BBQ. Watermelon. Sno-Cones. Beach. Summer means something different to everyone, but to most of us, it means freedom. As students, there was nothing better than seemingly endless summer nights. Without the worry of class the next day, life was pretty darn simple.As adults, most professions require we that we show up at the office, regardless of the season. While summertime can be considered “lazy days,” it’s actually the perfect time to up your game and advance your career.Especially if your job tends to slow down during the summer season, use these tips to move your professional life ahead:1. Catch up on professional reading. Whether it’s a white paper or lengthy memo, reading at the beach or the park makes boring text a bit more palatable. Load up on magazines, print out lengthy blog posts you’ve pended for “later,” and download the latest biz books to your portable device.2. Make new contacts. Fewer people around the office mean more … [Read more...] about 9 Ways to Use Summer to Your Career Advantage
Working Women: Stop Making 17% Less Than Men!
We’ve all heard the statistic that women only make 75% of what their male counterparts bring home. Is there still a bias in our society against women and their ability to do a job as well as men? Have we made any progress at all in regards to gender discrimination? The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) analyzed starting salaries of 2010 college graduates entering the work force in an effort to find the answers to these questions. Overall, they found that, though women seemed to have no more trouble being hired than men, women’s starting salaries were around 83% of men’s starting salaries. So do women just have to accept the disparity as inevitable? Not necessarily. In general, women may not promote themselves enough or be as assertive as men in reaching salary agreements. Linda Babcock, an economics professor at Carnegie Mellon University, described a time when a group of PhD students complained to her that all of the men in the program were teaching courses while … [Read more...] about Working Women: Stop Making 17% Less Than Men!
What Can "The Voice" Teach You In Finding A Job?
What were you doing last Tuesday night? Taking a nap? Working out? Munching on a burrito? Well if you’re a job seeker you should have been watching The Voice. Do you find yourself wondering what you are going to do with your brand new online bachelor degree? Well worry no more because by simply watching The Voice you can learn some quality tips that can help you in your job search. If you’re not familiar with how the show works, here is a quick rundown of the first two rounds. - four celebrity singer judges - they sit with their back to the stage - a singer comes out and sings a little ditty - if a judge is impressed they can hit a button and turn around - if only one judge turns around the singer is on their team by default - if more than one turns then the singer must choose who they would like to join The rest of the show will operate more like a typical singing competition show, but that hasn’t happened yet, so guess what...it doesn’t matter. Surprisingly, the show is … [Read more...] about What Can "The Voice" Teach You In Finding A Job?
New Grads: Tips for Starting Your First Job
Graduation season is here, and that means all of you wide-eyed, fresh-faced students will be spilling into the full-time workforce. I admire your eagerness. Your zeal. Your ambition. Truth be told, I'd much rather work alongside you than the curmudgeon lifers. The influx of youth into the working world is a beautiful thing. It keeps ideas fresh, the corporate environment evolving, and every generation, if willing to play nice, gets to learn from each other. So if you’re new to the workplace, or simply starting work at a new organization, let me lend a hand. Follow these tips to ensure you make a good first impression: Take it slow. It's easy for young workers to start a job with “guns blazing.” After all, the company will be grateful for your ideas, right? Slow down, killer! When starting a new job, it’s imperative to learn the culture and get to know the lay of the land before suggesting ideas or changes. Take several weeks to learn who the influencers are and how the place works … [Read more...] about New Grads: Tips for Starting Your First Job
12 Things to Bring to an Interview
If you are wearing your best outfit and talking to yourself, there's a good chance you're wondering what things to bring to an interview to make sure you are fully prepped. Before your stomach fills with butterflies and your head fills with clever answers to tough questions, it's important to create an interview checklist. These are items designed to make your life easier during the interview. The more prepared you are, the more relaxed you will be. So be a good Boy Scout and make sure you're prepared for any situation by bringing the following with you to a job interview. Bottle of water. You never know if the interviewer will offer you a drink. Answering questions about yourself, coupled with the endemic stress of the interview, will leave your mouth dry. Avoid a scratchy throat and tote a drink along with you. This also makes a nice crutch for folks who find themselves anxious. Water can help save your career. 10 copies of resume. This won't be popular advice with the … [Read more...] about 12 Things to Bring to an Interview
Work/Life Balance – Yeah, Right
A recent life event and some comments from a friend reminded me how we try to reach that work/life balance goal and don’t quite seem to ever get there. As it seems that people really are struggling with this, maybe it’s time to revisit the topic?When Life Trumps WorkI dealt with a family emergency all last weekend. It was my furry family member, but the crisis was just as real. My plans to work and have some downtime were totally disrupted, but that was OK, I did what needed to be done. Critical life events take priority. But that’s different from trying to incorporate personal-life downtime into your schedule.Weekends are For…?I’m self-employed, so I work unusual hours and most weekends. Because of that schedule, though, I can hit Costco on a Thursday morning and avoid the weekend hoards. One recent Saturday morning, I called a friend who works a “normal” schedule. He said he and his wife were shoe-shopping (for both of them, in case you went … [Read more...] about Work/Life Balance – Yeah, Right
Why Is Understanding Employment Law So Important?
