Career Advice

To many people--especially recent high school and college graduates--volunteering and community service can appear to be a step away from their long-term professional goals. Without any pay and performing tasks unrelated to the career aspirations of many soon-to-be professionals, volunteering often gets pushed to the side as one of those things that young people should embrace, but don't. However, this mindset overlooks the ways volunteering can actually contribute to your professional goals. In addition to improving your self-image and offering a sense of fulfillment from the things you devote yourself to, there are many benefits of volunteering that can pay dividends now and well into your future. Here's a look at some of the ways high school community service and other forms of volunteering can contribute to your loftiest goals. Bolstering your resume and applications One of the biggest challenges facing high school and college students is a lack of real-world experience. Yes, … [Read more...] about Motivating People to Volunteer

Entering into the workforce can be an extremely stressful time for many individuals who are new to the world of business. Entry-level employees often work for low wages simply because they want to do whatever they can in order to rise to the top. While it can be a long and difficult road to travel, getting a promotion doesn't have to be impossible. Depending upon the logistics of the company that you work for, you might find yourself getting a promotion within your first year of employment if you take the right steps. The following are just 3 tips for getting a promotion in the modern business world, all of which are worth internalizing for entry-level employees. Keep Track of Your Successes If you're starting a new job, you've got to do everything possible to learn the ropes in the shortest possible period of time. Understanding what works for you and what does not is an essential part of adapting, and should not be underestimated. You can get a lot of mileage out of keeping track … [Read more...] about 3 Tips for Getting a Promotion

We are all continually affirming when we think, whether we realize it or not. When we say that we hate our job or that we always hate our boss (for example), we are affirming these thoughts into our subconscious mind and unwittingly attracting more of the same into our experience. This explains why the person who changes their job because they hate their boss, often winds up with a similar boss and experience in their next job. The circumstances have changed, but their mindset hasn’t. Likewise, when we think positively, we are attracting more positive experiences into our reality. We can affirm in the positive or negative; either way what we affirm helps to contribute to our experiences. Therefore it makes sense, to practice thinking positively. Positive Affirmations for Work Choosing Positive Affirmations Choosing positive thoughts isn’t always easy. If we are stuck in a job we don’t like or just know that we have the worst boss in the world, it is easy to think thoughts that … [Read more...] about Positive Affirmations for the Workplace

Ah, the world of social media. We update our status on Facebook, we laugh at trending topics on Twitter, we upload pictures we like to Pinterest... There's no doubt about it, social media is here to stay. Yet there's one social media site which you need to be on - and that's LinkedIn. Perhaps you've steered clear of LinkedIn and don't get what the fuss is about, or you may already have a profile and are not using it effectively? Whatever camp you belong to, LinkedIn is an incredibly powerful tool you can use for your personal benefit. Facebook and Twitter won't make your career - LinkedIn can. In this article from 360 feedback provider ETS, you'll see why you need to be a part of the LinkedIn love-in. #1 - LinkedIn - some facts Before we can start to get into the nitty gritty of LinkedIn, it's worth beginning with some facts about the social network. With over 175 million members, the US leads the way with nearly 7 million profiles. Other top countries include the United Kingdom, … [Read more...] about Why you NEED to Be on LinkedIn

With the growing number of employees working past the typical 40-hour workweek, it's important for employers to provide the right type of wellness programs. Unhealthy employees don't provide the same quality of work as those in good physical and mental health. Many professions require long hours to advance, which can lead to eating junk food on the go, giving up exercise and not getting enough sleep. The consequences of long work hours affect more than just the employee. Social wellness is necessary for the happiness of most individuals and many count on their work environment to fulfill a portion of this need. However, with the long work hours taking over the lives of employees, many other basic human needs are simply set aside, and the results can be harmful. As an employer, you can influence your employees with the right wellness programs. This can help create happier and more productive employees, which will only benefit your company. A Few Basics Any Employee can Provide 1. … [Read more...] about How Social Wellness Is Affected By the Job Market

