem and bring your work life back to level ground. Positivity Wins You catch more flies with honey than vinegar -- that is, if you're into catching flies. But whenever someone is annoying you (i.e., using earphones cranked as loud as speakers or hogging the copy machine), getting upset will just raise your blood pressure and theirs. Enter every situation with a … [Read more...] about What to Do When an Irritating Coworker Drives You Up the Wall