Employment law is in place to guarantee a fair and safe working environment for employers and employees. Statutes and strict rules outline, for the employer, how their employee’s should be treated within the workplace. Many employers and employees often don’t realise how many rules and regulations are covered by employment law, leading to confusion for employers and employees alike. There are many aspects of covered by employment law which means employees can take legal action for being treated unfairly. Before recruiting new employees, employers should refer to employment law to ensure they are up to date with all aspects. It is mandatory that employees and employees have a sound, equal understanding of employment law. For instance, if an employee feels they are being bullied or mobbed it is important they realise it is not acceptable and can take legal action against an employer. Employers need to understand employment law so they are providing an optimal working environment for … [Read more...] about Why Is Understanding Employment Law So Important?
6 Steps to Deal With the Office Bully
Were you a victim of bullies when you were in school? If you thought that all the aggravation and harassment would end after graduation, you were wrong. The truth of the matter is that bullying can still go on right into adulthood. Have you encountered bullies in your office? It’s important to equip yourself with knowledge on how to deal with them. The first step in dealing with bullies is to recognize what or who is the bully. First, you must determine whether or not an act is considered bullying. Try to put yourself in the other person’s shoes; would you behave that way? If you answered ‘no’ then you might have a bully on your hands. If you still don’t know what a bully is, here are some tips to spot a one: Easily gets too close and personal with you in order to find out your fears and weaknesses Will try to isolate you from other workmates Usually roars at you with insults or will try to humiliate you (might use comedy as a guise) Does not act accordingly inside the … [Read more...] about 6 Steps to Deal With the Office Bully
Do You Have the “Soft Skills” Needed for Business?
Is it me or are a lot of people in the biz world talking about “soft skills?” I just saw another article about it today. Business schools are now teaching these along with the “hard skills,” like accounting, that they have traditionally taught. So what are they and why are they important?Soft SkillsMy understanding is that soft skills are focused on the relationship side of business. Don’t be scared, I’m not going to go all touchy-feely, therapist-y on you. Though I admit, I did see the words “sensitive” and “feedback” used to describe soft skills which can conjure up an Oprah moment if you’re not careful.A job interview which I described in this post, "Extreme Job-Hunting Part II" had a bit too much of the soft stuff. It was a marketing position, but the job was at a psychiatric hospital. Therapists were interviewing me. Let’s just say that the soft skills overshadowed any rational discussion of what the job … [Read more...] about Do You Have the “Soft Skills” Needed for Business?
5 Reasons To Choose Welding As A Career…Seriously!
Welding is a fantastic career for the ambitious, patient and steady handed amongst us. While it can be noisy, uncomfortable and even sometimes dangerous, welding as a career is also challenging, fun and rewarding. With all sorts of skills involved, from welding itself to profile cutting and plasma cutting, there’s a host of interesting and valuable skills to be learnt as part of a career in welding. Demand Recent years have seen a vast increase in the demand for skilled welders. Because of this it is not only easy and very cost-effective to learn the required skills but it is also incredibly easy to find suitable and well paid work – an invaluable attribute in today’s economy. Flexibility The demand and general nature of a career in welding means that it is a very flexible vocation to uptake. This means the profession is highly suited to those with a love of travel, and people with few ties who are able to move where the money and the work is. With this in mind, for those who … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons To Choose Welding As A Career…Seriously!