Career Advice

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)

Whatever job you do and however much you are paid, managing your pay check well is important. So how do we make the most of our paycheck and make it go further? Set a Budget Working out a realistic budget is the foundations of making your pay check go further. Sit down and work out all your essential expenses first (rent/mortgage, utility bills etc) and then move onto other expenses in order of priority. If you realise that your rent is taking up too much of your pay check, could you downsize or find somewhere cheaper to rent? What bills could you reduce? Get creative and see what expenses you can reduce in order to free up more of your pay check. You could try tracking all your expenses for a month to get a true indication of what you are spending your money on, so that you can get really clear about what you want to keep spending on and what can be cut. Live Within Your Means Once you have set yourself a budget, make sure you live within your means. It is important to make your … [Read more...] about How to Make Your Pay Check Last

Traveling for work is a great way to break up the monotony of your workplace routine. Business travels are also ideal occasions for learning more about your fellow coworkers and to build stronger friendships with them. However, while you may be accustomed to the relaxed routine of traveling with coworkers, traveling with your boss can be an entirely different experience. Here are four fatal mistakes to avoid. Being Annoying It’s natural to feel a little nervous regarding a business trip with your boss. However, you mustn’t allow your nerves to cause you to talk too much or adopt other annoying habits. Few things are worse than being stuck with a coworker in a car or airplane who won’t stop talking or who is constantly sending and receiving text messages. Keep your annoying habits in check while traveling with your boss to secure your slot on future business trips. Drinking too Much Relaxing after conferences or client meetings with a tall beer or glass of wine is perfectly … [Read more...] about 4 Mistakes to Avoid While Traveling With Your Boss

National Bosses Day is Tuesday, October 16, 2012. Are you buying your boss a gift? I've always believed in shopping down. In short, I am willing to buy a gift for people who are my peers or work for me, but not for a boss.  However, as I mellow (and age!) I do believe there are exceptions.  Before you just go through the motions, ask yourself the following before purchasing a Bosses Day gift for the big cheese. Have they gone out of their way for me? Oftentimes, the boss is in the unique position of directly impacting your life. If they have done anything to make the job, or your life, a bit better, say thanks with a token of appreciation. For example, perhaps your boss granted you permission to work from home one day a week after having a child or made an exception for you to accommodate a personal issue.  Perhaps you are simply grateful to be treated with respect.  In cases like this, celebrate Bosses Day 2012 by giving a gift. Does my boss have my best interest at heart? Bosses … [Read more...] about National Bosses Day 2012: Should You Buy a Gift?

Human resources—whether this is a manager or a department, their responsibilities are the same: to protect the company who hired them against things like staff turnover, lawsuits, low employee morale or unsafe working conditions. If you have issues or complaints as an employee and are tempted to talk to HR, you may want to think twice. Human Resources are not bound by confidentiality laws. Human Resources professionals are good with people and they are good listeners. Employees often view HR staff as a counselor of sorts—kind of like a work psychiatrist with patient confidentiality in place. This can sometimes lull you into the sense that they are your friend and that they are trustworthy. But at the end of the day, even if they are trustworthy and of good character, HR professionals have a job to do. When asked questions by your employer, they are going to answer truthfully. Even if it means sharing information that you shared with them. They may share information you share with … [Read more...] about The Top 3 Reasons You Shouldn’t Share With Human Resources

If you are feeling overwhelmed at work, you will know that it isn't a nice feeling. Everyone feels overwhelmed at one time or another, but if you can't see your way out of it and can't see a light at the end of the tunnel, here are a few ideas to help you handle this tricky time:  Do You Need to Delegate? Maybe you just have too much work to cope with now? You might have some personal issues that are making it more difficult to stay on top of your work than usual? Whatever the reason, if you continue to feel overwhelmed it is important to let someone know and delegate or speak to a sympathetic manager that can help you do that. Don't continue to battle on alone and ignore the issue; that won't help anyone. Have You Been Trained Properly? At times, people are thrown into jobs that they just aren't trained for. Take a step back from your situation and see if you can get a sense whether that is what has happened to. You could ask a trusted co-worker for their feedback. If you … [Read more...] about Overwhelmed at Work? How to Cope