Career Advice

Telecommuting offers many freedoms that in-office jobs typically don’t bring. From eliminating commutes to getting groceries in the mid-afternoon, you likely enjoy many aspects of your telecommuting arrangement. While telecommuting certainly offers more job freedom, it also brings more isolation. If you’re a natural social butterfly, you may have been unprepared for this increased isolation and may be struggling to overcome it. Since having a social life aids in life happiness and also increases work performance, here are five ways to continue socializing while working from home. Socialize Online Most telecommuters are required to maintain normal business hours even though they work from home. If your employer still requires an 8 to 5 work schedule, you may find it difficult to get out and socialize during the day and may be consumed by family obligations at night. One option for socializing even with a full schedule is to do so online. Online social networks offer great … [Read more...] about How to Maintain a Social Life While Telecommuting

Teaching is a rewarding profession, yet many teachers find that the constant challenges and the repetition of their daily routine can sometimes lead to burn out. When this happens, taking a break from teaching can lead to a new career path that offers the opportunity for personal and professional fulfillment. The skills that a teacher uses both in and out of the classroom are applicable to many different types of careers. Yet, knowing which career is best for them and how to get started is the first hurdle that teachers pursuing a break from teaching must overcome. Consider Staying in the Field  For some teachers, finding a different type of position within the education system can offer the break from teaching that they need. Teachers with years of experience might find that mentoring a new teacher can renew their love for teaching. Other teachers might find work in the administration department of their school district. Teachers who dream of starting their own business might find … [Read more...] about Alternative Career Breaks for Teachers

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life. Confucius The word “work” is often associated with drudgery and obligation, but it really doesn’t have to be that way. So, how so we make our work feel more like play? Here are a few ideas to get you started: 1. Do Work You Love As much as possible, try to do work you love (and if you're not, see what you can do about it). Doing work you love just makes it so much easier to have fun and get absorbed in what you are doing. If you are not currently doing work you love, thinking about what you would do, even if you weren’t paid for it is a great starting place. 2. Take Breaks & Vacations Work-life balance is a buzz word these days, and for good reason. However much you enjoy your work, skipping breaks and working on your vacation will end up with you being burnt out at some point. Get in the habit of cultivating a good work life balance on an ongoing basis. Recharging your … [Read more...] about 5 Ways to Make Work Feel More Like Play

We all have times when we feel bored at work. Even our “dream job” will have down days. However, if boredom is an ongoing issue for you at your job, what can you do? Here are a few suggestions from my own experiences: Is It The job? If you are in a boring job, what can you do about it? It is worth getting to the root of the issue and finding out specifically what is making you bored. Do you need more of a challenge? Maybe you need to delegate some of the tasks you find tedious so that they are shared out more equitably with colleagues? Maybe you need to ask your manager for a promotion or more responsibility? Being bored now and then is not unusual, but if it’s a continuous issue for you at work, it is a sign that something needs to change. Is It You? Have you noticed that some people never seem happy, whatever job they are in? It can be hard to admit that we might be the cause (or part of the cause) of a difficult situation but it is worth being honest and seeing … [Read more...] about How to Overcome Boredom at Work

Starting a new job can be a nerve racking experience. How do you survive your first day and make a good impression on your new colleagues and boss at the same time? Here are a few ideas: Be Punctual It might seem obvious, but do make sure that you leave plenty of time to get to work early for your first day. If you are taking a route to work that you haven’t taken before it might be worth doing a practice run before hand so you can be prepared as possible. Take a lunch break, but again it is worth making sure you are back punctually. Paying attention to the small details will help you settle in and make the best impression you can. Look Smart Choose what you are going to wear carefully to make the best first impression that you can. Think about practicalities – if you are working in an office but also need to go to a factory on site you might want to wear the more sensible heel for example! Thinking ahead will help you to prepare and feel as comfortable as possible … [Read more...] about First Day on the Job: How to Make a Good Impression

