You know the drill. Months of cabin fever unleash into a firestorm of cleaning fury. From organizing the garage to removing the last of the dust on the chandelier, we prepare our homes for the inevitable chirping of birds and brilliant sunlight the cuts through the verdant bushes on the front lawn. This year, spring cleaning is the last thing on the mind of many Americans, as we continue to dig out of storm after winter storm that has assaulted virtually every part of the United States. It's difficult to plan spring cleaning, when six feet of snow blocks the front doorway. However, tough times bring out the best in people, which means maybe there is something you can do that involves spring-cleaning. Now is a good time to spring clean your life. … [Read more...] about Spring Clean Your Life
Career Advice
Don’t Let Weather Be An Obstacle In Your Client Meetings
At the core of a successful business lies one enduring idea: customer service. As the widely popular online shop Zappos likes to put it, you’ve got to deliver wow through your customer service. It’s a company philosophy they swear by, one that hugely contributes to the success of the company. Their entire company culture, in fact, is based around the idea. Wow through customer service Of course, one has to follow that basic idea through to the end. The best kind of customer service means being there to provide your clients with the kind and quality of assistance they need. That includes showing up on time for client meetings, no matter the dark clouds over the horizon, the threat of rain, no matter the sleet and snow. Whatever kind of weather you have to face, you face it. That’s how the old school thinking goes. With technologies such as video conferencing enabling people to work from anywhere and meet anyone from any place on earth, you might have to reconsider that approach. … [Read more...] about Don’t Let Weather Be An Obstacle In Your Client Meetings
Tips for Negotiating a Better Compensation Package
These days, it can be tough to find a good job. There were a lot of people in that waiting room who would have been glad to take the job you just got. It is understandable that you don’t want to mess it up just when you are about to sign on the dotted line. There’s just one little thing that should be troubling you as you look at the official offer from the company. They are lowballing you big time. They know it. You know it. And every busy beaver working at their little cubicles knows it. You are about to sign a bad deal because you are too afraid that you will lose your opportunity. A good way to avoid this moment entirely is to take a job through a professional staffing agency. I’m not talking about entry-level jobs. The next nursing home administrator in State College, Pennsylvania will likely be hired through a staffing agency. De Vore Recruiting spotlighted this particular position, which offers a salary range of $85,000.00 - $100,000.00. A staffing agency is a great … [Read more...] about Tips for Negotiating a Better Compensation Package
Work Crush? These Books Can Help
If you have a work crush, you are not alone! We spend more time with the people that we work with than the time we spend with friends and family members. So, it should not surprise anyone that the workplace provides the fertile setting for romantic relationships to evolve. Sure, late night romances abound in watering holes, but most of those romances last as long as a Kim Kardashian-inspired reality show. Work crushes are the rule, not the exception. How do you deal with that loving feeling? You read books to help you navigate a work crush. What You Need to Know The best books to help you navigate a work crush focus on four central recommendations. You may not need to learn each of the four recommendations, but you should have the recommendations in mind every time a co-worker lights the flame of your passion. There is a Difference between Feeling and Acting You can enjoy a feeling, without ever acting on it. This may sound counterintuitive, as most people believe it's … [Read more...] about Work Crush? These Books Can Help
THE MOST COMMON RESUME MISTAKES FOR 2015
Finding a job in this economy is like trying to find a needle in the proverbial haystack. You can uncover as much hay as you want, but the primo job remains as elusive as ever. Although finding the best job for you is difficult, it becomes virtually impossible when you make the most common resume mistakes. With 2015 fast approaching, you need to learn which of the resume mistakes shoot you in your job searching feet. Screwing up the Basics What happens when a prospective employer reads a resume riddled with spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, and typo issues? The employer either uses your resume to start a campfire or makes a paper airplane out of it for the amusement of fellow workers who know how to craft professional resumes. You can have all of the qualifications in the world, but you do not get your feet in the door when you screw up the basics of spelling and grammar. Of all the resume mistakes, screwing up the basics has the most negative impact on your job prospects. … [Read more...] about THE MOST COMMON RESUME MISTAKES FOR 2015
Online Job Search and Networking: Are Your Profiles Safe?
Landing a job these days requires more than an impressive cover letter and resume. Long gone are the days when you search the local newspaper and mail in your applications. Technology has afforded employers with the ability to post job openings and even screen applicants exclusively online, while job seekers can now apply online and post pertinent information about their career development. With approximately 30-60% of all jobs being filled through networking, job seekers must think outside of the box to get noticed. In fact, the modern job seeker must have the ability to manage multiple profiles as they network with potential employers and apply for job openings. Today, applying for a job means managing profiles for job sites such as Careerbuilder and Indeed as well as monitoring social media sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. … [Read more...] about Online Job Search and Networking: Are Your Profiles Safe?
PASSED OVER FOR PROMOTION: HOW TO COPE
The time of the year that you dread the most has arrived. You get to sweat through a performance review to determine if your performance is worthy of a promotion. The numbers appear to be in your favor, but your boss decides to give the promotion to a fellow employee that you feel deserves nothing more than janitor duty. Once again, your company has you passed over for promotion. The question is what are you going to do about it? How are you going to cope with another slap in the face? Maintain Your Composure One of the worst behaviors employees exhibit when passed over for promotion is to throw a seemingly appropriate fit. However, throwing an Oscar worthy tantrum only brings you down in the eyes of your managers and co-workers. Even if the decision to pass you over for promotion appears unfair, you need to take the high road and stay calm. Demonstrative venting to your peers only poisons the workplace and lowers morale. … [Read more...] about PASSED OVER FOR PROMOTION: HOW TO COPE
Changing Jobs After 40
There are few things worse than staying in a job when you know it’s time to leave. Unfortunately, with today’s job market, finding another job can be very difficult. Although the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the unemployment rate at 5.9 percent as of September 2014, but experts say that number is misleading because certain types of unemployment go underreported. For example, those official statistics don’t take into account people who have stopped actively seeking work, also known as discouraged workers – the ranks of which are steadily increasing. They also do not account for the underemployed and “downwardly mobile” – individuals who are employed, but only part-time or at pay rates far below what they were originally earning due to pay cuts or by changing jobs. … [Read more...] about Changing Jobs After 40
KEYS TO GETTING AHEAD AT WORK
The highly competitive job market means workers must find ways to ensure long-term employment stability. If you haven’t noticed, jobs are getting more and more scarce with each passing year. To keep your career moving upward, instead of spiraling into a freefall, you need to understand the keys to getting ahead at work. Some of the keys that you won’t use include backstabbing other employees, kissing up to your boss, and taking credit when credit is not due. The keys to getting ahead at work involve time-tested strategies that help you stand out from the crowded workplace. … [Read more...] about KEYS TO GETTING AHEAD AT WORK
HOW TO STAY AWAKE AT WORK
Let's face it. Work can become so boring that the plush leather chair that you use to dictate memos makes for a really comfortable bed. You can pull the blinds down, stretch your feet onto your varnished desk, and sink into deep sleep in the cozy confines of your office. The cause of your drowsiness ranges from staying out too late the night before to the after effects of gorging out during lunch. Regardless of the reason for your somnolence, most bosses don't care for workers who take siestas in the middle of the afternoon. If you begin to fade, you need to implement some of the measures that teach you how to stay awake at work. Let the Light Shine Without getting too technical, your absorb light as a way to regulate the internal rhythm of your body. The more that you expose yourself to light, the more alert you feel right about at the point of day when you typically gain heavy eyelids. Most offices have bright lights that employers use to help you maintain focus and succeed in how … [Read more...] about HOW TO STAY AWAKE AT WORK