Slaving away day after day, anxiously waiting for happy hour and the weekend, and feeling unchallenged and limited? If you find yourself complaining about any of these things—it’s time for a change. The average American spends 8.7 hours of the day in the workplace, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Instead of spending those hours counting down to 5:00 PM, it’s up to you to assess your problems with your work and make decisions based around your workplace happiness. Step 1: The first step is to think about and realize whether or not you are happy at work. Development of job happiness assessments at CareerBliss, such as the BlissFinder, is led by Brad Brummel, Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Based on his research, we found that job attitude can be evaluated based on 10 facets of happiness... • The Person You Work For— the relationship you have with your boss • The People You Work With—the … [Read more...] about 3 Steps to Finding Bliss in the Workplace
sitting kills! fitbit gets you active at work
I recently received the fitBit, a glorified pedometer that wirelessly sends your workout data to the Web, as a birthday present. As a data hound and someone who cares about being active, I have decided that this micro gadget is a must-have for your career toolbox. The sedentary lifestyle that many office workers lead is a recipe for trouble -- even leading to an early death. I'm often amazed to see how corporate life can beat the exercise libido out of anyone, even a wannabe Jack LaLanne. The fitbit can help you hold yourself accountable, pushing you to be more active while on the clock. And I can’t stress enough how important it is to be somewhat physically active at work – even if you are a desk slave. Sit too long and you could be digging an early grave. The fitbit is so easy to use, that it will satisfy the technogeeks and technophobes alike. Upon activation, enter your age, height, and weight on fitbit.com. Wear the device day and … [Read more...] about sitting kills! fitbit gets you active at work
16 Signs Quitting Your Job Is the Right Move
Thinking of quitting your job? Tell me if this sounds familiar. It's 7 p.m. on a Sunday night. You just finished dinner and are starting to settle down for the evening. Normally, this would be a relaxing time. Maybe you take the time to reflect on the past week, or perhaps plan your ambitious goals for the coming days. But this night is somehow different. You suddenly become filled with a certain something. It’s a malaise that doesn’t let you do much more than click the remote control. You can't exactly put your finger on what it is. Let’s call it the Sunday Night Blues. Rather than relax, you actually begin to get worked up, even annoyed. It comes in waves. Then you realize you are grinding your teeth, dreading the predictability of tomorrow’s work day. It might be time to look for a new job. At some point, all of us will reach this crossroads. Maybe you're there now. If you check off more than three items from the list below, it’s likely time to seriously consider quitting your … [Read more...] about 16 Signs Quitting Your Job Is the Right Move
Scared To Leave Your Job: Anxiety or Excitement?
Are you feeling stuck in your current job and are too afraid to quit your job? I think it’s a fairly common mindset. The quote, “The evil that we know is best” sums it up. But is it anxiety or anticipatory excitement you feel when you think about leaving your job? How Do You Tell the Difference? It’s normal to be fearful of the unknown. We are creatures of habit who don’t usually willingly embrace change. But let’s say that you are already in the process of actively job seeking. You’ve had a couple promising interviews. Then you get an actual offer and maybe a little panic sets in, possibly kicking up all the self-doubt that lurks just below the surface. But then feelings of excitement start. Here’s how it might go: “Oh, no, I can’t possibly do that job!” “It would be so great to get out of here, though!” “The new job would figure out that I haven’t a clue what I’m doing.” “But they like me!” “I could do this!” To me, that just reflects anticipatory excitement, … [Read more...] about Scared To Leave Your Job: Anxiety or Excitement?
Do You Have What It Takes to Work From Home?
Are you interested in starting your own home business or working for yourself? Perhaps you don’t feel like you what it takes in you. Even if you were not naturally geared with good work characteristics, or if they have been beaten out of you by the 9-5 work system, then don’t feel left out! Hundreds of successful entrepreneurs were once just like you: Busy, exhausted, uninspired workers who dumped the regular way of things and took out on their own. Below you’ll find six of the business “B’s” and how you can incorporate them into your life so you can start working for yourself. Be Passionate Passion is the most important thing you need when you start out on your business venture. Be passionate about making money, be passionate about being your own boss, be passionate about taking off on your own, and, best of all, be passionate about the job you are going to do. While you’ve probably spent your entire life simply being satisfied with your work, you now need to become excited and … [Read more...] about Do You Have What It Takes to Work From Home?
