Career Advice

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?

Okay, if you read that headline and thought, “Oooh, holiday tasties and pretties, I’m so there...,” that’s not the only office food I’m talking about. Imagine if you will that there might actually be room on the conference room table for something nutritious.  No, I’m really serious. I am not a member of the food police; we all have enough of those folks in our lives. Maybe it’s your mother, hubby or your carb-fearing pal’s voice in your ear, “Are you really going to eat THAT?” I work in a home office, but I’m just as guilty as cube folks when it comes to grabbing a non-nutritious substance to eat at the desk. I’m also light-years from being a nutrition expert, but if your office’s eating habits are composed solely of the sugar, fat and caffeine food groups, maybe it’s time to mix it up. 1.      Almonds – No, not those smoked salty things. Try the plain, roasted ones. Nuts are not the new rice cakes, but they are good for you. 2.      Low-fat string cheese – I don’t know where … [Read more...] about 10 Foods to Add to Your Office "Diet"

Many of us are familiar with the presence of self-help books both in the bookstores and online. These books provide us with information that is helpful for cultivating professional and individual growth. Among these are books geared toward helping you improve your resume. Some of these simply discuss the principles that make up a good resume. Others offer distinctive perks, such as that of the infamous “one-hour resume.”The Project TriangleLet’s relate the one-hour resume to business. Consider the project triangle. At each corner are the principles of “time,” “cost” and “quality.” You cannot accomplish one corner perfectly in a project without sacrificing parts of the other two corners. When working on any business project, you have to come to terms with this sad truth. You never have enough time to turn out the very best quality product because of the constraints of cost. It becomes a simple matter of balance.A one-hour resume … [Read more...] about The Fallacy of the One-Hour Resume

You can tell a lot about a person by what they keep on their desk.  From family photos to religious regalia, a few small trinkets communicate who we really are to our coworkers.  They also have the potential to serve a greater purpose: making the office a better place to work.Here are a few practical items to consider putting on your desk:PLANTSYou don’t need a green thumb or an abundance of light to keep a small plant on your desk.  Nature’s filter will improve the office air quality and help keep you alert.   Plus, studies show that plants can enhance worker productivity by 12%.The large seed in the center of a papaya can be turned into the perfect office plant!   You can also try a spider plant if you are botany-challenged. AROMATHERAPYOne of the easiest holistic treatments is aromatherapy, the simple act of smelling essential oils for healing.  To keep yourself in a positive frame of mind, consider adding an odor or two to … [Read more...] about 7 Items Everyone Should Keep on Their Work Desk

It was a lousy day at work.  People who love to fight were looking to engage.  Monotonous projects continued to drag on and on.  Even my lunch was an unexciting tuna sandwich.Uncharacteristically, I carried my work frustration with me out of the office.  I normally do a good job of compartmentalizing work.  But not today.  The signs of stress were lurking below.I went straight from work to the supermarket.  With my wife working late, I was on dinner duty.As I filled my cart, I played back the work events of the past few days.  With each dinner ingredient I added, the more agitated I became.I was suddenly hot.  On the precipice of perspiration.With negative work thoughts swirling around my head like vultures hunting prey, I approached the checkout counter.I scanned for the shortest line.  After all, I just wanted to get home.  I still had a dog to walk, dinner to make, plus, I was exhausted.As luck would have it, I got on line … [Read more...] about The Signs of Stress: Carrying Work Anger Home