Focus is essential to success at work. Without the ability to knuckle down and stay with a task, we are like a feather in the wind, being pulled this way and that. Do you have trouble remaining focussed? If so, here are some tips to help you stay the course: Do One Thing at a Time Multitasking was hailed as the way to be productive for a long time, however it is now emerging that multi tasking can be detrimental to focus and productivity. To stay focussed, practice doing one thing at a time. Ideally, try to complete the task in hand before moving onto the next thing. Take Control Taking control over your day is essential to focus. Turning up to work each morning and just doing what is in front of you means that you are at the mercy of whatever happens that day. Create a simple plan  and stick to it. Make sure you complete the most important tasks first. Learn to Say No Learning to say no is very important in the art of becoming focussed. If you allow yourself to be distracted … [Read more...] about How To Stay Focused

Vacations are great, but they usually have to end at some point! How do we cope with those post-vacation blues when we return? Here are a few tips: 1. Make The Most Of Your Vacation Before you even return, make sure you make the most of your vacation time while you have it. Try to completely switch off from work and make sure you do something enjoyable and rejuvenating, whether that is at home or away. If you find it hard to switch off, it is worth looking at why that is and finding a way to get more of a balance in your life. 2. Ease Your Way In How can you make your first week back at work easier? Can you arrange for the first day back to be a catch up day, where you get a chance to find your feet again? Of course, this isn’t always possible but there is usually something you can do to make your re-entry to work easier.  3. Plan Your Next Break Having something exciting to look forward to can be motivating and help things seem more manageable. If you are feeling blue at … [Read more...] about 5 Ways to Survive Returning to Work After Vacation

Getting feedback from your boss is important if you want to move ahead in your career. You have to know what your boss sees when you are at work each day. However, your boss may not always be honest and forthright with you. Luckily, there are strategies that you can employ to make sure that your boss gives you honest and critical feedback. Schedule A Private Meeting  Set up face-to-face meeting between you and your boss. It can be in his office, a local cafe or anywhere else where a meeting can be conducted. Make sure you schedule the meeting at a time when your boss can give you his full attention. There is nothing worse than getting feedback while he is also on his phone or preparing for a meeting he has in an hour. You want to create a situation where he is only focused on you. Otherwise, he may just tell you what you want to hear to get rid of you. Ask The Right Questions  Ask specific questions if you want to get specific feedback. Tell your boss about a situation that occurred … [Read more...] about 3 Ways to Get Constructive Employer Feedback

Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, you ought to set up a life you don’t need to escape from. Seth Godin Most people enjoy their holidays from work, but what about life in between? As the quote above indicates, if we are grinning and bearing our lives till the next holiday, we may need to make some changes to the way we are living. Work-life balance is a term that is used a lot these days, but how do we create real balance in our lives? How do we create a life we don’t need to escape from? Spend Less Whatever your job and pay is, I recommend good money management and saving some of your income. So many people fritter away their money on unnecessary things, which are in fact keeping them trapped in a life they don’t really enjoy. Of course, what is unnecessary is different from one person to the next, but what is necessary, is usually quite flexible. When you know exactly where all your money is going, you will feel more empowered. Not living paycheck to … [Read more...] about Creating Real Work-Life Balance

When you lose a job, there is a big distinction between whether it was due to a layoff or a firing. In cases where you were laid off, you have a better chance of explaining yourself to potential employers in regards to why you are out of work. If, however, the loss of the job was a result of a firing, carefully choosing your words to discuss the situation is imperative. While I have never been fired from a job over a 23-year career, I have been a layoff victim. The layoff eventually led me to considering starting a small business, however, I was eventually persuaded to realize the fact that having someone else take care of your checks and health insurance is not such a bad thing. As I pondered whether or not I would look for another job or go into business for myself, the idea of having to deal with the thought of getting a small business loan to start a business was also not overly appealing. Yes, the loss of a job stings in a number of ways, but a layoff is much easier to … [Read more...] about Is That Firing or Layoff Going to Cost Me My Next Job?