As summer fades into the rearview mirror, people everyone are shifting their focus toward fall, football and the upcoming holidays. A quick glance in any arts and crafts store serves as a quick reminder that staples such as Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are closer than we realize. Sure this means upcoming gathering with are friends and families, but it also means lots of awkward office luncheons, obligatory gift exchanges and the all-too-anticipated holiday party. Although most of us would prefer to go without the forced socialization imposed on us around the office during the holidays, we can't escape it and have to admit it's a necessary evil. For those of us that have experienced our fair share of these, we already have our routines down. We know who to sit with, who to avoid and what topics are and are NOT appropriate. We've perfected our grin and bear it faces and know just how much fake enthusiasm is enough. Now, those of you who actually enjoy the people you work with … [Read more...] about Surviving the Holiday Season Around the Office: A Guide for Young Professionals

At least once a year all employees must receive a review.  Doing so serves as an opportunity to reward those who perform well and gives an incentive for all to work more proficiently and to aim to meet company goals.  Employee appraisals are necessary for a supervisor to determine how suitable each worker is, their strengths or weaknesses, and how each can improve. Not only do performance evaluations provide a chance to recognize the stages where employees are at, they help a supervisor focus on how an employee can progress to a higher level. Important Terms When conducting an employee appraisal the following factors must be considered: Job performance Attitude Ability to pay attention and follow directions How well an employee accepts responsibility and is liable for their own actions How devoted the employee is to her position Their ability to interact with coworkers and customers Their level of interest in growing with the company A.  Job Performance To determine … [Read more...] about How To Conduct Employee Appraisals

From pumpkins to princesses, offices will be filled with unlikely characters this Halloween. If your boss is allowing an in-office Halloween party, you’re likely excited to showcase your costume creation skills. However, before creating the perfect costume, be sure to follow these office party dos and don’ts. Do Participate If your boss is allowing employees to dress up in the office on Halloween, participate. Being the only employee to not dress up will label you as dull and anti-participative. Halloween is about loosening up and adopting an alter ego for the day. Whether you go all out with an extravagant costume or keep the costume simple, participating at any level will keep you connected to the day’s festivities rather than feeling like an outsider. Don’t Dress up as Your Boss While dressing up as your boss at an office Halloween party may seem light-hearted, your boss likely won’t see it that way. Keep your costume generic to avoid any repercussions you may have … [Read more...] about Halloween Office Parties: Dos and Don’ts

The job market gets increasingly competitive as people who have years of experience and qualifications are finding it increasingly difficult to find work and accepting job which are below their skillset. For someone who has recently graduated or in an entry level position, this can become frustrating with chances of promotion often going to people with ‘experience’. There are many ways to get noticed by your boss, but this post will focus on the psychology of the way you dress, how to do it well and if it is really possible to affect your job prospects. Dress for your industry With the digital and creative sector booming in the current economy, dressing for your industry is very important. If you are working for a design company, the dress code is often relaxed. On the other hand, this doesn’t mean that you should wear what you would on a Saturday. Wearing smart casual jumpers with shirts and smart jeans or trousers will set you apart in front of management. If your firm has a … [Read more...] about Can What I Wear Affect My Promotion Prospects?

An office should be a place of pride, a showcase of the machine and how it works. If a workplace looks messy and disordered it says a lot about the state of affairs at the company. So, have you ever walked into your own office that you work at to think what a tip it is and perhaps how much nicer it would do if someone took a little bit of time to do a few specific things? Well, you can be that person – an office superhero; fighting grime and helping out everyone – resulting in smiles all round. Here are a few things you can do to kick start a healthy office mental attitude; if you start chipping in, others will follow you no doubt. Wires   Wires, wires, wires; the bane of any office. In many offices through the world you can’t step foot in an office without being offended by these banded black, white, red and yellow snakes that seem to snake around the office. There’s no other way of saying it; wires look messy. So…why not fix this? All it takes is a couple of hours before … [Read more...] about Be The Hero Your Workplace Needs (But Not The One it Deserves)