Career Advice

As a professional, if you are not making use of LinkedIn, you are missing out. This is a powerful platform with more than 120 million members. If you just read that and instantly felt left out, that’s a perfectly natural reaction. It’s frustrating to know that millions of others may be getting a head while you are stuck in a rut, all because you are not making use of your resources. The good news is that whether you are just now joining LinkedIn or if you simply haven’t used the platform to its full potential, you can change this quite quickly. First Things First The most important thing you will do is take the time to fill in your profile as thoroughly as you possibly can. By doing this, you increase your visibility and provide the site with the information that it needs to make appropriate recommendations to you. This is also why being honest is crucial. This is a platform that will truly benefit your professional career, if you are honest about everything. Even if you are not … [Read more...] about How to Shine on LinkedIn

There are many people who still think that hoarding their vacation days is the best way to go. So, if this sounds like you, rest-assured tha you are not alone in your thinking. Unfortunately, just because a lot of people are doing it, does not make it right. It is estimated that billions of dollars are forfeited every year in vacation time because employees either quit or lose their time, they wait until the last minute when they can’t use them because others are on vacation, or they are scared of job security so they do take them. This just isn’t right. Plan Ahead One of the most important things you can do to avoid burnout and keep yourself healthy, is plan ahead for vacation. When you wait until the last minute, there is a good chance that you may not be able to take the time. If you plan on hoarding all your time to take over the holiday, you better hope you are not fighting everyone else for the same time off. There is nothing worse than forfeiting time because you waited too … [Read more...] about Don’t Hoard Vacation Days!

Whether you call it networking, schmoozing or just being personable, it all boils down to one thing when you’re applying for job: You have to sell yourself. And surprisingly, it’s not that different than selling any other product of service. You have to know what you’re selling, be confident that it can help the person, and know how to talk about it without coming across as bragging. In fact, applying for a job is one of the first opportunities that you’ll have to brush up on your selling skills because more likely than not, when you have that job, you’re going to have to sell something at one point or another. Now is the perfect time to hone your selling skills, and here are five steps you can use to land your dream job and get practice for your future career. Network This can’t be stressed enough. Looking good on paper is only going to get you so far. You have to know people. Use any contacts that you’ve made throughout school or previous jobs to be your extra eyes and ears in the … [Read more...] about How to Sell Yourself and Land Your Dream Job

With the buzz created around outdoor activities, many people without thinking, may conclude that it is another high end product or perhaps has some special requirements. But these are not always the truth. Simple outdoor activities like climbing a mountain, riding a bike, hiking, walking, swimming  and many others, are not only fun but provide untold additional benefits for our physical health, emotional health and balance, intellectual performance and of course, a healthy social lifestyle.Benefits of Outdoor Activities Physical Health and Balance: Experts have proven that effective outdoor activities, like hiking, canoeing and numerous other physical activities promote healthy heart performance and provide muscular fitness. Emotional Balance: Adequate participation in outdoor recreational activities has been identified as the major source for improved self-esteem, stress reduction, confidence, creativity stimulation, spiritual growth, and a balanced sense of … [Read more...] about How Outdoor Activities Benefit Your Career Success

You either love the Jersey Shore or you hate it. Its critics say that the show provides nothing of value, just senseless partying, hooking up, and drama. Its fans say that that’s why it so addicting! Furthermore, who would have thought that the show can be the basis for 5 valuable career lessons? Brand Yourself Michael “The Situation” Sorrentino is known for his six pack abs and his large, yet funny, ego. DJ Pauly D is never shown DJing on the show. Regardless, his stereotypical guido looks and likability have made him one of the most sought after DJs in the US. Career Lesson: Differentiate your resume and in your interviews by focusing on numbers and results. What do you have that very few of your competition have?  It may not be a bulging biceps, but it may be impressive sales. Have Fun Each cast member of the Jersey Shore gets paid $100,000 per episode to have 2 month long vacations, while the average American gets 14 days of vacation per year, or less. Career Lesson: The … [Read more...] about 5 Career Lessons From Jersey Shore

Communication between business and customer has changed rapidly since the inception of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networking platforms. No longer will hiding behind exhibition stands at tradeshows and job fairs do the trick – if you’re a member of one of these sites, you can expect Joe Public to let you know just how he feels about you, which might be good or it might be bad. The important thing is to be prepared. Let me explain. Last week, I was gearing up to see one of my favourite bands play at one of my least favourite venues in the city. My excitement, although dampened somewhat by the unfortunate location where this band (or more likely the band’s label) had chosen to play, spilled onto Twitter: My reasons for disliking company X (company name removed out of pure fear) are pretty much summed up by the above tweet, so I won’t go into it. Let me just say that hiking drinks prices when a band plays a venue is something I have never agreed with. Nor do I agree … [Read more...] about Twitter for Businesses: How to Avoid Embarrassment

A recent Cornerstone OnDemand/Harris 2012 U.S. Employee Report indicated that only 20 percent of employees have established career goals with their manager or employer through a performance review. What’s worse is that less than half (45 percent) said the feedback they receive is a fair and accurate representation of their performance. By pairing these statistics together, we can see that workers don’t feel like they’re getting the right feedback--and not much is being done to correct the way a manager feels about an employee’s performance. So, what can an employee do on their end? Believe it or not, your manager may have no idea, or at least have little direction, in what your active goals are. So, it may be a good idea to fill them in: What are active goals? Active goals can be anything you’re working on right now. As a rule of thumb: Shorter term goals: 30 days or less Short-term goals: 45 days or less Long-term goals: several months Typically, your goals (short-term or … [Read more...] about Survive Your Performance Review By Utilizing Active Goals

Although most people assume that their boss is supposed to do all the managing in the workplace, this isn’t so. While your boss is dictating, delegating and often disrespecting, you should be reacting the correct way to control how they view and treat you. It does not matter if you are plagued with Mr. Grumpy, Ms. Annoying or the extra-friendly, always-hugging, shoulder-touching, second-glance type, there are things that you can do to manage your boss. Grumpy McGrumperson It is amazing how some people get into the position they do. How leaders expect to motivate a staff when they are always grumpy, angry or stressed, is a question no one seems to know the answer to. So, how do you handle these bosses? Do you hide in your cubicle? Never make eye contact in hopes that they won’t talk to you? Kiss up beyond belief until you are so annoying you can’t even stand to listen to yourself? The first thing to do is divert with good news. Turn the negative into something positive. Don’t let … [Read more...] about How to Manage Your Boss

I was a bit surprised when a friend told me that companies routinely check your credit history when you apply for a job and are a promising candidate. That’s a new a wrinkle to me, but I’ve been self-employed for years. Why would a low credit rating be relevant to a potential employer? I’m a bit baffled by it, especially in this economy with unemployment so high. Many people have lost their homes to foreclosure or had to file bankruptcy do to job loss, high medical bills, etc. To me, it has a very strong “blame the victim” feel to it – to get that bad credit history; you must have done something shady or used incredibly poor judgment in managing your finances. In many cases, that’s unfair thinking.How is it Applicable?I suppose if you were job hunting in the financial sector, in a position of high responsibility, your credit score or bad history could be a red flag. It might suggest that you aren’t very good at handling money or maybe … [Read more...] about Should a Low Credit Rating Jinx a Job Offer?