Career Advice

Hardly a week passes without news of a natural or man-made disaster somewhere in the United States or around the world. Floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, ice storms… the list goes on. One thing is certain. If you get through a single year without so much as a power outage, you've had a great year.In my area of suburban Connecticut we've had three weather-related power outages so far this year, and it's only July. The worst outage, during a windstorm in March, knocked out power for five days for some homeowners. That's not just an inconvenience. That's a serious, sometimes dangerous, situation.While many people keep emergency preparedness kits at home, they often overlook the workplace. That doesn't really make sense. Your chances of getting caught in an emergency at work are significant. Yet few of us who work outside the home have made any preparations for the unthinkable. It's as if we think the office manager has got all that stuff covered. And that's not smart.Here’s the … [Read more...] about An Emergency Preparedness Kit for the Workplace

Knowledge is power.  And what better place to acquire “mental muscle” than the pages of some popular titles.  Besides expanding your knowledge base, books are a great way to relax and unwind. A great form of escapism, they allow us to get lost in different settings and scenes, and embrace endless possibilities.In fact, I'm known to spend hours enjoying selections from my personal library while sipping on a good cup of flavored herbal tea, or while letting Calgon, “take me away.”Whatever your reading ritual, here are some books worth a look for today's worker bees, regardless of industry or occupation. 365 Ways to Simplify Your Work Life---Odette PollarChock full of practical tips and words of wisdom, this little pocket book packs a lot of punch!It's concise and clever. Topics range from time management, to stress management, to decision making techniques, to computer tips, to K.I.S.S. Principles. It's a must read.Success After 40---Allan Zullo with … [Read more...] about 4 Great "Old School" Reads for Work Inspiration and Information

Is this you on your day off?     * I pick up dry cleaning. * I get an oil change. * I go to the grocery store. * I clean my house. We all need to do errands, household chores, and maintenance on our days off. But I think you’ll find if that’s all you’re doing on your day off, you’ll be dragging into work on Monday. Don’t leave yourself off that list. Sometimes doing something just for you will shift that focus off of your work life, help you refocus and recharge. Here are some ways to recharge your batteries on your day off... 1. Put down those electronic devices. Don’t glare at me, just do it. One of my previous posts, “How to Disconnect During Downtime” addressed how important it is to get your brain out of “connectivity” mode. Pick up a magazine, book or do a crossword puzzle. 2. Cook something. Even if most things in your kitchen scare you, you can still make a phenomenal grilled cheese sandwich. Butter, bread, cheese, skillet…Cooking can be a form of … [Read more...] about 10 Ways to Recharge on Your Day Off

The connotations of a sales job can range from anything to sitting on the phone all day trying to sell old ladies household furnishings to big wig city guys, and the money they can bring in can be just a varied. At the end of the day no matter what your own personal opinion is of sales, it’s a solid career: people are always going to want to sell their products or services.So what is selling? You probably do it in some form or another in your job. Whether it’s convincing your client to give you that extra budget or convincing your boss to give you a raise and if you’re clever and careful you can be successful. If you’re selling for a living your job is basically to help someone make up their mind as to whether your product is right for them and guide them through the purchasing process.The first step to becoming successful in sales is to have an absolute belief in your product and a completely comprehensive knowledge of it. If you don’t believe in it, … [Read more...] about How to Succeed in Sales 101

Years ago when I graduated with a business degree, I fancied myself as fierce and ready for the world! I had been "briefed" on business structures, marketing strategies, resume styles, balance sheets, and the whole kit and caboodle. I was too hot to trot. … [Read more...] about 4 Career Lessons They Don’t Teach in Business School

Body art has been a form of adornment and branding for bikers, athletes and entertainers for ions. Due to increased social acceptance, greater exposure, and changing norms, body art is gaining popularity with “common folk”, and is now viewed as much of a “fashion statement” as a hairstyle or designer label. In fact, today it’s not unusual to see body art adorned by everybody from white-collar professionals, to middle aged moms.  Among them are those that perceive tattoos as merely an extension of their first amendment right to freedom of expression.I conducted an informal survey of about 100 friends and acquaintances, and found that about 40% of them had tattoos ranging in number from 1 to 7.  Most bearers said that they felt that tattoos were “sexy” and allowed them to uniquely distinguish themselves.  Some confessed to having gotten them in an act of rebellion back in their adolescent years, and later adding on more.But be … [Read more...] about Tattoos and Taboos: Why you should think before you ink

Jobs are hard to come by these days and making ends meet is no picnic either. If your current position isn’t bringing those ends any closer together, it might be time for a raise. Here are seven ways to get a raise. 7.  Work Hard There’s one way to make sure you don’t get that raise: slack off. If you want to take a break from impressing your buddies in order to take a stab at impressing the boss, then work and work hard. Now you have to decide what this entails and how far you’ll have to go but hard word never hurt anybody and, yes, it does build character. Just don’t forget that it can also build your bank account. 6. Ask, And You Might ReceiveSeems simple but we know it isn’t. However, facts are facts. And if you know your work deserves a little extra come payday and can back up your performance history, then present your case to your boss. Good workers and solid employees are not that easy to come by these days. Your boss will want to keep … [Read more...] about 7 Ways To Get A Raise

A decade ago, diaries were for girls. At least that was the assumption.  Little ladies would peel back the pink pages and write all about their secret crushes and desires.  The digital age has turned us all into little girls, ones who not only keep diaries (we've gender-neutralized it as a "journal"), but share them publicly.This blog post isn't about private vs. public journals, it is designed to encourage you to start a job journal, one where you share your deepest and darkest thoughts.  Or maybe just complain about the boss.  Whatever you decide to log, we recommend you keep it simple yet descriptive, honest and unfiltered.Keep a job journal to...JOG YOUR MEMORY.  We humans tend to forget.  We forget how difficult something once was or how good we had it.  In the rear-view mirror, bosses become vilified or propped up to heroic proportions, when in reality, they, like most bosses, were likely somewhere in between.A job journal will give you … [Read more...] about 5 Reasons to Start a Job Journal TODAY!