Dressing Up to Work at Home. Am I Nuts?
Sounds trivial doesn’t it, the idea of thinking about your clothing when you freelance from the comfort of your own home? But you’d be surprised how many freelancers put on a suit and jacket to head to their home office. I’m afraid I’m one of them. I draw the line at a tie, but putting on that shirt and jacket is just one of the tricks I use to keep myself and my brain in line to make sure that I’m in work mode for the day. Experienced contractors and freelancers all have tricks of the trade to maintain their freelance work discipline. For me, after I’ve walked the dog and fed the baby I’ve learned that before I head over to my office at the end of the garden I need to put on a shirt and jacket. It sounds stupid, but when I first got started I used to get easily distracted and was far too laid back in my approach to finding work. As a consequence I wasn’t actively chasing down as many contracts as I should have been. Instead I would sit in my shorts and watch the latest episode of … [Read more...] about Dressing Up to Work at Home. Am I Nuts?
5 Back-Up Plans if Your Lose Your Job
One of the scariest things about going to work is realizing that any day could be your last day. Sometimes people get fired for no reason but more recently people have been on edge because their companies may have taken a hit or because the recession has caused a lapse in revenue. There are two types of people out there and the ways that they react. You have the people who gossip and whine or just sit back and wait for it to happen and you have the people who create a safety net and back up plan. Those people are the ones who feel more confident because they not only have something to fall back on if they do lose their job, but they also have extra income coming in so that they can save money in case the worst happens. Here are 5 back-up plans that you can begin to implement if you are worried that you may be losing your job soon. 1. Turn Hobbies and Crafting Into Income. If you like to make jewelry or enjoy turning bottles into dolls for kids, why not use that creativity and … [Read more...] about 5 Back-Up Plans if Your Lose Your Job
The Future of America Depends on Future Medical Professionals: Get Recruiting
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics ranks the medical technologist and technician professions as consistently likely to provide opportunity for employment into the near future, with the demand for cardiovascular technicians and technologists alone expected to rise 24% by the year 2018. While it's not particularly ethical to be advocating serious thought about particular careers to impressionable youth, with growing uncertainty regarding the long-term fate of our nation's unemployment rate, there's certainly no shame in wanting your students to appreciate practical professional pursuits as early as possible. If you teach a science lesson or lead a science classroom, then fields of science and the details within – the careers and knowledge most anticipated to be in perpetual demand into the foreseeable future – should be concepts your students are well acquainted with. Most of the lessons involved are certainly an established part of the curriculum: human anatomy, cellular construct, … [Read more...] about The Future of America Depends on Future Medical Professionals: Get Recruiting
How to Use the Right Words on Your Resume
Writing the perfect resume is a skill, but it's one that you can learn with a bit of help. With thousands of resumes crossing recruiters' desks, how do you ensure that yours is the resume that stands out from the crowd? The secret is - it's all about choosing the right words. Here’s a guide to getting your resume right. Do Your Research Before you can select the right language for your resume, research the job you are going for. While it's good to have a general resume that you can send out in an emergency, it's even better to tailor your resume to the specific job you are looking for. The language of the job ad is a great guide to the language you should use in your resume - and in your cover letter. If the job ad asks for someone who is an expert in creating databases, use language that shows your strengths in this area. If the job ad is looking for people with leadership qualities, show how you have taken the lead in a variety of situations. Give Specific Examples Avoid … [Read more...] about How to Use the Right Words on Your Resume
College Classes for the Rest of Us
When you think of college students, you may imagine a group of high school graduates fresh out of school who spend their nights partying and their days sleeping through professorial lectures. And in a lot of cases, that's an accurate image. But there is another whole society of people who are getting up every day and facing the 9-to-5 drag and long commute who are also pursuing that highly sought-after diploma. Most of this group, however, are over 40, with a family to care for and a mortgage to pay. Sure, it's nice to think that we all jumped out of high school into a successful college experience. But for many of us, that just never happened. Either we couldn't afford it. Or we didn't think we needed it. Or we just didn't want to go to college. But now we realize how badly we need that online business degree to advance in our career or land a higher paying position. Knowledge alone just doesn't go as far as it used to. Today, we need the signature of a college dean stating that … [Read more...] about College Classes for the Rest of Us